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A Farm of My Own:  Does anyone else get "the look?"  |
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Buffalomary
True Blue Farmgirl
199 Posts
Mary
Caldwell
ID
USA
199 Posts |
 Posted - Jan 11 2009 : 12:36:07 PM
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I can tell if a person is a transplant or if they grew up here by their "look". It is a way of life for the majority of us who grew up here, living on a farm, gardening, canning, etc. It breaks my heart to see all the prime farm land being developed with cardboard houses going in so close together, you can hear your neighbor think! My mother got in a conversation with a lady one day who did not understand the concept that our food came from a farm. She told my mother we didn't need the farms anymore, we could just go to the store and get our food! Wished I could have seen the "look" my mom gave her!! I'm on a campaign to turn my backyard into my "homestead" and it is comforting to know that I have close neighbors who also have gardens. But it can be fun with those who don't understand. You might say I can get ornery occassionally! 
Buffalomary
Farmgirl Sister #293
You can take the farmer's daughter off the farm but you can't take the farm out of the farmer's daughter!!
Please visit me at my blog: http://buffalomaryscorner.blogspot.com |
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lisamarie508
True Blue Farmgirl
2648 Posts
Lisa
Idaho City
ID
USA
2648 Posts |
Posted - Jan 14 2009 : 5:21:53 PM
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Wow, Mary, I find that so incredible that a grown person would think that, what, the stores wave a magic wand and the food suddenly appears on the shelves? Where DO they think it all comes from? Can people really be so ignorant or without common sense?
I'm with you on the whole losing our farm land and packing the houses in like sheep. It's really sad and I have a hard time understanding why people would even WANT to be packed in so tight like that. That's the kind of housing they have in the big cities back East. You can shake your neighbor's hand without either of you leaving your house (that is, if they even want to know you)!
I wasn't born in Idaho. But I belong here and I got here just as fast as I could!
Farmgirl Sister #35
"If you can not do great things, do small things in a great way." Napoleon Hill (1883-1970)
my blog:
http://lisamariesbasketry.blogspot.com/
[size=1]My apron website:
http://lisamariesaprons.bravehost.com [size=1] |
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Old Spirit
True Blue Farmgirl
1498 Posts
Rae
MN
1498 Posts |
Posted - Jan 15 2009 : 05:43:35 AM
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I head the same comment about not needing farms as food is in the stores back in the '80's when we living in Mpls. for a year! Imagine brown milk comes from brown cows too!! :-)
It is sad when people don't understand how important the small family farm is.
Rae
I love living in the country!! |
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janiee
True Blue Farmgirl
820 Posts
Janie
Shawnee
Oklahoma
USA
820 Posts |
Posted - Jan 15 2009 : 06:09:51 AM
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I grew up in the country but now live in town and want to go back to the country! My sister married a man from OK with 10 acres of land around his home and gives me "the look" when I start talking about when my dh and I come to visit , i want to go fishing and learn how to filet a fish, help with the gardens and help feed his horses. You would think she never saw dirt!
I miss the space of the country...my dh says he wants to go back but is not willing to "do" anything to make the dream happen so I am focusing on making my backyard as "farmlike" as possible. Love being a farmgirl!
