When you boldly show your spirit,
Image courtesy of Muffet via Wikimedia Commons
follow your heart,
Image courtesy of the Imperial War Museum via Wikimedia Commons
speak your mind,
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Officers_of_the_National_Woman%27s_Party_276045v.jpg
and shoot for the stars,
Image courtesy of SMU Central University Libraries via Wikimedia Commons
You, my friend, are a hoyden.
That’s a good thing—a great thing—to be.
A hoyden (HOID-n) is a boisterous, bold, and carefree girl who might also be called a tomboy, or a spirited … farmgirl.
Image courtesy of the Imperial War Museum via Wikimedia Commons
The world is yours to have, girlfren. Go wherever your heart leads you.
Let’s take a little mystery tour.
Bet you can’t guess …
Photo by Benh LIEU SONG via Wikimedia Commons
Where in the world?
Photo by Dennis Jarvis via Wikimedia Commons
The landscape looks a little sci-fi, doesn’t it?
Like a movie set from Star Wars or, maybe, The Hobbit.
Photo by Beetjedwars via Wikimedia Commons
In this far-off place, we find fairy chimneys, like these:
Photo by Turken via Wikimedia Commons
Photo by Casalmaggiore Provincia via Wikimedia Commons
We might also happen upon mighty mushroom-like towers
Photo by Nazzarenoagostinelli via Wikimedia Commons
and intricately carved entrances in walls of stone …
Photo by Turken via Wikimedia Commons
Photo by Dennis Jarvis via Wikimedia Commons
… that lead to cave cubbies
Photo by Peretz Partensky via Wikimedia Commons
and rather creepy clandestine quarters.
Photo by Nevit Dilmen via Wikimedia Commons
Can it be real?
Well, just ask this guy. He lives there.
Photo by Dennis Jarvis via Wikimedia Commons
Want another hint to help you pinpoint this peculiar place? Sample the locally grown dried fruit (I think I see dates) and nuts:
Photo by Ji-Elle via Wikimedia Commons
So, where in the world are we?
Answer: This strange land is called Cappadocia, a naturally wondrous and historically rich region in the Central Anatolian provinces of Turkey.
As it turns out, the seemingly fantastic formations that characterize Cappadocia can be explained in geologic terms. The “fairy chimneys” that poke up from the ground, suggesting a subterranean society of bizarre beings, are actually the remnants of ancient volcanoes. And the inhabitants of the region are as human as you and me. According to Wikipedia, “People of the villages at the heart of the Cappadocia Region carved out houses, churches, and monasteries from the soft rocks of volcanic deposits.”
Photo by Zeynel Cebeci via Wikimedia Commons
At the end of our journey, Cappadoccia may be a place as real as Pittsburgh, but I can’t shake notions of magic and mysticism, can you?
Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)
Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)
My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Starletta Schipp!!!
Starletta Schipp (#1927) has received a certificate of achievement in Cleaning Up for earning a Beginner Level Going Green Merit Badge!
“I started by collecting all the non-green cleaning products in my home and ended up with a whole laundry basket full – yikes! I spent a lot of money on cleaners.
Next, I created my mission statement: Continue reading
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.
