I will take your money but I will not take you comments, questions, concerns, criticisms, or critiques.
Please think of those child soldiers when you're donating to me!
OBNOXIOUS
I'm other news...it stopped raining! Slipping and sliding through mud but so grateful I'm not getting assaulted (ok, yes...a little drastic I agree) by water from the top down and bottom up anymore! The pigs are thrilled as well. Cold and wet is not a good combo for person or pig (relatively mild now, but that's because I'm dry, thanks to a complete mid day wardrobe change ). Well, dry except for my feet due to not having proper footwear for farming. Need me some waterproof boots and knee high wellies!
Currently saving up...cheap options are not an option. Rather have a good fit soaking wet than dry and otherwise not functional (like the unisex boots I tried on at southern states).
The mare pictured is a Shire named Desi. She loves to sleep laying down.
What a beautiful horse, Meredith! She has a "kind eye" as my grandfather used to say. And yes, everyone should remember the child soldiers, the hungry and the downtrodden when it comes to giving DONATIONS as well. Money is certainly desperately needed more in almost every place on the planet, and for better causes, too. Give to those who TRULY need it -- for food, for shelter, and for those who have no other options.
ReplyDeleteI hear you on the footwear. I'd love to hear any brand recommendations you might have, because finding long-lasting work boots and muck boots with a good fit has been a big challenge for me.
ReplyDeleteI prefer to sleep lying down too, so, smart girl.
ReplyDeleteWow, her response to that negative comment was one of her most insensitive, rude and arrogant to date. I'm getting a very, very, bad feeling about what's really going on at CAF and in Jenna's head. Perhaps she can't get a job, or keep one, because she has become totally disassociated from reality.
ReplyDeleteShe seems to be very proud of that comment because she put it in her newest post. Talk about tone deaf...I don't think I've ever seen another blogger lecture and berate her own readers as much as she does.
DeleteI had to read it for myself, since I've tried to stay away from her blog and I couldn't even stomach reading the whole post. Her words used to inspire me to reach for the stars and now they insult me. Stick a fork in me, because I'm done.
DeleteShe put a LOT of effort into this and the other wandering post. Imagine someone who has mislead so many people, neglected so many obligations and animals lecturing others about their priorities. Many of us will stop following when she stops instructing others about farm-related activities, and properly keeps and cares for all of Cold Antler's wild, livestock, and pet animals. I don't think this interest would exist if people didn't independently follow the ridiculous, misinformed "farming" expedition.
ReplyDeleteRemember when she quit working, and assured her readers that her health insurance was all attended to, as well as her other needs? Anyone think that's improved? The wailing because her pipes had frozen (clear to any grown-up homeowner that she let her oil run out to save money). What a surprise. The lack or wood and hay for her animals. Thank goodness others saved her butt, and her animals one more time.
That can donation would be a lot more impressive if it was her money spent on it, not that of unsuspecting, gullible followers. I don't care that she wants to follow one more arcane hobby. Don't have a problem with falconers. Do have a problem with people who leave animals to die, and don't supply proper food and shelter (and build it), or expect other people to work to pay for their folly, which they call "farming."
I think I might have had a change of heart writing this. Maybe we should thank those who work at her "homestead," and bankroll her. Without them, where would the animals be? But she is a talented writer.
You had me until "talented writer".
DeleteJenna,
ReplyDeleteDo you honestly think that *all* your readers are as dumb as you are putting them out to be? When is the last time you picked out Merlin's and Jasper (you know, the yard ornament) feet? How about the last time you trimmed the sheep's feet? How about washed out buckets, or any of the normal things that farmers do on a regular (for the horses-daily) basis. You have NOT because you don't even go into their pastures. You dump the hay over the gates. You poor Pigs, I cannot IMAGINE the feces level in their pen.
