[Previous Rural Farmgirl, April 2009 – May 2010]
Darn — to mend (a garment, for example) by weaving thread or yarn across a gap or hole.
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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”.
Rene,
A friend who’s never wanted for anything recently called and asked how much she should be spending on groceries. With the bottoming out of the construction field last year, her husband had not had work for some time.
I grew up watching my mom stretch the pennies and told my daughter, "I will never complain again. I think it is much easier living a life of ‘making do’ than it is having to learn how out of necessity."
My husband is currently out of work. I’m a stay-at-home, homeschooling mom. I thank God he has taught us that it’s not how much money you make, it’s what you do with what you have.
One more line…before you go out and buy something ask yourself, "What do I have in my hand?" meaning what can I use that will suit the purpose.
Blessings,
Carol
Carol,
You and many others of us have had to really re-think our priorities. I am thankful that we as "farmgirls" have taken the time to really grasp this attitude of "making do" or do without. I hope too that we always are willing to give a hand out to help someone with a hand up. These times that we are in will define and refine all of us, one way of another..
Best of wishes to your hubby as he searches for ways to keep the family finances coming in. I believe in abundance, but often times it just takes a more creative thinking then some are conditioned for. Please keep me updated on your progress. You can always email me at Rene@MaryJanesFarm.org
What a wonderful follow-up to your Bloggie about the Amish Rene’… They waste nothing.
In these difficult economic times, we all are looking for ways to be creative and get the most out of what we have. I looked over my "usual" expenses, and actually found $100 in excess purchases of media services, as I had been paying for capacity I have never used.
I recall my Granny, who had a 80+ acre "corn and baccer" farm, and she had to run the "House" on the milk and egg money. That Lady probably forgot more about how to re-purpose things than I will ever learn. I always loved her quilts, and all of them were made from the scraps of many worn-out garments.
Some young people today are plesantly suprising… I was recently at a Friend’s home, and we needed a funnel in the kitchen. I offered to run to the store and get one, and a teenager said: "No worries.", and proceded to pour her soda into a glass and cut the top off the plastic bottle. Turning it upside down she proclaimed:
"Wala… funnel…!"
GodSpeed to Y’all…!
Gary
in Tampa
My daughter graduated from college in 2003, then went to Poland to teach. Many of the people in the areas that she lived were still familiar with the "communist" rule and lived on basic necessities. She learned while at home to be frugal (living on a budget, staying debt-free, etc), but she really learned even more "thankfulness" from these people. It has been amazing and wonderful to see her growth. She doesn’t consider the latest fads and fashions. She decides if something is a necessity, functional, and has quality. My Mom was the same, and always creative. I have returned to my roots through my daughter.
We take so much for granted dont we? Blessings to your daughter, few young people would take such a courageous route.
Rene,
Thank you for your blog. My Granny raised a family during the depression and continued to live her life frugally when she "didn’t have to." She was a wonderful example for her children, grandchildren, and everyone who knew her. I learned so much from her. I was pleased the other day when I stopped to see my daughter. She’s a 30 year old single mom and struggling to make ends meet. She met me at the door and was excited to show me the project she was working on. She was melting down old candles that were no longer useful and making new candles to give as gifts. It makes me pause and remember that taking time and effort to reuse and repurpose not only makes a better planet, and saves me money, it makes me feel good too!
From Missouri,
Janet