janiee
farmgirl #390 |
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Kangaroo Kate
True Blue Farmgirl
253 Posts
Teresa
Red Oak
Texas
USA
253 Posts |
Posted - Jan 15 2009 : 8:21:00 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by prairie_princess
Yay! this is my first official post! anyway, i'm a bit new at the farmgirl lifestyle. though my parents lived 40 miles from nowhere, Wyoming has been my first official home after I left home. I was in the Navy for 6 years, so i moved around alot and never got to settle anywhere or have a real home. so i'm so happy to have a comfy little country home with my hubby here in Wyoming. when i was growing up, my mom jokingly called herself a "hermit." i never understood why, but now i'm starting to understand. i feel the same way... i feel uncomfortable in big cities (i was stationed in pearl harbor, hi in the navy and HATED the big city lifestyle!) and long for the great outdoors. as i'm trying to figure out what to do with my life, i believe i just want to be a farmgirl and not have a career. i want to stay in the country and just try some different things to see what i like (honeybees, apple cider, cheese are among my interestes). problem is, it seems whenever i mention these things (which i am SO excited to try and get butterflies everytime i think about it) to other people, i get "the look." the "why in the world would you want to do that?" i've been asked so many times why i like living in the country, what could it possibly offer that the city doesn't have? people look at me as if i'm crazy! but whenever people come to visit, they love the quiet solitude and cozy lifestyle i've tried to create. does anyone else get these negative reactions? i hardly dare to tell people my plans of self sufficiency.... i suppose part of it is because i'm fairly young,27, and go to community college and most young people i know like the city lifestyle and having their technology, tv, and cel phones close at hand. any thoughts?
This is my first offical post also. I always have had "the look" I think.. ha I never ever really fit in was always a bit different. I grew up in the Ozarks in the country which nowdays is called a HOMESTEAD lifestyle. I am grateful for my country upbringing and many experiences which make me now appreciate much of what I have. After many distracted years am trying hard to go back to my roots and the farmgirl I really am. It is being a interesting journey at this point shifting gears this late in life at 53. still feel I am in my 30's(smile) I know who I am and who I want to be and what I want to accompish. so much to do yet! (smile) I am searching for my land to set up my homestead even while living in the city pretty much. I am glad I found this group just makes everything come together! BUT what I am finding interesting now... I dont get "the look" so much anymore people seem to really respect who I am and they seem to want some of it for themselves, but not quite sure where to begin. I think some are a bit afraid to break out of the mold and be different. Find the unique side of who they really could be deep inside and maybe never discovered it yet.
I do have some wonderful girlfriends who are also farmgirls at heart
and we enjoy sharing our goals with eachother and accomplishments. we dont care so much what others may really think.. we are confident in who we are. To me..mud boots are a sensible fashion accessory.(ha)
I would like to find some pretty pink ones tho.(smile)
Oh I get "the look" sometimes and I just smile to myself and think
shame they dont know what they are missin. Living in a large city like Dallas is an open door for me to "get the look" on many occassions. ha Iget away with a lot since I have a petting zoo and pony ride business and breed wallabies.. It is nothing unusual for me to have a baby or two on me in the spring (the 4 legged furry ones). I dont appologize for "the look" I take it with pride in my farmgirl heritage. (smile) One place where i am right at home is
Tractor Supply! Now you know your a real farmgirl when that is one of
your favorite places to shop! and you never get "the look" there.(smile) |
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Kangaroo Kate
True Blue Farmgirl
253 Posts
Teresa
Red Oak
Texas
USA
253 Posts |
Posted - Jan 15 2009 : 8:28:22 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by MagnoliaWhisper
I get the look and "talks". Um could you not come visit me looking like you are amish, in your prairie hat, and apron. Um, I need the apron cause I'm about to be working, and the bonnet, is to protect my face against the sun/skin cancer, hello! lol haha They all think it's cute when I have my daughter dressed that way, but for me I get the "look", and the "lecture", what will my neighbors think, we live in Brooklyn, girl you can't come here looking like that. Well, if I can't be ME, then they need to get over them selves is my opinion! In a world where in Brooklyn, sometimes you literally can't tell a man from a woman-with women wearing under shirts, and doo rags n their head, I'm put down for wearing a bonnet, and a apron? lol haha Mixed up! And btw, I have never told any of the under shirt wearing, door rag wearing women, they can't come to my home, dressed like that!
