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August, 2011
Dear MaryJane ...
Your magazine just makes all of my days! Every page is filled with so many good things to make my life so much richer. We longed to live in the country, but could only afford this 70-year-old house on the edge of town. Thankfully, there is a patch of sunshine in these woods that has about seven hours of sun each day, so we can grow a spring and fall garden. We built raised beds, cold frames for winter gardens, and put in two 500-gallon water-storage tanks to save rain water. I’ve learned to bake our bread, make yogurt, cook from scratch, and live as natural as we can. In the eyes of the world, we have little, but we are so rich in everything we need and have longed for. Thank you so much for your magazine that has touched my life in so many ways!
Diana
Missouri
I love the ribbon spool lamp [from the April/May 2011 issue]. I am absolutely making it right now for my sewing room ... so adorable! The day the magazine got here, my DH said, “Nettie, your present is here (that’s what I call my MaryJanesFarm magazine, my present to myself)!” He brought it right to me—I was turning over my backyard lawn to make room for a garden. Then I opened it and found the lawn-conservation article ... LOL ... great minds think alike!
Annette
California
I have been so touched, blown away, smitten ... by your magazine and your lifestyle! I picked up your magazine at the Yoke’s store where I live, and after doing a quick flip through, I had to buy it. It was like I was viewing the dream I’ve been having since I was a little girl. The baby chicks, eggs, farm dresses, gardens, and fresh milk ... The way you have captured and portrayed the essence of the simple life made me cry because it was like I was getting to live that life for a little bit. My husband and I are in the process of paying off bills and getting our house ready to sell in a year. Our goal is to buy property and build a home; have that garden, chickens, and goats; to live sustainably; and to even get off the grid at some point ... but ultimately, to give our babies a wonderful childhood and a strong foundation. I wanted to thank you for sharing your ideas and for having the courage to live your dreams. You have inspired me and reawakened in me this yearning to return to my American farmgirl roots.
Thank you so much!!
Jessica
Washington
I just read the article on tree planting in your Feb/Mar 2011 issue, and it brought back memories of my mother and father. My mother was dedicated to planting trees as far back as I can remember and my father helped. When I became old enough to use a shovel (around 9 or 10), I turned into her favorite helper.
We planted trees in the courtyard, schoolyard, town yards, highway rights-of-way, and at our place along the banks of the Current River. We planted mostly mimosas (at that time, people did not know what a mess they made in the yard), redbuds, hard maples, and sassafras trees. We worked hard and had a good time. We were accompanied on several occasions by other kids who I convinced that planting trees was fun, much like Tom Sawyer whitewashing fences in Hannibal, Missouri. We did this until I left for college.
When my mother and father could not get out and walk like they once did, they began tying three or four tree seeds, mostly mimosa and redbud, with a small rock for weight, in wet paper towels, binding them with rubber bands. They then drove along the new highways being constructed around Van Buren but not yet open to the public, and threw their precious paper bags out on the back slopes on both sides of the new highway. I told them they would be put in jail for littering, but they were both well-known and never spent a night incarcerated.
As I reflected back on my parents, a quote from an anonymous author from a long time ago came to mind: “A man only just begins to truly understand the meaning of life when he plants a tree, knowing full well he will never sit in its shade.”
It has been a good many years since the new road was opened and my parents have passed on ... and we have a right nice stand of beautiful trees on the back slopes!
Cordell
Missouri