As to Falconry.. you are seriously saying that your Red Tailed Hawk is going to put supper on your table? That is the reason you got him? No, the reason you trapped him is for the effect. But you see it backfired. Even your most simpering sycophants are starting to revolt- as they now see you as the fake you are. As to the Peregrine Falcon? I met and took classes with the man responsible for that, so don't you even GO there. You are now spending hours "training" your hawk to be your best friend, maybe a bit like Harry Potter's Owl? And all the while, the poor animals in your care suffer even worse. Real farmers spend time taking care of their animals. You, on the other hand spend time on hobbies- if the animals happen to be your muse at the time, they are so fortunate- until the next best thing comes along. 100% approval? My darling, you are so low in the approval rating for so many people, it can't even be called approval. Some where near tacit disapproval.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI used to admire Jenna, her accomplishments and her 'can do' spirit. I thought it was amazing when she quit her job and supported herself through workshops and blog ads. I saved many of her inspirational posts in a folder.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I began to get disillusioned when the begging began. Then, her advice became downright dangerous. In one of her posts, she told her readers to follow their dreams 'now'. Not to wait. She said she bought her farm with nothing down, had debt and her credit score was a joke.
Then we find out through her blog, that she is several months behind in her mortgage and her truck was almost repossessed. I was stunned to find out that she thought if she sent a little money here and there, it would be ok. Surely she must have been getting warnings from the creditors. Did she not take them seriously? How does a 31 year old woman not know this? What kind of example is she setting for her readers?
In her monthly begging posts, she would compare them to an NPR fundraising drive. But NPR is a non-profit and Jenna isn't. I began to ask myself if I benefited from her posts and I had to admit that I did not. The advice to jump into something without preparation was foolhardy. Watching the spend, play, crisis, beg cycle became irritating. It just seemed so dishonest.
As dishonest as taking money from the wool CSA and not providing product or refund. As dishonest as saying she needs a hawk to put food on her table (please...does she think we're stupid?).
In her begging posts, she asks for donations to keep her farm going. What she doesn't understand is that we all have homes and cars that we need to keep going. If I am going to work to support someone's lifestyle, it is going to be my own.
In the pre-internet days, I subscribed to Amy Dacyczyn's Tightwad Gazette newsletter. I was so inspired by her, that I wrote with my plans to quit my job and asked for a little advice. I expected to get a "go for it" response, but instead got hard, practical advice. She burst my bubble, but in the end, she saved my butt. I am in a much better place today because of it.
I think the fiscal irresponsibility and borderline animal hording situation is what bothers me most. I don't see these posts as "hate" posts, but perhaps as "the other side of the story" or alternate viewpoints. Also, since she puts herself out there worldwide, I think there should be some accountability.
Those are the exact two things that bother me the most, too.
DeleteOn a thematic note gentle readers... do the words "scrappy," and "darling" belong in the same farming blog? Maybe using both makes you more unique as a public personality.
ReplyDeleteAnd what's the problem with Bichons? Seem like nice dogs to me. Misdirection... acting like people have a problem with the type of animals, not the care of those animals...
The "darling" thing is such a bizarre affectation--I assume she thinks it makes her sound folksy and endearing, but it really just makes her sound condescending.
ReplyDeleteLike nails on a chalkboard.
Delete"Darlings"
Delete"Fall down the stairs amazing"
"...and such"
"Be of use"
These are just a few of the phrases she constantly uses in her recycled writing. Repeating the same phrase over and over in post after post isn't a style, darling! I'm sure her book editors just LOVE her.
Also, "scrappy"
DeleteDon't forget "since time out of mind"!
DeleteAnd "Son.."
ReplyDeleteUgh, I forgot about that one. I think she laid off of that one when it got too mainstream...I didn't realize it until now, but I think she really is a hipster.
DeleteNot once in her scolding does she mention that she's angling to get a book deal on falconry. She mentioned that once in November, when she had the licensing issues. I think she does enjoy training the hawk, but she's really thinking of book money.
ReplyDeleteIt's going to be 24 below zero in her area the next couple days. I wonder how the horses will fair. :( I sure wish she'd bring them into the barn. I'm concerned.
ReplyDeleteEeeek, I'm worried about the pigs. what are the odds they're dry and draft free?
