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**Welcome Wagon:  New to the Connection........  |
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BlueEggBabe
True Blue Farmgirl
417 Posts
Susan
PA
417 Posts |
 Posted - May 20 2005 : 09:54:06 AM
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Hey ,
Although not new to MJF, I am new to the Farmgirl Connection.
I realized yesterday when I brought home the latest issue that I was more overcome than usual by that same "soul-sister feeling" I always get when I get a new issue of MJF! I just had to write and join up today!!
I grew up on a farm and now as a grown up farmgirl of 45,I have lived for the last 10 yrs. in an old rented stone farmhouse with a big wrap-around porch, 8 drafty rooms and two (yes TWO, girls) kitchens....yahoo!! I am truly in heaven.
We have several outbuildings (in need of some big repairs!) and large gardens with acres of green pasture that are just achin' for some sheep to graze it....still working on that piece. My husband sees them out there in his mind's eye every spring!
Our landlord is an 86 year old farmgirl who loves everything we do here and truly encourages us to "use the farm" when every day farmland around us is being sold and stripped for "mansion-land".
So, although not our very own, she gives us the freedom to use her property as we like.
It is a dream, yes.......but also means that hubby must work off the farm (full time,PLUS even though his heart is here) to pay the $$$$ rent and hefty oil bills (even with 2 wood stoves).He knows the value and fringe benefits of a happy farmgirl ...thanks, honey!
This allows me to be at home most days tending the chickens,(oh, and a 16 yr old and a college student), the herbs, veggies and roses and supplementing the pot by making herbal products and teaching other women how to identify, grow, and use therapeutic plants.We have alot of fun together,eat good food,make great stuff for our families and I get some extra hands in the gardens!
Feels really good to be here among other people who love to do things the good old fashioned way and don't mind gettin' their fingernails dirty to boot!
Thanks for the invitation to come outside and play.........
Susan
"If more of us valued good food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world."
J.J.R.Tolkien |
Edited by - BlueEggBabe on May 20 2005 11:55:55 AM |
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Eileen
True Blue Farmgirl
1199 Posts
Eileen
USA
1199 Posts |
Posted - May 20 2005 : 10:03:41 AM
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Susan,
Welcome to the forum. You are living a dream that a lot of us will envy I am sure. Renting is expensive but in the long run may not be as expensive as purchasing. At least you can rent and not have a bank looking over your shoulder waiting for you to default so that they can sell it to some land developer. Any chance of ever purchasing it from the owner? What a dream come true.
Eileen
songbird; singing joy to the earth |
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Clare
True Blue Farmgirl
2173 Posts
NC WA State
USA
2173 Posts |
Posted - May 20 2005 : 10:15:39 AM
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Yes, Welcome! So, I'm curious - your two kitchens... is one a regular kitchen and the other a "summer kitchen"? I've heard that term but not actually seen one. I believe they were used more for canning and processing the summer garden preserves and perhaps cooking in too to avoid heating up the house? I also grew up on a farm, so I am envious that you are at least living "more out" than I currently am... just savour it all while you can! Glad you joined up! 
****Gardener, Stitcher, Spiritual Explorer and Appreciator of all Things Natural****
"Begin to weave and God will give the thread." - German Proverb |
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MeadowLark
True Blue Farmgirl
2206 Posts
USA
2206 Posts |
Posted - May 20 2005 : 10:36:31 AM
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Welcome Susan! Two Kitchens!!! Nirvana! You sound like a true farmgirl and living "the dream"...Aren't MaryJanes mags the greatest! So glad you joined us! Look forward to hearing more about the chickens and all the cool things you are doing on the farm! Jenny from Kansas
"Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I'll meet you there." Rumi, 13th century. |
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BlueEggBabe
True Blue Farmgirl
417 Posts
Susan
PA
417 Posts |
Posted - May 20 2005 : 10:36:54 AM
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Clare,
The farmhouse was split long ago into 2 rental units ( 2 three bedroom apts)
We moved into one unit in '95 and then quickly took on the other side when our neighbors moved out. Our landlord allowed us to open the doorways between the 2 sides so now I have two side-by-side kitchens! One is for regular family meals and laundry and the other is my "herb kitchen" for teaching classes, making soap, canning,my husband's home brewed beer making,etc.
As an added bonus, my kids have THEIR side of the house with their own bathroom and my husband and I have our side!We have common rooms in the kitchen,living room and office areas. For right now, this is the perfect setup for us and the business! I don't know what would happen if we ever had to move!
