You know that pondering tilt of the head a person gives a work of art they’ve just completed? Writing about your life is that exactly. You step back, pick up your paint brush, apply a dab of compassion here, a brush stroke of flair over there. Putting your life on canvas allows you to see what your life looks like through the eyes of others.
Going Granny (actually my grandkids call me Nanny) is my best achievement yet! Here’s a phone message my barely two-year grandgirl left for me on my 58th b-day. I guarantee it; this will make your day.
While in Lindsborg, Kansas, we watched a group of local high school students perform traditional Swedish dances in the local park.
Talk about a unique high school sport! Each year, the students travel to a new state and perform in a culminating show to raise money for a final trip they will take as seniors to Sweden.
The dances were really awesome and ranged from a sword dance (performed by the young men) to a sort of musical chairs, where an uneven number of dancers had to grab a partner, leaving one out. There was also a humorous “odd couple” dance (as seen below) and a dance imitating the act of weaving.
Winnie Nielsen says: I am in 100% agreement: LOVE those aprons on each outfit!!! Especially the last one that is blue and yellow and has the Dala horses in the bottom print along with the adorable purse(?). The colors are so festive. I cannot wait to see what the traditional outfits are in Norway this summer. My guess is that there will be similarities? Maybe I can find an apron in a gift shop to purchase? Visiting Lindsborg is going to have to be a must later this year. I understand they do a great weekend closest to St. Lucia Day in December with lots of Swedish traditions. The first time I ever learned about Mary Jane’s Farm was the December that you had the front cover with the St. Lucia girl on it and an article about the tradition. Because we always celebrated the day when my children were young and living at home, I snagged a magazine in Tractor Supply and it was instant love! I learned for the first time that indeed I could be a Farmgirl just because it was in my heart and had nothing to do with actually living on a farm! So this Farmgirl connection is a blend of Swedish obsession finding her way to Idaho to be a farm girl with thousands of other!! You never know how the dots are going to connect in your life!
MaryJane says: Winnie,
On our recent trip, I was able to say Hi to the photographer in Lindsborg who took that front cover shot. Definitely Lindsborg should be on your list. Also, the photographer who took the photos of us in National Geographic in 1995 lives in Lindsborg and contiues to travel the world. He and his wife have a shop on Main Street called Small World Gallery and she makes jewelry on the spot as you wait after picking out your beads, etc. Look them up online. Amazing couple. Kathy and Jim Richardson. I’ll have a post about her later in the week. Amazing people in Lindsborg!!!!!
Winnie Nielsen says: This just makes me more determined to visit Lindsborg as soon as possible! After this summer, I have a feeling that I will be totally obsessed with all things Scandinavian. I sent Brian some links to some postings I did with my friend on her Scandinavian blog site about my husband’s family and a book I read on Norwegian Christmas traditions this past year. Check it out if you have time. Too bad my family heritage is a Heinze 57 mix! LOL! I have gotten into it partially because my children are interested since they are half Norwegian, and partially because the culture is so interesting to me. Thanks for the lead on the Richardsons.
Capturing our photos-of-the-day is always an adventure. Three of us, Ace, Karina, and myself, somehow manage to find a few minutes each day for a quick snap here and there around the farm. Ace’s recent dandelion photo was a real dandy taken entirely on the fly.
Karen England says:I don’t think I told you, but I sure told everyone else and now I’ll tell you that I think this photo is an award winner if there ever was one. Bravo! I love getting Raising Jane blog new posts alerts in my inbox and, that this photo is in the gratitude section of the blog, seems a fitting place for me to say thank you for blogging! …Carry on.
As I was flying by Ace, stopped on one of our many pathways, I saw her (in between campfire food photos for our next magazine) tossing dandelion fluff into the air and then aiming her camera into the direction of what was raining down. I wondered what she was up to. Later that evening, when I sat down to conjure up a post for the next day, I put two and two together when I saw her photo waiting for me in our Raising Jane media library.
Karina’s photo of today’s teacups turned into yet another photo-of-the-day … along with giving her a fright. She had wandered up to our pond to stage a photo with some of our more delicate, vintage teacups on the pond dock (the glistening water makes a great backdrop sometimes) when something huge and hairy (and breathing hard) thundered into the pond right next to her, making a HUGE cannonball splash.
An adorable Bullwinkle it wasn’t.