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com
I LOVE your attitude !!! AMEM ! (smile) I have been called miss little house on the prairie before ha ha ha
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Kangaroo Kate
True Blue Farmgirl
253 Posts
Teresa
Red Oak
Texas
USA
253 Posts |
Posted - Jan 15 2009 : 9:02:51 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Buffalomary
I can tell if a person is a transplant or if they grew up here by their "look". It is a way of life for the majority of us who grew up here, living on a farm, gardening, canning, etc. It breaks my heart to see all the prime farm land being developed with cardboard houses going in so close together, you can hear your neighbor think! My mother got in a conversation with a lady one day who did not understand the concept that our food came from a farm. She told my mother we didn't need the farms anymore, we could just go to the store and get our food! Wished I could have seen the "look" my mom gave her!! I'm on a campaign to turn my backyard into my "homestead" and it is comforting to know that I have close neighbors who also have gardens. But it can be fun with those who don't understand. You might say I can get ornery occassionally!
Buffalomary
Farmgirl Sister #293
You can take the farmer's daughter off the farm but you can't take the farm out of the farmer's daughter!!
Please visit me at my blog: http://buffalomaryscorner.blogspot.com
In saying about the lady who said you dont need farms you can go
to the store and get food.. ha That is about as bad as out by us
the building is moving in and one day at the store I heard this city person complaining about the wildlife at thier housing
development ...someone aut to do something about the wildlife out here! the raccoons got into our trash cans and we had a oppossum at our back door last night and OH MY the smell of Skunk! ..and..and.. I was standing there.. giving HER.. "the LOOK" and couldnt help myself...said.....aahhhhh...this IS the country. didnt you realize this is where the WILDLIFE lives? you just just ran them out of their homes. having wildlife is part of living IN the COUNTRY.. we share with the wildlife here. This Isnt the city!
Boy.. Did I GET ""THE LOOK"" !!! ha ha
city people dont get it! go figure?
I hate seeing them mow down the land and build thier houses to be "IN the country" and then make it another city like they just moved from??? rows and rows of houses ruining the open space they seemed to admire and moved out to..which is now gone.. no more pretty sunsets to enjoy.. only sun going behind lots of rooftops.. wow that is nice. NOW where does this make any sense at all?? I dont get it??
I say.. give me the look all you want I valued what you just took away and now will not be enjoyed again.
I am off my soapbox. (smile) This just gets my panties in a wad. |
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farmprincess
Farmgirl in Training
16 Posts
Crystal
Abbotsford
British Columbia
Canada
16 Posts |
Posted - Jan 19 2009 : 11:31:51 PM
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Unfortunately i get the look less often now. I am afraid that i have been in the city too long. I am beginning to blend. I grew up on a small hobby farm and spent lots of time on working farms that belonged to friends and family. When i moved to BC, from SK and rural ON before that, i moved right into the city. What a culture shock. I can't wait for my husband to be done his schooling so that we can get back to the country...at this point i'd gladly settle for even a small town. For now this is where God has us and i need to start getting prepared for that future and be more intentional about my present while I'm at it. I have spent the last 2 years relearning skills that i knew as a small girl, or at least witnessed in my family. Things like sewing, knitting, crocheting, canning, and real scratch baking!!!! I want to get back to growing things too... i used to look after my mom's garden as a girl, but i seem to have grown out of my green thumb... i suspect it isn't anything a little discipline and reminders won't fix. It is so encouraging to know that there are other young ladies still wanting to get back to the basics. Here in the city I often feel like i'm the only on under 30 who longs for the freedom and responsibility of country living. Can't wait to learn from all of you. You inspire me!
Motherhood is the adventure that lasts a lifetime. |
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Old Spirit
True Blue Farmgirl
1498 Posts
Rae
MN
1498 Posts |
Posted - Jan 20 2009 : 02:57:58 AM
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Crystal
You will do fine once you get back. I grew up in a small town. I started with a small veg garden while we were in town and taught myself how to can. We finally got our dream a year ago and are in the country or should say woods. I really love it though and continue to learn things all the time. While in town I also made homemade soap and started some knitting and crocheting. Hopefully will continue to expand on all things. Guess that is why God gave my heart a yearning for the above!