And Eileen,yes,I agree, I do not need the bank looking over my shoulder anymore than they already do!! There are indeed some benefits.
Susan
"If more of us valued good food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world."
J.J.R.Tolkien |
Edited by - BlueEggBabe on May 20 2005 11:20:45 AM |
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jpbluesky
True Blue Farmgirl
6066 Posts
Jeannie
Florida
USA
6066 Posts |
Posted - May 20 2005 : 11:10:26 AM
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Welcome, Susan. You sure "fit the mold" of those of us who visit this site, and we look forward to hearing more about your classes, and about your home as the seasons change, etc.
Glad to have you!
jpbluesky
O, cease to heed the glamour that blinds your foolish eyes,
Look upward to the glitter of stars in God's clear skies.
from God's Garden by Robert Frost |
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westernhorse51
True Blue Farmgirl
1681 Posts
michele
farmingdale
n.j.
USA
1681 Posts |
Posted - May 20 2005 : 11:40:03 AM
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Hello Susan and welcome, your home sounds so wonderful. I live in N.J.(coast) and the land gets eaten up everyday for more of those UGLY stone mansions! They are so cold looking. My brother lives in Pa. and one of his old houses he rented for awhile had two kitchens and they were on oppisite sides of the house. The old guy who owned it said it was to keep the whole house warm in winter???? I love what your doing w/ the herbs, Im teaching myself about them, I want to know more medicinal purposes. You will love this site, its a great bunch of women. Im happy your living your dream, whether you own it or not, doesnt matter, your living it. Michele
"she selects wool and flax and works with eager hands". Prov. 31:13 |
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brownswissgal
Farmgirl in Training
29 Posts
Julie
Plainfield
Wisconsin
USA
29 Posts |
Posted - May 20 2005 : 12:44:44 PM
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Welcome Susan,
House sounds great... sounds like my old farmhouse I used to have... we went broke trying to afford the oil heat... and boy did it smell when it sprung a leak .... but the best heat we ever had next to a woodburner....
Hubby sounds like a peach... those are hard to come by nowadays... great for you...
Like you I have two girls a 9 year old and a 1 year old at 39... eeeeks what was I thinking LOL
I also grow herbs for medicinal purposes and alternative religious purposes as well as for my hand made soaps and creams... got to love what mother nature gives us :)
Take care and enjoy all the great gals in this group... their wonderful!
Julie
I never met a cow I didn't like |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - May 20 2005 : 1:51:50 PM
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Wow..two kitchens! What I wouldn't give for two kitchens!! Neat!! WElcome to our little group...you certainly sound like one of us already!! You SHOULD get sheep..they are great!!
Jenny in Utah
Bloom where you are planted! |
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ThymeForEweFarm
True Blue Farmgirl
705 Posts
Robin
An organic farm in the forest in
Maine
USA
705 Posts |
Posted - May 20 2005 : 1:53:17 PM
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Welcome Susan! The house sounds wonderful and your life sounds quite charming!
Robin
Thyme For Ewe Farm
www.thymeforewe.com |
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TheSoapMaven
True Blue Farmgirl
691 Posts
Susan
LA
USA
691 Posts |
Posted - May 20 2005 : 2:45:45 PM
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Welcome Susan in PA from Susan in LA (Louisiana that is!). Your place sounds wonderful. You will love it here...but you probably already guessed that.
Blessings & Bliss!.· ´¨¨)) -:¦:-
¸.·´ .·´¨¨))
((¸¸.·´ .·´ -:¦:-~Susan~
-:¦:- ((¸¸.·´*
Wife, Mother, Natural Woman, Savonnière, Writer, Baker, Gardener.
Soulmate to Jerry for 30 years
Mom to Zach, Gesikah, Nathan, Hannah, Rachel and Benjamin
Yetta to Sam
"It's no bad thing to celebrate a simple life" ~ Bilbo Baggins
If your knees aren't green by the end of the day, you need to seriously re-examine your life. |
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bramble
True Blue Farmgirl
2044 Posts
2044 Posts |
Posted - May 20 2005 : 4:10:54 PM
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HI Susan and welcome! We're neighbors of a sort I'm in NJ but lived in Bucks Co., Pa for many years and was born there. Your home sounds typically Pa farmhouse , do you have a spring house also? I'll look forward to hearing more about your life on the farm with your family.
