Looking for an uncommon getaway this summer that doesn’t break the bank?
Consider a caretaking position.
No—I don’t mean caretaking someONE (although that is an undeniably noble effort). I was actually talking about caretaking a place.
As it happens, prosperous property owners around the country are always on the lookout for reliable people to help keep their homes and ranches in working order while they’re away—and those homes and ranches are generally in stunning locations.
A website called Caretaker-jobs.com provides a forum where caretakers and property owners can make a match. Here are a few of the listings I found on a quick search:
Seasonal Ranch Help Needed for Housekeeping and Grounds keeping in Glacier Park, Montana.
Photo courtesy of the National Park Service via Wikimedia Commons
Caretaker Hosts Needed for Rustic Mountain Lodge in Whitepine, Colorado.
Photo by rjones0856 via Wikimedia Commons
Property and Farm Manager for Organic Farm and Garden in Priest River, Idaho.
Photo by S.hammarlund via Wikimedia Commons
Caretaker or Caretaker Couple in San Juan Islands, Washington.
Photo courtesy of the Bureau of Land Management via Wikimedia Commons
Shall I twist your arm?
These kinds of positions make me nostalgic for my days in the Idaho backcountry … but I digress.
If you’re getting excited, don’t let the moment pass. Hop over and check out the details of these and other enticing opportunities at Caretaker-jobs.com.
If you were tickled by my doozy of a dialect post a while back
or delighted with this humdinger of a dictionary,
then you’ll definitely want to try this …
The New York Times published a quirky quiz last year based on the Harvard Dialect Survey, and it turned out to be the most popular piece posted in 2013 (wouldn’t you love to be the intern who created it?).
It’s called:
How Y’all, Youse and You Guys Talk.
If you haven’t taken it already, just click the link above, answer the questions, and watch for the maps that link your lingo to certain regions of the country. According to the Times, “The colors on the large heat map correspond to the probability that a randomly selected person in that location would respond to a randomly selected survey question the same way that you did. The three smaller maps show which answer most contributed to those cities being named the most (or least) similar to you.”
So, is this a highway or a freeway?
Photo by SayCheeeeeese via Wikimedia Commons
A pop or a soda?
Pill bug or roly poly?
Photo by Walter Siegmund via Wikimedia Commons
Did the quiz pin you down to the right place?
I run EVERYWHERE. I run, and then I run some more. The humans who know me understand the importance of frolic and fresh air, bucolic and loving care.
When a truck comes, I run.
When a plane flies overhead, I chase it. Wherever the wind blows, I go too.
I run so fast my tail sticks straight out behind me.
My feet are as coordinated as those of a race horse.
But I can stop on a dime any ole time.
‘Cause every now and then I have to go find my mommy and catch my breath (and suckle a little something).
And then I run some more. Sure-footed me. It’s hard to imagine being held captive like most calves are on larger dairy farms. And having to grow up without the peaceable comfort of my mother to touch and love me.
…. all of it so food can be cheap at the cash register. Economy of scale it’s called.
Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)
Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)
My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Suzanne Holland!!!
Suzanne Holland (#828) has received a certificate of achievement in Each Other for earning a Beginner Level Know Your Roots Merit Badge!
“I have been working on the family tree with the information left to me by my mother and her sisters. I have used online resources, and through those resources, have been fortunate enough to discover distant cousins trying to fit the pieces together also. The cousins are on my mother’s side and we are working slowly together, digging through court records and archives, to put the family tree together accurately.
I am also working, on my own, on my father’s side of the family. As it turns out, my 5th great-grandfather had two land grants … one right here in St. Francisville, Louisiana, where I moved five years ago, and one in Natchez, Mississippi. The house he built, “Coyle House,” still stands in Natchez. I have had the privilege to meet the current owner, and she even had photographs of my 4th great-grandparents that she gave me copies of. Also, I found out that my 5th great-grandfather came from Ireland, County Donegal, but had land and family in County Sligo. I live right off Sligo Road, in St. Francisville, where his land grant is described as being located. I have plans to go pull court records this summer when I have more time to dig to discover the exact location and who he sold it to before moving to Cotton Valley, Louisiana.”
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.
