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.
Arriving 12 days early, Beaumont showed up around 1:00 a.m. last Wednesday morning, born only a few minutes before I arrived for my nightly check. With a heart as big as a wash tub, no, his forehead, he came into the world looking for a heartfelt home.
This was Miss Daisy’s first calf.
Feeling a sudden spring in your step?
Photo by Wikkie via Wikimedia Commons
Perhaps a dazzling sense of delirium?
It’s called spring fever, my friend—and none of us are immune.
Thankfully, the symptoms are generally … sensational!
“There’s more daylight, so people have more energy, sleep a little less,” Sanford Auerbach, M.D., director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Boston University, told Web MD.
Plus, levels of serotonin, an important mood-regulating hormone, soar in the springtime. The LA Times reports, “This mood-elevating neurotransmitter may be at the root of the giddiness, energy boost, and enthusiasm that characterize spring fever.”
No cure for me, thanks. I’m just fine letting the fever run its course.
Karlyne says: A bunny with a leash, running (hopping?!?) a steeplechase course. Now, that’s spring fever you gotta love!
oh yeah I got it bad, and we hardly are having spring here, hard frosts every night and very WINDY and unseasonably chilly but still mostly sunny. But way better than the worst winter I ever remember. Every tiny flower or bud is hard won this spring.
Winnie Nielsen says: Spring Fever, Tulip Fever, it is all GOOD! Hey, did you know cows even wear wooden shoes??? I have a photo to prove it!! ***wink****
MaryJane says: Tell and SHOW!!!!
If you weren’t planning on planting a garden this spring, I suspect that hearing Ron Finley’s story will inspire you to not only plant one, but to sneak seeds into every sliver of barren soil you see.
After you watch this video, Ron will be on your list of AMAZING people/super heroes.
Saw this TED talk a while back and it was inspiring then and it still brings tears to my eyes. This man has a vision and he made it happen in spades. I love the line : ” growing your own food is like printing your own money “. Kudos to him and all his guerilla army of volunteers !
MaryJane says: My tears almost turned into full-fledged sobbing. Plant some shit, right? Or in my case, fertilize with it.
calle says: Our teen is planning an Entrepreneurial effort in this direction. All natural, all good and all plants.
Designing a card, burlap bags and away he goes.
Food is money but so much more.
Started some seeds last night.
Bless all the gardens Lord.
Deborah Mcissic says: What a wonderful video! What a vision! Lisa, “toMAHto” woman..did you hear how many “toMAHtoes” you could plant in that area of Los Angeles? Need help? In my neighborhood we all have yards that are acres..yet, only a few of us plant them…I grow with my grandkids..and, they know where their food comes from…think of all the kids that do not…drive through garden snacks? How great is that idea? In my neighborhood where we could all plant..and few do..I share my bounty and think to myself..”you can do this to”! Why do we hesitate? Is it the work..I love the “meet me in the garden with your shovel”! comment..I feel I need to use that line..when I offer green beans my neighbors want them picked…geez…should I also wash them? hmm….what happened with victory gardens I think will return..when people realize, like stated in this video…where is your food coming from? what’s in it? The dialysis clinics popping up everywhere..so true..and sad..we have the means to change all this and this man is off to a great start….cheers to him and his hard work..I would take up my shovel and follow him and dig, plant, and weed and be proud!! I loved his shovel! I have a “hers” shovel from green heron tools..and, it says “hers” right on it..yep…mine, I mean “hers”, but, mine….ha, ha..
MaryJane says: When he said “a child who grows kale, eats kale” that rang true with me. I see that in my grandkids.
Karlyne says: I even have a kidlet running around here who eats sage! Fuzzy, tough sage! Because she sees it growing. And she’s an odd duck…
Karlyne says: I rarely watch videos; they make me sit down too long and I feel “trapped” by having to listen to them. But, trusting you all, I did watch this one, and I, too, say, “Hooray!” It’s inspiring to see someone who is invested in his neighborhood and who is actually doing something simple and wonderful to improve it.
