There’s been an “event” at the Suburban Farmgirl’s home! A new member has recently joined the family, and our hearts are tightly wrapped around four white paws!
-
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”.
You should be so proud of yourselves!! What a wonderful addition to your family. I have a Cissy cat (I spelled it with a ‘C’ to make her even more unique!) that looks like your original Harriet. Mittens looks like our wonderful Pete that we lost awhile back. Maybe Pete came back in the form of Mittens!
I have always been a cat woman and it’s nice to know that there are many more in the making, in the form of your sweet daughter…
What’s not to love in a kitty????
Thanks, Jan! Aren’t kitties great?! I just love animals and guess it totally rubbed off on my daughter! I like your cat’s name, "Cissy" with a "C". When I was a little girl, I had a Welsh pony, and that was her name, spelled the same way! Thanks for commenting! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Such fun days indeed! Despite the hot, hot day, I had so much fun in Kent that day with you and Audrey and was so glad to meet Mittens that very first time. And it was fun to take that scenic ride to go pick her up a few days later! I’m so glad she is part of your family now! Harriet was adorable too – you had mentioned her, but it’s great to see her picture.
Hi "Auntie Ali"! – Mittens
What a lovely story! I love kitties too, and I know your family and Mittens will be happy together in years filled with love! Thanks so much for giving a rescue kitty a furrever home! Mary Beth
Thank you, Mary Beth. It’s going to be great to see Audrey and Mittens grow up together. Love rescues…they rescue our hearts right back, don’t they? Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Congratulations on Mittens!!! It is always a joy to see a rescue "fur-babie" get adopted and especially to a home that is so ready to care for and nurture another being…
Even though my "fur-babies" are now 7 year old, 85 pound Rottie mix doggies, they bring me JOY every minute of my life!!! Enjoy your new journey with Mittens!!!
Thank you! Hug those big "fur-babies" from me! I bet they are the cutest things! Our "German Shusky mix" is about the same size…pure love! -Nicole
We have a "Matty-boy", of the canine type. Our last child had married and my husband decided that it was not good for "mom" to be alone, so for our 33rd anniversary we went to the humane society. For Matty at 6 months, my husband was love at first sight. Now, you have to know that Matty was probably abused, found in a cardboard box next to a dumpster and had been taken to a shelter in MO,then moved up here to NE. He clearly had a terror of tall men, particularly wearing hats and heavy shoes. But, Matty took to "dad" right away and he has become my "little fur-baby". (Well, I should mention that he is a shepherd/collie so he’s not exactly on the small-side.) But he is tender and sweet and responds to love. The plan was that he would be my walking buddy, but that is too much for the timid little guy (who is now 6 years old). Though, he has finally mastered himself and proudly accompanies me down to the end of our city drive to our mailbox. I’m quite proud of him too. Maybe some day…………we’ll get to the end of the block : ]
Carol, that is the sweetest story! Bless you for giving Matty-Boy such a loving, patient, wonderful home. We know our Bonnie was abused, too, and she loves us with her whole heart…(and her 85 pounds). Rescues know they’ve been rescued, especially ones like Bonnie and Matty-Boy. Much love to you all. Thank you for sharing! -Nicole
Nicole,
I love this sweet story about Audrey and Mittens. Such a beautiful kitten! And the pictures are so good but the one of your Harriet made me get tears in my eyes. She was the only cat I ever knew that actually knocked on a door with her paw to get in. Sounded just like a person and she talked to me all the time on the phone. I hope to meet Mittens one day.
Love you,
Mother and Audrey’s Nana
Wasn’t Harriet something? I forgot about her knocking on the door and talking all the time. That was the Siamese in her, I bet. I think Mittens is going to be so much like her…she already follows Audrey around and is so playful and smart. Can’t wait for you to meet her in person! Love you, Nicole
AHHH how very great for both Mittens and Audrey – a lovely family for sure. Congratulations all.
Thank you! 🙂 🙂 -Nicole
Oh congratulations to your family! You will give that sweet kitten many years of love, and she to you! Thank you for reminding me of Kent and that lovely sidewalk festival! I attended several years ago with my best friend from childhood. We met there because as kids we had attended our Pony Club Rally at the Kent School, and both times we had so much fun in Kent! If I could move back to Ct. it would be to Kent. What a lovely place. Thanks for the memories!
Awww…thank you, Meredith! I’m so glad you enjoyed the blog! Kent is such a wonderful place, I love it so much. Thank you for sharing! -Nicole
Your daughter’s fur-baby is beautiful. But even more beautiful, if that is possible, is your daughter. Her smile is so warm with eyes so full of love. Our children grow up so fast. Keep her close while you can.
Louise Marie, thank you ever so much! -Nicole
Good post! This is the kind of information that should be distributed on the online community. I would like to read more of this.
Pretty nice post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wished to say that I have really enjoyed browsing26 your blog posts. In any case I’ll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you write again soon!…
Evelyn, thank you so much! I am so glad to know you enjoyed reading the blog! -Nicole