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Keeping in Touch:  Danger of Extinction  |
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Contrary Wife
True Blue Farmgirl
2164 Posts
Teresa Sue
Tekoa
WA
USA
2164 Posts |
 Posted - Sep 22 2008 : 7:07:09 PM
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Hiya Amy Grace I missed you! We know you're here in spirit and we don't forget you. So what is the favorite fabric store with the wool felt? Maybe I'll get off this computer and embroider all my patches, ha! My DH just asked me if we needed to put a recliner in here with the computer,lol Duh, I'm not a man,lol I can sit in a real chair,ha!
Teresa Sue
Farmgirl Sister #316
"Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly." The Dalai Lama |
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LivingWell4You
True Blue Farmgirl
1411 Posts
Karen
Hillsboro
MO
USA
1411 Posts |
Posted - Sep 22 2008 : 7:14:03 PM
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Hey, if you read my previous posts tonight, you know I'm right there with ya, girl. I didn't notice yours being rambling or extremely long. Maybe that's because we're on the same wavelength! It's 9:12pm here and my bedtime is (supposed to be) 8:30 so I'm signing off for the night. Hopefully some of the Idaho girls will keep you company for a little while.
I am so glad you're part of this group, Amy Grace. I can't wait til we meet. Are you going to the BBB? (Again asking cuz........ya know.....) Will get your answer tomorrow morning. Sleep tight!
God bless -
Karen
Farmgirl Sista #311 |
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graciegreeneyes
True Blue Farmgirl
3107 Posts
Amy Grace
Rosalia
WA
USA
3107 Posts |
Posted - Sep 22 2008 : 7:37:01 PM
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Yep - the BBB is on my calendar. The old mill is in a town about 10 miles from ours, so I am right in that loop. My bedtime has become 8:30 too - my husband started that this summer and, well, I'm tired at 8:30 so what the heck.
Teresa Sue you are funny - "no I can use a real chair". The felt is at a shop called The Top Stitch, it is up on Garland. If you are familiar with SewEZ Too it is the same street but about a mile west of there. Fun store, small and really nice owner. Hey - did you say that you have the fabric at the antique store in Tekoa? I stopped there last year on the way to Ditzy's in Oakesdale to buy my MJ's Stitching book - anyhow that is a fun store.
Amy Grace
Farmgirl #224
"use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without" |
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Tina Michelle
True Blue Farmgirl
6948 Posts
Tina
sunshine state
FL
USA
6948 Posts |
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Annika
True Blue Farmgirl
5602 Posts
Annika
USA
5602 Posts |
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graciegreeneyes
True Blue Farmgirl
3107 Posts
Amy Grace
Rosalia
WA
USA
3107 Posts |
Posted - Sep 22 2008 : 8:40:24 PM
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I wanted to say that Barbara Kingsolver has some other really good novels too - Prodigal Summer, The Bean Trees, Animal Dreams, and Pigs in Heaven. She has a degree in evolutionary biology so there is a lot of content even in the novels - I have learned a lot, and she writes really good stories
alright....bedtime calling.....
Good night all
Amy Grace
Farmgirl #224
"use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without" |
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Contrary Wife
True Blue Farmgirl
2164 Posts
Teresa Sue
Tekoa
WA
USA
2164 Posts |
Posted - Sep 22 2008 : 8:48:08 PM
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Annika which ankle is it? I have a bad one on my right, slipped on the ice while I was watering the sheep about 7 years ago and broke it. I got a lot of hand stitching done while that was healing. If yours is the left we could "potato sack hop" together:0),if not we're in trouble. Hope you feel better soon tho.
I've got Animal, Mineral, Miracle on my list to order, hope I get it soon, I'll need some airplane layover reading material in a couple of weeks.
Amy Grace I've been to the SewEZ shop, so I'll look for the other one in a couple of weeks.
Off to bed for me, Tue, Wed, and Thur I have to get up at 4am to work at our local cafe until 11, then off to the cemetery. Catch y'all in the am.
Teresa Sue
Farmgirl Sister #316
"Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly." The Dalai Lama |
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Contrary Wife
True Blue Farmgirl
2164 Posts
Teresa Sue
Tekoa
WA
USA
2164 Posts |
Posted - Sep 23 2008 : 04:55:14 AM
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Well Good morning Mavens,
I guess everyone is still in bed. Catch y'all in the pm. I was looking at the herb section, do you realize that hardly anyone posts there? I was so surprised. I think I'm going to try to post there and do a herb a month. Put down what I know about the herb and see if we get anyone else to post. I love learning from y'all. I know we have at least two herby farmgirls on MJ's forum. Maybe there aren't as many gardening farmgirls as I would have thought. We are REALLY gonna have to fix that! Sorry just rambling, guess I'll have to go drink my tea "alone".
Teresa Sue
Farmgirl Sister #316
"Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly." The Dalai Lama |
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LivingWell4You
True Blue Farmgirl
1411 Posts
Karen
Hillsboro
MO
USA
1411 Posts |
Posted - Sep 23 2008 : 06:10:21 AM
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Another "Good morning," Mavens - Today I'm going to take a cue from Rene and go back through all of the posts we've written so far and summarize where we're at. It make take a couple of days to do this - as I do have another life - so I may be silent but I will be peeking in from time to time.
Lest you suffer withdrawals from my long post, I am going to leave you with my thought on "heirloom." It's a long one so consider yourself warned. The quick and dirty answer to that question regarding seeds and gardening is the common definition that I'm coming across - 50+ years unaltered, open-pollinated, etc. For me, that also means organic gardening to keep the purity of the seed in tact. I think that's it. Essay will appear in the following post.
As always, I love you all. You are so dear to my heart.
God bless -
Karen
Farmgirl Sista #311 |
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LivingWell4You
True Blue Farmgirl
1411 Posts
Karen
Hillsboro
MO
USA
1411 Posts |
Posted - Sep 23 2008 : 06:11:37 AM
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WHAT HEIRLOOM MEANS TO ME
A farmgirl essay by Karen Watson (livingwell4you)
Webster's online dictionary defines heirloom as:
1 : a piece of property that descends to the heir as an inseparable part of an inheritance of real property
2 : something of special value handed on from one generation to another
3 : a horticultural variety that has survived for several generations usually due to the efforts of private individuals
In my particular case all three definitions fit. The land my husband and I live on now belonged to my grandfather. My father bought it from him when he returned from World War II intending to build on it someday with his future wife. When he passed away it was turned over to Robbie and me along with all the heritage. We also have 20 acres about a quarter of a mile down the road where my great-grandparents lived that my dad gifted to us as a wedding present. The milk house they used is still standing (but barely). There is a pole barn on the property that my dad built after he retired. Our dream is to build a house on the hillside someday, right next to where my great-grandparents cabin used to stand.
I have many things that are of special value that have been passed down from generation to generation. There's the pottery bottle that used to be my dad's nursing bottle. The salt-and-pepper shaker collection I inherited from my grandmother. The plow that belonged to my grandfather. I loved it when I'd come home from college and my dad and I would plow - me on the tractor, him walking behind. President's Day was always special because that's when we'd break ground for the new growing season. One day I was pulling the tractor into the shed and when I looked at my dad he was wiping tears from his eyes. This is a man that never cried. He was so moved at the sight of his daughter driving the tractor with his dad's plow pulled behind. That's heritage. That's an heirloom.
My father didn't make a living at farming like his father did, but it was his love, his heritage, his heirloom. I can remember him getting up early before work to check on the animals. The first thing he did when he got home was put his real work clothes on and out to the barn he went. The day he retired he went to the glass factory to tell his buddies goodbye, took Mom out to eat, came home and headed to the lower land to farm. Now he could spend his days - all of them - doing what filled his soul. And, oh yea, he walked there and back, several times a day. No wimp was he. He only drove the tractor if he needed to use it around the house. And on rare occasions he'd come riding up on his horse, ready for lunch. Oh the smile he'd have on his face those days.
My dad was bothered with Chron's disease for awhile and had to stay near the house. Mom and I thought he'd just shrivel up and wither away. But no, since he couldn't farm he wrote about his memories of farming. Eventually he was able to get back to actual farming on the lower land. As he got older he did less down there and started a "little" garden by the house. The first patch was about 16-x-70 feet! The next year, lo and behold (one of my dad's favorite sayings), there was a another patch, same size, with a path between the two. Over the next couple of years, two more patches were added, same width, about 2/3 the length, placed end to end to the original two, every inch of it worked by hand, no plow, no tractor, no horse, just my dad and his tools.
I think that's why MJ's Heirloom Mavens means so much to me. I'd love to say that I came back home after college and carried on in my father's footsteps. I didn’t – for a lot of reasons. I think there is something that happens as you get older. You begin to think about the legacy you’ll leave behind. Will your values be carried on? Will anyone’s life be better because you were here? Will progress just steamroll over everything that was truly good in the misguided belief that “change – in and of itself – is good” without examining the long-term effects of that change?
My husband told me that the original intent of genetically-engineered seeds came from an honest belief that they were making things better for everyone. So many pesticides were being used that they thought by altering the seed, fewer pesticides would be needed and therefore it would be healthier for everyone. But bad results can come from good intentions if we don’t consider the cost. And then we back ourselves into a corner because we keep trying to slap a band-aid on the symptom instead of fixing the source – like developing a genetically-altered cow that’s resistant to mad cow disease instead of just giving them healthier food. Just fix the original problem. It’s a lot simpler. And healthier for everyone – people, animals, plants, the world.
So what does heirloom mean to me? It’s about honoring our heritage. It’s about valuing the wisdom of those who’ve gone before us. It’s about doing everything we can to make the future brighter. It’s about asking, “Why?” and “What can I do to help?” It’s about making informed decisions instead of following the crowd. It’s about caring enough to share. It’s about all thing pure and simple and from the heart. It’s about being “MaryJane.”
God bless -
Karen
Farmgirl Sista #311 |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
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ruralfarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
4309 Posts
Rene'
Prosser
WA
USA
4309 Posts |
Posted - Sep 23 2008 : 06:53:35 AM
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Karen,
Beautifully written and said. Thanks for sharing that!
Rene~Prosser Farmgirl #185
http://farmchicksfarm.blogspot.com/
You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.
Mae West
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LivingWell4You
True Blue Farmgirl
1411 Posts
Karen
Hillsboro
MO
USA
1411 Posts |
Posted - Sep 23 2008 : 07:29:00 AM
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Alee, he was a very special man. When anyone talks about him they have a smile on their face. It means a lot that you saw that. [Tearing up....]
Rene, thank you for the compliment. I've always hated to write because I write like I talk which means it goes on forever. Robbie read something I posted awhile back and said, "For someone that hates to write that's pretty amazing." Not bragging - just amazed at it myself. I guess it's one more thing that I got from my dad that I didn't realize was in me.
God bless -
Karen ~ Chickherder & Farmgirl Sister #311 |
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LivingWell4You
True Blue Farmgirl
1411 Posts
Karen
Hillsboro
MO
USA
1411 Posts |
Posted - Sep 23 2008 : 07:32:49 AM
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Yea, I know I wasn't going to post today but had a thought that I didn't want to lose. What about an Maven chatroom? I've never been part of one and, ya know, I may not be able to get a word in edgewise with the whole dial-up thing. By the time I get a chat out there you'll have moved through five new topics, being on fire and all. What do you mavens think? Anyone know how to set one up? As I said, I'll be peeking (pecking?) in to just so's I don't get too far behind.
God bless -
Karen ~ Chickherder & Farmgirl Sister #311
BTW: My Tuesday nights are taken and Thursday nights are also until November. If ya'll decide on one of those nights, just remember to fill me in later.  |
Edited by - LivingWell4You on Sep 23 2008 07:35:44 AM |
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deeredawn
True Blue Farmgirl
2306 Posts
Dawn
Cordova
TN
USA
2306 Posts |
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deeredawn
True Blue Farmgirl
2306 Posts
Dawn
Cordova
TN
USA
2306 Posts |
Posted - Sep 23 2008 : 07:35:55 AM
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Btw: I am the one that will be bawling the whole time at BBB. Hubby says that my compassion, empathy, and passion rules my little scorpio heart in spades. I cry at the drop of a hat. I just feel things so intensely and personally. You'd been warned. Some one brings tissues. A truck load.
Dawn #279
MJ's Heirloom Mavens/Mother Hen
http://heirloommavens.blogspot.com
http://harvestthymefarm.blogspot.com
"I figure if a girl wants to be a legend, she should go ahead and be one!"...Calamity Jane |
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LivingWell4You
True Blue Farmgirl
1411 Posts
Karen
Hillsboro
MO
USA
1411 Posts |
Posted - Sep 23 2008 : 07:36:46 AM
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Thanks, Dawn. I love you too, sister.
