Comments on CAF like this
http://coldantlerfarm.blogspot.com/2015/02/pulled-from-ribs.html?m=1
"I love, and long for that life full time ( not having to go to work for 10 hours a day, and then come home to only live the life in the evenings, and Weekends (I will be there someday :) ) ! So, I know where you are coming from...I am sure you have worked a lot harder and thus are maybe a little prouder, but I completely understand the feeling!!"
She has not worked harder than someone working 10 hour days away from their home.
Jenna has begged her way into a early retirement...so proud she must be.
I think it is important to consider that JW is a product of our times. The ability to network, tweet, facebook, blog, vlog and create a meme farm and an economic model based on cyber solicitation with the ability to crowd fund her spin, this is a new development and an evolving one at that. In many ways it could be similar to a pyramid scheme as it really does not add up, but just keep bringing in more suckers ala Madoff, and things continue to hum along until of course, they don't. That said, CAF is successful as a brand, in fact, quite genius in accessing media endorsements, and continued notariaty as evidenced by this blog. I would think that almost everyone who googles CAF inevitably also reads the critique storms here and the saga is like Downton Abbey except its all animals and bad karma. Since no doubt this blog probably affects the outcome posts for JWs blog we should acknowledge the reality and hope that a better product and customer satisfaction be a main concern.
ReplyDeleteI think we came to understand how completely gullible her current audience is when they gave her $15,000 to write a book. People like the commentator in the original post do not know the entire story, but if they choose not to investigate any further than what she writes, they are like a babe in the woods. "May the buyer (or reader!) beware" is an expression that has stood the test of time for a reason. Gullible people and those who would pull the wool over their eyes have been around forever. It's sad, but people have to be aware that what they see online is not necessarily true.
ReplyDeleteThe crowd funding doesn't bother me so much as her history of never delivering. She's so damn flighty about things. I almost want to put money down that her book will never be finished. *sigh*
ReplyDeleteThe crowd funding thing bothers me a great deal, especially since I had been in the workforce for 35+ years. I have been through some pretty rough financial times, but paid my own way. Never got a bailout.
ReplyDeleteSomeone had copied and pasted a section of a gaming blog where JW was boasting about living like fiction. Someone asked her what she would do if she was injured and could not take care of her animals or pay her medical bills. She responded by saying she would get her neighbors to care for the animals and she would crowd fund for the medical bills.
So her intent is to continue to "live like fiction", playing on her farm. And when Murphy comes calling, to get other people to do her work and pay her bills. That is her idea of "prepping".
Jesus. That's a really disturbing response from JW, although not too surprising. ~AM
DeleteThat is abuse of crowd funding then and I do not agree with it. Her response there, coupled with the hint at her real life in her emails to me, leads me to believe she has stepped into the arena of malicious fraud. She puts forth this persona in her blog of being in dire need constantly but I've the feeling she has herself a tidy enough nest egg built up thanks to her followers. That thought makes me extremely angry.
DeleteAgree becca, especially when people who do have things to be proud of belittle their accomplishments when they compare themselves to Jennas lies.
DeleteI'm an empath so maybe it brothers me more than it should.
The problem is, it doesn't seem to bother her at all.
DeleteOr most of the people getting fooled. I don't understand.
DeleteMy guess is that people WANT to believe her and believe in her, so they look past the inconsistencies. People reading her blog want the idyllic life she claims she has. They want to believe anyone can do it b/c then it means they can too. How do they look past her panic out cries? Well, she has already drawn them in, so they feel her pain and want to help. Why aren't their better parameters and rules surrounding crowd funding? Its almost like we need to protect the gullible people in society.... Perhaps we should be disappointed in society more so then her. If no one fell for it, she would have come off the rails a long time ago.
ReplyDeleteI think you hit the nail on the head with your comment, "They want to believe anyone can do it b/c then it means they can too." I was one of those people. I eagerly read her blog because I wanted to learn as much as I could about how to do it too.
DeleteWhat I learned instead is that she depended on a constant stream of donations to get by. There is no way I was going to beg for a living or try to live off others.
What a disappointment. Then I began to wonder if others felt the same way I did. I did some internet research and found this blog. So glad I am not alone. There are many people who have been disappointed by her and probably many more to come.
Anon 9:25 ^^^^^ me too!!!! I was a reader eager for homesteading tips and instead discovered her model is to beg for donations instead of self support. Yuck. Not for me.
DeleteI wonder if the newer readers hear her cries for help and since they haven't been exposed before, they rush in with their checkbook to save the damsel in distress. If it was a one time event, I could look past it. But there's a begging cycle each year and always new readers who think they're helping their 'friend'. Also why she posts her 'wish list' of items. That would be hard to swallow if I was a real life friend or a family member. She knows if she posts an item she's 'saving my pennies for' some dum dum will buy it for her thinking she'll appreciate it.
anon 9:25 I share your sentiments. However, through this blog, I've learned about other bloggers who are better role models. Thank you, Meredith for hosting!
DeleteAmen, Anon 7:21:
ReplyDelete"Perhaps we should be disappointed in society more so then her. If no one fell for it, she would have come off the rails a long time ago."
Here is a shining, perfect example of the idiocy of Kickstarter:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/324283889/potato-salad
Or what I really should say is, people are ridiculous. 6911 backers pledging over $55K for some guy to make potato salad? That would be very easy, but that's robbery to those of us with a conscience. Still, it's a free market, and if some idiot wants to pay $50 for a bite of potato and a photo, that's their problem. Who knew there were that many fools in the world. Severe lack of critical thinking among most of the population? Or am I just bitter?
I charge $4/pound for heirloom tomatoes at my farmers market in the summer. To me, that's a fair price for my labor and the high quality of the product. There will always be some who shrill at that price, but I'm not forcing anyone to buy what I have, nor am I asking for pre-payments on as-yet unmade products. My farm goods are in my customers hands before any payment is made.
Call me a cranky old lady if you'd like, but very few people I meet seem willing to put in an honest day's work to earn their bread and butter anymore. Fewer still are capable of thinking through a problem, or scrounging up the resourcefulness to figure out a solution to their problems. None of us knows it all, but with a little bit of effort, it isn't that hard to figure out what you need to know.
What's worse, that's apparently now a perfectly acceptable way of life. Many don't bat an eyelash at it. Even more seem willing to enable it. JW just happens to loudly broadcast this lifestyle and mindset through her internet megaphone. And her sheep continue to line up.
I hate it all, but can't change it all here. None of us is going to change much of anything by venting on a blog. Bitching about it won't accomplish much other than to release some internal steam, which OK, is sometimes necessary. I'll be the first to admit I'm often guilty of just that. I'll admit I'm doing just that right now!
Setting an example for those in your family/community, and teaching your skills to the real people in your life seems to me the best way to start to change this horrible mindset. Having read the comments here for some time, and looking at the "Roll Call" post comments, I think many readers and commenters here are very capable of doing just that.
Thanks for the space to vent,
-Anne
"I hate it all, but can't change it all here. None of us is going to change much of anything by venting on a blog"
DeleteI *mostly* agree with you. There is one exception in that our having a place like this to share stories allows us to know that our experience is not a one-off. Effectively it allows people who haven't spent years dealing with her, to see the pattern without having to collect massive amounts of evidence by painful personal experience.
I agree Jeff. In fact I don't believe I've shared this but I've had current and potential sponsors of her email me asking for more information on Jennas tactics professionally and asking about her animal husbandry. I just point them to blog bossy or cold antler sham. I think these blogs speak for themselves and serve a valuable purpose.
DeleteWhat is blog bossy and how do I find it?
DeleteHaha I don't know...weird auto correct. Meant blog posts...but blog bossy has a ring to it does it!
DeleteAsking for donations for something you could very well have handled yourself or worked to have covered (like health insurance) to me is no different than standing on a street corner with a sign asking for money when you are, in fact, skilled and could get a job if you wanted. I'm not against helping the truly needy, but helping the lazy or unmotivated is another story. And so my charity dollars go to those who actually do need help through no fault of their own. But what others do with their money is, I suppose, their own concern, including JWs supporters and the potato salad guy. I just don't agree with it personally.
ReplyDeleteHow many times does Jenna have to share her "list of chores"? Good Lord. She has GOT to be extremely bored.. Hey Jenna? Some of us do 10000 more chores than you and work a full day at a day job, and then do chores again after. We know for a fact (thanks to you clan and fb friends) that you are NOT busy all day... well... this is also evidenced by having time to put up blog listing the 10 mins of chores you have each morning. Please, get some help my dear, you are embarrassing yourself.
