Welcome back, Readers! It is hard to believe, but the month of May is almost over! I hope you have had a good month since our last visit. From a road trip to foraging, to redoing my sewing room and more, it’s been a “merry” month!
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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’ve missed the bloggers newsletters and this makes me want to get back into the life of life with MaryJaneFarm. I have subscribed for well over 10 years and had my own Glamper “Fiona” 10 years ago. I was able to be empowered with several gals and check off something on my bucket list. Do to health issues I sold Fiona to another gal in our original glamers group here in Wisconsin, she lives!!
I was also blessed to meet MaryJane and her daughter during that time. She is more than you can imagine and is a great inspiration to us Glampers and glamper want-a-bees!!
Thank you for sharing your memories to us women!!
Zoe Siperly
Hi Zoe, thank you for this nice comment. I am so sorry to hear that you have experienced health issues, and hope that you are doing better. I love that even though you sold your Glamper, you keep up with her, and that she is still glamping!
I agree with everything you said about our beloved MaryJane! She is an amazing inspiration to us all. I am glad you enjoyed the post. Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Love the photos. Nice swallowtail butterflies…and a praying mantis. We seen them very seldom. Almost stepped on a praying mantis two years ago. And it was huge. I thought it was a stuck at first. You have ai lovely greenery and flowers. And what kind of bird was that. It looked like one that was under my awning. I see hummingbirds nest with four eggs you go the next day and they are hone. I think the dam snakes eats them I wish I knew how to keep the snakes away as the hummingbird puts their best in bushes and it’s so easy for the snakes to get at them. I wish I knew how to protect the birds . I know when a snake us around as the birds will fly back and forth and won’t land even on a house. They told me if a powder but it doesn’t work. If any one knows how to keep snakes out if my garden I’d appreciate it.
Hi Susana, thank you! The insect you refer to is actually not a praying mantis (state insect of Connecticut), but a zoom in on a tinier creature, a green assassin (Zelus luridus) bug. They are great beneficials, but you don’t want a bite from them, as it stings worse than anything! As far as hummingbirds go, their nests can be raided by all sorts of predators, including spiders, lizards, other birds, and bats. The best thing you can do is to leave their nests, as they build them where they are camouflaged. Removing snakes from your area will cause your rodent population to explode, and you don’t want that!
Hope you have a wonderful start to summer, and that you will visit me again, next time! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Nicole,
I really enjoyed this post and all the beautiful pictures from the New England area! When you live in Arizona you don’t see all the lush, green colors like the eastern part of the US. I was fortunate to visit the New England area a few times years ago and would love to go back! Until then, I look forward to your posts!
Hi Terri, thank you so much! I have been to Arizona, as friends of ours live there. It has its own charm, too! I loved seeing all the cacti. Thanks for reading and commenting. Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Oh Nicole, where do I begin?? Luv the Lilacs,, Luv your sewing buddies, Your Trailer, your Apron,,,, and your Blogg…
Happy Spring my friend…
Hi Grace! Awwww, thank you so much sweet farmgirl friend! Wishing you a Happy Spring and start to summer! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Love your blogs – always so beautiful…now I have to go out to my garden and do some watering so I can enjoy beautiful flowers and delicious vegetables (but first I need some ice cream !)
Hi Donna, thank you so very much! Enjoy your garden (and ice cream – it’s always a good time for ice cream)! Thanks for reading and commenting. Have a good Memorial Day weekend! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Hi Nicole What a nice Mother’s day gift from your daughter. The machine is lovely. The apron is so cute. Your garden is doing nicely. The Lilacs are gorgeous. We have our annual Lily Of The Valleys blooming,the pansy is striving as are the azalea bushes,. We just purchased four Geraniums. They are hearty and do not mind the heat. Our red roses have bloomed. The white ones have buds but no flowers yet. We did have to buy a lawn mower, The old one did. Fortunately, we have great neighbor and they have mowed our lawn until we get the new set up. Nicole enjoy your garden an new sewing machine. Have a safe Memorial day.
Joan,Marion and Marilyn
Hi Dear Joan, Marion, and Marilyn, send some of that nice heat! It is still not warm enough for “summer” yet. I heard the heat is on its way though! It is still cold here at night and in the morning, warmer during the day. My roses have not bloomed yet. Sounds like you have nice neighbors…priceless. Have a nice Memorial Day! Farmgirl Hugs to you all, Nicole
Hi Nicole, can I move in with you? Ha ha! Your home and your part of Connecticut look and sound so wonderful! Though I know it all takes a lot of work. Something tells me that you have boundless energy. You are an inspiration with your upbeat attitude and clever tips and crafts….speaking of which, what do you find works best for a deer deter.? Have you tried pure essential Peppermint oil diluted in water? I have been using that after not wanting to deal with the stinky Liquid Fence.
And thank you so much for taking the time to take all of the photos and write your blog to share with us 🙂
Tammy
Hi Tammy, thank you so much for this nice comment I love the idea of pepperment oil in water. I will have to try that. The deer are very persistent here, lol! We also use an organic oil with pepperment oil in it for our yard – keeps the ticks and fleas away! Thanks for the tip. Have a great weekend! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Nicole, I do love your blog. I too live in New England and it is nice to read about this area. I am in Vermont and have always wanted to visit Mystic CT you have just encouraged me, I will have to see how long of a drive it would be. Do you get those biting black flies we get here springtime in Vermont? if so what do you do about them, I swear bug spray is my perfume of choice this time of year, LOL. Keep up you great blog & pictures.
Sheila
Hi Sheila, thank you so much! This was such a nice comment! I love Vermont…I have been a few times. We do get the awful, biting flies, but it seems they show up here a bit later in the summer. I have two things I swear by – citronella plants on my patios (keeps biting mosquitos away and the plant is pretty), and the other is an old trick I learned growing up in Texas, that the barbeque companies would do: hang up clear plastic bags filled with water, tied at the top. I have one hanging on my back patio/porch, one inside the chicken coop, and a couple on the fence in the garden. I swear it works. The idea behind it is that it confuses the flies’ eyesight, so they avoid the area. Have a wonderful summer, and thank you for commenting! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole