Hold yer’ horses, we’ve got another giveaway! These two handspun workbooks were sent to me this week, and their author, Jane Heim, is offering them to whoever would give them a read, and her some feedback. All you have to do to win is answer what your favorite part about farm life is (below in the comments section), and my grandbaby StellaJane will pick the two winners from a hat. Jumpin’ Jehoshaphat! I sure do love my community of Janes.
Click here to see our winners!
Buy props used in MaryJane’s books and magazine!
5% of profits will benefit www.firstbook.org, a non-profit that provides new books to children from low-income families throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Here’s how:
MaryJane will post a photo and a description of a prop and its cost along with a few details as to its condition here: https://shop.maryjanesfarm.org/MaryJanesCurations. It’s a playful way to be the new owner of a little bit of farm herstory.
My favorite part about my “farm” life is the connection with nature and the overall calmness that comes over you when you are working on the farm. I live in suburbia and have laying hens and raised bed gardens, and will be adding to our “farm” next weekend with the addition of two baby rabbits. My “farm” is “small” just 3/4 acre, but it is my little piece of paradise. The satisfaction of harvesting your own food is such a great feeling. Thank you for the opportunity to win “My Place in The Country”.
Farmgirl Hugs,
Laurie
I would say that my favorite part of “farm life” is the fact that I can be closer to the “real world” with my interaction with my animals (chickens & rabbit), my work in my gardens (get my hands dirty with real soil) and my orchard & berries. I was born to be a “farmer” just was not in the right place at the right time, I guess, but this way I can touch it.
I only “farm” in my flower garden but live in the middle of what used to be an old farm. I love the sounds, birds before dawn, spring peepers in spring, dogs barking at twilight, Gun shots echo in fall, the occasional bawling cow or whinny of a horse, turkey gobbling in early morning. And the view from my ridge cannot be beat at sunrise and sunset!
To know that I participate in life. I can stir up a bit of soil, anywhere, plant a seed and an entire series of effects begins, which I shall watch over and nurture. Depending upon the seed, I may be feeding many people, or a few birds who brighten my day. even the lowly thistle , with it’s brilliant purple flower gives me an empty husk at season’s end , that I may decorate it for an indoor display. To know that these skills are portable, even into a city, where I can take a tiny 1/4 acre of land on a busy street corner and turn its bare ground into a “Garden of Eatin'”.
My favorite part of farm life is watching everything grow and mature ,from the beginning to the end. The smells, sounds,sights… all the senses are used in farming.
My favorite thing has to be that my life runs on my schedule and Mother Nature’s of course. We homeschool as well, so we can incorporate whatever we see necessary each day. My children are exposed to a more real and nature way of life. They know what it takes to feed our family, how necessary every step is, etc. There is no way I’d willingly trade this.
I love it all! The peacefulness, the beauty, the wildlife. The ability to see the stars at night without lights hindering that….beautiful sunrises and sunsets. I do love the chickens and animals although so much that they all have names and I am not a great pioneer woman can’t eat my own chickens..Simple, country living at the end of our 1/4 mile dirt drive is what I love. Thanks for the giveaway.
Hugs from Dolly.
What cute booklets.
My favorite part of farm life is the quiet and the stillness. It just seems like we are closer to nature when we wake to birds singing instead of traffic noises or the garbage truck.
Fresh air, digging in the dirt (aka gardening be it vegetable or flower), knowing your food source, baby animals, fresh eggs, and just simply connecting to Mother Earth and enjoying the calmness. My heritage comes from folks who lived off the land; something I’m so very proud of.
My favorite part of farm life…the smell of a new born calf, hearing the song of the pigs waiting to be fed,milking the cow twice a day, picking fresh vegetables for dinner and canning, working in the hayfield with family and friends, and gathering for a big family farm style dinner after a long day working on the farm, complete with homemade bread and homemade butter, outside in the shade of the big old trees. Then a rest in the hammock, watching clothes dry on the line.