ReplyDeleteAnd how many times is she going to go over this? She is the worst broken record. For god's sake...we get it. She lights a fire, brews coffee, does chores in an assenine way because she's too irresponsible to set up appropriate infrastructure (like maybe some hosing to avoid carrying water buckets, or bucket heaters so the animals have a reliable water source in all weather conditions). Come the eff on already. Life is stale. Content is stale. I do 1.5 hours of work feeding, checking on and turning out animals when I wake up in the morning too. Annnnd then I go to an office job for 8 hours. And then I come home to do all my home chores. I'm not out there looking for applause. It's called life, and it's what I choose to do with my time. She needs a reality check in the worst way. ~A-M
DeleteAnd posting/responding on FB all day. I just don't get it. Farms are HARD work. I was raised around farmers and deal with them regularly now. If they are on social networking sites, they post maybe once every few months, because that's what they have time for. She posts and responds on FB pretty regularly.
DeleteI think social networking is her priority. It's how she gets sympathy, donations, tries to find a way to her next project, etc. Her initial desire for a homesteading life is what brought about some book deals, and maybe could have been sustainable had she actually done something and had valuable knowledge to share. But since that's not the case, now she rides the homesteader image because that's the image needed to get money in her pocket. The farm and the animals have to be there. But I believe the internet is her main work space, trying to scoop up every last penny she can from whomever might read or watch or interact. It's pretty lame.
DeleteIt bothers me that she is able bodied, yet refuses to look for off farm work. I had to take early retirement due to multiple health issues. True, I spent many, many years in the work force. But I would have liked to remain there a little longer. The fact that she is able to work but chooses to live off others is bothersome. I would like to look her in the eye and tell her to work now while she can, as no one can ever know what will happen in the future.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know what happened to that summer job she had several years ago teaching archery at a camp? Did she choose not to go back or was she not invited back?
As for health care, doesn't she have to have it now due to the Affordable Health Care act?
I thought the same thing about that 'list of chores' video -- that's it?!!?? That's why she has to be home all the time and refuses a real job?!!? I'd be pretty embarrassed to let the public know that's all I did all day. Oh yeah, and plenty of video games and 'visits with friends'.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I remember Anon 8:02 JW said she was going to pay the penalty and not have health care. I'm really disgusted by her. Especially on that Reddit thread 'Live Like Fiction' admitting to just crowd funding my healthcare if she becomes ill or breaks a leg. What an embarrassment! How is that a life plan??????
Video gaming can be a huge waste of time and as addictive as drugs. It sounds like that's one of her problems, or one of her motivations for the costume wearing role playing lifestyle. It can also skew your ability to see and deal with reality. If she got a job creating, designing or testing the games, she wouldn't need to beg. It also means we really can't help her. From what I remember of her Facebook friends and comments, and that Reddit thread, a lot of her current supporters are from the fantasy/game playing community. They will never suggest that she should deal with reality.
ReplyDeleteAs many people have said, she's free to live without health care or a regular income, so long as she doesn't beg from others to support her or pay her medical bills. The problem is that she's dishonest about it and pretends that she has done everything in her power to help herself when asking for money (not unlike a street panhandler, as Hotflash said). People identify with her and want to help because they don't know the whole story. The "chores" video might make her current fans question things, because it makes clear the fact that she really doesn't work. I've noticed that she has very few people commenting on her blog these days, so perhaps others are figuring out the scam. I don't give money to people on the street, either, because I know quite a bit about them due to my work. This is an analogous situation.
ReplyDeleteWhy doesn't feeding Italics make her to-do list? No mention of him through all the storms and cold weather.... At one time she said winter was when she'd have more time to hunt with him.
ReplyDeleteAnon 8:56 you said it well. That's exactly why she's offensive to me, not because she's a 'homesteader', but because of the dishonesty and the hypocrisy.
ReplyDeleteI also noticed lack of comments and wonder why anyone would sign up for a workshop when they could wait a few weeks and get it 1/2 off on one of her desperate sales! If I had signed up and paid the full amount, then read they were on sale I'd be angry!!! Of course, I'd be what JW considers a 'poodle' with my 9-5 job, insurance, savings account, and regular showers. I'm also interested in homesteading and gardening but in no way want to emulate her lifestyle.
Yeah, that has always bothered me. Why rush to sign up, they are never sold out. And she always has a panic sale... why not offer them for a more reasonable amount in the first place and stick with it. If she would offer these things at a more economical rate in the first place, she might have them fill up faster. And then she could make a more decent return. Just having people pay 175 bucks to show up once or twice at your farmette while you gab about stuff you hardly know much about and already talk all about on your blog and video casts is pretty pricey. Especially when you can find much more qualified folk on Youtube all the time for free. She thinks too highly of her offerings. Just my thoughts...
DeleteHer farm chores are limited to doing normal pet stuff like letting dogs out, giving cat meds, and feeding/watering animals, blogging and playing WOW? This makes her a "feral vigilante farm woman"?
ReplyDeleteFeeding/watering animals, blogging, playing video games, AND a martial arts class?! Man, I would need a nap after all that! Although, I'm sure napping is one of her farm chores.
-C
Hey, now, my farming workdays take up a good 16 hours per day in the summer. I need my 20 minute post-lunch power nap :)
DeleteBut really, those animal chores are at most 30 minutes in the morning, again in the evening. I cracked up that she needs a written list to remember to do the same thing, every day, twice a day.
So true
DeleteSure, but if you don't pull the woe is me crap, people won't give you money. LOL, paying your own bills... such a poodle!
DeleteTo a be true feral vigilante farm woman, one must roll out of bed and head straight to the computer to con hard working people to fund a lifestyle of loafing and neglecting animals.
-C
When I heard all that I wondered what she would do if she had a kid to take care of. I had a premmie newborn a month before lambing season started. That would be 50 ewes lambing over 2 months. Oh, yeah, and in winter too.
ReplyDeleteIf she had to factor that into her already busy day her brain would explode.
The other thing that really stood out was the scrolling banner saying buy hay in Cambridge.
What happened to the "hay banks"? Or, is that term code for running to town for feed at the last minute.
I guess, yet again, preparing for another winter blasting storm is NOT more important than playing video games and martial arts classes.
She is an embarrassment to REAL women farmers and homesteaders. None of them have time for that kind of bs.
Jenn
Well, Son, I got this morning made oatmeal and tea, fed the cat, pulled meat out of the freezer for dinner tonight, got dressed, packed my yoga bag, went to work, had a meeting, raised money for my non-profit, wrote a presentation, commented on blogs, and now getting ready for lunch at my service club.
ReplyDeleteMAN, what a day!!!!
And, it's not even over yet. I still have phone calls to make, emails to send, grants to write and yoga class before I go home and clean the litter box, water the garden, check the hens, fix dinner, relax, read and meditate.
I am woman hear me roar!!!
OMG, the self importance of her mind. Does she really think what she does is soooo difficult that child couldn't have done all that before leaving for school?
Just more of her trying to validate herself and her life.
I am a Woman Living Like Fantasy Fiction: https://bestofama.com/amas/274kxt
ReplyDeletejwoginrich13 karmaMon Jun 02 2014 13:45:15 GMT-0400 (EDT)
ReplyDeleteNo tractors here. I use animal power (a fell pony) to help pull logs for logging (I heat with wood) I have rented things like tillers and such but mostly it's just this girl and her hoes.
Hahaha ..right. How many logs has Merlin pulled? A few for photo ops by her lumberjack.friends.
jwoginrich10 karmaMon Jun 02 2014 14:29:53 GMT-0400 (EDT)
DeleteNope. I did get a $22 tax return this year. I bought Guinness with it.
She must make good $ to only get $22 back on taxes. I don't think.She understands how it works. I made so little last year I got all my taxes back and than some. :(
Wait what? When you're self-employed there are no refunds! The first year I was in business I made about 15k and had to pay about 1600 in income tax. What the hell is she talking about?! You know she's not paying estimated taxes or withholding X from workshop payments. Wait til she meets the IRS wolves at the door.
DeleteWell, we don't know if she is paying estimated taxes or not. The first year you owe is when the IRS demands estimated payments for the coming year. You don't get to ignore the IRS. She'd be really, really stupid to try.
DeleteThe size of your refund is not dependent on the amount of your income; it's dependent on how much you have withheld or pay in quarterly estimated payments.
IF she is paying quarterly estimated taxes on her income and IF she paid in too much, she might get a refund. Usually they take their first estimated payment of the new year from the refund, and if there is money left over, you'll get a check. If the refund isn't big enough to make the entire first payment, you'll have to send them a check for the difference.
I noticed she talks a lot about being broke, but elsewhere (another blog post, I think) she mentions that WoW is costing her $15/month. $180 per year is a lot of money when you're broke and can't afford a lot of stuff that's far, far, more important.
I'm thinking she is not nearly as broke as she'd like for people to believe. If she was well off, and said so, who would send her money? Is a shameful thing to be her.
DeleteI assumed she wasn't paying estimated based on the fact that she doesn't even sensibly cover basics. Seems her $ goes to toys and gas for driving all around every day for sandwiches and coffee and sodas. Let alone to the IRS on a schedule. That'd be no fun!
