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FarrarFarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
330 Posts
Lynda
Frohna
Missouri
USA
330 Posts |
 Posted - Jun 28 2005 : 1:07:11 PM
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Hello,
My name is Lynda and just to set the scene, I'm living in the city, but love it on the farm. I am always so proud to talk about our farm, but wish I could talk more of personal experience than just from occassional visits.
My husband is a farmer and has been all his life. He also is a sawyer, so outdoor living is his life. Even though he also works full-time at a factory, we keep a small herd of cattle on the farm. It is in his mom's name, but someday we hope to be able to buy it from her; God-willing. It is our dream. Until then, we'll keep making plans for when that day will come. We are taking some measures now by planting a berry patch.
When I was younger (in 6th grade), my parents moved from St. Louis county to Perry county, MO. I am ever so grateful for the introduction to small town life. The town we moved to had a population sign that read 232, our family brought that up by 10. I am the oldest of 8, we took in a foster sister and my great-grandmother ended up living with us, as well. Our place had 5 acres and we immediately acquired cows, chickens and pigs and put in a huge garden. We knew nothing about it - we had just moved from the city and my parents had never lived in the country - what an experience. This plus living in a farming community and getting to know the people around us is what has captured my heart to a life of country living. Of course, meeting my husband, who knows nothing else but that kind of life, also helped. It is amazingly wonderful how the Lord has blessed us.
We have 4 grown children (1 married with 17mo. twins and 3 finishing up college next year)- now you know why we have not bought the farm yet. Our farm is about 100 miles south of our current residence in St. Louis. I stay in the city, my husband commutes once or twice a week as his schedule allows - now you know why we want to move to the farm soon.
My hobbies are sewing (simple things), gardening, rubber stamping, walking, photography, and my family. Two things I would like to learn yet are spinning wool and playing the banjo. I love the idea of simple living, although it is hard to make the switch, we are gradually working on it. My husband and I have both said we were born 100 years too late.
How I came by the whole world of Mary Jane Farms, is by chance. We were planning a trip to Louisville to visit our youngest son at college and we always like to take new reading material. I went to the bookstore to find some magazines. My husband enjoys titles such as, The Back Woodsman, Farm Show, & Rural Heritage. The title of Mary Janes Farm caught my eye because I thought, "Finally a women's magazine about farm living." So I bought it, not knowing exactly what it contained, just that it had a women's name in front of the word "farm", so I thought it had to be good. And here I am.
Thanks for reading my ramblings, I am looking forward to gleaning any and all I can from everyone on the forums so I can be ready to go when moving day comes - hopefully long before then.
God's bless you all with gentle and continuous showers of His grace and love.
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mollymae
True Blue Farmgirl
694 Posts
Molly
Visalia
California
USA
694 Posts |
Posted - Jun 28 2005 : 1:11:29 PM
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Hi Lynda! Welcome to our wonderful group! It sounds like you will fit right in here with all of us!!! My husband also wants to learn to play the banjo, what fun! Looking forward to hearing more about your farm and you as well!
Cead Mile Failte,
Molly
"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." --Henry David Thoreau
**When life throws scraps your way ~ Make a Quilt!**
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Robinwolf
Farmgirl in Training
44 Posts
Robin
Blacksburg
Virginia
USA
44 Posts |
Posted - Jun 28 2005 : 3:51:21 PM
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Hi Lynda!
My husband also wants to learn to play the banjo! Emily, our daughter, and I bought him one several years ago - but he has just played around with it, and not gotten serious with it. I have a guitar and a fiddle, and want to take lessons on both. Emily plays guitar and bass guitar. And flute.
Coming to MJF was an "angel tipping me on the shoulder" too - I was looking at my book club on its website, and I saw her book - and the title and front cover just looked so intriguing, and like you - it had a woman and a farmhat and I thought it just HAD to be good! Aren't we lucky that we have angels who take care of us this way?
Robin
Let the beauty we love be what we do. -- Rumi-- |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Jun 28 2005 : 7:00:33 PM
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Welcome Lynda!!! You sound just great and will fit right in here with the rest of us~~~
Jenny in Utah
The best things in life arn't things! |
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jpbluesky
True Blue Farmgirl
6066 Posts
Jeannie
Florida
USA
6066 Posts |
Posted - Jun 28 2005 : 7:22:48 PM
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Welcome, Lynda. You are already one of the group! I grew up in Springfield, Illinois and spent one year living in St. Ann - long ago in the 70's. St. Louis is familiar to me, and I enjoyed it there, but always loved the drive to Springfield because of all the beautiful farmland we went through to get home. I hope you get to go to your farm soon!
jpbluesky
Heartland girl |
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FarrarFarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
330 Posts
Lynda
Frohna
Missouri
USA
330 Posts |
Posted - Jun 29 2005 : 09:10:31 AM
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Good morning,
I hope this goes to the right place as I am learning the ins and outs of posting.
Thank you all for your warm & friendly welcomes to the forum. This is such great fun! I am loving it and am so excited to be connected to you all. It feels like we should all be across the field or fence from each other. You would all be such wonderful neighbors to have. I look forward to getting to know you more and more importantly learn from your wide range of experiences and wisdom. Please feel free to share more about yourselves and families and farm-living.
When we get to the farm, both my husband and I have decided already now that neither of us are going to be working outside of the home. When we move down there, I am done working outside the home. I've wanted nothing more than to be a stay at home mom and homemaker. Divorce has a way of forcing you to do things other than what you want. WE have been blessed along the way in many other ways because of it. (Romans 8:28) So I'm not ungrateful for those years, but I've always wanted to return to the home permanently - even with no children to raise any more.
Thanks for reassuring me that dreams like that are not unrealistic. So I'm also curious to know more about making a living from the farm. We have talked about having a truck patch so we can go to the local farmer's markets or even come back to St. Louis to Soulard (a very historic, famous farmer's market near downtown - I love going there on Saturdays.) Which is why we are starting the berries now (any helpful hints on growing berries would be very, very welcomed). I've thought about, flowers, starter plants, seeds, herbs, sewing, card making, photography and the ultimate dream would be to also have a B&B. The farm is three miles back at the end of the gravel road, so I'm not too sure about the location.
Here in St. Louis I have discovered a folk art school of music. I thought it quite ironic and comical that it is smack dab in the middle of an upscale area. That's okay with me though, I'm only about 15-20 minutes from the school and they offer banjo lessons - now I just need a banjo. That might be something to look into for your husbands, Molly & Robin, to see if there are any such schools in your area. I've never played a stringed instrument before, so I'm kind of nervous, but would love to give it a try. Two of our sons play guitar - self taught, so we have already thought how fun it would be to sit on the porch and do some "pickin' & grinnin'".
Well my desk is calling and no one else is doing my work for me, so I bid you all good-bye for now, I will check in again tomorrow. Blessings to you all for a wonderful day.
In His hands,
Lynda
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Robinwolf
Farmgirl in Training
44 Posts
Robin
Blacksburg
Virginia
USA
44 Posts |
Posted - Jun 30 2005 : 01:57:10 AM
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Mornin', Lynda! Yes, we have a place that gives Banjo lessons right downtown in our small town. now, it is just getting Michael to TAKE the lessons. He feels like he should know how to play the banjo first. MEN! He feels short-changed because he cannot read music, and I tell him that his teacher will teach him what he needs to know. I think men somehow just don't like the idea of taking lessons - I don't know why. But he did buy himself a book on learning the banjo, so maybe he'll work out of that for awhile. Sometimes, I just don't understand men!
Robin
Let the beauty we love be what we do. -- Rumi-- |
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