DeleteYou know, right after I posted that, I thought about the poor pigs. Geeze.
DeleteWow, I sincerely hope she's got her preparations made for her animals in the face of that kind of weather.
ReplyDeleteShe will do no more then she ever does. The livestock will have to be scrappy, I guess. My sheep? They will have a barn, fresh straw, and water, and second cut alfalfa hay, minerals. I wonder if Jenna will have any of that? Naaah.
ReplyDeleteToday's posts are quite revealing. The downward spiral continues. Delusions galore. She clearly can't tell fantasy from reality.
ReplyDeleteIs she storing her firewood improperly? Why else would it be wet and require her to buy (no doubt expensive) bags of firewood at the store? Or is she trying to use unseasoned wood? The mind boggles.
DeleteAlso: "So I had absolutely no interest in this woman's lifestyle, but don't take that to mean I think mine is better." Nope, I'm pretty sure you absolutely mean you think your life is better. So much condescension.
All this talk of "us wolves" and "Otherkin" makes so much more sense now that I've seen Jenna's old artwork of furries, including herself.
Good grief! She is buying coffee and bags of firewood and considers herself a homesteady type? And she still says she heats with only wood, but hello, we all saw the little space heater in her house!!! And why doesn't her truck have heat? Is she too broke to fix it? She tries to say it like, "Oh look how tough I am, no heat in my truck" so she can be a martyr yet again.
ReplyDeleteAnd look, you can go learn how to tack up a horse at her workshop, yet she routinely posts that picture of her and Jasper and his browband is BEHIND his ears!!! I'd stop posting that picture if I wanted to convince someone I knew how to tack up a horse.
She should post an updated picture of her tacking up a horse.... oh, maybe with that expensive camera she has?
DeleteBuying BAGS of firewood? Good grief. I have no idea why her wood is wet. Maybe still just green. But I suspect improper storage may be the problem. Burning with wet wood is REALLY dangerous. All that creosote build-up.
DeleteLet the begging begin....... AGAIN. Right on schedule. Please, I hope a bunch of people join the clan, so maybe the begging posts will stop!
ReplyDeleteBut I thought I would share what is going on over at the Clan Member Blog for those who are on the fence about signing up:
- Personal essays about spirituality, finances, and relationships (I have my own issues with finance and relationships, I don't need to hear her whining about hers)
- Photos of inside the Farm House (umm... isn't that what she got that $500 camera for? So she could post tons of pictures of her farm to the general blog?)
- Previews of upcoming books, projects, and sneak peaks
- A friendly and open atmosphere for discussion (i.e., either Jenna love, or bitch sessions about those who don't love her)
- The "real deal" with running a public blog
- Dealing with trolls (oh, you mean people that have legitimate questions, and truly helpful suggestions?)
- Discounts on workshops and Indie Days (if I want to learn a skill, I'm certainly not going to pay her for what little she knows)
- Giveaways! (she's giving away the wool that was already previously paid for by others)
- And more! (more what? more whining? more begging?)
Guess this is how she sees herself???
ReplyDeletehttp://www.elfwood.com/~jennapaw/Oakpaw-and-Totem.2845644.html
Welcome anon 12:58. (Not Meredith here, but I think it's great she provides this blog/outlet). Real farmers make a living off the products they sell, whether it be crops or animals. It's a tough living (I grew up on a wheat farm). Rarely can any individual nowadays afford enough land and equipment to make it as a farmer, even with an outside source of income.
ReplyDeleteI really cannot believe Jenna has all those bills - mortgage, truck payment, horse payment, insurances, etc. with no outside employment. No WONDER she's begging for cash. I read her blog from a few years ago, and the tone was totally difference. I really lost respect when she decided to quit her day job and really has no farming products to offer for sale - one of Meredith's blog entries says it all: Workshop: You Work, I Shop. Sad.