DeleteWell, she did say this about taxes:
Deletejwoginrich1 karma6/2/2014, 2:51:40 PM
"Money!...Then the hardest part is the end of winter. out of firewood, not warm enough to be outside a lot, stress for taxes, etc."
Not sure what sort of stress she's referring to - stressing that she sent in enough and won't have to come up with more? I hope so. At least that would mean she's trying to comply with the law.
Did she do the archery gig in 2013?
DeleteI wonder about the classification of her land and the impact that has on taxes, too? In PA I believe it's 10 acres to classify as a farm. Meeting certain specs for land use gets you classified as a working farm, and then depending on how the year goes you might get to take a loss on your taxes (thus, saving you from paying money that would otherwise be owed or getting a refund). She must be classified as a farm if she got that USDA loan, right? Not sure how that all plays out for Federal taxes.
Deleteginrich1 karmaMon Jun 02 2014 18:30:42 GMT-0400 (EDT)
ReplyDeletei didn't have the spare time to process all that wool, and having it done by a mill would cost around a grand for 10 sheep.
....that means I can't keep every penny of my CSA $. No way!
When we had sheep, I had the wool from 3 ewes washed, carded, and turned into batting for about $100. I know a guy who has a flock about the size of hers, he spins some and sells the raw wool to other spinners and weavers, and he gets top dollar because he takes impeccable care of his sheep. I think she found out it was too much work, and would have meant she had to give up WOW for a few days. But other people make it worth their while.
DeleteI'd like too, but right now the blog is how I pay my bills and the farm is my grocery store. But I would love to raise more meat commercially. Vegetables make me nervouse
ReplyDelete...begging is How I make a living she means
What do you do for income?
ReplyDeleteShare Link
jwoginrich2 karmaMon Jun 02 2014 15:11:50 GMT-0400 (EDT)
All the things.
Share Link
jwoginrich1 karmaMon Jun 02 2014 15:12:29 GMT-0400 (EDT)
I am an author, freelance writer, freelanced graphic designer, speaker, blogger, pig farmer, etc etc etc
...cringe
Her mental illness shines through in that entire thread.
ReplyDelete-0400 (EDT)
ReplyDeleteI am not off grid, not totally. I only use woodstoves for heat so I do log, collect, and chop my own firewood (with help of friends at work parties).
Email me about falconry? jenna@itsafarwalk.com
....really?!
jwoginrich2 karmaMon Jun 02 2014 20:42:02 GMT-0400 (EDT)
ReplyDeleteSure. I get up between 5:30-6AM. My body just does it, I do not set an alarm. I start out by feeding the cats, then letting the dogs out to pee, and then getting dressed and heading outside. I need to make sure everyone has morning eats and fresh/clean water. that takes around an hour depending on time of year (winter it takes 15 minutes). I break for work indoors when the farm is locked and loaded for a while. In work on the computer in my office here in the farmhouse for a long while and then head back outside to do midday chores - like repairs and goat milking.
Afternoons are usually open - I can work more on writing projects or do what I did today: helped a neighbor put up 254 bales of hay. we finished at 6Pm and I came home to let out the dogs, do evening chores, and now I am playing WoW and getting ready to watch something on the internet on my "tv" a 2005 iMac in the living room. Probably Kevin Pollak's Chat Show. I like it. Tweet 5!
...How are chores faster in the winter when water is frozen
nrich1 karmaMon Jun 02 2014 18:26:55 GMT-0400 (EDT)
ReplyDeleteI am making the same amount of money but working 10X harder. Worth it.
Share Link
....she begs a 9-5 salary!? Crazy.
JennaFebruary 19, 2015 at 5:02 PM
ReplyDeleteAbby: Italics is usually fed daily, but he was fed A BIG rat the night before and still had not cast a pellet (bones, fur, etc - like an owl) so he was not in need of another meal when the list was made. He ate today though!
...wonder where the rat is from. Please don't tell me she is buying food for the caged wild animal that was intended to feed her?
I can't believe I fell for her BS. I actually paid for a work shop that got cancelled due to weather and never got my money back - but didn't get mad. Now that I read this blog, I wonder how I could have been so stupid??.
ReplyDeleteDon't beat yourself up. We all want to feel that people are upstanding and honest until THEY prove otherwise.
DeleteJenn
Anon 7:33 what did JW say about the cancelled workshop? Will you get to attend another one? She's for sure not going to give you $ back.
ReplyDeleteYou should post the specifics of your complaint at coldantlersham.blogspot.com.
DeleteRetirement connotes she has actually worked at something to retire from.. I think it is more fitting to describe her as a life long pan handler...
ReplyDeleteI was thinking the same thing when I saw that vlog and read the blog you need to write all that down to remember to do it? Seriously. I have chickens but I have never written a note to remind myself to care for them I kind of just um....remember? She is getting really stale she needs some new material. That vlog made me want to take a nap. And why doesn't she ever show the top of her head? So strange!
ReplyDeleteShe doesn't show it because her hair is thinning. I used to work with her and she couldn't wear her bandanna at the office all the time. I think it's been thinning for a long time, as long as I've known her. I think it's hereditary, not stress related.
DeleteWhat happened to the other group she was blogging to - the 'Clan' ? Is that still around?
ReplyDeleteI think JW could come back from a lot of her problems if she offered things that already existed instead of having people 'pre pay' for things. What is happening with the Birchthorn book? She's already said the money is gone. How will she pay the editor and publish it when it's due?
What happened to taxidermy? Does Jenna Woginrich have ADD? There's no follow through to anything.
I'm not in the North so I'm also scratching my head over her having to 'feed the fire' all day. That's not normal right? I know other people in Canada, Maine, Vermont, etc who go to work. Why does she always have to watch her fire? Maybe its over my head since I don't deal with those temps.
I think her stove is too small. I don't think it was meant to try to heat a house, and it likely is not capable of heating an entire house. I use wood to heat my house, I have a backup furnace but I don't have any oil. I live in NE Pennsylvania, where it's been below zero-15 degrees the past few weeks, no end in sight. I go to work all day, but I fill the stove with wood before I go and I just have to stir coals up when I get home to start it again. If I'm really worried I'll go home over lunch to throw a log in. The trick is to chop your wood so it's the largest size possible that will still fit into your stove so each log burns as long as possible. And to use quality seasoned hardwood like oak, which I'm guessing she is not using. And dry. Heating with wood isn't hard, most of it is common sense. Leave wood out to season all summer, have your wood stacked and tarped by the fall, etc. It's not rocket science. People have been heating this way for thousands of years. I've heated this way for 5 years and have yet to have a burst pipe, and it gets just as cold here as it does in upstate New York.
Delete-H.
Ditto to what Anon 2:14 said. It's probably any combination of the size and quality of her firewood. She probably has it chopped like you would for a fireplace, but a woodstove will burn that up in no time.
DeleteShe hasn't updated Clan Cold Antler since December. Since she solicited money and promised a post a week, I consider this yet another failure to deliver on a product once it was sold.
DeleteWow, I'm surprised. Okay maybe not. And no one is complaining? Unbelievable.
DeleteSince her last post was about how depressed she was by the Christmas holidays, people are probably too uncomfortable to complain. What I imagine will happen soon is that she'll eventualy remember that blog, update it a couple of times, and then make another pitch for new Clan members to join. So the cycle goes!
DeleteWhy was she depressed by the Christmas holidays?
DeleteAny word of her recent drama on that blog? She posted last night that some things have been going on and that's why there hasn't been any blog or vlog posting. I'm curious now. Can't wait to hear what it is this time.
DeleteSome excuse for a beggathon I'm guessing.
DeleteI'm evening babysitting for folks with a wood stove and guess what...no.one is in the house from 6:roam until I get there. Stir the coals and its off! I thought she had 2 wood stoves?
DeleteShe's an idiot with her woodstove. In her last blog post she said at the end that her fire had gone out in the hour she was writing. WTF? It has to be for attention. I'm sorry, but unless you are a complete idiot there is no way your fire goes out after an hour. Unless it wasn't going to begin with. I don't get her. We heat with a woodstove and keep it going steadily from October-whenver winter ends (I'm in NE Pennsylvania). She either doesn't know how to use her woodstove, or she likes the drama and attention she gets from saying her fire constantly goes out. I hope she knows how much of an idiot she looks like.
DeleteWe heat by wood and keep it going all night by just adding wood once. I also keep it going all day. I left all afternoon and it was still hot coals when I got home. It took a piece of dry wood and a little oxygen and it was going again. I'm also very confused on her wood stove abilities.
DeleteWell, nothing she is doing is sustainable so she has to keep coming up with pre-pay this and that, from one thing to another, to keep afloat. Once she has the money and the bill of the day is paid, on to the next scheme....I mean "work". It just cracks me up when she keeps talking about the farm this and the farm that. Weird. Is she trying to convince us or herself? Hard to tell!
