This one is for my farm-hearted sisters who are still chilly, cabin-feverish, or (sigh) snowed in. While a gal can’t control the weather, she can dream green.
Portrait of a Woman by Stevens Alfred Reverie, 1880, via Wikimedia Commons
And who hasn’t already begun dreaming of spring?
So, in the spirit of the season soon-to-come, I’ve wandered about and gathered a garden-green gallery for you.
It’s true!
Come in and stay as long as you like, wandering these fragrantly blooming pathways that are painted in sunlight so brilliant you can almost feel it upon your skin …
Welcome!
Woman in Garden by Philip Leslie Hale, 1895, via Wikimedia Commons
I hope you brought your parasol.
Woman in the Garden at Sainte-Adresse, 1867, by Claude Monet via Wikimedia Commons
Can’t you just smell the green grass brushing past your skirts?
Femme dans un Jardin by Vincent Van Gogh, 1887, via Wikimedia Commons
Do stop and smell the flowers.
Woman in a Garden by John Leslie Breck, 1890, via Wikimedia Commons
Or maybe, just sit a spell …
Woman in the Garden by Torsten Wasastjerna, 1893, via Wikimedia Commons
until the evening shadows begin to fall.
Delicious Solitude by Frank Bramley, 1909, via Wikimedia Commons
“All spring and summer my parents ricochet from garden to garden, mulching, watering, pulling up the polyphiloprogenitive weeds, ‘until’, my mother says, ‘I’m bent over like a coat hanger,'” writes Margaret Atwood in a book called Bluebeard’s Egg.
Photo courtesy of Joe Mabel via Wikimedia Commons
I feel pretty certain that you and I are both still stuck at poly …
Polyphiloprogenitive, was it?
Thank goodness for a computer’s “copy” and “paste” functions (I dare not re-type that one on my own).
This term—polyphiloprogenitive (see, I pasted again!)—is one of those words whose meaning a farmgirl can glean from context,
particularly when the context involves garden weeds (think extremely prolific),
but that doesn’t make saying it any easier.
A syllabic breakdown is in order.
Join me:
po-ly
phi-lo
pro
gen-i-tive
Now … say it three times fast!
Photo courtesy of Elizabeth via Wikimedia Commons
Wink.
My newest book, Milk Cow Kitchen, (due out June 1) is now available for pre-order from my farm’s website (MaryJanesFarm.org).
It comes autographed, kissed?, and with a free Have A Cow bumper sticker (doubles as a bookmark). With 400 pages and more than 1,000 photos, I’m still in recovery mode. Holy cow, this book kicked my dairy-air.
I hope you got the double meaning of sporting a Have A Cow bumper sticker on your vehicle. You know, HAVE A COW WHY DON’T YOU?! to that guy who rides your bumper.
And here’s the back story that goes with my book …
MaryJane Butters wants YOU to have a cow—that “pet” cow you’ve always dreamed about. You know, that gorgeous beau-vine you’ve seen grazing outside your “cow”girl kitchen window. Of course, you’ve wondered what it would feel like to bring a bucket of fresh milk into your kitchen and turn it into butter, your own yogurt, sour cream, and artisan cheeses like Manchego and Brie. MaryJane’s fifth book, Milk Cow Kitchen, is one part milk cow how-to, one part cookbook (75 fuss-free, farmstyle recipes, in addition to 15 step-by-step, super simple cheese-making recipes), and three parts play!
Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)
Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)
My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Jacinda Jenks!!!
Jacinda Jenks (fairlady, #5732) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning an Intermediate Level Aprons Merit Badge!
“After making my half apron, I used the same apron pattern to make a full apron. This apron is also reversible, with black and yellow polka-dots on the back. I also used jumbo rick-rack for the bottom and large for pockets.
I like how bright and cheerful the apron turned out. My fellow farmgirls loved the fabric; my husband, on the other, hand prefers the half apron fabric. I love it.”
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.