YUP! YESSIRREE!!!!
Hopefully others will catch the “bug” and get America back to growing and eating GOOD food!
YAY!
CJ
“I think of the garden after the rain;
And hope to my heart comes singing,
At morn the cherry-blooms will be white,
And the Easter bells be ringing!”
—Edna Dean Procter
Winnie Nielsen says: Lovely poem and perfect for this early morning read! Since I don’t have mini Jersey cows, I was wondering, do little ones like Etta Rose get a visit from the famous Bunny? Perhaps some fresh clovers picked on the way to fill StellaJane and Mia’s baskets? When my girls were little, we always grew real rye grass in the girls’ baskets for Easter. The baskets were lined with heavy duty foil and then filled with a few rocks at the bottom and potting soil. We sowed the seeds about 4-5 weeks before Easter so there would be a big thick crop of grass. The trick to filling the basket was to make sure that everything was contained in a wrapper as the grass has dew on it and anything loose would get wet by morn. Anyway, the second big fun was after the basket was empty, our guinea pig, Marshmallow, would get the whole grass package placed in her cage where she would devour all of the sweet tender green grasses with great enthusiasm!
Terry Steinmetz says: Oh, Winnie, I love that story! It would be such fun!
Geep.
Nope, that’s not a roadrunner misprint.
It really is “geep.”
“Geep” is what farmer Paddy Murphy in Ireland is calling a notable new baby on his farm …
Photo: Snapshot/YouTube courtesy of MNN.com
The little tyke is not merely a sheep, like his mama.
Nor is he a goat, as his dad is reputed to be.
He has become known, therefore, as a geep.
“He has been a great source of craic (gossip) for the lads in the pub,” Murphy told the Irish Farmers Journal last week. “We might even have a competition to name him.”
Winnie Nielsen says: Wow, this story is quite interesting! That crossbreed Geep is so cute and it is curious to see how he is built sort of like a lamb and a goat. I hope they keep him for a pet since he is very special. That irish farm has the bucolic look about it when I imagine what such a farm would look like. So green but yet cool weather prevails. It all looks so lush for grazing too.
Honestly, as the former wife of a veterinarian I didn’t think this was possible, not without genetic tinkering like an embryo transplant ! But here the little darling is , in rural Ireland ! All done in Mother Nature’s way. Definitely goat-like too. Hope they come up with a wonderful poetic Irish name for him. And here’s hoping he gets a good home as this farmer just seems befuddled by him, and doesn’t seem to appreciate how wonderful the little guy is.
Janice Budge says: Is the geep capable of reproduction?
This post is for Winnie. (Ha, I accidently typed in Winner!) So, Winner Winnie, here’s Myrtle, the girl wearing the bling light in Sunday’s post, as well as today’s photo-of-the-day. This is a truck I used to drive, but now that I’ve turned her into a hay shed (wonderful in her hayday), she’s been officially put out to pasture.
Here she is getting her new roof framed up.
And now she’s getting covered in reused metal siding from our old barn.
A true Jersey girl!
P.S. Winnie, the yellow flower was the bloom on a kale plant in my greenhouse.
Winnie Nielsen says: Look at Myrtle all fixed up with a new “Doo” and everything! She is quite stately in her new role of retirement. All us retired girls need a new gig and a few MakeOvers(in the tradition of BakeOvers and ChillOvers!!) Mary jane style. Does she still drive so that you can move the hay barn around depending on where the gang is grazing? And, I love her new bumper sticker!
P.S. Well, I was close about the yellow flower. Come to think of it, kale doesn’t bolt does it? Mine hasn’t shown any sign of bolting this winter but my broccoli surely has when I had some planted. The last of my butter crunch was picked yesterday, my kale has maybe one more cutting, but the green beans are up and perky. The current soaking rain is going to make them all very happy!
