Author Archives: maryjane

Hear Ye!

Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)

Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)

My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Jennifer Knox!!!

Jennifer Knox (#4359) has received a certificate of achievement in Each Other for earning a Beginner Level Farmgirl Grammar Merit Badge!

“Two weeks ago, I dusted off my high school dictionary and looked up two weeks worth of new words. At first, I was bemused by this Sisyphean task, but soon I no longer yawped at the esse of these new words. I logged my new word friends into a notebook and referred to them during the two weeks.
my vocabulary journal for MaryJaneBeing a middle school Language Arts teacher, it was interesting to look up words as if given my own homework assignment. I enjoyed the small task and look forward to the coaptation of more words into my notebook.”

photo-of-the-day

farm_romance-23308

Glamping Sites to Visit in 2013: Day 11 of 15

Now that you’ve read my book, Glamping with MaryJane, you need to find a fabulous place to get your campin’ glam on.

We’re back for the 11th day of where to glamp in 2013.

The open road, a map, glasses, the kids in the back, and a Mercury station wagon. Where are you? Route #66, of course. Oh, and it’s 1952.

This historic scenic byway was the route of travel from 1926 on, taking travelers from Chicago to Los Angeles, until the Interstate Highway System began construction in 1956.

After stopping to see The Blue Whale, Cadillac Ranch, or the Gemini Giant, an overnight stay at a Wigwam Village was the only logical way to end the day.

Wigwam Village Inn #2
Kentucky – Cave City
Four hours from Route #66

Wigwam Village Inn #6
Arizona
Holbrook
Along Route #66

Seven Wigwam Villages were constructed between 1936 and the 1950s. Now, with only two left in operation, Wigwam Village #2 and #6 are persevering and still hosting weary travelers who want to stay in a wigwam.

get_out-glamping-wigwam4

Courtesy of SO-KY. http://www.so-ky.com/wigwamvillage/wigwam-idx.html

Yes, they’re actually tepees! Upon patenting the model for his first village, Frank A. Redford felt the word “wigwam” was more interesting than “tepee.”

During its heyday, Wigwam Village #2 boasted having the largest wigwam in the world, which served as the lunchroom. Now, it’s open to visitors as a gift shop.

get_out-glamping-wigwam7

Courtesy of SO-KY. http://www.so-ky.com/wigwamvillage/wigwam-idx.html

The classic structure of these wigwams is arguably one of the most recognizable along Route #66.

After losing revenue, Village #6 spent time as a gas station before reopening with an added museum detailing the history and significance of its placement on the National Registry of Historic Places.

get_out-glamping-wigwam12

Wigwam Motel #6, Holbrook, Arizona, USA; Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons; Raleigh Muns

Below are more pictures of Wigwam Village #2, in Kentucky. You’re sure to feel just like a character from the show Mad Men staying in either of these two locations.

Photos of Wigwam Village, Cave City

This photo of Wigwam Village is courtesy of TripAdvisor. Wigwam #2

Photos of Wigwam Village, Cave City

This photo of Wigwam Village is courtesy of TripAdvisor. Wigwam #2

 

photo-of-the-day

farm_romance-8666

photo-of-the-day

 

farm_romance-17962

 

photo-of-the-day

farm_romance-8316

Reckless

Join me as I salute Sergeant Reckless …

gallant_manners-reckless1

Reckless with her main caretaker, US Marine Sergeant Joseph Latham. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia; USMC photographer

“Reckless” is not the nickname of the fellow in the photo.

In fact, Reckless was not a fellow at all.

She was a pack horse who served in the Korean War, carrying rifles, ammunition, and supplies to Marines.

gallant_manners-reckless2

Sergeant Reckless, a highly decorated US Marine Corps artillery horse in the Korean War, pictured with a 75mm recoilless rifle. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia; Geer, Andrew Clare. Reckless, pride of the Marines, 1955, page 120

Of course, she wasn’t the only horse who helped during the war, but Reckless was special.

Consider, for instance, the Battle of Outpost Vegas in March of 1953 …

gallant_manners-reckless3

Reckless delivered ammo to the recoilless rifle platoon’s firing sites. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons; USMC photographer

In one grueling day of the brutal battle, Reckless made 51 trips from the ammunition supply point to the firing sites. She hauled almost five tons of equipment and carried numerous wounded soldiers over 35 miles, through open rice paddies and up steep mountains that were riddled with enemy fire.

And she made nearly every trip by herself.

“Going up the ridge, in and out of view, was this little mare,” recalled retired Marine Sgt. Harold Wadley, who witnessed the horse’s heroism. “I tell you, her silhouette in all the smoke—I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I thought, ‘Good grief. It’s Reckless!'”

Continue reading

photo-of-the-day

farm_romance-8229

Pen Pals

Do you ever wish, in this age of click-and-text, that your child could be a little more in touch with pen and paper?

Call me old fashioned, again …

I love letter writing,

gift_gab-pen_pals1

Photo courtesy of Collar City Brownstone; http://www.perfectlyimperfectblog.com/2011/01/the-letters-of-a-visual-life.html

and I want my grandgirls to know the delight of holding an unopened envelope in their little hands (not to mention develop lush letter-writing skills that transcend LOL and BFF).

gift_gab-pen_pals8

Vintage photo of girl licking envelope; unknown date; http://nursemommylaughs.com/2012/11/19/grandparents-bond-memories-to-treasure/

Of course, computers and social media sites have made it easier than ever to connect with people far and wide, but these instant avenues to acquiring “friends” don’t come without a modicum of risk, especially where our kids are concerned.

(That’s grandmotherly apprehension for you.)

Anyhow, this train of thought led me to lament the fading of a lovely tradition: pen pals.

gift_gab-pen_pals3

Enfant écrivant by Henriette Brown, 1860-1880, V&A Museum Londres; http://doudou.gheerbrant.com/?m=201002

“Having a faraway pen pal is not only a fun way to boost reading and writing skills, but also a window into other cultures, or at least other parts of the country,” writes Teri Cettina of Parenting.com.

I couldn’t agree more!

But … where can a blooming Jane find a pen pal these days?

Right here: Amazing Kids.

The Amazing Kids! PenPals Program is a non-profit, literacy-based, traditional letter-writing program that is available to all children ages 5 to 17 worldwide.

Perfect!

(One could get carried away with the exclamation points, couldn’t she?)

Amazing Kids! Founder and President Alyse Rome explains that the program’s mission is to help inspire kids to discover their own unique gifts and to use them in positive and productive ways to make a difference in their lives and in the communities in which they live. “It offers one of the few remaining choices for finding an established, safe, and trusted traditional letter-writing pen pal program for children.”

Now, that’s what I’m talking about (!!!!!!!!!)

Continue reading

photo-of-the-day

farm_romance-8037