Author Archives: maryjane

A Plain Jane

Posted on August 11, 2011 by maryjane

This week, my bookish brain is fixated on Jane Eyre (pronounced AIR). You know I can never resist another Jane, let alone a good story about raising a Jane. Well, a new film version of the book was released a few months ago, and it sure does look intriguing. But Jane Eyre isn’t all romance and intrigue, though there’s plenty of that.

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Great Find: Star-Studded Radio SOLD

Posted on August 10, 2011 by maryjane

On p. 90 of my third book, MaryJane’s Outpost—Unleashing your Inner Wild, there’s a photo of a vintage radio.

It could be yours for only $32! All proceeds (minus shipping and packing) will benefit www.firstbook.org, a non-profit that provides new books to children from low-income families throughout the U.S. and Canada.

The first person to call the farm and talk with Brian, 208-882-6819 and pony up a credit card, becomes the new owner of a little bit of herstory. Shipping will be either USPS or UPS, our choice. No returns.

(Note: Radio, like my Willie, is the silent type, even though it still has all its speaking parts and a cord. Maybe you can get it talking again!)

Let’s Get Rowdy

Posted on August 10, 2011 by maryjane

This week’s word gives me church giggles. That’s how good it is.

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Rock On!

Posted on August 10, 2011 by maryjane

I’ll bet that when you’re counting your blessings, rocking gently as you meditate on all that you have to be thankful for, you’re probably leaving out your seat!

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New Design Studio

Posted on August 10, 2011 by maryjane

Okay, all good things take time. But this one’s a doozey. My house/business burned down in 1996. With the help of some neighbors and volunteers (and our teenage children, who threatened to divorce us based on violation of child labor laws), we started to rebuild.

But the “house” in my head was really a commercial enterprise and BIG. Do you know anyone who builds a 12,000—square-foot commercial facility on cash flow? We’ve all heard of repossessed farms, so I went with …

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To Be of Use

Posted on August 9, 2011 by maryjane

Haven’t you always admired people who “jump into work head first”? Are you one of those people who strain “in the mud and muck to move things forward”? (For sure, there’s plenty of mud and muck to go around, and I’m not talking mud and muck.)

And if we’re not going to dive right in and strive for meaningful work, what Marge Piercy calls, “work that is real,” why bother?

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Sowing and Reaping

Posted on August 9, 2011 by maryjane

Sometimes our grandgirls have not just one grandma at the farm, but two. Son-in-law Lucas, who works here, invited his parents, brother, and sister-in-law to join us for the weekend.

Of course, Gigi (grandmamma name for Patty), showed up in proper attire.

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Gone Fishin’

Posted on August 9, 2011 by maryjane

You’ve seen ‘em—the “gone fishin’” bumper stickers:

><x> hooked for life;

><x> good things come to those who bait;

><x> salmon—the other pink meat;

><x> hook ‘em and cook ‘em;

><x> be back dark thirty;

><x> my other wife is the fishin’ life. (I made this last one up myself.)

Wherever fish are bountiful and bitin’, bumper-sticker philosophers keep themselves busy reeling us in.

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Barefoot and …

Posted on August 9, 2011 by maryjane

Sanjit “Bunker” Roy founded Barefoot College, a global non-profit based in India, to uplift poor, rural areas. His mission: teaching illiterate and uneducated women how to install and maintain solar power in their villages.

Solar engineers said it couldn’t be done—not by uneducated people, and especially not by (yes, barefoot) grandmothers who can’t read or even speak the same language as one another.

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