Rae
I love living in the country!! |
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MotherLodeBeth
True Blue Farmgirl
110 Posts
Beth
Calaveras County
California
USA
110 Posts |
Posted - Jan 25 2009 : 12:30:14 AM
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I dress a combo of Anne of Green Gables and Beatrix Potter which helps when it come to 'the look'. So the more I thought about it the more I understood that people look at me and assume I live on a farm  with lots of wonderful critters. Or maybe they see the chicken riding in the pet seat next to me and just think I am funny....
~MotherLodebeth- I was born in the wrong era~ |
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prairie_princess
True Blue Farmgirl
613 Posts
Elizabeth
Carpenter
WY
USA
613 Posts |
Posted - Jul 21 2009 : 12:39:43 PM
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i was just going back over this post because i had missed alot of you ladies' great replies... i love that there actually are people out there that have the mindset that my hubby and i have.
and about people who don't realize where their food comes from, we can just go to the store... my best friend lent me a book (which i havn't read yet) "animal, vegetable, miracle" by barbara kingsolver. my friend said this lady had heard people who were disgusted that veggies and fruits actually come from the ground. because dirt is dirty and icky. they think it's disgusting and won't eat food from the ground. i couldn't believe it!!! to me, soil is one of the most amazing things on our planet. it is not dirty... i love soil, how it smells. i think it smells clean! i also had an experience while i was in geography class last year. we did an experiment where we test soil to see how what it is composed of and what minerals, etc. is in it. half the girls in class asked for gloves because they didn't want to get dirty, it was gross. i love getting my hands dirty! so i was proud to "man up" to the experiment and get right in there in the dirt!
"Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy."
-Guillaume Apollinaire |
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Old Spirit
True Blue Farmgirl
1498 Posts
Rae
MN
1498 Posts |
Posted - Jul 21 2009 : 1:35:58 PM
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People are so silly and just don't get it. Funny how some people think I am nuts and some this it is amazing. I look at it as really living. I appreciate all the more the work that my parents, grandparents, and etc have done. We have built everything we have here and it was a lot of work but we have had electricity to use power tools.
And here comes the thunder so chat later!!
Rae
...those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles:...
Isaiah 40:31 |
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Sheep Mom 2
True Blue Farmgirl
1534 Posts
Sheri
Elk
WA
USA
1534 Posts |
Posted - Jul 21 2009 : 1:41:17 PM
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OMG - afraid to get their hands dirty? I love to play in the dirt. I love the smell of wet soil after a rain. I love the fact that when I ate my large salad for dinner last night that I had just picked it out of my garden - and it was dirty until it was gently, lovingly and thankfully washed leaf by leaf before I ate it. It's no wonder our country is so messed up. People have gotten so out of touch with the source of their supply and what it actually takes to sustain life (a lot less than most people think) I have done the homestead thing now for thirty years - it was a conscious choice. I wanted to be a part of the cycle. I wanted my kids to know that when they ate chicken where the chicken came from and that it died to feed them. My kids had no problem with it either. They weren't traumitized by watching a chicken get butchered or a hog or cow killed. They had no problem treating those animals as members of the family until that day arrived either. They knew that if they had friends over during canning season, they would be snapping beans along with the rest of us.
If they were disgusted that veggies came out of the ground, just imagine what they must think about where an egg comes from!!!