ReplyDeleteAs with most farming operations (and I say that loosely when speaking of CAF) you fall into a routine over time, the same thing day in and day out, unless there is weather to deal with, babies to deliver or some sort of crisis, problem, emergency.
ReplyDeleteI agree, the blog is stale because JW is not doing anything new or different. When the blog was new she was on the learning curve, trying all kinds of new things and talking about them and her journey, but now it's all old hat and routine. Like talking about doing laundry once a week or in this case getting up putting coffee on and letting the dogs out. It's like saying I get up every morning, potty, brush my teeth and wash my face. Who cares. A bazillion other people do the same damn thing each and every morning.
I agree the blog is stale with less and less infomation, except for the slow moving train wreck that's hard to look away from, but it is also dull, lifeless, monotonous, mundane, tedious, tiresome, tiring, trite, uninteresting, drab, flat, ho hum, insipid, repetitious, spiritless, threadbare, unexciting, unvaried, well worn and worn out.
She hasn't found the flow of making the every season chores or projects seem new and fresh. Even she doesn't seem excited about what she is doing, it's more like describing the drudgery of housework--who cares!
I remember many years ago when I subscribed to the Tightwad Gazette, Amy Dacyczyn called it quits after six years of writing. She said she had written everything she could and didn't want to recycle old material.
DeleteAt some point, the newness wears off. It will be interesting to see how JW will keep the blog going.
Loved that thing, a real eye opener in the 70's or 80's I forget when it was!
Deleteit's weird how she resents everything she does...all the animals annoy her or bother her in some way.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE every aspect of farming/gardening. I love doing stalls, feeding, watering, wellness checks, researching, getting dirty, watching progress of growth, spending time with the animals or crops etc. My poor dogs had a hard time pulling me away from the pigs..in any weather! I put lights up around my garden so I could garden/weed at night. I absolutely adore it all.
Jenna needs to change her name to Zelda and call it a day. I believe she only continues her blog because it makes her money. As in she earns a full time 9-5 with degree salary off of it. She can't let it go so she limps along. This is obvious by her blog and minimal care for her animals and apparent disdain for them as well. Merlin, Italics, and Gibson fuel her fantasy fire so they are on an elevated plane....but the pigs, poultry, goats, and sheep? forget about it. she can't weave them into her fantasy but needs them for infrequent blog content so they stay.
I don't understand the appeal of video games and never have. that is one thing I will never allow in my house if I have children and no way I could ever date someone who spends time immersed in that world.
I think we would see a different person if gaming was not in the picture. Seeing how her blog has changed with the presence of gaming I now understand how marriages and partnerships suffer when gaming takes over. Not that it matters. What she needs to do is stop hustling people so she can game and get a job where gaming is part of it. she's a graphic designer, can't that warp into something in the gaming industry? I really believe people should do what they love. Jenna does not love farming and homesteading, she loves gaming and the technology necessary to game. The Cold Antler Farm deal doesn't seem like anything she enjoys anymore, which is a shame because she did build a successful brand. I know she needs to keep chugging along for the paycheck but encourage her to do what she loves.
I get excited for her typing about her potential career in gaming. It's obvious that's where her heart it. She doesn't have to prove this CAF thing to anyone. Jenna, if it's not what you want to do anymore, don't. Scale it down and take a CAF break. Try and find a way to make money legitimately through gaming and enjoy the "farm life" on the side...like you already do but without the front you have to put on to nurse money out of your blog audience.
Having to "show up" and work whether she feels like it or not, the resentment, annoyed by her "co-workers"...hmmm, that's starting to sound an awful lot like a job.
DeleteThere are many people who love doing some thing...woodworking, say...but they're wise enough to know they'd never want to do it full time. When you can't get enough of it, it's still fascinating and exciting. When you HAVE to do it to survive and keep the money coming in, the fun's gone and the pressure's on. Oddly enough, it sounds like JW, in her attempt to live like fantasy fiction, has run head-on into reality.
For 30 years I felt giddy every spring, the hope and anticipation, every lambing season with the promise of new life and seeing how our breeding program was improving, every summer at the shows and every fall when we bred the ewes and put the farm to bed for the winter.
DeleteI never tired of it. Yes, there were brief moments of frustration, as with anything, but over all it was renewing itself. It was exciting to see progress. JW doesn't have that because she doesn;t have a breeding program where she's trying to improve her sheep, chickens, rabbits, goats, etc. She's just a collector of animals that will go buy new when the old one's wear out. That's not a farmer or a homesteader. That's a hobbiest, a dabbler.
Glad you still feel the joy and excitement Mededith. I know I do.
Jenn
Hey Meredith -
ReplyDeleteSo, if money were not a problem, describe your IDEAL pig operation.
I'll tackle this later...for now money is a problem and the pig operation I worked on is a hell hole I need to continue fighting against.
DeleteAnyone know what JW is posting on Facebook? No posts for quite a few days on her blog.
ReplyDeleteshes hit rock bottom and has a tooth ache. apparently.
ReplyDeleteHit rock bottom how?
ReplyDeleteHer current post should bring in all sorts of money.
ReplyDeleteYou're right - the money should be pouring in now.
ReplyDeleteIt's posts like this that made me really glad I never quit my day job. I was suffering from office burnout when I first started reading JW's blog and remember her 'just do it' post. However, I wanted to see exactly how she was able to quit her job and support herself.
What I saw was that it was one hustle after another. I really like the idea of a steady paycheck rather than trying to figure out where next month's income is coming from.
She wrote that she wanted to be able to ride her horse on a Monday morning and go to the dentist on a Thursday afternoon. Well, I can work in an office plus go to a dentist on a Thursday, because I get paid sick time. I also don't have to worry about the dental bill because of my employer paid insurance.
No, I think I'll pass on being feral. Too much drama. Feral animals are either hunting or being hunted. I prefer the life of a poodle. True I work for a living, but my bills are paid on time, my house is warm, and I sleep well at night.
In the words of Dave Ramsey, this is Murphy coming to call.
ReplyDeletePiss poor planning always kicks you in the butt.
ReplyDeleteI am exhausted reading her pattern of hitting rock bottom every few months. I just want to sit down in front of her and say "aren't you exhausted? Aren't you ready to end the pattern of drama?" If she just made a budget and a farm plan - got a part time waitressing job - or SOMETHING - she could dig herself out and STAY out. WHo would chose to continue suffering the way she does? Most people who life and suffer like she does have NO OTHER CHOICE. Too old. Too unhealthy or whatever. She is young, well educated and capable yet CHOSES that hell. Its shocking. She feels better right now b/c pain pills are good at temporary relief.........she will be right back in hell - prob in a few days.
ReplyDeleteI hate to tell her this, but she did not hit rock bottom - yet. This is just the beginning. It is a long way down and if she does not do something to stop this cycle of one crises after another she's going to find out what rock bottom really is.
ReplyDeleteYou're right. Every bad decision she makes now will have 5 bad consequences.
DeleteAgree. If your rock.bottom is a tooth ache? Hot damn you have it better than 99.9% of the population.
DeleteIllegal truck. Can't repair it. Electric Shutoff at house, serious indeed. Behind in mortgage. Yet running around and buying a bunch of stuff, provisions... doesn't she have any of that stuff? heat lamps, etc? and buying a pocket watch and whatever... shesh. Give me a break. We have all been there, rock bottom... yeah dental stuff is a real pain. Doesn't she have enough adult beverages in her house, I thought she brews and all. spend $20 on more whiskey? I think she just really likes how cool she sounds swigging whiskey and all that. I just wanted to puke reading that post. I honestly did. I have absolutely no respect for her anymore. She is five train wrecks all together. She is just priming the pump for monster load of new atta boys and amen charlies. I just can't believe how much this really bothers me. She is not taking care of herself and her "farm" in any shape or way, not with all that crap going on. 13 more payments on that truck??? What the heck. Sell the damn thing and get a beater. She works at home, she has friends if it croaks, she has a horse. And anyone that is over the age of 24 knows that you get a lot of chances before you get the 72 notice for your electric. That means about two or three months of not paying. For gosh sakes, J, GROWN THE F UP. You have to pay monthly for electric. Just like your WOW account. Or they turn you off. I knew something major was coming, five+ days off line? That was some masterful drama builder there. And then the facebook thing, even her poor Mom is freaking out. She is just a master manipulator. Everyone has bad days. But we all deal with them and move on and get smarter, hopefully. We don't just keep repeating everything like a moon cycle. And the pagan stuff, that's getting to be a little much. She is just one hot mess. I just can't believe I got sucked into all this... I've donated, I've worried... where the HECK is all the kickstarter money? She clearly doesn't have even the money for all the book printing and such she is supposed to do as part of the payoffs for donation and all. Because if you are going to get your electric turned off like your phone and all.... (you KNOW she got her phone turned off, her fancy iphone cell...) and you have 3 grand sitting to print books later in some unknown year... you are gonna take some and pay the bill. After all, you need juice to keep writing on the new computer and all that. Just unbelievable. Agh..... I feel so bad for her friends and family. Because if she is just lying about this all, and they read it on the blog or FB, they have to be kind of upset, so that means it's probably all true... in which case, I would think they are upset at how she is not taking care of anything right... UGH! What a huge big hot mess. Unbelievable.