I think most of us on this blog hope she gets the message, and makes it somehow legitimately, for the animals' sakes. But it's not looking promising... I also think that her blog is a huge misrepresentation of what farm life is REALLY about. That's the travesty of it, in my opinion. That people would be led to believe that what she is doing is "farming." Here's to the real, hard-working farmers that don't have time to go on the net and beg for money. They are too busy taking care of their place.
P.S. Nor would any farmer or rancher I know ever beg for anything at all - it would be ethically reprehensible to them.
DeleteJenna, you live 5 mins from Stewarts but also on a mountain? And, by the way, those little bags of firewood from Stewarts are small enough to pile about 5 in the front seat. BUYING firewood from a corporation? Really? Buying coffee out? Cripes, I can't even afford to do that. And, that term "otherkin" really? Lordy.. You are some whiz banger. As to selling your lambs and goat kids, um, what if they die, as usually happens? Wait, I know, NO REFUNDS TOUGH COOKIES. Selling before even born.. Wow, PONZIE scheme. And, as for you calling yourself a word farmer? Well... You know what you remind me of? Kathy Bates in Misery, where she broke James Kahn's legs to keep him captive and writing.. only your animals are James.
ReplyDeleteHow lazy! Buying firewood from the convenience store when she has 6 acres, over half wooded. You could spend ten minutes in a wooded lot and find tons of dried firewood bits for getting a stove going. They are fallen dead branches and logs, etc? Usually quite dry and great for getting a stove hot and going. And she has the NERVE to talk about some other lady and compare herself with such a condescending tone... gooodness. I love how she was "trying" to make it sound like it was good for the other lady and still good for her, but her snotty tone of superiority rang clean and true through it all. Unbelievable.
ReplyDeleteI noticed in her reply to someone who mentioned the wet firewood issue that she said she can get a bag of 10 logs for SIX DOLLARS--and that she uses three of those logs in the morning to get the fire hot enough to burn the wet wood. SIX DOLLARS for TEN pieces of wood, when she lives on timbered land!! But she doesn't have the tools, expertise, or TIME to deal with foraging, splitting, and stacking wood a year in advance. Because, you know, learning new things and making preparations ahead of time isn't at all what homesteading is about. I'm sure if she thought she could do a workshop or book deal on how to find, chop, and store firewood, she'd be ALL OVER IT. But instead, she's going to spend $6 every two or three days on dry logs from the gas station.
DeleteI'm no lumberjack, but even *I* laugh when I see people buying the overpriced logs they sell in front of the gas station.
How would she ever find time to capture and "train" a hawk if she were foraging for wood?
DeleteI like the "You guys need to have some faith in me!" whine at the end of her reply to the firewood comment. That might be legitimate if she was blogging about "my first year on the homestead" and all the trial and error therein, but she's freaking advancing herself as an EXPERT on farming and homesteading! If you're an EXPERT then no, there is no excuse for that ridiculous method of wood gathering and (lack of) storage. Instead of spending $6 every third or fourth day for months on wood, she should put that money in a jar, then when the fund is large enough purchase a good, small chainsaw, protective chaps, and take a chainsaw use and safety class. Problem solved.
DeleteOh my, I just read her latest "storm" post. Really, she does not have THAT MANY animals. I'm not sure why she can't do all the chores in one go? Yes, it's cold. But it really doesn't take that long to feed her animals. She just makes believe that it's sooo hard and sooo much work in order to make people think she's slaving away. Her readers, who have no clue about owning livestock, fall for it...thinking she's some sort of hero working so hard. LOL. Sorry, but I'm not buying it. Maybe we should ask her how her space heater is doing..surely it's got to be adding heat to that house.
ReplyDeleteOh man... if only there was a way to predict winter's arrival in a place known for cold weather and snow! If only she knew that each year she'd need DRY firewood and plenty of provisions for her animals! If only she knew when the mortgage was going to be due so she could save up enough money for it instead of blowing her money. Poor thing.