God bless -
Karen ~ Chickherder & Farmgirl Sister #311 |
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deeredawn
True Blue Farmgirl
2306 Posts
Dawn
Cordova
TN
USA
2306 Posts |
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deeredawn
True Blue Farmgirl
2306 Posts
Dawn
Cordova
TN
USA
2306 Posts |
Posted - Sep 23 2008 : 08:09:53 AM
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Okay, I am half way together now. Need to go for the day girls. I have apples and pears and tomato's oh my.....
also the contractors are here and finally re-doing the house. So my dogs are in a frenzy. I gotta take them to the park or something. I cant handle the constant barking at the workers. I posted in our blog.... have a wonderful day girls. talk with ya tonight!
Dawn #279
MJ's Heirloom Mavens/Mother Hen
http://heirloommavens.blogspot.com
http://harvestthymefarm.blogspot.com
"I figure if a girl wants to be a legend, she should go ahead and be one!"...Calamity Jane |
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homemom
True Blue Farmgirl
1593 Posts
Ruth
Warwick
RI
USA
1593 Posts |
Posted - Sep 23 2008 : 08:09:56 AM
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Karen,
Thank you for sharing your story. Your dad sounds amazing. We need more like him. How awesome that you can now carry on his legacy.
I feel like I haven't been here in a week. I am completely amazed at all the posts and ideas. I am going to be looking at our library to see if any of the books listed are there.
I just wanted to ask what is the BBB? Where is it?
Ruth
Living the farm life in my heart.
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Ruth
http://farmgirlinmyheart.blogspot.com/ |
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deeredawn
True Blue Farmgirl
2306 Posts
Dawn
Cordova
TN
USA
2306 Posts |
Posted - Sep 23 2008 : 08:11:51 AM
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Ruth: BBB is Buggie Barter and Boogie. Its a farm fair that Mary Jane puts on at her farm. Lots of things to do and learn. from what I gather there is an awards ceremony as well I think..... at this point a bunch of us are wanting to go together. Let us know what your plans are July 3-5 2009!
Dawn #279
MJ's Heirloom Mavens/Mother Hen
http://heirloommavens.blogspot.com
http://harvestthymefarm.blogspot.com
"I figure if a girl wants to be a legend, she should go ahead and be one!"...Calamity Jane |
Edited by - deeredawn on Sep 23 2008 08:12:14 AM |
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Ms.Lilly
True Blue Farmgirl
826 Posts
Lillian
Scotts Mills
OR
USA
826 Posts |
Posted - Sep 23 2008 : 08:16:42 AM
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Hi Girls- I am trying to keep up here but, I am with karen on the dial up situation and am having to take it slllllllooooooooooooowwwwwwwww! I know I have missed a few things and am trying to get back to the beginning and re-read everything. I did look over the book list and have quite a few of the books, most of them not read yet though. Would also like to say Hi to the new people, wonderful to have you here! Marcy- we plan to be self-sufficent within a few years too. We started our plan in motion a few years ago and I think it is all falling right into place. DH would like to be off grid if possible. I'm off for a while to start my tomatos but will check in later while they are processing.
Lillian |
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Annika
True Blue Farmgirl
5602 Posts
Annika
USA
5602 Posts |
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deeredawn
True Blue Farmgirl
2306 Posts
Dawn
Cordova
TN
USA
2306 Posts |
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LindaEllen
True Blue Farmgirl
275 Posts
Linda
Missouri
USA
275 Posts |
Posted - Sep 23 2008 : 08:37:42 AM
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Karen/LivingWell4You, Oh what a fine post about your dad how strong he was. And what you said about heirlooms means to you "Honoring Our Heritage" I want that to be themessage I send on to others too. Thank you.
Oh Karen you are a sweetheart (((hugs))), thank you for the e-m and making sure I was ok. Just got so busy around here. All is good and I'm so happy for the fall weather. I could not send you a e-m but I can rec them, this half working PC of mine :/, so thank you so much.
I got a lot of catching up to do, this forum is on fire, whahooooo.
All take good care and Happy Autumn
Linda
Farmgirl Sister #343
Locust Trail Homestead
http://www.homesteadblogger.com/walkabout/
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Keeping in Touch: Danger of Extinction |
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Danger of Extinction
