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Hello Farmgirl Friends!
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Back in March my husband had this great idea that he would order some Mallard ducks for our grand-girls. You can watch the little video below on the day we brought them home from the post office!
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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”.
Dori,
We had the exact same duck experience when we got ducklings for our kids 30 years ago! Later, we found that if we let them get to “teenager” stage, but not yet flying, they were more prone to stay at the pond when we took them down. That first bunch remained yard birds for years, though they would visit the pond by day.
Lovely memories!
Susan
Hi Susan,
We actually were wondering if that is what we did wrong. IF we ever get ducklings again that is what we’ll do!!! Thank you for sharing your duck experience!
– Dori –
Oh Dori!!!! With so much sadness this morning, this little story is just what I needed!!! So heart warming!!! Thanks!! ❤️
Dear Renee,
I always try to focus on the happy things in my life and these duckies are definitely one of those things! Love you big, Renee.
Hugs,
– Dori –
Happy Birthday and thanks for the very funny story.
Marlene,
Thank you so much!
– Dori –
Happy Birthday Dori!
Thank you Wendy!
– Dori –
I think it’s adorable that your little duckies preferred their kiddie pool over the pond! It’s so funny how animals find things they like and stick with them just like us. Your floating duck house turned out so cute and hopefully your next set of ducks will decide to occupy it! In the mean time I bet the other animals enjoy it. Happy Birthday Dori! Enjoy your time with your family!
Krista,
Animals ARE so human-like in so many ways! I love that about them!
Thank you for the birthday wishes!
– Dori –
Happy Birthday Dori!!
Irene
Thank you Irene!!
– Dori –
Oh, Dori. That was a fun read. I always wanted to raise ducks, geese, etc. for my children to experience a bit of farm life. Sadly, we sold our rural home before I got around to doing it.
Will the ducks stay the winter or fly south? Thanks for the post.
Nanette,
We’ve been wanting to raise ducklings for years too and I’m so thankful my husband took the plunge! 🙂 And now that they love their life on my hilltop, I love having them around to talk to so much!
We think the ducks will stay here for the winter. We are going to build them a little house (right now they just enjoy total free rein of the farm!) and at least they will have a warm spot to get to if they need it.
– Dori –
Happy Birthday, Dori!
Loved your duck story and the picture of your parents sitting on your porch enjoying your beautiful view. Enjoy their visit!
Hi Bonnie,
Yes.. I love seeing my parents enjoying our porch. Sadly they leave this week. 🙁
Thank you for the birthday greetings!
– Dori –
This is such a happy and fun duck story! Thank you for sharing it! Pam
Thank you Pam!
– Dori –
So cute! Happy birthday, have a wonderful day. Our twin daughters 38th birthday is tomorrow! I didn’t think any of us would survive those baby years, but we did!
We have three Pekin ducks- they march around the house each morning like it’s Jericho until someone comes out- hopefully with kitchen scraps to share. I love our country life!
Hi Gretchen,
I have a friend that has the Pekin ducks and she tells me the same duck stories that we experience! They are all so beautiful aren’t they?
Yes… I love our country life too. It is the best.
– Dori –
oh Dori, what a lovely post. Happy Birthday and enjoy your loved ones and critters! Cheers!
Thank you Maureen!
– Dori –
Such a great story!! I love all the experiences y’all give your grand-girls and us too. Happy belated Birthday and so happy your parents came for a visit. God bless.
Dear Joan,
We are just so lucky to have our grand-girls close enough to be able to enjoy life experiences with them. I can’t imagine life without them.
Thank you for the birthday greetings!
– Dori –
Those ducks are adorable. They sure are independent. Wishing you a day of happiness and a year of blessings. Your granddaughters are beautiful.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DORI
Marilyn
Marilyn,
Yes… those ducks are precious and of course my darling grand-girls are beyond precious! 🙂
Thank you for the birthday greetings!
– Dori –
Cute story! Very enjoyable.
Thank you Ann!
– Dori –
Dori, what a great, fun story – thank you for sharing 🙂 !!!
A Farmgirl at heart,
Dena
Thank you so much Dena!
– Dori –
P.S. Farmgirls at heart are the BEST kind of farm girls!!!
Dori, I agree with all the previous comments – a wonderful and fun story and a Happy Birthday with your parents visiting and sitting on the porch. I am so envious and so happy for all of you. Your porches are amazing and so welcoming.
Dear Sandi,
Thank you so much. I love having my parents here. I only wish we could talk them into moving to Tennessee. Our farm preferably!
– Dori –
Love the duck house.,,very clever . you may not see ducks go in it but the crane at least has a landing place ,,,nice. Ducks like soft place to nestle …. .like grass…put some turf on the toof…and inside the tiny house….its the only way they will go near it. I dont know if painting it green would help..but anything unnatural is not going to attract them..lts not normal for them to seek shelter from the rain. .,ducks love water, not dry wood,