Wondering who I am? I’m Merit Badge Awardee Jane (MBA Jane for short). In my former life …
I already told you about my love affair with horses (well, okay, more a love affair OF horses. The other isn’t quite right if you stop to think about it) so when I saw a way to earn a Merit Badge equestrian style, you better believe my boots were on before you could say “giddy up!”
And I’m not kidding around about the boots. Cowgirl boots are one of the best fashion statements EVAH. And they never go out of style! Boots with shorts, boots with fluffy skirts, boots with jeans; is there anything they don’t complement? I think not.
All dressed up, I headed out on a little Pony Scavenger Hunt, so to speak. I brought along a few horse books from the library, my binoculars, camera, and my cowgirl spirit. I figured driving along the back country roads, top down, wind in my hair, spying for my favorite animal in the entire world, was a pretty good way to spend my afternoon! I decided each time I saw a horse, I would look up its breed and jot it down in my journal. And who knows, maybe I’d get lucky and get to meet an owner who liked to share his livestock … you know? Just a turn or two around the corral?
Thumbing through my book, I realized I hadn’t known as much about the animal as I had originally thought. Turns out, owning every My Little Pony ever made doesn’t give you a real foundation for knowledge of the breeds.
My first lightbulb moment was learning that a pony isn’t a pony. I mean, a PONY is a pony, but a baby horse is a foal! Wha?? I know. I was just as confused as you are now. You aren’t confused? Well, humor me. Anyway, turns out a pony is an actual breed, not just a miniature horse. A Miniature Horse is a miniature horse. Are you with me? Hang on; the ride’s about to get even bumpier. Stallions don’t have to be black. Who knew, right? You knew? Fine. Now I know, too.
At the end of my drive, I had a journal list of the horses I’d seen and identified, a yearning for a Palomino all my own (or maybe an Appaloosa), and a database of new words like
Dressage
Withers
Lunging
Gait
Gelding
Hand (for measuring how tall a horse is; one hand=4 inches)
Hackamore
My list of horse friends was growing, too. On it, I had
American Paint Horse
American Quarter Horse
Pinto
Arabian
Appaloosa (swoon!)
Thoroughbred
American Saddlebred
Peruvian Paso
Tennessee Walking Horse
Morgan
Clydesdale (made me want to be pulled on a sleigh while singing Christmas carols, but maybe that’s just me)
Belgian
Percheron
Palomino (squeal!)
I even got lucky and set up a riding lesson with the owner of an adorable Quarter Horse named Spunky. Spunky and I are going to be good friends; I can feel it. She even matches my boots.
Laurie Dimino 
Terry Steinmetz 
jean 
ace 
Daizy Bailes 
Debbie 
Terri 
Siobhan McBride 
Genie Anderson 
Marija Sabol 
MaryJane 
Bethany Rastok 
Mandi 
Winnie Nielsen 
I look forward to each new edition of Mary Jane’s Farm. I was raised on a country road in “Almost Heaven,
West Virginia”! I now live in Bismarck ,ND. I live in the country but have no farm.
Each edition of you magazine takes me back to where I learned to live off the land. My grandfather had a small dairy farm where he taught me the richness of life on the farm. I get in touch with that richness through your magazine!
From your do it yourself projects to the canning and preserving, I enjoy each page!
I love Mary Jane’s farm for many reasons: the crafts, the recipes, the wisdom, but I mostly love that my dream of becoming a Farmgirl is coming true. We have begun an organic blueberry farm, with slow, steady progress toward residing there full time.
I find it very difficult to decide on just one thing I love about Mary Jane’s Farm… I love it all!!! I literally read my copy from cover to cover (including the ads!!!) the moment it arrives in my mailbox…the dishes can wait!! 🙂 I learn so much at the turn of every page…from crafts to chickens to organic living…I devour every word and feel sad when the back cover closes. If I’m not the lucky winner of this amazing coloring/activity book, you can bet I’ll be purchasing it! 🙂
I have subscribed to magazines, too numerous to mention, and with very few exceptions, I have been dissappointed. An avid recipe collector, I have tried two in particular, that have been out of this world delicious: Homemade Chicken Soup and Homemade Pasta. I have made these recipes in particular many times from other magazines, and they can’t hold a candle to the down home flavor and recipe success as Mary Jane Farm recipes have. I spent my childhood summers at my grandmother’s farm and she ingrained into my life how important homemade and homegrown foods are to our health and how living on a farm is important to the peace and satisfaction in all areas of life. She planted the seeds of good healthy living that I have attempted to follow all of my life, (I’m 68.), no mater where life has taken me.
I rarely comment online about anything, but I truly am honored to comment on MaryJanesFarm magazine. It is a wonderful read each time I receive it. I enjoy the feel of the paper and the emotion from a honest approach to living. I live in a small town on a half-acre with a small garden. I dream of having a few chickens, some rabbits, a few more fruit trees and a beehive. Your magazine lets me dream it and feel delighted in the knowledge that there are those out there doing it. I am making comment for the Secret Garden giveaway. I purchased from this artist a book of postcards awhile back and enjoyed Ms. Basford’s creativity. Keep the loving magazines coming and I wish all a blessed day
My family moved to the country when I was in grade school. We raised chickens, had a big strawberry patch, and enjoyed roaming the woods and fields. In the winter, we went ice skating on a nearby pond and slid down gentle hills on skis and sleds. I enjoy the “You can do this!” articles in the magazine and have tried new crafts and recipes. I am interested in learning about the dangers of altered foods, and the encroachment of Monsanto into the ate oldmethods of East Indian farmers. So many of the classic women’s magazines seem to follow the pattern of quick decorating fixes and the latest trends. I love Mary Jane’s broad variety of topics to enrich life at home and outside. Every magazine opens new doors!
I absolutely love Mary Jane’s Farm for all the wonderful recipes and great advice that I wouldn’t normally see in any other magazine. It inspires me to have my own farm…some day!!!!
My favorite thing about Mary Jane’s Farm is EVERYTHING!!! And i say that because you don’t find help and info like this anywhere! Literally i have been searching for years for something to help me fulfill my dreams of having my own farm and raising my own crops and animals. I knew i could do it on my own but Mary Jane’s Farm has truly shown me its not just a dream but a reality for a lady to have a farm! Thanks for all your inspiration!
<3 Talia (Lady Farmer)