You've found a great site, lots of fun and really great people who share many similar interests. We're happy to have you with us!
with a happy heart |
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BlueEggBabe
True Blue Farmgirl
417 Posts
Susan
PA
417 Posts |
Posted - May 20 2005 : 4:39:17 PM
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Yep, I forgot to mention the spring house........that needs a fair amount of work, too. Not too functional for my uses but it sure does look pretty and I hardly ever have to haul water for the chickens.They like to drink from the spring.
We live in Chester County, PA
"If more of us valued good food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world."
J.J.R.Tolkien |
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MeadowLark
True Blue Farmgirl
2206 Posts
USA
2206 Posts |
Posted - May 20 2005 : 5:00:33 PM
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That is what I love about this forum, hearing of different living ways...What is a spring house? Is it a structure built over a well? Thanks! Jenny from Kansas
"Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I'll meet you there." Rumi, 13th century. |
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BlueEggBabe
True Blue Farmgirl
417 Posts
Susan
PA
417 Posts |
Posted - May 20 2005 : 5:23:23 PM
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In the most ideal circumstances, a spring house is a small stone structure that is built over and around the mouth of a spring.
It was used to keep things cold in the summer months('cause spring water is icy cold,regardless of the time of year),so great for food storage, fresh drinking water, etc. In many cases, however, they have deteriorated over the years: doors come off, damp soil causing erosion on the building, become home for all kinds of creatures that like dark and damp( in my case, tenants years ago decided to use it as a dump for an old couch and god knows what else )But I have seen some beauties with trapdoors and water pulley systems etc.. Someday, I might just pay somebody to go in there and pull out that old couch frame......it just won't be me!
Susan
"If more of us valued good food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world."
J.J.R.Tolkien |
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MeadowLark
True Blue Farmgirl
2206 Posts
USA
2206 Posts |
Posted - May 20 2005 : 5:40:13 PM
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Thanks for enlightening me Susan about the spring house! It would be fascinating to see all that has been "dumped" over the decades there...Might be some real treasures! P.S. I love your web site! Your products sound wonderful! What kind of roses do you grow? I grow some of the old antique varities. They only bloom once a summer but when they bloom it is heaven!
"Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I'll meet you there." Rumi, 13th century. |
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BlueEggBabe
True Blue Farmgirl
417 Posts
Susan
PA
417 Posts |
Posted - May 20 2005 : 6:13:16 PM
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Well,roses?....we could be here all night!!
I have mostly all damask roses (Rosa damascena ,they are the ones that are used to make most rose essential oil) and then I have some apothecary roses, a bunch of various pretty climbers and then I tried to grow a proper English Rose garden which were very hybridized. I am afraid they needed much too much of my attention and were very fussy. Ive lost most of them over the years or they were sickly. Just give me those centuries old roses!! They just give the best fragrance and are practically no effort at all.Just a litle pruning in February is all they take.
I use my roses for rose petal jam, rosewater,rose candy etc so I never spray them with anything. I get a bit of black spot during moist summers but otherwise they are extremely healthy. I collect praying mantis cases from around the property and put one on every rose bush so that when they hatch there are hundreds of ravenous
mantis babies looking for food(bugs). I also have lots of ladybugsthat help me too. The chickens take care of the japanese beetles.......love 'em!
Susan
"If more of us valued good food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world."
J.J.R.Tolkien |
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MeadowLark
True Blue Farmgirl
2206 Posts
USA
2206 Posts |
Posted - May 20 2005 : 6:26:25 PM
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A rosarian after my own heart! I have an apothecary...the Crusader Rose...single petaled, medium pink, luscious perfume, brought back by the Crusaders to France from the Middle East, Have you any Bourbons? My absolute fav is Souveneir de la Malmasion, light pink, many petaled and the fragrance is intoxicating! These roses thrive on Kansas drought and winds! The David Austins can be finicky, but seem to hang in there for me. My favorite is Evelyn, she smells of peaches. The Damasks are wonderful, wish I had more of them! I use rose oil for headaches. My DH says I am addicted to roses, can't think of a better addiction! We have had an invasion the last year of ladybugs, thus no aphids this spring!
"Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I'll meet you there." Rumi, 13th century. |
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Kathy Kennedy
Farmgirl at Heart
1 Posts
Kathy
Hopkinsville
KY
USA
1 Posts |
Posted - May 26 2005 : 9:37:16 PM
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OK, I'm not too savy on this computer thing, not that I'm totally illiterate, I've just never done a chat room before, so if I'm posting in the wrong way or space, have tolerance! I'm Kathy, I live in Hopkinsville, KY, have 3 wonderful homeschool kids - Christopher, 13, Katie,10, Kevin,5. We have a small homestead of 5 acres and I am currently looking for a larger chunk of land. My husband Kyran and I moved here with the Army from Boston,MA where we were both born and raised. Sadly, he is no longer with us. He was killed in Iraq in Nov. of 2003. After about a year of mental and emotional drifting and seriously considering a condo in Boston I have realized that this is where I want to raise our family. I pasture poultry,raise honeybees, have a couple of horses, too many cats (but no mice in the house - at last!) a couple of dogs,and want to get back into my dairy goats. I spin (mostly llama), love to read, make baskets and of course grow things. Since i could go on for a page or more of the things I enjoy I will self consciously stop here. I love Mary Janes Farm and haven't been this enthusiastic about a magazine since I found Countryside when we first started our hoemstead 8 years ago.
Kathy
Phillipians 4:13 |
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MeadowLark
True Blue Farmgirl
2206 Posts
USA
2206 Posts |
Posted - May 27 2005 : 10:00:28 AM
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Welcome Kathy! First of all, I want to give you my sincerest condolence in the loss of your husband. This kind of bravery and sacrifice is of the highest order. Blessings to you dear lady. Your homestead sounds beautiful! We have so many spinners here, and beekeepers, and poultry lovers! I have not heard of any basketmakers though! You are the first! What kind of materials do you use? WE also have alot of homeschoolers here too so you are in good company and will fit right in! This is a fun and supportive and wonderful group...I am so glad you found us Kathy! I look forward to hearing more about your farm life! Jenny from Kansas
"Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I'll meet you there." Rumi, 13th century. |
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Nicol
True Blue Farmgirl
200 Posts
Nicol
200 Posts |
Posted - May 27 2005 : 10:20:29 AM
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| Welcome Susan! I am so envious of your 2 kitchens! When we moved into our current house I was downsized in kitchen. I miss my nice big kitchen. I am holding out hope for the kitchen of my dreams. |
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blessed4431
Farmgirl at Heart
4 Posts
Joy
Rockville
va
USA
4 Posts |
Posted - May 29 2005 : 12:26:57 PM
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Hi I'm New here. I live in a rural part of Virginia. I just bought the book today and I haven't been able to put it down.
Have A Blessed Day |
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bramble
True Blue Farmgirl
2044 Posts
2044 Posts |
Posted - May 29 2005 : 1:15:12 PM
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Kathy- Welcome to MJF, glad you decided to join us. I hope you find solace and kindred spirits here to support you as you make your way without your beloved husband. Your children are lucky to have such a brave mother who is continuing the dream for herself and them.
I guess I never mentioned it but...I do make baskets. Mostly oak splint but I am considering trying nantuckets this summer. Hope to hear more from you and learn what it's like in your neck of the woods. Be well, be strong;we are here when you need us.
Blessed- Welcome to you! What part of Va? I have a college roomie in Reston and another in Richmond. Have a good time catching up on all the old topics and jump in anytime!
with a happy heart |
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MeadowLark
True Blue Farmgirl
2206 Posts
USA
2206 Posts |
Posted - May 29 2005 : 4:00:18 PM
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Hi and Welcome Blessed! I love the name Joy! So glad you are here! You will love it! Jenny from Kansas
"Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I'll meet you there." Rumi, 13th century. |
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Kim
True Blue Farmgirl
146 Posts
Kim
Pflugerville
Texas
USA
146 Posts |
Posted - Jun 02 2005 : 2:59:06 PM
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Kathy, Welcome, and I am sorry about your husband. I am honored and blessed that our country is full of men and women who are defending and protecting our country. You'll find a wonderful group of women here.
Joy, welcome aboard as well! You'll love this website s much as the book, I promise! There is so much knowledge among all the ladies.
farmgirl@heart
Be at peace with yourself and the rest will follow |
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jpbluesky
True Blue Farmgirl
6066 Posts
Jeannie
Florida
USA
6066 Posts |
Posted - Jun 03 2005 : 07:09:00 AM
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Welcome, Kathy. I, too, send you warm thoughts and sincere prayers that you will continue to be strong in enduring the loss of your husband. We are glad to have you here on this site, and I know we can learn from you. Already, I learned that we have two basketmakers here!
Keep posting! This is a great group of supportive and creative women.
jpbluesky
Proverbs 3:5 |
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**Welcome Wagon: New to the Connection........ |
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New to the Connection........