Have you heard about the new Barbie in town?
Well, she’s not really here, in town … and she’s not actually a Barbie.
So, let me try this again …
Have you heard of Lammily?
Image courtesy of Nickolay Lamm via Lammily.com
She’s a doll, isn’t she?
Touted by her creator (yes, he’s a man) as fun, fit, and healthy, Lammily is posed to give Barbie a run for her money. Much to many a thinking woman’s relief, she was modeled using the standard body proportions of an average 19-year-old gal, which—as we know—don’t include a corset-crimped waist or a Nefertiti neck.
Out with the old …
Photo of first Barbie doll, introduced in both blonde and brunette in March 1959, by Barbieologin via Wikimedia
In with the new …
Image courtesy of Nickolay Lamm via Lammily.com
“When I look at current fashion dolls, I’m reminded of my experience in high school. I’m reminded that there are some things that are just a mirage and not worth emulating,” explains Nickolay Lamm, the genius behind Lammily. “Moreover, I’m reminded that there is beauty in embracing all the aspects of who you are, and in staying true to you.”
Lamm goes on to say that Lammily (named for Lamm and his family) has a stylish, yet simple, wardrobe without a barrage of bling. She wears minimal makeup, promoting the realistic beauty standards of the everyday girl.
And her lifestyle? Forget glamorous partying and shopping-till-she-drops …
In a recent Huffington Post editorial, Nickolay Lam wrote, “I want Lammily’s accessories to be reflective of real life in miniature form. I envision her reading books that inform and playing instruments that educate on the sounds and intricacies of music. I see her constructing her own home, cultivating her own garden while learning about the wonders of plants and vegetables, and eating these nourishing and healthy foods. All of these aspects are authentic, and can be complemented with an online world where children can explore these realities in depth.”
Well, it’s about time, don’t you think?
You can’t run to the store to find Lammily just yet. She’s in the works as we speak. But you can pre-order a first-edition doll at Lammily.com with an expected ship date of November 2014.
In the meantime, here’s a little more about Lammily:
Winnie Nielsen says: Wow, at last!! This is the best news for young girls in a long time. I applaud Nickolay for his efforts to bring about change to an industry that has needed it for generations. This has beens so needed for so long. We seriously need to change the conversation about what is healthy and beautiful for women and starting young is the best place to begin. Might there be a few Lammily girls for a certain two little girls at the farm next Christmas?
Robin Ayers says: Finally!!! Can’t wait to buy a few Lammilys for my nieces and grandkids for Christmas.
julie hovde says: This is fantastic, where and when can these be purchased!!!! I just want one for myself.
MaryJane says: Go to their website. That’s how I purchased mine.
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.
WHat a handsome boy he is! I love those patches of white on his body . They look so perfectly “cowboy western” to me.
Good morning Mary Jane ! It is 11:16 am here and the sun is shining and I have wifi for a few moments!! Whoop!
Good morning to you Winnie!!! from the Netherlands. It’s good to hear from you over the miles. I’ll bet you’re also bringing smiles to people there.
A heart on his forehead, how perfectly ” cunning” as the British say for “absolutely dear or darling ” . I just adore his dear little face already full of love ( so to speak). I bet Miss Daisy is so proud of her baby boy! Thanks, MJ for sharing these newborn photos with all of us. New babies are truly the harbinger of spring.
What a cutie! Love the heart!
Thanks!
CJ
This calf is beautiful.
I just adore Jersey cows/calves but my true heart belongs to horses. Since I don’t know when (perhaps in the womb I was drawing pictures on the wall) I have loved them, any size, shape, color, and continue to do so today at age 72. Well, Zenyatta is a retired race horse owned by Ann and Jerry Moss, and this past Easter Sunday she delivered her 3rd foal, a filly just after midnight so she truly came in the Easter Bunnys’ basket, though it was a really large basket. Keep up the good work, Raisin’ Jane.
Congratulations – he’s beautiful!