I noticed it almost two weeks ago–the day of my last post, actually! Fall. It was here. There were perfectly yellow birch leaves littering the walkway to the yurt. I felt like wearing a vest. It was sunny and crisp, and the hint of a breeze made the aspen quake. There was that unmistakable smell of autumn on the barely distinguishable wind. A fluff of fireweed seed lingered just out of reach.
Fireweed takes on some new fall hues.
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.’”
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.
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 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.
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.”
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!
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”.
I love your posts – and all the Farmgirl posts! They truly are a pleasant and much-anticipated interlude when checking my emails!
Hi Alex,
I’m new to your blog and I LOVE your writing. I was captivated. Fall is beginning to peak through where I live. Even though it’s in Arizona, Flagstaff is in the mountains at 7,000 feet. Our mountain in town is at 11,000 feet, so it should have dust on it soon. Our growing season is 103 days long and should end in about 2 weeks, but it looks like (according to weather.com) we may get a few extra days before hitting freezing temps at night. Many trees in town are turning yellow, the sun is at a different angle and there’s a crispness to the air in the mornings. I will miss summer when we’re buried in snow, but I do love the change of season! 🙂
I love the term “termination dust” ! I live in Ellensburg, Washington. Located in the high desert central portion of the state. Moving here from the wet, warm side of western Washington, I quickly discovered the early frosts and what we can successfully farm outside and what needs to be grown inside a greenhouse! I always dreamed of a big pumpkin patch for fun fall activities. But have learned that is just not possible here. We have had temperatures below 30 degrees on many, many Labor Day weekends. We have beautiful sage covered hills that surround our valley, and we have learned that when the first dusting of snow comes, winter is right around the corner, and that in the early spring, we wait for planting of crops when the snow on the “ridge” is gone. I enjoy reading your blog! thank you for sharing your experiences of life up in the “wilds” of Alaska. Bambi
I live 40 miles northeast of Denver, in a small city (Longmont). I have seen a dusting of snow on the highest peaks a couple of times, but it has been HOT here, hot and awful, not normal at all. No frost yet, but we are starting to see nights in the low fifties and even upper forties, even though the days hit 90. Today it will hit 90 again. Tomorrow in the 70’s, then back to 90+ on the weekend. We are still getting fall, though. The cottonwoods and aspen area already turning. The water is getting cold (our water comes from the mountains). I notice the water getting cold when I take showers – I have to turn on more hot water than I did just a few weeks ago. I am ready for fall, ready for the harvest season to be over. I’m tired. Fall/winter is my rest time!
Hi Alex,
I’ve never heard the term Termination Dust used before and I like that! 🙂 It’s hard to believe how quickly summer goes for me – but being in Alaska would really be fast. I also say at least you have the long days of sunlight so that things actually have time to grow! But those long sunlight days can be very deceiving too huh? I know the times I’ve been there in the summer, I come back home utterly exhausted because we never went to bed! 🙂
I’m going to be in Denver, Colorado Springs and Estes Park in October. I was hoping for some Fall colors, but I have a feeling it will all be past by then. But regardless, seeing the mountains will be wonderful.
Hugs,
Dori
Hi Alex. Totally enjoy your expressive writing and the pics are lovely. Only subtle signs of Autumn on the way here in Indiana. The Gold Finches and hummingbirds are in a feeding frenzy. The finches because molt will be upon them soon and the hummers are getting their little ones prepared and plumped up for the long migration south. The trees have begun to shed their dried leaves and my perennial garden flowers are now down to sedum, dill, forget-me-nots and a few straggler cone flowers. All the others have gone to ground to rest up over the winter. I am surrounded by corn and soybean fields which are drying but not yet ready to harvest. The nesting red tails have given some freedom to their single chick this summer and he/she is hunting on its own now. I’m ready for the fiery colors and earthy fragrances of Fall. Happy Autumn and blessings to you and your family.
Your pumpkins are beautiful. I have decided to give up any future attempts at growing them. My plants are huge, as are my perfect yellow flowers, yet not a single pumpkin! I must have had about 10+ plants and even went so far as to pollinate the flowers myself but still no luck. What is your secret?
*Nancy*
So different here — 30 miles north of Mexico on the High Desert of Southwest New Mexico! After years of faithful work, the pump on my evaporative cooler went out. I’m replacing it today because… 1) there are more 90 – 100 degree days left in our weather and 2) If I replace it now, I won’t have to do it next year! This will be my second successful (hopefully — fingers crossed — it is a pretty easy job!) repair job since my husband passed six years ago!!! I did start my lawn mower myself … without having to pay $60 to get it going again! So I’m basking in DIY Glory! Wonder what’s next?
Way to go, Lynn! That’s true Farmgirl spirit. It’s been freezing here, literally. Hope the heat doesn’t get too overwhelming!
P.S. — Regarding the “dust,” we live in dust all the time! And very rarely snows here. When it does, it usually melts by noon, or at least the next day, sometimes longer during a cold spell (by longer, I mean, a couple of days…). Are you “moving to the Big City”? or was that a reference to your travel to Denver for a wedding? I enjoy reading your tales of life in Alaska, but I think I’d like to read about your tales of life anywhere…. Thanks, lynn
We are moving the the “Big City” of Anchorage, I think you somehow got directed to my last post? I have a new one up about leaving the yurt.
It has been hot here in Denver. Glad your visit here was fun.
I love the pictures. The scenery is beautiful.
I have noticed the light is different in the afternoon. Fall is here even if the weather doesn’t say so.
Looks like feathers strewn on the path…beautiful photo .