I realized it when I said it.
A friend called because it was snowing. She said that whenever it snows now, she thinks of me because I love the snow so much. And I said, “I was just outside walking in the snow. It felt like I was in church.”
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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”.
I was carried away to another place and time as I read your piece here about your “church” experience. All those years ago when I was 20, and lived in a small house on the side of a hill in West Virginia, I remember there were stone outcroppings farther up the hill. They would be warmed by the summer’s daylight rays. At night, in the complete dark, I’d climb up there and sit on the edge of one of those large, warm rocks and look out over the city lights and the river below with its lighted bridge that joined our city with the next. Complete quiet; complete peace (for a short while). Ahhhh, thanks for the memory jolt!
So glad you found your special place. I know mine is in the country too. Definitely not in the winter though. I get painfully cold. Mine is most likely on a cool fall day walking down a long and windy gravel road as the sky turns as orange as the leaves. That takes my breath away. Log homes and barnyards are an added bonus.
Hi Rebekah,
Snow makes things quiet. You are able to feel the presents of the holy. You can feel, and see all that is.
I have not been to a “church” for quit a while. I have been to God’s church which is all the out doors. The stars, moon, trees, snow or not, the quiet, the clean smell, and the presents of the Lord.
Sing it is a beautiful sound to our Lord. He does not judge on what our voices sound like, instead he rejoices in the sound of a pure heart singing praises. If any one judges your singing tell them that the most important one hears only beauty and rejoices.
I am so happy we have met. I really feel a soul mate in you even though you are young and I am getting old. I do not believe the soul ages, just our out side and the way we look at things.
I do appreciate your writing. I read a lot and your writings are like a wonderful short story that I look forward to. Keep it going I do not believe I am the only one who feels this way.
Until our paths cross again.
God be with you and yours this wonderful time of the year when we celebrate Christ’s Mass.
Farmgirl/Ranchgirl Hugs,
Kay (My friends call me Kay)
I to love the snow, Some of my friends think I’m crazy. I love the piece it gives and I love the wonder of it all. Your letter inspired me to find my place in the snow, so to speak. I love the country and I love to walk in the snow. I always have, when I was a young girl, I’d take off walking and walk for along time. There is just something so grand and peaceful, makes you feel closer to God. Thank for the memories. Merry Christmas and I hope you and yours are well. Keep enjoying the snow. Farm Girl #1020 Juanita
Wonderful! I believe that it is natural to appreciate any portion of God’s creations…I would have been out there trudging through the snow with you!
For Thanksgiving, my husband and I trekked over to the small town of Hot Springs, MT. As we were driving along, I noticed MULTIPLE rainbows surrounding us. I joked that the end of the rainbow must have be near our destination, the Symes Hotel, built in the 30’s. It is rough around the edges and folks are welcome to bring their dogs, kids, or whatever with them! Soaking in the hot spring water, viewing the vast sky and mountains is HEAVENLY… They have music on the weekends and adults and children get up and dance with abandon. The lovely woman singing got all of us smiling and moving, as two other ladies in the lobby played native American drums. We later witnessed a young man hula hooping on main street, shirtless! We giggled some more! What a great holiday and reason for enjoying life…
Awwww! I loved your “church”!! awesome. Any time we can meditate and worship our Creator and his Creation, especially as you did, is a wonderful, soul lifting kind of thing. I love living in the country and seeing the multitude of stars at night, when I can. Love the quietness of a snowy day too or should I say night? love it
Now you have experienced the calling of God! He coaxed you out of your safe place (where we all like to be comfortable) and brought you to Him.To be silent , in silence,surrounded by nature so your heart could be open and hear His still soft voice!
And He gave you serenity, peacefullness to your heart. To know he is really present always, but sometimes we need the chaos to stop – to listen- thru the stillness, thru a whisper of wind- thru a smile on a face. God is good!
Thank you for sharing your experience, I was right there with you- it was amazing.
Thank you for taking the time to connect with us city girls who long to be beside you!!
Blessings be upon you and your family . Merry Christmas…Cynthia
I like this.
Rebekah, I have never lived where there is a lot of snow, but growing up in New Mexico we had more than they have now. My mother ALWAYS made it a celebration. She built a fire, cooked a pot of stew in the dutch oven in the hot coals, had hot chocolate and we would sled all day long! I’ve always felt that if I’m going to be freezing cold, please let there be snow! 🙂
I also loved thinking of snow as church. And it is absolutely no surprise to me, because after all it is a definite gift from God. It’s how I feel about my garden.
Happy Winter!!! 🙂 Dori – the Ranch Farmgirl –
Thank you so much for sharing your version of church. I also love being in the snow at night, however, it doesn’t snow here that much (Maryland). Being in nature, the quiet of the wilderness on a mountain top in Colorado, the beautiful sunset of Siesta Key, FL, anywhere in nature with all that God has provided is a wonderful experience.
I so enjoy your blog and feel I am living a dream through you and your family. I would so like to live in the country again (grew up on a farm, maaaaannnny years ago) it gives you so much freedom and a chance to really connect to life in a way so many are unaware of. Have always wanted to vacation in New England in the winter. I did live in Colorado for several years and loved it!!!! Rocky Mountain Park was my playground!! Aging parents brought me back to Maryland, but through your blog I can visit a snowy paradise.