Remaining somewhat composed, even though her heart was about to stop, she carefully gathered up the teacups (somehow managing not to break them) and ran into one of our nearby B & B wall tents. After catching her breath and quieting her shaking hands (and staying back a safe distance), she snuck back out for a few photos of a totally drenched moose at play.
If Moose could talk, I’m sure this one would have said as he galloped by, “Hey, Karina, watch this!”
Winnie Nielsen says: Wow, what a moment to experience! We don’t have Moose here in Florida so I am guessing from your post that they might charge a person? I love all of the lovely photos that you post from around your farm. They are always so beautifully done and capture some of the “flavor” of your piece of the world. Where I live in Florida, if you are near water, you need to watch out for alligators!! The big ones can easily drag a person into the water. I agree with Ace, such encounters are best viewed from the safety of a wall tent!!!
Now I appreciate, not just the photos and the Raising Jane blog, but the dedication, diligence and discipline it takes to capture the great photos I’ve come to love. It is a lesson to me. I asked a garden photographer for some tips recently on how she captures her amazing close-up photos of flowers and she graciously spelled out her routine for me. The main lesson I learned from her, and now you echo her with this post of insight into your collective MJF routine, is to take pictures everyday! The lesson I learn from you is to blog everyday. I’m working on both. I don’t know what I’ll do if a moose comes along though! Oh wait! Yes, I do. Photograph it and blog about it. Thanks so much.
Deborah Granay says: While living in rural northern Wisconsin, I was told that black bears liked to frequent the trout stream that ran in front of the home that I was renting. There was a mill pond fed by that stream just a few hundred yards away.
I kept an eye out for the bears but nobody ever told me to be on the lookout for a cannonball from a moose at the pond! I’m quite sure that I would never have “saved” the tea cups like Karina. I would have left the dock pronto!
Terry Steinmetz says: Moose are such awkward creatures, but so fun to watch. I was blessed to watch them being released into the wild here in the UP of Michigan in 1981 & again around 1985 or ’86.They walk so clumsily & aren’t happy when they are intruded upon. We still had the chance to see them & I even got some pictures. Thanks for these shots of the moose, as it invoked memories of me & my kids watching something extraordinary here!
Bring on the butterflies, moths,
and, of course, the bees!
I can’t hide my penchant for pollinators.
“The Wonder of Discovery: Pollinators All Around” by Carolyn Vibbert
It’s that time of year …
Blooms are bursting open around the farm, spiffing up the place with color and fragrance. I welcome the annual buzz and whir of those wondrous little magicians who make food happen. Last weekend, I was showing my grandgirls some flowers that were covered in our honeybees. I explained how it all ended up as honey, but more important, I explained that without the bees buzzing around the flowers on our blueberry bushes, we wouldn’t get blueberries. (Blueberries are Mia’s favorite food.)
Photo by Aiwok via Wikimedia Commons
Six years ago, the U.S. Senate unanimously declared the third week in June as “National Pollinator Week” to help address the declining pollinator crisis, and Pollinator Week has blossomed into an international celebration.
This year, the party kicks off on June 17, and the Pollinator Partnership website offers ideas about how you can get involved.
For my part, I’m focusing on some of my garden’s most charming guests:
hummingbirds.
Elizabeth says: I’m so thankful you shared this topic with us today. Not only do I love our pollinators (and so appreciate & enjoy the topic) but it also enabled me to see the date of my first post here on your, Raising Jane Website. You lured me in immediately on my very first look at your site; on that particular day when you shared the wonderful pictorial of the “Hummingbird Whisperer” & the rest is history!
I was outside deadheading this morning & noticed two different hummingbirds in our garden. One of our female hummers was pregnant last month & I suspect has already laid her eggs but I believe she could be pregnant again & building another nest? Just a couple days ago our Verbascum started to bloom (this is the fantastically fluffy~cotton producing~Lambs Ear like Verbascum). Two days ago, I was sitting outdoors enjoying/studying/watching all things garden related when one of the hummingbirds flies into the fluff of flaking cotton verbascum & plucks a few cotton puffs off here & there & then flies away into the trees. The hummingbird would do this again 3 more times, all within minutes of her last verbascum plucking.
