Guess what I assisted with last Monday? We didn’t think Maizy was due for another month, but about 6 a.m., while it was still dark outside, I heard her particular brand of moaning, so I went down to the pasture to see what was going on. There on the ground was a dripping wet, just-from-the-womb, SHIVERING baby boy. I laid down a fresh bed of straw in the barn and moved them both inside, Maizy still moaning and licking. I do love my “Jersey Nanny” title.
Names. We need boy names! Any ideas?
The adorable, always humorous MBA Jane is my way of honoring our Sisterhood Merit Badge program, now with 4,945 dues-paying members who have earned an amazing number of merit badges so far—6,765 total! Take it away, MBA Jane!!! MJ
Wondering who I am? I’m Merit Badge Awardee Jane (MBA Jane for short). In my former life …
For this week’s Farm Kitchen/Cheese Making Merit Badge, I was excited about two things:
1. It isn’t a recipe as much as it is a guideline.
and
2. I got to braid my hair in my favorite, but underutilized, hairstyle: Swiss Milkmaid.
First up: buttermilk.
Now, buttermilk is one of those things I forget even exists until I watch my yearly screening of White Christmas and Rosemary Clooney asks Bing Crosby for a nice, cool glass of buttermilk and a liverwurst sandwich. (She had me at buttermilk, she lost me at liverwurst). But then I learned having buttermilk on hand for all my baking needs (which there are a plethora) made my scones moister, my muffins softer, my cakes lighter, and my homemade ranch dressing a real crowd pleaser. So, now I’m sold: there will buttermilk in my fridge at all times.
Do you have a favorite pair of socks?
Striped or spotted?
Cotton or wool?
Knee-high or nipped at the ankle?
Mine are … all of the above, depending on the season and the pair of boots or shoes I’m wearing.
Let’s face it, a good sock is not only a foot’s best friend, it’s a bit of flair that we can hide under pants …
or flaunt and share.
In my mom’s day and long before that, people were loyal to their socks. It wasn’t so much about fashion as practicality, and it didn’t make sense to throw away a perfectly good pair simply because their heels showed wear.
Alas, mending is becoming a thing of the past, and lots of socks end up in the trash.
But sock startup Nice Laundry is making it their mission to save fuzzy footwear from this sad and eco-unfriendly fate.
Phase One: Nice Laundry’s pedi-preneurs are selling socks. Great socks.
“We started by taking what we loved from one of our favorite $38 pair of socks and then obsessed over every detail: the patterns, material composition, cuff height, and more,” explain co-founders Ricky Choi and Phil Moldavski.
But instead of paying premium prices, you can get six pairs of Nice Laundry socks for $39, or replace your whole sock drawer for under $90.
Photo courtesy of NiceLaundry.com
Phase Two: Ricky and Phil are bent on recycling.
Prepaid return shipping labels come with every order. Send back your old socks and Nice Laundry will recycle them. “A significant percentage will be reused and repurposed,” they say, “while the balance will be converted into recycled fibers.”
Fact: the U.S. wastes some 21 billion pounds of textiles annually.
On our last two days in the city, we got to what all girls gotta do, a little shopping!! We had saved up our chore and birthday money so we could visit the biggest toy store in the world, FAO Schwarz. It was crazy!
We had the hardest time deciding what to pick … but the life-size piano was pretty cool, and Mom says one of her favorite movies from a real long time ago was filmed there—the movie Big with Tom Hanks. I certainly wasn’t around that long ago.
Ostracized for decades by Britain’s renowned Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), the lowly order of ceramic garden gnomes will at last have its day in the sun.
It seems that gnomes are no longer deemed ignominious by the haughty horticulturalists of London, who once described the little figurines as “distracting” and barred them from participating in the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show.
(Call it a case of caste discrimination against those that were, well, cast.)
At any rate, a gaggle of good-natured gardeners like Jekka McVicar found the prohibition preposterous.
McVicar, a medal-winning horticulturist and unabashed gnome activist, roused a bit of a row when she displayed a dapper little desperado dubbed “Borage” in her 2009 display.
Photo by EddyDD via Wikimedia Commons
Imagine McVicar’s delight when she learned that the statuettes she has long supported will be welcomed as guests of honor at the 2013 Chelsea Flower Show in May.
Oh, yes—it’s true!
Now that you’ve read my book, Glamping with MaryJane, you need to find a fabulous place to get your glam campin’ on.
And so, we’re back for a 4th day of where to glamp in 2013. Ready to sink your teeth into a sweet Georgie treetop campout?
Dancing with the Trees
Georgia
Take in the sights and heights from the top of a canopy. Feel the wonder of safely cresting the top of a branch and snuggling like a leopard into your snug “tree boat.” Dancing with the Trees will give you an unforgettable experience:
Each guest/climber stays attached to a harness and climbing rope throughout the experience while spending a peaceful night cradled in the arms of a tree. The next morning, enjoy a continental breakfast … in the trees! Then there’s a chance for more climbing.
We got to see what NannyJane, Mom, and Dad do when they come to the city!!
This is the showroom where we display samples of what we’d like to sell next season. My favorite comforter was the one on this bed.
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.