ReplyDeleteListen, you kind of have to feel pity for her, she's really just a very immature person supported in a new tech world that enables people to fictionalize their fantasies. Farmer, goddess, whatever, she's desperately lonely on a very deep level, the whole enterprise screams pain, the whole CAF crapfest is harmonic BS chanted to sooth her tormented psyche. Mom may need to do an intervention, come up there with Doc Parsons and Rev. Frank and maybe friends like Jon, Patty and Yeshiva can all be there for support as the ambulance drives away. Reminds me of people who don't set aside funeral expenses, just gonna live forever, and oh yeah, inconvenience those "boys and girls" with figuring out where to bury me. Now that's a life worth living? Sorry but can this Hindenburg go down in any better way?
ReplyDeleteI just shake my head at the whole situation. She's a child playing at being a grown up, and doing a piss poor job. She claims an accountant and lawyer at the very least, and I know those services aren't cheap even on standby. The fact that I ever felt weird for being what she calls a poodle irritates me. Because I make sure that there is reliable income to feed and house my family somehow makes me less in her eyes? And she's obviously new to the Pagan scene. Only the enthusiastically new, and the unstable, tend to be that boisterous about their beliefs. I bet she's noticed how many more comments (and dollars) roll in on her "poor me" posts. It's just pathetic to watch.
ReplyDeleteA dental abscess is a serious medical condition and needs to be treated as quickly as possible. It could lead to an infection in the head and neck and then become systemic. Systemic infections can be life-threatening. She needs a root canal or an extraction. I hope that she reads this.
ReplyDeleteOf course...why do you think she chose an abscess to freak.out about. I'm not convinced there is a problem...she has claimed to crowd fund in the last if need be for medical emergencies. You think anyone that donates is going to request a copy of the invoice or a motorized letter/picture of her mouth?! She needs to pay some bills so she needs to be gravely I'll in a way that she is still able bodied and functional. Ding ding ding tooth issues. If you posted that on her blog which I'm sure she is hoping some one does...money will roll.in. it's all calculated. She is a SCAM ARTIST con man. There is no abscess.
DeleteCon woman
DeleteAs for the rest of her problems, one of the posters above is correct: she has not yet hit rock bottom. And rock bottom can also end in death. She's got a lot of serious risk factors. Living on the East coast in one of the worst winters in memory without adequate heat and now, perhaps, no electricity, is just the most serious crisis she faces. Everyone above has enumerated her many, many problems, most of which could only be solved by becoming independently wealthy. Barring a lottery win, her existence is going to come crashing down quite soon, and it might end in some serious, life-altering consequences, like death or perhaps worse, disability. I would not play with my life so freely.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately Jenna has inverted Maslow's pyramid, striving for self-realization before safety and physical needs are met. There is no way that that can work out in a healthy way. The stress of uncertainty and obviously the subconscious conflict of parasitical living must be taking its toll, the physiological abscess is symbolic of a deeper abscess within and like a void must be healed or sink deeper into the abyss of an upside down pyramid. Katz had a heart-rending tale of the winter in JW's neighborhood, worth a read and a prayer for all these people living rurally, some by immature choice and fantasy, others by heritage and fate: http://www.bedlamfarm.com/2015/02/26/perspective-richard-and-jennys-winter/
ReplyDeleteOmg, that really is a heart-felt story. Notice that Jenny has a part time waitressing job, even though she is 66 and arthritic. And there is JW, young, healthy, educated and able-bodied who will not look for work and expects money to be handed to her.
ReplyDeleteI have a friend I went to high school with that has cerebral palsy. His mental faculties are not affected, but he cannot walk, shower, feed, drink, or go to the bathroom himself. He is confined to a wheelchair, and writes with an apparatus that has a pencil strapped to his head. He is basically paralyzed from the neck down, with slight function in one hand. But HE WORKS. Yes, he works. He works a job where he builds high-powered computers with some crazy technology I don't understand. He wrote a blog post the other day about how it would be to have 1 day as a normal person. It's heartbreaking to think that someone that is disabled is working, yet Jenna begs. It makes me sick. Talking about rock bottom. PLEASE. She can still walk, talk and use her body. Become paralyzed, them talk to me about rock bottom. She's an over-privileged imbecile.
DeleteI would love to read that blog post if you are willing to share the link.
Delete-Anne
The $$ will roll in, devotees have too much invested, Kunstler calls it the vortex of diminishing returns, we have to pay her to see the show go on, frankly everyone on this blog should chip in for a bottle of Pappy and full extraction, root canal and gold crown for her after this weeks episode of "As the Quote Unquote Farm Turns". As good as Downton but with chickens and new born goats about to be frozen
ReplyDeleteRecently in a fairly progressive free paper in our area, there was an article on "The Selfie Generation." The headline read: "Self-Focused. Self-Promoting. Self-Determining." I might add, "SELFISH." nuff said
ReplyDeleteI just took another look at her blog and what happened to all her sponsors is she down to one? There used to be a ton? I try not to wish ill on others figure it always ends up slapping you in the face later down the road but she obviously needs to make some changes. At least she is using her education now to make money doing logos that's a start but maybe getting a part time job to pay the bills would help? But then I think the problem is because her infrastructure sucks shes afraid to leave home for very long. Hard to work when you cant leave the house.
ReplyDeleteI just took a look at the blog and there are a lot of sponsors.
DeleteMust be my browser I can only see one!
DeleteBut, she does leave the farm...all the time. In fact, her post said she was in Glen Falls which is a good 35 miles away to take a class and visit friends. And, she did this travel in the worst winter in recent New England history.
DeleteSo, the excuses she makes for not working a job because she can't leave is pure bullshit. She can and does leave if and when it suits her.
But, I do agree that her infrastructure is deplorable and 90% of the problems she has. I've raised livestock for more years than JW has been alive and in more numbers than she will ever have and never had this many problems with escaping animals.
But, as people have said before, if it was all smooth sailing her life would not be interesting to her followers.
She may have the sponsor links up, but that does not mean they are still paying a sponsorship fee. If Meredith is receiving inquiries then her sponsor base is beginning to question. But, she would never take them down because that would be a signal that all is not well in Jenna-land.
DeleteI never comment on here, but wanted to today. I make no excuses for her. I hope she gets slapped with a lawsuit or some other measure to make her right her many wrongs. I believe she is a scam artist. With all that being said, my heart breaks for her. She is clearly so deeply lonely and so deeply insecure that she takes drastic measures for validation. I am a new stay at home mom. I have a supportive family, husband and friends. But the snow means I've been stuck home more lately. It's been a mental bad certain days. She is alone all the time without the family and husband. I believe that her deep loneliness has always been there. She clearly has struggled making friends. She is always trying to lose weight and believes it'll fix it all, but she never sticks to a workout plan or diet (look back on her blog...she mentions starting running, or jillian michaels, or a diet and it never last longer than a few weeks). She so wants to be married, but men lack the interest. I wish she would sell the farm, go to a place that does long and extensive counseling and truly discover who she is. The constant buying of things, the no filter to what she tells the world shows that she is trying desparetly to fill a hole.
ReplyDeleteTrue. Often the lifestyle that people think will make them happy (quitting a full time job, going off to putter around with your hobbies), not only doesn't make them happy, but accelerates their problems. And the things that they wanted to escape (a schedule and forced socialization with your coworkers), were the things that kept them on a somewhat even keel.
DeleteShhhhhh, wait for it. Its coming.
ReplyDeleteAnd its not birchthorn.
Agreed. And the time off from the blog and elsewhere- completely calculated, tooth or no tooth. Such a drama machine. All she knows, really. Create drama, be a victim, don't take responsibility, hope for new followers who are attracted without even knowing it to drama queens.
Delete"And this slump can all change in one book deal or a rush on logo sales or workshop attendance. I see that illegal truck outside with a driver's side door that stopped opening and I don't see a burden. I see a vehicle with just 13 more payments left until I own it."
DeleteAnd, there you have it. THE ASK, THE PROD, THE HINT
FOR MONEY!!!!
She reminds me of my brother. He never wanted to work a steady job. He was always looking for the next hustle, the next big thing, his next big break. He wanted fast money.
DeleteSlow and steady really does win the race. He had wasted so much time and talent. He's in his 60's now and broke. If he had worked a steady job and saved his money he could be living comfortably and drama free.
Yes, there is the hint. Only 13 more payments - hint, hint hint. If only her readers could cough up enough money to pay off her truck like they did to pay off Merlin.
