My faithful garden companion, Max and I.
Dear Sisters,
Whew doggies. Spring is such a glorious season in New England. Why, it’s enough to make a farmgirl feel born again! The weather is perfect for completing late-spring garden chores and planting some pretty, perky bedding annuals for a bold, burst of color. My daughter and I made an UN-planned trip to a new nursery today and got carried away with the beautiful blooms. Continue reading
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”.
Beautiful post! Enjoy your lovely garden! Your pets! And your beautiful daughter! You are blessed! Cindy
Hi Cindy, Thanks for stopping by! Glad you enjoyed…
Deb
Super post!! So far the only thing I have planted is ideas — we are in a rain, still some frosty nights, a few inches of snow pattern, so nothing will be done even this weekend. Usually we say Mother’s Day weekend is a safe time but we had 6″s that weekend and have had 5″s this week, not complaining though because it will dry up quickly once the sunny days happen. Still going to enjoy this most special time of THANK YOU to all who have stood up for our wonderful USA and for those who have been in our personal lives. God bless yall.
Joan, I had to chuckle about your planted ideas…They are the least backbreaking when it comes to gardening! Hope it dries out for you and you can get some gardening done soon.
Hugs and blessings! xo Deb
I see some columbines there! That’s my very favorite flower. They grow wild in our mountains and are the Colorado State Flower. I have a few plants in my yard as well.
Lovely, lovely, lovely! I hope to get some garden work done here soon!
CJ
Hi CJ,
Columbines remind me of the mountains in the high desert. Maybe that’s why I love them too? Enjoy your gardening season. xo deb
You and your daughter are so good looking (Oh, all right so is your dog). Living in the same type of climate as New England, I know how easy it is to get carried away at green growing things. Your choices are so beautiful. We had frost this week but now it is in the 70s. We can plant too. Happy gardening.
Awe, thanks, Bonnie! You are so kind…:) Wishing you a happy planting season:) xo Deb
Always love seeing what you are putting in the ground. I miss having one of my daughters helping to plant my flowers. Have a wonderful holiday weekend!
Howdy,Brenda!
I dread the day my girls will be on her own…I wish I could freeze her 17th year here at home with us. I’m thoroughly enjoying it and her. Thanks for the visit! xo Deb
Just came in from planting my Tasha Tudor campanula seeds I ordered online. A friend brought me some plants from her garden (I love that), forget-me-nots, europeon ginger and blood root. I love blues and purples and found larkspur, delphinium and a balloon plant at the nursery. My perennial border looks beautiful.
Oh yum… Your garden sounds so beautiful and lush, just like Tahsa’s! Love her… She has been an inspiration to me ( and thousands of others) for years. Happy Gardening, Sharon!
Deb
Absolutely stunning! Loved the pink John Deere gloves and Max, such a helper. Thank you for sharing. Never know what you’ll find at a farm store, eh? LOL