Do you know who that is? On top of our United States Capitol Building?
It’s “Freedom.”
And “Freedom” is depicted as a chick. How cool is that? I learned that just the other day…..
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Debbie Bosworth
is a certified farmgirl at heart. She’s happily married to her beach bum Yankee husband of 20 years. She went from career gal to being a creative homeschooling mom for two of her biggest blessings and hasn’t looked back since. Debbie left her lifelong home in the high desert of Northern Nevada 10 years ago and washed up on the shore of America’s hometown, Plymouth, MA, where she and her family are now firmly planted. They spend part of each summer in a tiny, off–grid beach cottage named “The Sea Horse.”
“I found a piece of my farmgirl heart when I discovered MaryJanesFarm. Suddenly, everything I loved just made more sense! I enjoy unwinding at the beach, writing, gardening, and turning yard-sale furniture into ‘Painted Ladies’ I’m passionate about living a creative life and encouraging others to ‘make each day their masterpiece.’”
Rebekah Teal
is a “MaryJane Farmgirl” who lives in a large metropolitan area. She is a lawyer who has worked in both criminal defense and prosecution. She has been a judge, a business woman and a stay-at-home mom. In addition to her law degree, she has a Masters of Theological Studies.
“Mustering up the courage to do the things you dream about,” she says, “is the essence of being a MaryJane Farmgirl.” Learning to live more organically and closer to nature is Rebekah’s current pursuit. She finds strength and encouragement through MaryJane’s writings, life, and products. And MaryJane’s Farmgirl Connection provides her a wealth of knowledge from true-blue farmgirls.
Cathi Belcher
an old-fashioned farmgirl with a pioneer spirit, lives in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. As a “lifelong learner” in the “Live-Free-or-Die” state, she fiercely values self-reliance, independence, freedom, and fresh mountain air. Married to her childhood sweetheart of 40+ years (a few of them “uphill climbs”), she’s had plenty of time to reinvent herself. From museum curator, restaurant owner, homeschool mom/conference speaker, to post-and-beam house builder and entrepreneur, she’s also a multi-media artist, with an obsession for off-grid living and alternative housing. Cathi owns and operates a 32-room mountain lodge. Her specialty has evolved to include “hermit hospitality” at her rustic cabin in the mountains, where she offers weekend workshops of special interest to women.
“Mountains speak to my soul, and farming is an important part of my heritage. I want to pass on my love of these things to others through my writing. Living in the mountains has its own particular challenges, but I delight in turning them into opportunities from which we can all learn and grow.”
Dori Troutman
Dori Troutman is the daughter of second generation cattle ranchers in New Mexico. She grew up working and playing on the ranch that her grandparents homesteaded in 1928. That ranch, with the old adobe home, is still in the family today. Dori and her husband always yearned for a ranch of their own. That dream came true when they retired to the beautiful green rolling hills of Tennessee. Truly a cattleman’s paradise!
Dori loves all things farmgirl and actually has known no other life but that. She loves to cook, craft, garden, and help with any and all things on their cattle farm.
Mary Murray
describes herself as a goat charmer, chicken whisperer, bee maven, and farmers’ market baker renovating an 1864 farmhouse on an Ohio farm. With a degree in Design, Mary says small-town auctions and country road barn sales "always make my heart skip a beat thinking about what I could create or design out of what I’ve seen.”
Rooted in the countryside, she likes simple things and old ways … gardening, preserving the harvest, cooking, baking, and all things home. While you might find her selling baked goods from the farm’s milkhouse, teaching herself to play the fiddle, or sprucing up a vintage camper named Maizy, you will always find her in an apron!
Mary says, “I’m happiest with the simple country pleasures … an old farmhouse, too many animals, a crackling fire, books to read, and the sound of laughter … these make life just perfect.”
Alexandra Wilson
is a budding rural farmgirl living in Palmer, the agricultural seat of Alaska. Alex is a graduate student at Alaska Pacific University pursuing an M.S. in Outdoor and Environmental Education. She lives and works on the university’s 700 acre environmental education center, Spring Creek Farm. When Alex has time outside of school, she loves to rock climb, repurpose found objects, cross-country ski on the hay fields, travel, practice yoga, and cook with new-fangled ingredients.
Alex grew up near the Twin Cities and went to college in Madison, Wisconsin—both places where perfectly painted barns and rolling green farmland are just a short drive away. After college, she taught at a rural middle school in South Korea where she biked past verdant rice paddies and old women selling home-grown produce from sidewalk stoops. She was introduced to MaryJanesFarm after returning, and found in it what she’d been searching for—a group of incredible women living their lives in ways that benefit their families, their communities, and the greater environment. What an amazing group of farmgirls to be a part of!
Nicole Christensen
Suburban Farmgirl Nicole Christensen calls herself a “vintage enthusiast”. Born and raised in Texas, she has lived most of her life in the picturesque New England suburbs of Connecticut, just a stone’s throw from New York State. An Advanced Master Gardener, she has gardened since childhood, in several states and across numerous planting zones. In addition, she teaches knitting classes, loves to preserve, and raises backyard chickens.