DeleteI am not familiar with NY laws, but can one really receive a court summons for driving a vehicle with an expired registration? That sounds like a bit of a stretch. Or more likely, is this a matter of repeat citations that she never settled, therefore the court date?
ReplyDeleteMy daughter got a ticket for expired tags, but all we had to do was pay the fine and get the tags.
DeleteWe did end up in court, but that was me fighting the ticket because we had just bought the used truck and the dealer had not sent the registration paperwork to the DMV. Not something we could do about it, but the cop disagreed.
We ended up not having to pay and the tags arrived the following week. Problem solved.
I should have written a blog post about it.
I got a ticket in NC once for expired registration. The ticket came with a court date, but the officer said I just needed to renew my registration and bring it to the office at the court to show them it was renewed. No time in front of a judge or court fees or anything dramatic. Walked in the door, showed a clerk a piece of paper and left.
DeleteThose that scream loudest are the ones that need help the least.
ReplyDeleteShe actually published THIS comment on her blog. Wow. Someone questioning her...........lisa said...
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, Jenna. I've been a long time reader, read and own a couple of your homesteading books, but don't know if I've ever commented. I think of myself as very, very open minded and one who admires people who put themselves out there and live honest lives that are unconventional. I admire your ability to live close to the earth and take your knocks, and then share it all with an online community. However, sometimes I just worry that things are TOO much for you. I wonder if you gave yourself a break, if things could be easier for you. I feel like you have so much angst mixed in with so much joy, and literally find myself thinking of you randomly and wishing you had a partner on your farm. I know you have a wonderful community, but so wish you could find another human to live with you full time and give the level of support you get by sharing a home with someone. I don't mean a romantic partner (unless that is something you would like someday). I really mean a business partner. I am not a farmer, though I have farmy dreams, but I just know I could not do it alone. Not because I am a woman and believe I can't do physical things; just because I don't know of any farmers, male or female, who are successful on their own. I live in farm country, and there is a reason farms, not even large ones, take many people to run them. It is HARD. I just can't wrap my mind around what you have achieved alone first of all, but why you would want to. Also, I get so nervous by how on the edge you often are financially. My heart almost stopped when I first started reading this post - teeth abscesses are no joke. My husband had an abscess following a wisdom tooth extraction a few years ago and had to be hospitalized and have another surgery. We would literally have gone bankrupt if he didn't have excellent insurance. This sort of thing happens all the time to people. I don't say this from a condescending place in any way; just that we have no control over what may come, and there is a reason why many of us choose safer paths and security. I am so glad you are feeling better and on the road to recovery, but I do wonder - do you think in any way, this will lead you to consider making some changes so you do not have to live so close to the edge? Maybe that is not possible, probably not desirable. I know you love much about your scrappy life, and I admire it. I just offer up this thought as I would offer it to any of my friends after they are in a tough spot, have gotten through it, and I want to help them avoid it in the future. I don't want you to feel defensive but perhaps consider a slightly different path. I know you work very hard, but have you considered how you could be more financially sound and not have to work so very hard? I feel like there must be a way or maybe a few ways but they would probably involve a slight paradigm shift. Anyways, this thought or advice, if you will, is offered with respect and a caring heart, and is not intended to upset you.
There is sound advice in the above post from someone who still thinks she is honest. She'd do well to take it.
DeleteHow do.you admire her "scrappy" life that is in fact not scrappy at all. She has a plush life. A wood stove does not make one scrappy. She doesn't work and has a few dozen minutes of chores..same as everyone else. Know how hard it is so feed chickens? As hard as it.is to check your mail. Who in their right mind would ask for or even take someone up on an out of state offer to come drive out to.collect your mail? She is a "sustainable prepper peak oil paranoid" yet has people drive in from distant places to do things as easy as check mail, water houseplants, or fold laundry.
Deleteand she published his one....maybe a few of the amen charlies are seeing the light????????
ReplyDeleteMolly said...
I've been thinking that you could benefit from some steady, reliable income. Have you considered bartending? I think you would be really good at it. It's not an office job and it wouldn't interfere with your day chores. My niece bartended when things were tough and she made a very nice income. The tips can be great. You are a sociable person and I think bartending would suit you.
Her clueless response:
ReplyDeleteJenna said...
karen lisa - I appreciate and note your comments and take no offense, what you wrote is common sense! But know things like Italics cost very very little - hunting and his food is free and pretty much a pure joy. The cost was getting his building up and such - which is all paid for.
As for such a plan, that is certainly something I am doing now with my accountant and bookkeeping. An example would be these two ram lambs. I used to sell them for $175 a lamb if someone wanted a breeding ram. Now I know I can't afford to sell them for that. They would sell for $300 as breeding stock or I can keep them to raise as meat animals. That way the feed and cost works out to be worth it - with fleeces I can tan and sell as well for $175.
So I am learning every year. I've only been self employed for what is it? almost 3 years? I will continue to be and learn from mistakes, down turns like this, etc. But I already talked to the electric company and made a partial payment. (so that is okay) got the tooth calmed down with pain meds and antibiotics, have folks on board for the poultry project, and worked out plans with neighboring farms for worksharing and such.
I write about what scares or excites me, not the everyday bookkeeping and such - which means you readers get a manic version of my life. I think I should be writing more about the everyday as well, which is another note I can take away from this.
Point is: Thanks! and yes, I do gifted workshops.
February 27, 2015 at 11:42 AM Blogger Jenna said...
Another thing worth pointing out is I don't think having a spouse or roommate or more financial security would make me happier if it meant changing my life. I had security and insurance before, in that sense - it wasn't a better life.
What is better and will make me happier and less stressful is learning how to make this life work better - which all you fine folks need to remember is just going into my third year as a self-employed person.I am 100% certain that in a few years I will look back on posts like this and say "Man, look how far I have come, how I made it work, how much I have saved, paid off, fixed, etc" Right now is putting in the hard lessons and time.
stay tuned.
I asked her in the past why she hasn't skinned her dead sheep and do sheepskin rugs...I'll try to find her response.
Delete"how I made it work, how much I have saved, paid off, fixed, etc"
ReplyDeleteHuh? How much SHE made it work? SHE saved? paid off WHAT? omg delusional
this is from one of Jon Katzs posts yesterday talking about people wanting to help people who were in trouble and people saying they didnt want help......gee I wonder who he is talking about?
ReplyDeleteAnd there is this, there are lots of people who are needy, and lots of people who have figured out how to manipulate people into giving them money – they are in crisis regularly. And are given money regularly. Life is rarely simple or black and white.
and then there is this....
ReplyDeleteJenna Woginrich
6 mins · Edited ·
A few nights ago was rock bottom. Thanks to this online community people have contacted me for logos, indie days, and workshops. Police officers that read my blog from across the state helped me figure out the best way to deal with the traffic issue. Friends came last night to help with lambing and didn't mind the rooster by the wood stove. I called the electric company and secured service. People sent in kind emails, lovely encouragement, little donations to the blog and offered to drive over from other states to help with chores. I am overwhelmed by the kindness in this community and want you all to know how much better things are. Cold Antler Farm is not just me - it's an online experiment as much as a homestead in the mountains. I thank you all, so much. I will make it to spring with a lighter heart!
I'm sorry, but I don't believe this statement is even close to 100% accurate! JW is so used to lying and embellisihing to get what she thinks she needs, and deserves- I just don't buy it. Sorry, JW, you are a liar and have proven that so many times.
DeleteAlso, Katz was describing a real life couple who were anything but needy and scam artists. But his comment about some people being good at scamming or manipulating I think is something JW saw. She obviously reads him. COnsider that she put that new comment on as a 'in your face Katz', as it is pretty clear many in the town are on to her ways-I've heard this from my friend who lives there. Liar.
DeleteUnbelievable. Barnum was right, a sucker born every minute. I'm sure those that helped will make it to spring with not only a lighter heart, but a lighter wallet, too.
ReplyDeleteWow. I guess the pool of potential donors is unlimited, even if her neighbors get tired of bailing her out. I was asking myself this morning why someone would put such an embarrassing post out on the internet, but I guess I have my answer in her most recent statement. I'd be humiliated if I were so incapable of taking care of myself.
ReplyDelete"Police officers that read my blog" OH JW, that is your best one yet!!!!! I think I'll send this link into the police there! You are so good at lying you lie to yourself even more!!!
ReplyDeleteSomeone commented on that post that she should get a part time job because she can't keep going from crisis to crisis and you should see the reaction!
ReplyDeleteWhoever commented about getting a job is being setup for Jenna's amusement. She only lets through the comments she wants. Basically she's getting her minions to attack someone so she still kind of looks Ok. Shameless creature.
DeleteWhy would her minions attack someone who suggested a sensible solution to the wacky crises that are always going on in Jenna's life. Why is Jenna above getting a job like everyone else?