I’ve also been fortunate to see hummingbirds fly into our spider webs & grab pieces & carry them off. Just last year I witnessed a hummingbird fly onto the bark of our Maple tree & pluck something off or lick some sap? I was so excited because I had read that hummingbirds will eat sap in early Spring & was so hopeful that this little flying graceful gem was eating sap. But when I walked over to look at the maple I didn’t see any sap oozing out…& I didn’t notice any woodpecker marks?
It is an amazing & truly graced moment when you get to see a hummingbird/s thriving in your garden.
Winnie Nielsen says: We have found that the flowers called Pintas, which come in red, magenta, and a pink are the best attractors for our hummingbirds locally. Nothing else works as well in our yard so we have lots of pots of various colors and enjoy the show!
Deborah Granay says: Looking forward to the arrival of the hummingbirds in the spring is an annual ritual at my home. The homemade nectar is easy to make (It even makes a dandy base for a mint julep for we humans!). The hummies usually arrive about a week before the Kentucky Derby is run. I make it a habit of toasting their arrival with a mint julep!
There’s just something completely charming about ladybugs.
Even people who get uptight at the mention of the “b” word are often more than okay with these beautiful and benevolent little beetles.
That glossy red shell, those dainty polka dots …
Photo by Gilles San Martin from Namur, Belgium via Wikimedia Commons
Darling!
Of course, it doesn’t hurt that ladybugs are marvelous allies in the garden.
But, first things first …
How Did the Ladybug Get “Her” Name?
Legend has it that during the Middle Ages in Europe, a swarm of aphids fell upon fields of crops, leaving desperate farmers with little choice but to implore the Virgin Mary for help. And what do you know? Legions of tiny crimson beetles soon landed, as if descending straight from the heavens. They began devouring the aphids and saved the crops. In gratitude, the farmers named their fortuitous visitors “Our Lady’s Beetles.”
Divine Diversity
Over 450 species are native here in North America (who knew?), and they can sport a surprising array of outfits: orange, yellow, pink, gray—even brown or black.
Photo courtesy of Ladybug-life-cycle.com
Gardeners and Ladybugs: A Love Affair
Aphids are the bane of many a gardener, and as luck would have it, ladybugs are excellent aphid eaters, both in their larval and adult forms.
FYI, these are ladybugs at three different life stages:
Photo by Sebastian Ritter via Wikimedia Commons
Elizabeth says: This story is right on spot;-) today as I just came indoors after playing in the garden for awhile. And guess what I noticed & took pictures of while I was outside this morning…indeed, it was a Ladybug. Our Lady was resting quietly on the Boneset plant.
Thank you for sharing the, “How the Ladybug got her name” story; that is a beautiful legend which I had not heard of until now. I’m also happy to read the above list of plants for attracting ladybugs & can honestly say we have them all growing in our yard:-)…& then some. I hope the ladybug I spotted;-) this morning works her way over to the honeysuckle because some little buggers are draining the honeysuckle buds dry; so far only one bud has opened to produce a flower.
Thanks for all the links MaryJane, I will most likely sign-up for the ‘Lost Ladybug Project’ (I love those kinds of things) & will visit the learn to identify lady-link again & again. Looks like we usually have the Harmonia(?) type fly into our yard? I need to see what the imported ladies look like so I don’t nurture those as well:-)
Karlyne says: How approppriate an article this was! I just came inside, and when I took off my long-sleeved gardening shirt, there was a lovely little lady on it, so I just went out the front door and deposited her on the rose bush which needs her. Hope she likes it!
Deb says: I saw my first Lady Bug this week! A sign that spring has finally arrived for us at 9000 feet in the Mountains off Colorado!
Ellen Ottoson says: Hi Maryjane,
I made the mistake of not jotting down the address of the artist who creates pictures using vegetable stickers. I’ve filled up a plastic sheet with these and I’m ready to mail them to the man. Please let me have his address so I may send them on. Keep up this most useful and wonderful website of yours that touches on so many aspects of our lives.
Yours, Ellen Ottoson
What a lovely article Maryjane! So nice to know that not all people look at insects as harmful creatures.
Ace, our resident foodie photographer, let us know that our glamping trip to Lindsborg, Kansas, would be extra special for her. Her family members are Swedish-speaking Finns and, well, why don’t I just let her tell it?
Take it away, Ace!
Uff da! Where to begin? Lutefisk and köttbullar (Swedish meatballs) have been a Christmas tradition in my farmour’s (grandmother’s) house my whole life.