ReplyDeleteI can't reconcile how she can make posts bragging about how great she is at heating with wood and how long she's been doing it and much cachet it gives her, and then turn around and essentially say, "I don't know how to keep my firewood dry. Maybe I'll learn someday, cause I think that might be important. *shrug*"
DeleteHa, she can only stand 15 minutes of chores at a time? Her "storm routine" is the silliest and most inefficient thing I've ever read. She doesn't have any chicken tractors to move, no planned rotations (that I can see) to move the pastured animals to the next paddock, etc. All she has to do is bring fresh water and food to the animals. I don't know the precise layout of her farm, but I can't imagine that she couldn't literally make the rounds and do a big loop of ALL the chores instead of faffing around for most of the day and doing them in short little bursts. That routine speaks more of laziness or poor organization than bravery in the face of extreme cold.
ReplyDeleteDid she ever mention the bird? I hope she didn't forget him.
DeleteOMG!!! Seriously?
ReplyDeleteI just read THE STORM post and can't believe it. Doesn't she read the Farmers Almanac? it's been predicting a bad winter since Sept. And, all that time to take care of a handful of critters. She must move at a snails pace. When I had my flock I could feed all 45 ewes and 5 rams in separate pens in less than 30 minutes. That's grain, hay and water.
Instead of buying kilts and board games she should be laying water lines and setting up water trough heaters. Farmers are seriously not stupid enough to lug water from some freaking pump or chip out frozen buckets. They work much smarter than that.
If she wants dry split wood ahead of winter then she'd better stop playing and take care of business. Most people I know who live in snowy places start chopping wood as soon as the snow melts. They don't wait until there is a break in the pony riding, cart hauling, board game playing schedule. And, if her avid supporters haven't figured out she is spending your money to buy overpriced firewood while you pay for your heating oil, gas or electric bills.
Snow on the pony's backs? Well, deary, if you had a decent barn that was actually finished instead of some half-assed thrown together thing they could get out of the weather. Or, you could forego the town treats and buy them winter horse blankets. Seems like a seasoned experienced horse person would know that.
"I like the effort, the need, the fact that so many depend on me. It means that I matter." WOW...she also likes, craves, desires and demands DRAMA!!!
What a life. Not exactly my idea of perfect. I'd rather have all I want and my sanity to boot.
I'm starting to think she has agricultural Münchausen syndrome. She definitely likes the attention, so she has no reason to improve the farm's situation. Where would the drama come from otherwise??
ReplyDeleteI agree. She seems to much rather get attention for her woe is me I am a poor pitiful "farmer" than to actually make it better for her animals, and this "I love being needed, they need me" stuff is classic for animal hoarders.
ReplyDeleteHere's a coupe quotes from a scholarly study on hoarders. I really don't think Jenna is an animal hoarder... yet. But she certainly has some of the tendencies.
DeleteArluke et al. (2000) defined an animal hoarder as “an individual who: accumulates a large number of
animals; fails to provide minimal standards of nutrition, sanitation, and veterinary care; fails to act on the
deteriorating condition of the animals (including disease, starvation, and even death), or the environment
(severely overcrowded and unsanitary conditions); and denies the impact this behaviour has on the animals..."
Patronek (2001) emphasized that it is not the quantity of animals but the quality of their care that constitutes animal hoarding.
NOT THE QUANTITY - THE QUALITY OF THEIR CARE!
"Animal hoarders were of average intelligence possessing good communication skills, combined with a shrewd ability to attract sympathy for themselves..." Wow.
Anon 6:16, she meets every single criteria for animal hoarding. She doesn't seek veterinary care, she fails to act when several of her sheep come down with the "mysterious illness" they get (oh yeah, maybe she gives them a shot of pen because that's all she cares to do), she has yet to move those pigs out of the tiny lot but she swore she was going to do that. Before the pigs were moved outside, she had them crowded in a tiny barn pen, where they hardly had any room, and only cleaned the pen out once or twice a year. Her horses don't even have a 3 sided shelter to get out of the wind, they're lucky they have a roof at all. Her sheep were injuring themselves trying to escape the pen so they'd have something to eat. She continues to throw hay on the GROUND for them, knowing that's a great way to waste hay and spread parasites. We've been told by people who know her that her dogs were left in their crates to urinate and defecate because they were not let out often enough. And we've heard from someone who saw her rabbits in tiny, filthy cages.