Deletethis is what the person wrote:
DeleteI hate to say this and I am glad things are looking up but isnt it getting tiring living from one crisis to the next? It must be exhausting and the constant stress cant be healthy for you. I wish you find a little stability with a part time job. What happens one day when there is another crisis and the wolves are at the door and nobody wants to help anymore? What then?
Anon 12:58- I assume that she sees herself as better than people who have steady income because she's "feral" and whatever else she describes herself as. As for her minions, they're living vicariously through her manipulated internet presence and questioning that persona means they have to go back to their reality, which is likely a painful realization for them. That's why they attack anyone who tries to offer advice that takes her out of her fantasy.
DeleteThe interesting thing about being "feral" is that feral animals have short lives and often violent endings. Feral animals do not have anyone taking care of them. When food is scarce, there are no generous neighbors or crowdfunding sources. When they are ill, there are no medications or painkillers. No one donates to them.
DeleteNo, she is absolutely not feral. Or maybe she is like a feral cat, hanging around someone's backyard waiting for a handout. But truly feral, never.
How does she, in good conscience, take donations when she is an able bodied, educated young person? How does she look herself in the mirror? How can she say she is "proud" of where she has come? There are actual problems in the world. Babies with cancer, children starving, disabilities, etc. she gets a tooth ache and takes donations from people. It makes me sick. She could at least use her influence for good, but instead she selfishly spends it on her hobby farm begging for money. What a joke. I wish she'd travel a bit, see true hardship and hurt in the world. She's so self focused that she somehow thinks a tooth ache is rock bottom.
ReplyDeleteJon Katz was definitely making an oblique reference to Jenna in his blog post about the needy couple that were too proud to take charity. Shame on her. She is young, educated and able bodied. To make other people feel sorry for her and send money is shameful. Shame, shame, shame on her.
ReplyDeleteI love how she says people who don't agree could stop reading her blog. It's like a train wreck waiting to happen. It will collapse on her and I don't really want to miss when it happens.
ReplyDeleteI love how even when she lets through a few softly critical comments, she has a slew of reasons why she can't do whatever. Or how she won't give up her life to do these things. WHy in the heck is she so above each and every other one of us that has hit hard times and done what we needed to do to make it out of those bad situations??? Because she knows that her minions will help her. I'm sure she had more than "little" donations... probably a good amount of them. Because she has all these dreamers that see past the reality of her situation and just want the dreamy highlights. So annoying.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know what the average price of a lamb is? She is increasing her price from $150 to $300.
ReplyDeleteWe've raised sheep in a good area where lamb is appreciated for many years. We have registerd stock and sell breeding and meat animals. When I saw the $300 comment, I just groaned. And her reply to the commentor who suggested it was too high-laughable, unless she wants to have wetheres around eating grass, or in tact rams-but with her fences and lack of breeding 'plan' [yes, JW, most of have a plan when we breed, it is part of the responsibility of animal husbandry]. ANyway, your question, we sell ram lambs up to about 5 months for $175 range, and if proven one has stayed on baord for 2 years plus-anywhere from $300 $400., or a nice looking, good quality yearling for $275 range. A proven ewe is usually $350-400, a yealring ewe $225 -250. This is pretty typical on the west coast, but also in other parts of the region-judging from our breeding stock catalogs.
DeleteShe is completely bonkers. We sometimes sell registered lambs from our flock as breeding stock, and my experience with pricing absolutely tracks with Anon 6:31 p.m. and I live on the other side of the country (the Southeast) so I can't imagine the situation in the Northeast is any different. When I saw that about the lamb pricing I was just agog. She is insane if she thinks people will pay that for an unregistered lamb! And if anyone does, they're throwing their money right down the drain.
Delete6:31pm- those prices are for registered stock right? Drop a 1/3 if not more off the asking price of breeding stock if they aren't registered.
DeleteShe just commented that she doesn't expect to sell them at all, that the high price is basically what it costs her to raise them. It's a confusing comment. With her financial unsteadiness, seems like getting rid of them now for $150 makes more sense...
ReplyDeleteYou're right. Why overprice them if you can sell them? Doesn't make sense at all.
ReplyDeleteSame reason she overprices her workshops--so she can put them "on sale" and write a breathless post with an undercurrent of desperation about how she really needs to sell some stuff to make ends meet. It is pure calculation and manipulation of her readership.
DeleteHer fuzzy logic is appalling. Can't afford to sell lambs because it would cost too much for her to raise them. ??? Police friends telling her that it's okay to have an expired truck with issues and a court summons... yeah right. SPending money on watches and booze when she's STILL behind on her mortgage and electric? Can't work off home because she has to tend the fire... (And she has heating oil boiler that she could turn on like EVERYONE else in the world that has to leave and work and be grown up...) Doesn't want a spouse or roommate if is means loosing her lifestyle of fear, drama and frantic pleas for help every other week??? Her family must be so proud of her. Her reasoning and logic are so whack.
ReplyDeleteShe mentioned $20 as the amount of money she spent on the bourbon, but the last time I bought a bottle of ElijahCraig, it was $40. And if you are swishing and spitting it out for god's sake, use mouth wash. Elijah Craig is like single malt scotch or fine brandy. She acts like someone who has no idea what she's doing.
DeleteFor a while I felt sorry for her readers, because when she crashes some of them may have a breakdown too, they are that invested in her. But then I thought that they are a big part of her problem, they are enabling her into ruin or an early grave.
Why spit out the whiskey? She's using it as a disinfectant as if there aren't cheaper alternatives? Craziness.
DeleteI'm guessing most peiple
Yeah, how about a 50c bottle of hydrogen peroxide?
DeleteSomeone suggested she start a kick starter campaign to get a nest egg because people want to help out but don't know how. Whaaaaat?!? You're right. The readers are enabling at this point. Give to an actual cause, people! Not to an entitled lazy con artist.
ReplyDeleteUnbelievable....
DeleteHer family should be totally embarrassed at what they raised. How do all her enablers not see this pattern of "rock bottom," then begging....then thanking everyone from the bottom of her heart for the donations so she can get everything on track, then what do you know....rock bottom again....begging again...donations again...praise for the enablers again...rock bottom again....my post is even annoying and this is her real life!! I give it a month til this pattern starts all over again. There are LITERALLY years and years of this cycle. Katz likely brought up that whole story of that proud older couple SOLELY to juxtapose Lame Jenna to them.
ReplyDeletePlease don't put any of the blame on JW's family unless you have first hand information about her upbringing. My family has learned the hard and painful way that sometimes it just doesn't matter how much the parents try to instill good values and common sense into their children--sometimes people ignore all of that and do dishonest, foolish, awful, and even criminal things. And that's often not on the family, it's on the individual who perpetrates it.
DeleteI agree with Anon 11:20, don't blame the family without knowing anything about them. Personally, as a parent myself, I have felt bad for her parents over the last several years. I think from the times J has written about her family, they seem to be decent people. She just doesn't seem to think so herself. I remember being appalled at her not being able to visit them for a holiday, but could find the time to leave the farm to speak at a MEN conference overnight. If I am remembering correctly, her mother even showed up at the conference to give her support. I got the impression J was attempting to mock her mother because they were so different from each other. I know from comments back then that I wasn't the only one disturbed by her behavior.
DeleteValerie
You misunderstood me! I did not mean that her parents did anything wrong - just the opposite in fact. What I mean to say was that I bet they are embarrassed at how things have turned out. I know I would be embarrassed if my kids were begging for money and scamming people on the internet.
DeleteSorry about that. I started to feel really bad for her parents when she started to have her "pity me" fundraisers. I'm sure she does make them very embarrassed and heartbroken.
DeleteValerie
Trust me, embarrassed does not begin to cover it. They are likely devastated by her behavior and suffer every day for it.
DeleteThe police read her blog, say what? What kills me is how after the 10000 word psychodrama we're back on the vlog hours later, happily waxing poetic about chickens and kale. Say what?
ReplyDeleteGood point, Anon at 7:32 PM. She COULD buy some heating oil so that she could leave the house to work and avoid frozen pipes! Why don't her readers notice this? I believe that police in rural areas read blogs to get a better idea of what's going on in their communities, so their involvement actually makes sense. It's clear that she can't handle the minimal, basic tasks required to live alone and isn't qualified to offer "homesteading" advice!
ReplyDeleteI know lots of folks that heat primarily with wood stove, but if and when they need to be away a bit longer, they fire up their old furnace for a bit, just at about fifty degrees... Doesn't cost a lot in fuel and it takes the edge off so the pipes don't freeze. And it makes it easier for the wood stove to get cranking when they return. Let's face facts. You are going to spend money and resources nap eating, one way or another. Since she's not harvesting her own woods and getting firewood delivered, then what is the difference of spending a bit of fuel oil to keep from wrecking the house and getting off her rear and working part time to get over the slump and build a nest egg?
DeleteThe bottom line, is she doesn't have to. Her cons bring in enough toget by with. I'm sure it all adds up. Otherwise, she would be doing something normal, like getting a job. It's clear as mud what is going on. She doesn't have to. Her breathless posts of fear and worry bring in the crop.
