Author Archives: maryjane

WINNER!!!! Giveaway: No Place Like …

Posted on March 9, 2014 by maryjane

Jaylyn Morehouse said on February 8, 2014:

This Kansas girl would love to know about the 8 wonders! I live in Lawrence, and absolutely LOVE this town!!! So many kid friendly things to do. The community is great. Lots of places to try out craft beers, including some from our local brewery, Free State. Awesome boutiques downtown on Mass Street. Nice music scene. Tons of characters in this town that you’ll get to know and love once you live here! I love LAWRENCE!!!

Congratulations Jaylyn!!! Watch for an email from the farm.

And the original GIVEAWAY post was:

Calling all Kansas gals! And friends of Kansas friends. And friends. You know who you are. Have I got a deal for you. Never as good as the deal you got goin’ on now if’n you’re livin’ in the great state of Kansas and all. But I do have a book for you (and friends of friends), all 272 pages.

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What are the 8 wonders of Kansas anyway?

book_5143 This here book has 216 of the BEST places Kansas has to offer in Architecture, Art, Commerce, Cuisine, Customs, Geography, History, and People (plus the secret list of 8 wonders).

book_5139 Every page tells a story that is, well …

book_5140 full of GO! GO to Kansas and see for yourself, in person, the “Wonder” categories. We’ll put names into a hat and pull out a winner. You’re already a winner if you live in Kansas, but this book will help you fall deeper in love with Kansas … no matter if you live there or merely plan to visit. Or dream.

book_5146 So, tell me something wonderful about Kansas.

photo-of-the-day

Posted on March 8, 2014 by maryjane

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Botanical Gardens

Posted on March 8, 2014 by maryjane

Today, I took a virtual vacation to Wonderland.

All I had to do was step through a looking glass …

my computer monitor, that is.

And the most wondrous thing about this Wonderland

is that it is as real as you and me,

a fabulous nonfiction for all to see …

Welcome to the Montreal Botanical Garden in Quebec, Canada, founded in 1931, where extraordinary thematic gardens make even the virtual visitor feel as if she is walking through a dream.

Photos courtesy of PoloPixel.com

Photos courtesy of PoloPixel.com

Photos courtesy of PoloPixel.com

Photos courtesy of PoloPixel.com

photo-of-the-day

Posted on March 7, 2014 by maryjane

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Hear Ye!

Posted on March 7, 2014 by maryjane

Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)

Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)

My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Erin McBride!!!

Erin McBride (#3762) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning a Beginner & Intermediate Level Origami Merit Badge!

“This was a fairly easy Merit Badge for me. I’ve been doing origami since I was pretty young. I was glad that I chose this category though, because I’ve never actually looked up the history of origami.

There is some debate about where it originated. It is likely that since paper originated in China (this is also under debate), the first origami was also practiced there. Since it is an art form made of paper, and paper degrades quickly, there is no evidence to support this. The paper invention made its way to Korea, and then to Japan. In Japan, origami developed into the art form we know today. The word “origami” comes from the Japanese word “ori,” meaning folding, and “kami,” meaning paper. This particular Japanese word changes “kami” to “gami” because of the way it is compounded.

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For the beginner task, I made a crane. It was pretty easy. I hadn’t done any origami in maybe a year, so I just needed a little reminder here and there. I was glad to pick it up again because I have a lot of beautiful origami paper that a friend brought back for me from Japan. It was just sitting there, so I was very happy to make use of it.

For the intermediate tasks, I made the following:

Shapes: heart, star, interlocking star

Animals: whale, bird, swan

Flowers: morning glory, lily, tulip

photo-of-the-day

Posted on March 6, 2014 by maryjane

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photo-of-the-day

Posted on March 5, 2014 by maryjane

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Wicked in Pink

Posted on March 5, 2014 by maryjane

My newest Heritage Jersey calf, Rose Etta, is coolly unconcerned, calm, and ALL ABOUT nonchalant when approaching my chickens, but …

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… as soon as she’s within striking distance, she switches into high gear, breakneck speed. “AaaaRCK, run for your life!!!!” And then, three minutes later, all is calm again. The chickens seem to love the action and entertainment of it all because they have to travel quite a distance to be in my cows’ pasture this time of year. Waddle, waddle, cluck, cluck, cluck, there’s never anything exciting to do around here. Just a lot of laying ’round. All lay and little excitement.

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Momma Maizy watches patiently, “Kids these days.”

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photo-of-the-day

Posted on March 4, 2014 by maryjane

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Corn Guru

Posted on March 4, 2014 by maryjane

Daniel and Mirra of The Perennial Plate were researching fascinating food stories to investigate during their trip to Mexico, and they encountered multiple people with the same recommendation:

Speak with Amado Ramirez Leyva of the Itanoní Tortillería in Oaxaca.

Amado, they said, is the corn guru.

Photo by Alejandro Linares Garcia via Wikimedia Commons

Renowned chef Rick Bayless is one of those who revere him. “Amado Ramirez Leyva believes that corn, domesticated some 9,000 years ago in Mexico, is the basis of Mexican culture,” says Bayless’ website. “From championing the protection of ancient varieties, to cooking and grinding it into masa for tortillas, Amado just might be the corn guru of Oaxaca.”

Daniel was intrigued. “His restaurant serves only the most traditional of Mexican foods, showcasing the various organic corns, harvested by local Oaxacan farmers in their purest form. But beyond the taste of history and tradition, Amado brings a poetic truth about the power of this ancient grain.”

Watch the resulting video, “The Flower of Corn,” and feel your appreciation for this golden … well, rainbow colored … grain bloom anew.

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