Blessings, Sheri
"Work is Love made visible" -Kahlil Gibran |
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Claude09647
True Blue Farmgirl
761 Posts
Claudia
Our Dairy Farm
Pennsylvania
USA
761 Posts |
Posted - Jul 21 2009 : 3:03:33 PM
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I know exactly the look you get too! I'm just 21, i did go to college to be a paralegal, but i now have no interest in that career. I'm getting married next year and have plans for a garden again and i already am "Green" in so many ways. My past gardens have been great! I love to sew almost anything and can cook just about anything. When i first told a few of my friends about how they should think about going green, i got laughed at by a few, (they had no trouble eating the food i made...) But I had one friend that told me its my passion and to never let anyone get into the way of it. My grandmother just loves the fact that i would rather sit ant home and make a meal, than unlike my sister would rather go through the nearest drive through. And... a happy ending to the story..... The soon to be husband grew up on a farm, and now runs it with his father! I couldn't be any happier, so to my fellow farmgirls.... Stand up for what your passion is, and don't let anyone get in the way! (You never know where your passion may take you [mine found me a soon to be husband])
"If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door." |
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Old Spirit
True Blue Farmgirl
1498 Posts
Rae
MN
1498 Posts |
Posted - Jul 21 2009 : 6:12:49 PM
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Don't like the dirt, mmmmm but they like the pesticides that are sprayed all over the food that they buy?? What do I know I'm just an old farmgirl!!!
My hubby and I have gotten to point where we very seldom eat out, costs too much, but also just don't feel good after. Give me a home cooked meal anytime. And baking! I made a box cake the other day and yuck, will stick to the homemade.
Rae
...those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles:...
Isaiah 40:31 |
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prariehawk
True Blue Farmgirl
2914 Posts
Cindy
2914 Posts |
Posted - Jul 21 2009 : 7:32:36 PM
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I too love getting my hands dirty. I just bought a book today called "Ecotherapy" which is all about getting back in touch with nature to get your head on right. We'll never have true healing for the people of this Earth until they learn to embrace the Earth that gives them life. I think of soil as being full of living organisms that exist in a microscopic world of their own. I think God wants us to love this Earth and cherish it as it is. OK, I'll get off my soapbox and leave the religion out of it. Love Earth. It's that simple.
"Dog is my co-pilot"
Visit my blog at http://www.farmerinthebelle.blogspot.com/ |
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prairie_princess
True Blue Farmgirl
613 Posts
Elizabeth
Carpenter
WY
USA
613 Posts |
Posted - Jul 22 2009 : 8:46:47 PM
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i had another "look" yesterday... i was out weeding the garden (my favorite chore!) and i'm out in the boonies, but some guy who was selling steaks came by. he didn't notice me out in the garden and was YELLING outside the fence to see if anyone was home because he didn't know if my dog was friendly... well he proceeded to try and sell me frozen steaks, etc. from the back of his truck after i went out to greet him. he kept giving me weird looks. i later discovered the probable reason.... my hands and fingernails were dirty from weeding and digging in the dirt. i bet he wondered what in the world i was doing out there to get so dirty! i knew he was from the big city (which he was, from denver)
"Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy."
-Guillaume Apollinaire |
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yarnmamma
True Blue Farmgirl
4247 Posts
Linda
Clarks Summit
PA
USA
4247 Posts |
Posted - Jul 27 2009 : 3:23:06 PM
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Did anyone notice that this topic is related to the "ya might be a farmgirl if ________"
I think so! :-D
Linda in Scranton, PA
Wear the apron of humility.
1 Peter 5:5 |
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prairie_princess
True Blue Farmgirl
613 Posts
Elizabeth
Carpenter
WY
USA
613 Posts |
Posted - Jul 31 2009 : 4:19:01 PM
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maybe we should list some "ya might be a farmgirl if...." answers!
- love getting your hands dirty
- are excited to check in on your garden every day to see if you have new "babies" (veggies/fruits)
"Only two things that money can't buy, that's true love and homegrown tomatoes."
- Guy Clark
"The man who has planted a garden feels he has done something for the good of the world."