Darn autocorrect. I mean heating... Not nap eating.
DeleteAnon at 9:36 am - exactly!!! All of her recent posts, as well as many others, demonstrate that she is incapable of giving any useful advice to others.
DeleteNap eating. I like that. Two of my favorite things.....hahaha.
DeleteCan anyone recommend a good homesteading blog with DIY stuff? I cannot read CAF anymore. Ugh.
ReplyDeleteMine! Lol just kidding. It's pretty quiet right now. Waiting on seeds and steadier weather to do anything. So posts are sparse. Ummmmmm I can't think of any that I read that have DIY stuff, not really. Sorry.
DeleteBecca, Your blog is great! I also enjoy "Just plain Marie" http://www.justplainmarie.ca/ and "The Nerdy Farm Wife" http://thenerdyfarmwife.com/
DeleteAww thanks! I need to check out those other blogs. I feel like I used to read them, but lost the links transitioning between computers.
DeleteI like the Mobile Home Woman's site... they moved a few years to an actual little homestead. It's a single mom and two teenage young adult daughters and those ladies are tough as nails and are not afraid to get dirty, work on their dream and never beg or ask for help. http://www.themobilehomewoman.com
Deletewww.katiegirlhate.blogspot.com. I like this one because it is so normal. The woman has a family, full time job and manages to do the neatest homestead projects. Where she finds the time, I will never understand, but I like that blog.
DeleteShoot. I meant www.katiegirlkate.blogspot.com
DeleteI have been to Katie blog and do like it! Another wonderful working farm with a writer/artist is Apifera-she too does so much my head spins. Raises sheep but also helps elder animals, and writes, paints, sews dolls. Been following her for years and have all her books. http://www.apiferafarm.blogspot.com
DeleteSaige in WI
I just read a quote that said, "Givers need to set limits, because takers rarely do".
ReplyDeleteJust read an article where a mother blogged about her son's health troubles, and wound up poisoning him to death with salt. Superficially unrelated to J, but it shows the lengths people will go to when it comes to receiving attention, over the Internet or otherwise. Smh
ReplyDeletejust saw this gem from a few years ago makes you remember just how long this bull as been going on!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bedlamfarm.com/2013/07/29/the-real-world-jennas-farm-my-farm-my-life-what-is-help/
Yes, that was about a year and a half ago. I think he's wised up considerably since then, a couple days ago he wrote:
Delete"And there is this, there are lots of people who are needy, and lots of people who have figured out how to manipulate people into giving them money – they are in crisis regularly. And are given money regularly. Life is rarely simple or black and white."
That is exactly the problem. Her "wake-up" calls happen about 4-6 times a year - perhaps more often since she quit her full time job - but they occurred for YEARS before this post. Anyone who has read her blog for 10 years or so is appalled. When you find a new blog and the author has a "wake-up" call, it IS inspiring - we all have those scary times, so it is comforting to see someone else going through it and rebounding. But if you stick around on her blog long enough, you see that her "wake-up" calls are really just daily life bills that have caught up with her. She freaks out, cries out for help and gets donations. Over and Over and Over. She does not have an actual plan to consistently dig her out of this inevitable problem - unless begging IS her plan. She waits for one monetary windfall to the next. She is inducing these panic ridden moments in her life. She could prevent them.
ReplyDeleteOn Jenna's Facebook last night she was lamenting how she could by a horse...a GOOD horse with the $1300 her root canal was going to cost. This is what one of the people who commented said:
ReplyDelete"youre so poor generally, don't you qualify for any type of assistance?"
She left this nasty reply:
"Jenna Woginrich: I'm not poor, but I am usually broke. There's a difference. I do not qualify for assistance. I make the money I need to cover my bills, and it is when a lot of horrible things happen at once I fall behind. There is a difference.
Jenna Worinrich: I gotta get back to my 9-9 rules for social media"
She confuses me so much. She is most definitely poor, but the difference is it is of her own choosing. I don't want her to go on public assistance, I don't think she deserves it. I don't understand her pridefulness about not accepting help from the government, yet she accepts help from people who have so much less to give. It doesn't make sense to me.
The rules for government public assistance have changed a lot in the past 10 years - they are trying to go back to the original idea of a temporary "helping hand". Nowadays, to receive government assistance, many programs require you to show that you are actively looking for a job. If you disabled, you usually have to hire a lawyer to get the court to issue an order that you are eligible for social security assistance. Also, the states have much more power in deciding how to spend the federal money they are allocated - how each state implemented Obamacare is a good example. Qualifying for public assistance in New York could be quite different than in Texas or California.
DeleteThis is just what I've picked up from the news over the years, so I'm no expert. I know there are a lot of people out there who can give us a better explanation of how the system works.
She is NOT poor people! She is a con artists master manipulator. If she qualified for government assistance she would take it. She doesn't qualify because she's not poor! She admittedly makes the same as when she was working her 9-5 job through begging. She spend her money foolishly...she has Money to spend...she is not poor! She routinely has donations rolling in.
DeleteWhy do you think she put a price tag on her "root canal"? So she will get $1200 in her pocket. Her I'm so.scared and in pain post was a call for attention...putting a price tag on it is a call for action...or donations rather.
"I make the money I need to cover my bills, and it is when a lot of horrible things happen at once I fall behind. "
DeleteCase in point. She makes the money to cover her bills yet has never not been behind. She spends her mortgage and Bill.money on playing and toys.
a lot of horrible things happen at once = I spend all my time and money on toys and playing
So let's revisit that ststatement
I make the money I need to cover my bills, and it is when I spend all my time and money on toys and playing I fall behind.
That is more like it...
I posted the above about government assistance - the only thing I didn't say was my personal opinion, which is that she would probably not qualify. (I'm hoping people pick up on "actively looking for a job".)
DeletePublic assistance is funded by our tax dollars. I don't have a problem with a short-term helping hand (for example, retraining for a new job), or those with conditions such as multiple sclerosis (i.e., physical conditions which make it extremely difficult to find employment), and a few other things. But I DO have a problem with perfectly healthy, able people scamming the system (and by the commercials on TV, there are plenty of lawyers willing to help them).
Putting a price tag on your problem is akin to a Kickstarter goal - once you raise the money to solve that problem, then another problem will materialize, complete with its own price tag. And with Farmer Girl, it never seems to end.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who worked with people on government assistance, I have to hijack the thread for a moment:
The new restrictions ("new" since the Clinton era) have hurt a lot of people. It's hard to find a job when you need to pay for child care to attend interviews, but when the government assistance doesn't cover child care, etc.
We've gone from helping the poor to punishing them for failing to escape poverty on a time frame that doesn't take into consideration systemic economic and social structures that make it very difficult to accomplish.
Yes, there are scammers. There are far, far more people trying their damndest to make a better future and being judged by everyone under the sun when they keep struggling.
Under the "new" restrictions, one also cannot apply for government assistance if one voluntarily quit their job. To qualify, you must show that you were fired, laid off, or prevented from working due to disability. In other words, not Jenna.
DeleteThere are plenty of people who do need a leg up, who do qualify for assistance. No one here is denying those people a little help, or blaming/shaming them for unfortunate circumstances.
Once again, Jenna is not poor, Jenna is not being punished for being poor, and Jenna certainly doesn't fall into the category of the population who suffers from "systemic economic and social structures making her life difficult to accomplish."
Yup. Blame the victim. It's easy to blame and shame, and point fingers at the most vulnerable of our population who can't fight back.
ReplyDeleteWow. You seriously consider her to be a victim? Really?!? You disgust me with even implying that. Jenna isn't even close to being what I would consider a victim. Not at all. I think you need to take a serious look at the world around you and stop and consider the really hellish things other people have suffered in their lives. Jenna chooses to be a scam artist, not a victim. There is a huge difference between the two.
DeleteBy the way, she most definitely doesn't need you to fight back for her. She is most capable of fighting and antagonizing others herself. She has done it for years and is quite the expert.
Jenna, is that you, again?
DeleteI'm so confused. Are you talking about Jenna being a victim? If so, I would love to hear how you came to that conclusion. How is a young, healthy, able bodied, educated woman who lives continual beyond her means by CHOICE a victim? I'd truly like to understand where you get that idea from?
DeleteI posted the "blame the victim" in response to the gov. worker's comments about people who really need help. NOT Jenna. Just to be clear here.
DeleteJW is not a victim.
ReplyDeleteWhoa! "The most vulnerable of our population who can't fight back"? First of all, she is not "the most vulnerable". She is healthy, educated and able-bodied. A baby or someone who is multiply handicapped is vulnerable, but not JW.
ReplyDeleteAs for "can't fight back" - just look at her replies to people who don't agree with her.
See above. I was talking about TRULY impoverished people that need help and/or a hand-up. Geeze. Calm down people.
Delete