ReplyDeleteIt's pretty clear...she's a hoarder plain and simple. In fact, I'm almost positive the reason she hasn't posted any pictures of her animals lately is because their condition (both body and living) is so poor she's probably embarrassed about it.
-KK
Does she still have the rabbits? She hasn't said anything about them in ages.
DeleteEmbarrassed, or afraid of getting trouble with the SPCA? In my opinion, the treatment of the animals is the number one reason I have for disliking her. Yes, her business ethics are atrocious, but stealing from the very people that support and cheer her on is a lesser crime than animal cruelty.
ReplyDeleteAgreed!! People give willingly. Animals have no choice.
DeleteShe's a "word farmer." I guess that's why she doesn't have to take care of her animals. They aren't her crop. I sure hope she has some good recipes for eating your own words.
ReplyDeleteInspired wordplay!
DeleteLOL redhorse!
DeleteAnd...she can wash them down with homebuyers hard cider.
DeleteFunny how the Google ad on her blog is of a firewood rack brimming full of split wood.
Word farmer??? To bad words can grow in manure cause there is enough bullshit floating around CAF to grow a 6-part miniseries.
DeleteSeveral people on this blog have filed a report to the local SPCA. Has anyone heard back?
ReplyDeleteI have not heard anything. I filed an online report that they have on their website. I should contact them back. See what gives.
DeleteActually, I think I'm the only one that posted that I had contacted the SPCA. I get the feeling maybe they would just think it was some kind of "Internet" crank. If several of us called or reported on the site, it might carry more weight.
ReplyDeletehttp://spcauny.org/Contact_Us.html
Any takers? COME ON FOLKS.
DeleteThis is serious folks. Buying firewood at the store that almost killed her with those high carb muffins. Jenna if you are reading this - you need to listen to Jon and every other true supporter of yours and STOP. Stop the insanity! Living by yourself talking to the animals whose water will be frozen again 3 minutes after you run out to haul it to them is madness. Having wet firewood is madness. Playing with a falcon and neglecting your other husbandry is madness. Not paying your bills and posting "scary" is madness. Trying to support yourself with a combination of a paid blog, BS books and appeals to join "the Clan" and take some crazy workshop at your home is madness. You are literally going to perish and we want you to wake up and grow up and do the right thing. May you see the light!
ReplyDeleteI felt a little sorry for her about the storm, until she mentioned that she needed to get caught up on her mortgage. Then I read down further to the begging, and then the poodle story. She totally judged that woman on her appearance, but goddess forbid any of us question her - Jenna knows what she's doing!
ReplyDeleteOh man.... have you seen her join in the comments on the Poodle post? Suggestions on how to cure/burn her wood, how to gather kindling. Her response? (I'm paraphrasing) "You guys need to have faith in me! I know what I'm doing!" snark snark snark.... Clearly, she doesn't know what she's doing, thus the suggestions and comments.
ReplyDeleteOk, so what exactly does she DO all day? She say she buys that expensive wood because she doesn't have TIME to split/collect her own. WHAT does she do? And she said $6 for 10 pieces...sorry, but the pieces can't be that big or else she wouldn't be able to carry 2 bags AND her coffee. I can't get over what a liar she is! And yeah, then she gets snotty with people trying to help her. She is nasty.
ReplyDeleteWriting is harder than you think
DeleteIf it was easy, Jenna would be doing it. ;)
DeleteLOL...writing isn't hard when it's sloppily put together and very grammatically incorrect, unedited, etc.
DeleteOK so ran into Ann Romney at the convenience store as she was buying her firewood and stale coffee, big deal. I mean I just came back from the 7-11 with dinner after glaring down a couple of poodles myself. And I did it myself!
ReplyDeleteWolves vs. Poodles.