Married over thirty years to her Danish-born sweetheart, Nicole has worked in various fields, been a world-traveler, an entrepreneur and a homemaker, but considers being mom to her now-adult daughter her greatest accomplishment. Loving all things creative, Nicole considers her life’s motto to be “Bloom where you are planted”.
AMEN!!!
Good Morning Rebecca,Lucky you!I have always wanted to do that.Yes,I agree totally with you about remembering memorial day for what it is,other than just going to the lake.Last year,Daddy and I got up really early coz I wanted to go with my girlfriends,we went to visit the graves together,I felt so guilty then leaving him to run with my girlfriends,because it was so hard on him.I was so thankful that I took the time to go with him.I found out about a couple of graves that I didn,t know about.This year we are planning to go to Branson to visit the graves of ancestors who owned land one mile from Silver Dollor City,and are buried there.I am very excited about that,I have been there many times before,but,I can honestly say that I have never decorated their graves,I plan to visit the Branson historical society while there to do more research on my great grandfather the doctor in the book THE SHEPARD OF THE HILLS".Have a great day,blessed be,Carol Branum,Lamar MO.,themofarmersdaughter@blogspot.com
Thank you!! That really touched my heart.
Cindy
What an awesome story. The only time I was in Washington D.C. was in the airport. I was waiting to catch a connecting flight to Europe, where I was going to study for a year.
I really enjoyed seeing all the sights. It’s really nice to see them from someone else’s personal perspective. It makes it more real and enjoyable.
I’m so grateful to live in this country. I lived in Europe for a few years and it is a beautiful place. However, we have so many more freedoms here. Freedoms that I’m so priviledged to enjoy. I hope I never take my freedom for granted.
Our military works so hard for us. We just can’t thank them enough in my opinion 🙂 🙂 This was a great article. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Wow, what an amazing trip. On my list of things to do in my lifetime is a trip to WDC. History has always been one of my favorite subjects and seeing up close the places where so much history has been made would be amazing.
At the top of my list of places to see is Arlington and the memorials… What a testament to the many many brave men and women that have served our country so that we can be free.
Rebecca, I am so happy you had a great visit to DC. I moved to Virginia almost six years ago and have visited DC (90 miles north of us) numerous times. My heart still skips a beat when I get that first view of the Washington Monument. In the past six years I truly cannot count the number of visits we have made there; yet numerous Virginia native have claimed to never made the trip. I encourage all to go. The best bonus: ALL of the museums are FREE! Pack a lunch, park in the Metro free lot; take the train for $9 and it’s a day of fun!
My son was also in DC last week on his senior trip with his class. Of all the things they saw I was surprised to hear that his favorite thing was Arlington Cemetery. Huh? He responded that it was very touching seeing all the markers lined up and knowing what they represented. I think you just articulated what he was feeling.
What a post! I say Amen too. These are words that America needs to hear.
Congratulations on your trip. It sounds like your family had fun and learned alot. I wish I could win a trip to Washington or anywhere! I guess you have to enter to win and I never enter. Maybe I’ll change that.
So we DO celebrate the DAY- there is alot around our town square and the flea market etc, but it is truly ABOUT the parade and the marching band and the kids and mostly the Veteran’s. We belong to an amazing 4H club. One of the advisors leads us in some awe inspiring activites to pay homage to our local veterans. Last Veteran’s Day our members identified markers at a local cemetary- placed flags on the grave-sites and read about each veteran. We will be doing this again on 5/28 to start off the weekend. We will be paying homage to Civil War veterans at a different cemetary and hosting a pot luck for our local Veterans to come and share with us. We have also payed homage to those of the War of 1812, ok those markers are HARD to identify. Our local high school also has an appointed bugelist to play for such occassions and funerals in town. We are very blessed to have a real understanding of how to celebrate Memorial and Veteran’s Day. I have even planted poppies under my own flag pole at home. We get it, thanks for reminding others
Thanks for reminding me; I have a brother that served several tours in Viet Nam. Thankfully, I can still tell him how much I appreciate him. The pictures were great!
I have to share an experience I had years ago. It was May of 1993, my husband was stationed at a US Air Force Base in the south. My youngest son had came home with the school calendar for May, and while looking it over I noticed that there was school scheduled for Memorial Day. I called the school office and was informed that "yes, there would be school that last Monday in May" I questioned her by saying it is a Federal Holiday, a National Holiday. She informed that "No, It is a Yankee Holiday and my child would be expected to be in school that day" Wow, what a surprise. Later in the local paper there was the notice of helpers needed to place flags on veterans graves the Saturday before Memorial Day. So that is what my sons and I did that weekend. Yes, I did send them off to school that day, with lots of apprehension. As my older sons became high school students, they took matters into their own hands and skipped school on the last Monday in May; frequently with other children of active duty military members.
I will say, that this event did cause me to realize that these United States are still very divided on many issues. I also learned the history of Memorial Day that May of 1993.
Was looking this morning for thoughts on God’s use of ordinary people. I appreciated yours.