My farmour, Ingegerd, was born in Jakobstad, Finland, a Swedish-speaking border town in Finland. And my farfar (grandfather), Edwin, was raised by his Finnish immigrant parents in logging camps in northwest Washington.
Winnie Nielsen says: Ace, thank-you for sharing your family heritage with us! My husband’s family is 100% Norwegian and I have so enjoyed learning about the Scandinavian traditions too. This summer we will visit Norway and Finland and I can hardly wait! Plus this year, I found some online friends who are all equally obsessed with Scandinavian traditions. I love your photo with the traditional outfit beside the Dala. Lindsborg is definitely on my list of places to visit soon! Letefisk however, is most likely not to become a personal favorite. But, Warren’s Aunt Ethel’s Fiskbolle, on Christmas Eve, were quite delicious with a crab meat cream sauce just the way Nana Marthilda made it!
NancyB says: It is a small world. My grandparents were also from Jakobstad, Finland area and settled in the Ironwood, Michigan area when they came to the U.S. After WWII, my father went to Mullan Idaho to meet up with two of his brothers who had gone there mining. As a child, we were involved in many Scandianvian events but sadly, these became very rare as I got older.
I have a trip to Finland on my bucket list for retirement which is very soon and look forward to it.
Laurie Dimino says: What a wonderful journey you took us on Ace! Loved reading about your family’s heritage and traditions. Good luck with your language studies too!
Hugs,
Laurie
Deborah Granay says: Wow! I haven’t seen the words Uff Da! used since I lived in nothern Wisconsin in l980. I met lots of Norwegian descendents whose immigrant relatives settled there. I well remember being introduced to lutefisk and lefse. (Personally, I’ll take the fried catfish and cornbread from my Kentucky heritage!) It was a great experience living in the northern US and I enjoyed learning about the folkways of the Norwegian people. These folks had settled in a rural area and the descendents stayed on as it was now their homeland. It is great living in a location where you are welcomed to learn about another ongoing culture.
Nancy Boyd says: Thanks so much for sharing your families rich traditions and culture with us. It is so neat to learn about other cultures and traditions.
Elizabeth says: Lovely pictures Ace. Thank you for sharing some of your treasured memories with us (I love older pictures~the real ones you can hold in your hands are priceless). I can readily see the joy in your camp group photograph; your face is radiating appreciation & happiness at that moment in time. Looks like you embraced the experience…& it’s a bit infectious as I am going to the library today & ask for a copy of, ‘Where the Huckleberries Grow’ by Agnes Rands. If the book is shelved at any library in the state then I will soon get a chance to read it:-) Love the title!
Ace says: It’s a really good book Elizabeth! There is a sequel to it titled, “Even Seagulls Cry” you’d also enjoy. Just got back from vacation to see all your comments, it’s great to meet all of you fellow Scandinavians. That’s so exciting Winnie! Oh man, you’ll love Finland and Norway! They are some of the best places to me. 🙂
Nancy, that’s super ironic! I wouldn’t doubt it if they passed each other in the supermarket. When my farmour and farfar met and married and introduced their families, they found out that each of their grandmothers went to elementary school together. It’s truly a small, small, world!
What do cow birthing, mattress recycling, maggot farming, salt mining, skull cleaning, and airport runway maintenance have in common?
One fearless man with, well, more than just a little dirt under his fingernails.
His name is Mike Rowe.
Photo by Sklmsta via Wikimedia Commons
You probably know Rowe from his television show, Dirty Jobs, in which he spent several years traveling to all 50 states, working as an apprentice on over 300 jobs that most people go out of their way to avoid.
Septic Tank Cleaner?
Egads!
Shock value notwithstanding, Mike’s ultimate goal was to spotlight and celebrate hard-working Americans who make civilized life possible for the rest of us.
I love this guy.
And he just keeps getting better.