ReplyDeleteI think that post was very telling and gave a keen insight into JW's jealousy, envy and self loathing issues. Many women, or at least one's I know, farm hard and still manage NOT to look like they fell out of a homeless shelter. They probably won't ever end up on the cover of Vogue, but when they are not farming or working animals they pull themselves together.
There is NOTHING stellar about not showering, greasy unkempt hair, filthy clothes, nails chewed and filthy, cracked feet with chicken shit oozing between toes. All that shows is an internal distain for oneself. Major, major issues.
How does she know that woman wasn't a farmer type or a farmers wife? Just because you are clean and well groomed doesn't mean you are a prima donna who's work day ends with a trip through the Macy's catalog. Talk about not judging, like JW is some patron saint of woman equality. I have NEVER seen someone so spiteful towards women who she deems inferior to her way of living.
I work hard, get dirty and sweaty with enough dirt in my hair to grow petunias, but I don't stay that way long when the work is done. I farm with eyeliner, lip gloss and my favorite pair of earrings. The routine is daily like brushing my teeth and washing my face. But, at weeks end when I lay the farm to rest and take a breather of my own I don't wallow in self pity or put on pretentions about how my dirty life is so superior to everyone else's, I soak my tootsies and give myself a mani-pedi. Not to look like a dolled up poodle,, but because my feet take me where I want to go and if I take care of them they will take care of me. No poodle involved, just self-care.
I don't compare myself to a wolf or a poodle because I don't think of myself as a dog, but then I've never referred to myself as a hobbit or troll either. My self esteem isn't that low.
I would however compare myself to the old fashioned Clark bar...a firm chocolate coating on the outside, soft and gooey on the inside, and not very common.
You rock. :-)
DeleteI would second those thoughts. While farming, I'm usually coated in 4 kinds of grime with various fecal matter and decaying compost mixed in! But I work off-farm, too, and always go to work clean and ready to face the world professionally, as my job involves contact with the public. If my fingernails are dirty, I scrub them until they're clean and, if they still look bad, put on a coat of polish to pretty them up. And I try and do the same when going out with my husband, too. We both clean up pretty nicely, IMO! And it's important to do that without being judged as a phony for doing it lol. It's just normal life, you know?
DeleteNail polish is a farm girl necessity!
DeleteLook at Mary Jane Butters! While I don't like everything she does now, she definitely walked the walk earlier in her life and looked fabulous doing it! She encouraged me to feel great about embracing my womanhood, while still being a strong farmer too. And you know what, I look forward to doing chores more when I have a pretty apron to put on. Guess that makes me a poodle!
Delete-Heather
JMS that was really well put. My Carhartts get washed, fingernails get scrubbed, and I try to follow my grandma's rules about the importance of facial moisturizer. :)
DeleteThere's no need to look (or heaven forbid, smell) like you spent the day rolling in compost.
~A
Absolutely. Before I was married with children I had a corporate insurance job and dressed for it. After work I cared for my pack of 25 foxhounds and 4 horses and all that went with that- cleaning kennels, mucking stalls, delivering puppies, medicating, mending fences and the list goes on and on. I also taught riding lessons several times a week, believe me, I got down and dirty on the farm. All while working a 9-5 job. If she ran into me at the 7/11 before or after work I would have been marked a poodle due to my suit, manicure and coiffed hair....
DeleteBegging alert! Jenna's new post warns "Without workshop attendance, there isn't much hope for Cold Antler at this point". A better way to phrase it, would have been, I'm going to lose the farm, because I bought it without any reserves for future expenses; I overspend on expensive things I don't need, like horses, and for which I have no shelter in the bitter winter; I don't have any products to sell on the market because I'm too busy with my hobbies of riding and falconry, and I expect others to pay my bills, while I spend money people give me for expensive items like cameras, instead of repairing outbuildings and putting up fences to prevent animals from escaping; I'm behind on my mortgage and truck payments due to fiscal irresponsibility; and I prefer to spend my leisure time attending medieval fairs instead of creating products to sell like others do. I'm losing the farm because of my own choices, not because people won't attend my seminars.
ReplyDelete