- Charles Dudley Warner |
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4HMom
True Blue Farmgirl
720 Posts
Kelly
Montana
720 Posts |
Posted - Aug 01 2009 : 08:40:41 AM
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What a great thread! We get the look from people who don't get the intangible rewards we get from "playing" with our food! Nothing is more rewarding than sitting down to a meal where everything came from your own place (or neighbors place) and you know how and where everything was grown and prepared. Anytime I get "the look", I just remember my Gramma who was born and raised on a ranch in eastern MT, and KNOW that she's smiling (and probably chuckling) as I nurture my inner "farm girl". She ate bacon and eggs every day, but also had loads of fruits and veggies and hardly ever (IF ever) ate processed food. Everything was from scratch. She made soap and candles and canned and...and.. and...She lived to be 94 years old!!! Farmgirls, we ROCK!!!!
"Be the change you want to see in the world" -Gandhi |
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prairie_princess
True Blue Farmgirl
613 Posts
Elizabeth
Carpenter
WY
USA
613 Posts |
Posted - Aug 01 2009 : 08:53:43 AM
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kelly, did your gramma raise her own "bacon" too? that is something i'm looking foward to most... eating a blt that is entirely homeade! this year everything will be homeade except the "bacon." but we're hoping next year we'll have that, too! i definately want to live my life like your gramma....
"Only two things that money can't buy, that's true love and homegrown tomatoes."
- Guy Clark
"The man who has planted a garden feels he has done something for the good of the world."
- Charles Dudley Warner |
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Old Spirit
True Blue Farmgirl
1498 Posts
Rae
MN
1498 Posts |
Posted - Aug 01 2009 : 09:48:23 AM
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You know my Grandma probably ate a pound of butter and quart of salt a day  and lived to 90 on her own!! I really believe it is all the processed junk that makes us ill. I know when my husband or I have any our stomachs are not happy at all but the made from scratch real food is a whole different thing. It is such a fulfilling life being able to grow your own food, I think. I can't wait until we get more here for that, meat wise.
Farm Girl #647
...those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles:...
Isaiah 40:31
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4HMom
True Blue Farmgirl
720 Posts
Kelly
Montana
720 Posts |
Posted - Aug 02 2009 : 09:42:52 AM
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Elizabeth, in the early days my Gramma's family raised their own hogs and smoked bacon...later on, she bought from a local hog farmer who processed his own bacon. My kids raise 4-H hogs now and we have home-grown bacon every year. Some packages are so lean that we have to add a little fat to the pan if we fry it. Usually though, I like to bake it. Good luck on that BLT!!! It'll be wonderful.
"Be the change you want to see in the world" -Gandhi |
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Old Spirit
True Blue Farmgirl
1498 Posts
Rae
MN
1498 Posts |
Posted - Aug 02 2009 : 12:35:25 PM
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Kelly do you do all your own processing?
Rae
Farm Girl #647
...those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles:...
Isaiah 40:31
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MotherLodeBeth
True Blue Farmgirl
110 Posts
Beth
Calaveras County
California
USA
110 Posts |
Posted - Aug 02 2009 : 1:04:31 PM
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When I get 'the look' it simply means the person may 'envy' the choices I have made. About a dozen years ago I remember being at this old fashioned butcher shop and having someone who knew who I was, coming over and telling me that she knew so many people who admired me because I was comfortable in my own skin and marching to my own drummer. Stop and think of the people you respect and admire. Now ask yourself if they are living how others expect, or are they being who they were meant to be.
As sappy as it may sound, my heroine has always been Beatrix Potter who for most people, is best know for her many books, like Peter Rabbit etc. Yet, when I discovered who she really was I was blown away. She was raised in a difficult home yet grew to be a woman who knew what she wanted and went for it. When she died she left more land to the Land Trust on Great Britain than at any time. She also was a great role model for women she would never know.
And this is why I got into chickens, Nubian goats, heirloom sheep as well as my art projects and big vegetable garden. She really was a woman who appreciated living simple and not letting the small stuff get to her. And the fact she married for the first time at age 47 should give many women who wish to marry, some hope.
So celebrate who you are!!!!
~MotherLodebeth- I was born in the wrong era~ |
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A Farm of My Own: Does anyone else get "the look?" |
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Does anyone else get "the look?"