Winnie Nielsen says: Mike’s show has helped restore value to vocations that we all depend upon everyday. The high school director of career and technical programs locally likes to use this example: If you break down on the highway, do you want someone to stop who is a car mechanic or a brain surgeon? For the past few decades , we have removed these important training opportunities from our middle and high schools for all college prep classes. I don’t know about Idaho, but Home Economics was retired about 30 years ago from our schools. It is such a shame!
melyssa says: I love Mike! He used to be an opera singer, just like the Mike I married. 🙂
Julie Kram says: I’ve been teaching shop classes for over 15 years. I have seen Michigan de-value trades in favor of higher education. I’ve been arguing all along, and still, that if everyone is a doctor nobody will fix the car (or the plumbing, heating, roads, houses, etc). We all have skills and abilities unique to us. America in general, and Michigan in particular, should celebrate the blue-collar people who really make everything happen for everyone. Amen, Mike Rowe and Mary Jane!!!!!!!
Suzanne Bergholz says: I had no idea that Mike Rowe was this deep, motivational man-person! I am in awe and so grateful for his perspective and his creativity. I am a graduate of a registered nurse 3 year program that incorporated college level programs with practical hands-on training. I have always encouraged trades education because our society needs skilled laborers. Yes, college education is a wonderful aspiration but, we are all different with different skill-sets. I think that I am in love with Mike Rowe…lol.
Karlyne says: One of my pet peeves is how we under-value or don’t value at all, “menial” work! How would the CEOs and the doctors and lawyers and other such white-collar workers function without the housekeepers, nannies and gardeners working for them (at minimum wage, I might add)? At least the plumbers and electricians and road-builders are making a good wage, and are even, in this college-mad world, usually appreciated. You go, Mike Rowe! Keep spreading the word!
Thank you so much Mary Jane for highlighting Mike Rowe’s website. He’s a hero to all of us at Pride and a Paycheck. Supporting women in the trades takes a giant step forward when TV figures feature actual women at work in blue collar trades jobs! Young people need to see it! We all do. Pride and a Paycheck welcomes free subscribers. You can print the issues off the pdf files and pass them out to even more folks. Just send us your email address and we’ll put you on our list! Thanks. Sue Doro, Editor Pride and a Paycheck.
Winnie Nielsen says: Another beauty! You have some brilliant song birds in the West!
Brenda Gill says: This reminds me of God and how he shows us the beauty of living every day.
Elizabeth says: How cute! I’ve never seen a Warbler or Meadowlark in real time. Someday soon, I would love to hear/see both birds. Our Black-capped Chickadees just fledged a couple days ago & now I literally have empty nest syndrome;-)
Have you had a chance to catch The Perennial Plate?
The Perennial Plate is an online weekly documentary series dedicated to socially responsible and adventurous eating.
Who doesn’t love THAT idea?
Creator Daniel Klein and co-producer/cameragirl Mirra Fine are traveling the world exploring the wonders, complexities, and stories behind the ever-more-connected global food system.
“Klein, who has cooked at the restaurants of Thomas Keller, Heston Blumenthal, and Tom Colicchio … offers a closer look at where our food can actually come from (but often doesn’t) than anything you’re likely to see on the Food Network,” says the Huffington Post.
The episodes follow the culinary, agricultural, and hunting explorations of this intrepid chef.
“Season One took place over a calendar year in Minnesota where, every Monday for 52 weeks, the duo released short films about good food,” reports the Plate’s website. “In Season Two, Klein and Fine traveled across America, taking the viewer on a journey to appreciate and understand where good food comes from and how to enjoy it.”
This season, Klein and Fine are blazing a trail around the world—to China, Japan, India, Spain, Morocco, Italy, Turkey, Argentina, Mexico, South Africa, and Ethiopia. Along the way, they’re telling the stories of real food and the people who make it.
In a recent episode called “Do Not Blame the Sea,” the destination was Sri Lanka, where a small fishing family was nearly decimated by the 2004 tsunami. “And yet today, they still fish (either on stilts or in a boat) because they have to do it to survive,” explains Klein.
Even though I’ll never be able to catch up on the site’s bounty of past episodes, I can’t wait to see where they’ll go next.
Who knew I could be an armchair traveler and a footrest foodie at the same time?
If you’re already a fan, share your favorite episode.
Photo by Lars Swanson
Winnie Nielsen says: This series is new to me but I absolutely love how inspired younger chefs are bringing back the art and quality of cooking to everyone! It is almost a scientific passion. Real agriculture bringing basic ingredients together in delicious ways. To me, it is the hope to move our nation beyond overly processed food. They have a lot of work ahead of them but they are truly exciting to learn about and follow. We will all be the healthier for their work and sharing of a true food revolution!
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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.
Swedish Romance!!