There isn’t one thing I can say I dislike about farm living. However, if I had to choose a very favorite it would be the peacefulness I feel when I am working with my animals and taking care of their needs. They are instant stress relief and therapy for my soul. They offer so much to me in return for feeding, watering, and loving them. It’s truly a wonderful life.
My favorite part of farm life is the animal friends for sure. My beloved cow MOna meets me with a smile in her eyes each time I go out back and provides our family with milk, yogurt, cheese, cream and an adorable calf each year. My sheep provide companionship for Mona and wool for me to spin and knit with. The chickens and ducks provide eggs and the turkeys are not only fun to watch but provide our holiday meals. (this year we will have second generation turkeys…Lucille is sitting on a nest!!) Even the dogs and cats have their place and provide so much to my life. Life is good.
The thing I love about farm life is everything is hands on and you can grow anything you like, raise the animals and know what care they have been given as well as what they have been fed. There is no way to know what you get in a store but if you raise it or grow it yourself you know where it comes from .
My “farm” is in suburbia :). We have a small piece of land, and a small house…BUT…we are working it! Last year, I built a few boxes and did “lasagne” gardening, the yield of tomatoes & cucumbers was staggering. This year, I am actually planning our food based on space, preference, and water use (it gets pretty darn hot here..). We also got two chickens :), both just started laying a week or so ago. They were liviing in my pantry, and we finished the new coop the day Pepper laid her first egg! 1 egg each..my son is just thrilled, and I am not allowed to use them until he fills a “dozen”. I love connecting to my land.
Living in a metro area makes me miss the farm life and the serenity that it exudes. The quietness to hear yourself think or to think problems through. The ability to connect with the land. I think the thing I loved the most about living on a farm was the community around it – the people just seem to be more grounded and down to earth.
My favorite part of “Farm Life” is the fresh air and realness of providing for my family. No fake food, no fake environment. Just the Real stuff!
It’s my little “heaven on earth” and produces all of the fruit of the Spirit ~ love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness……and it’s in Idaho! Thank you for the giveaway ~ so fun! Blessings, Cathy
Nature and nurture…
My favorite part of farm life is waking up in the morning and hearing the noises the animals make as they go about their day. I can hear the ducks talking to each other as they sift through the mud puddles as they search for goodies. The rooster announces his presence to his non existent rivals while the hens cluck and let us know they have laid today’s egg. The pigs grunt and snuffle through the grass, digging up juicy roots and grubs. Sometimes the goats will escape and stand on the porch, looking through the door window for us and hoping we will come play with them. The sound of new chicks in a plastic bin in the living room, cheeping and scratching and growing. All these sounds remind me of why it is I love to live on a farm.
My favorite part is getting up having my coffee, and going out to collect my eggs. Growing my own food and eating it fresh.
Okay this is a little different for me. I don’t have a farm but what I do have is a backyard garden that we grow vegetables all year long. We have two huge potted plants that grow strawberries. When I come down for my breakfast, I sit in my country decorated kitchen, open the backdoor and just sit at the table listening to the beautiful sounds of all the Blue Jay, Robins, and tiny Sparrows. Then of course my cat jumps on my lap and wants to catch them….This is my little farm… not a traditional farm but it works for me. Hugs, Joan
My favorite part is when Spring is coming, and the garden will soon be started. I always get excited about that because I know that soon after that I will be canning all the wonderful things I have grown, and the fruits of that labor will last for months to come. It’s always especially rewarding when you are watching that first snowfall while enjoying something grown from your garden back when the weather was warm!
My favorite part of farm life is my ability to connect on a deeper level with the things I hold dear- my family, animals, and a commitment to living as close to natural as possible. I love using my antique tractor to plow and feel a connection to history and those that used it before me. I have a bakery on my farm where I utilize the eggs that my chickens produce and other ingredients from neighboring farms. My horses are pampered and fed homemade horse treats and carrots from the garden fertilized by their own horse manure compost. My husband loves my cheddar and broccoli soup made with fresh broccoli from the backyard garden. It may be a little (or a lot…) more work than the mega grocery store, fast paced life but I wouldn’t trade it for anything!