Hope you and your family have a very Merry Christmas!!!!
Fluffy white snow is magical. Your beautiful description is well said. Minnesota has winters that provide those experiences sometimes daily. I don’t live on a tree farm but we are kindred spirits in the snow.
I too was swept away by your words to the quiet stillness of walking in through the falling snow. When I was a girl we had a woods behind our house with a wide path that was called “the wagon trail”. I loved walking along that trail when snow was drifting so silently down through the loblolly pines. Sometimes I would end up in a place that I called “church”. It was a circle of trees that allowed sun beams or snow flakes in. It felt safe, and holy.
Beautiful. This makes my little pagan heart glow in agreement. My special places tend to be in forests. Snow is gorgeous, but I’d probably cry if I had to be out in it. My husband says I wouldn’t mind it if I had the right kind of clothes. Could be.
love!!!! God bless.
beautiful. i totally agree.
I hear your joyous words and know only too well how you feel. I live in the wilderness of Alaska. We measure our neighbors by the miles between us. We have lots of snowy days. One day, years ago now, I needed the sky cathedral for some well needed solace. I took a lawn chair from the garage and a big warm blanket to cover it as -20 was a little to cold to lie on the ground. As I sat in the chair with fresh snow making the trees and landscape twinkle. The sky was clear and deep blue. With shortened days in the winter here, the sun was low on the horizon. The chickadees were feeding ravenously in anticipation of another long cold night. As I sat still, two of those precious angels landed on my shoulders. They spoke to me in the most beautiful language. They tugged on my scarf and hair. I was mesmerized and humbled. I dared not breathe. When they finally left to finish their filling up, I thanked the creator for giving me a glimpse of heaven. Thank you for sharing such a personal experience. I love hearing about your adventures of country life. Happy Holidays!
This is a beautiful piece. Thank you for putting your thoughts in a blog that enables your readers to have a share in this snowy peacefulness. My heart jumps at the sight of a lovely sunrise (I’m at work by 6:30am) or at the magnificent colours of the day’s sunset (I’ve 18 miles to home in the evening). So much in nature shows forth the creative touch of the Eternal Artist, God my heavenly Father. Experiencing the changing seasons, noting daily the little changes that slowly brings spring into summer into autumn into winter and on and on again…… I feel that same sense of holy that you described in your piece. I can’t look at the natural world in any other way other than seeing it as the work of my loving heavenly Father Who has given me the ability to enjoy His handiwork. Blessings of the season upon you and your family.
Really enjoyed reading your words and was transported to doing what you did, saw, felt and heard, including the deep quiet and the horse’s nickerings. Thank you .
MerryChristmas from Our Family to Yours MissFarmgirL R …
ThankYou and i Believe this is the Best you’ve written and shared …
LoveHugs / PrayersAlways , donna FL
Lovely photos. A winter Christmas must be so lovely. Gorgeous writing.
Cowgirl Dreams at
Sweet Words Pretty Pictures
That was simply beautiful Rebekah…thank you for that!
Oh my gosh, now I really want it to snow! Thank you for whisking me into another world. I have some rocks and 27 acres of woods and will be building my own fire pit. Thank you for always being so inspiring in a simple, UNmaterialistic way! Have a wonderful December.
I really like the first picture. Beautiful!
Love to be out in the woods….its always an experience of feeling G*ds presence. I guess its why I love pine-fir trees….it make me feel there’s something more than myself…..when I’m out under the huge trees….perhaps its a lesson…..like G*d is bigger than trees?….its that awesome when your in the woods and you get that sense that your not really alone when your alone.
Lovely.
What Kay said about singing anyway — remember about “make a joyful noise unto the Lord”? So just sing anyway when you feel like it.
I grew up in the redwoods of the northern California coast. There was one patch in town that I would step just inside the edge of it. (The edge was the top of the big gully it was in). And it was suddenly quiet and, well, awesome. The towering redwoods as cathedral is rather a cliche, but in this patch, it really was churchlike. Didn’t want to sing, though.
It rarely snows here on the Central Oregon Coast, same as where I grew up, so it never occurs to me to go out in it much.
Amen sista!
i always look forward to your postings. i absolutely love the way you express yourself. your pictures are always beautiful. i have loved horses my whole life. you are my favorite farm girl!
i live in texas now but i grew up in pennsylvania. i remember the wonderful snowfalls and now miss them. snow truly does hush the earth.
thanks so very much for sharing your world with me!
I get it, Rebekah. This was just beautiful. <3
Lovely post, Rebekah.
It would feel very divine, very connecting. For me being outside connects me to God and painting does it for me too. I’m glad you do feel that way. It’s beautiful .
Bless you Rebekah for sharing your spiritual journey. I find my mind and heart at peace when I’m out in God’s beautiful and awesome creation. I can see Him everywhere…in the sky, trees, flowers and animals that I encounter in my travels. I am humbled by His creation. While I admit I’m not much of a winter person(sorry) I am in awe of it all!! May you and your family(both two and fout-footed) have a happy, healthy and blessed 2015
Beverly! So true!God is everywhere! Just love this website blog I just discovered! She is a very talented writer and photographer I might add! Oh love the country life so much! God is great! Amen!
Such beautiful photos, a cowgirls dream. Two things captured in these pictures that I love most, country setting and snow!