The daily connection to the natural life, the earth, it’s seasonal changes, smells, sounds… you don’t find that in a concrete building! 🙂
MY MOST FAVORITE THING ABOUT FARM LIFE IS IN THE FALL WHEN THE ANIMALS LITTLE MUZZLES ARE STEAMING IN THE BRISK MORNING AIR. GOING OUT TO DO CHORES AND STOPPING TO WATCH THE CHICKENS AND PIGS FORAGING FOR EDIBLE REMNANTS OF SUMMER PAST. THERE IS JUST SOMETHING ABOUT THE FALL THAT MAKES FARM LIFE SO SOOTHING. THE COLLISION OF BRISK FALL AIR AND THE TRAIL OF WOOD STOVE SMOKE MAKES FOR A SPECTACULAR VIEW AND THE SMELL IS SO ENCHANTING. I DO LOVE FALL ON THE FARM.
I love the tranquility farm life brings. Even when working there is a unique peacefullness intertwined with the labor. Maybe that’s it. Work does not seem like work. The labor presents more joy and satisfaction…moving at my own pace, getting to enjoy my accomplishments and feeling connected to nature. I do love watching my hens muck about the yard. They are very silly beasts! And I love having my pugs supervise everything going on…like making sure I plant seeds correctly and that the hens behave themselves.
My favorite part about farm life is waking up knowing that though I will wear myself out today doing chores, I am making a difference in the lives of those I love. My hubby will not eat systemic pesticide laced veggies, hormone and antibiotic riddled beef and chicken, and he will not be having any high fructose corn syrup today. Amen.
My favorite part of Farm Life, The fun of sharing my eggs and produce with people who drive by on their way to some sightseeing point of interest. Or the kids who bike up my driveway on their tour of America and ask for water. Having a great conversation with these folks and telling them what I love about my farm and actually showing them where and how things grow! I am always surprised about how little interaction they have had with the real stuff of life like where potatoes grow! I have had more fun showing them where the potatoes are when they look at the plants and ask well when do they get potatoes on them? When I plunge my hand into the dirt and pop them up out of the ground still attached to their umbilical cords. I love everything about my life!
My favorite part of my farm (my 1/3 acre in the middle of a historic small town) is hearing my chicks asking to get out of their coop in the morning or telling me there’s another egg in the nest. I love to shovel the garden – a rhythm of self and nature develops and the work’s soon done. And then I love to see the newly planted seeds breaking through the soil; the first set of leaves; the first squash flower; a cucumber warmed by the sun; my grandchildren’s grins when they taste the early strawberries; my hometown farm – I love it. My favorite part of my farm is the knowledge that God is good and I am blessed.
My favorite part of our ‘urban farm life’ is that I constantly use nature to teach my children. Teaching my sons to plant and seed, nurture it and then reap the rewards? SO much better than television. Mother Earth is such a fine place for me to enjoy life with my family and learn and grow with them. It restores our peach and happiness.
I live in rural Wyoming, and what I love of the farm life is the closeness you get to nature, fresh grown corn, fresh beef, fresh eggs. For me, it’s supporting the local farms by buying there products!!
Mary Jane,
My favorite part of farm life, besides the peace & quiet, is the feeling of being connected to the earth. I love the feel of the soil, the smells, the knowing that your efforts will create wonderful bounty. I love the sight of a star studded sky, that spreads in all directions. I love the feeling of belonging.
Thanks for the chance to win. 🙂 Teri
I love watching seeds sprout! It seems like magic, every time!! Right now, we are starting seeds for our first market garden in the greenhouse, and having one of these workbooks would be great for organizing in a pretty way!
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