I hope her suckers/supporters (same thing) realize she just totally lied to them. Hmm...'I need a $1,000 root canal'. They send money, she buys a $1,000 puppy. Gee, coincidence? I think not. She is mentally unstable. Insane. Sick. A thief.
Someone needs to tell those breeders they're sending a puppy to someone who cannot afford to properly care for what she has. Did you see how tiny her goats' pen is? Those poor goats...barely enough room to turn a circle.
I was just going to post about the new puppy. "haven't done the design yet! The breeder is thinking about what they want!"
So she bartered a logo for this puppy. At least the breeder is smart enough not to give her the dog without having the logo in-hand first!!!
She can't even properly take care of the animals she has (crowdfund for Gibson's vet bills). Oh well, now we'll have CAF puppy mill. sigh...
Another poster mentioned spaying as one of the upcoming costs. She's not going to spay that puppy. She's going to start a puppy mill. And that puppy will go to waste just like Gibson in the training department.
She's been begging for a root canal for months now.
Next breath she's getting a puppy with a "partial" barter for a logo--- that still leaves some of the cost of the puppy, several vet visits for the puppy for shots/worming and the puppy would need spaying within the next 6 months--- to say nothing of food, HW pills, toys and odds and ends.
A person who has more animals than they can pay for is mentally ill. I don't care if it's 50 cats under your porch or ONE PUPPY when you're teeth are rotting out of your head --- you have a problem if you get animals you cannot afford.
Speaking of her animals, I would like to know about the boar in the barn. Is he still there? Poor thing. I see her buying piglets to raise, not breeding pigs, so why does she still have him? Or is he in the compost pile now?
The boar had chronic diarrhea last fall and there's been no mention of him since. One of her dimwit friends thought they were going eat him so perhaps someone out there is gagging through a freezer full of boar taint pork chops---- who knows with this crew.
It makes me ill to think about her getting another animal she can't care for. I bet people are correct that she will be getting a female and breeding dogs for extra cash. Just another crappy back yard breeder pumping out puppies for profit. I doubt she will health check either parent or the puppies.
Is it a Border Collie puppy? It's interesting to note that Jon Katz just got a Border Collie puppy. A case of puppy envy or coincidence? Who knows.
What we all know here is that what Jenna wants, Jenna gets. Then she figures out later how to pay for it. And we all know how she does it. By begging, wheedling, and playing the martyr so people will feel sorry for her and send her money. This story has gotten so old, I can't believe there are people still falling for it.
Let me get this straight. She's had a couple of bad winters, she can't afford to fix her truck or get a root canal, she ran out of firewood, is constantly late on her mortgage, so to treat herself she gets a $1,000 puppy? Is she insane?
Of course she will be begging once again either for more money to pay it off or for the inevitable vet bills.
Ka-ching, Ka-ching! A thousand dollars for a puppy. I can see the dollar signs in JW's eyes now. I also believe she is planning to breed that puppy and breed her a lot.
I dearly hope she does not let that dog breed at first heat when they're only about 6 months old. Of course, with her stellar animal management plans I see no other way. Poor dog.
Last month it was a new kitten (she doesn't even like cats-- just wait a minute, she'll tell you).
Jenna gets bored/lonely/depressed and gets another animal. She admitted it was meant to be a "boost" after two hard winters (I guess she's still reeling from 2014???).
Last week she was taking offers on her beloved wool hat to save up for a root canal--- she had moved the appointment FOUR times due to lack of money---- today she reveals that she's been making payments to a BC breeder in Idaho.
Dogs are a luxury-- teeth not so much.
It's a strange way to go about getting a new dog--- find a breeder that will accept a logo as partial payment....... At any rate the breeder won't be paying the airfare. Someone asked her what the new dogs breeding is: crickets.
In her blog comments she writes: "dogs are my main family up here" --- that's what this is all about. In lieu of real relationships with people she turns to animals. Jenna doesn't need any more four-legged friends -- there aren't enough Border Collies in the world to fill the void in that woman's life.
My guess is she is going to offer logos that other clients rejected. I highly doubt that she is going to spend time designing a logo from scratch for free.
Geez...a couple of people have asked her what the breeding is and she is either evading the question or doesn't understand that people are interested in the lineage.
Notice to people asking about the breeding of the dog: It doesn't matter! Jenna will make a few feeble attempts to train it and then it will take up her role as mascot. It will be a biscuit eater like Gibson is.
Seems like the dog to sheep ratio is a little off-- maybe her plan is to just outnumber them? To hell with training!
I hope her supporters realize that the money they sent her for a root canal is going towards a puppy. Of course, she will post again about not having enough money for a root canal and people will still send money. She plays her fans like a violin.
So glad I took her off of my facebook friends list and no longer follow her blog. I feel sorry for the animals that are under her care. If you can't pay for a root canal then you have no business acquiring another animal. She always gets defensive when people start calling her on her bullsh** and her answers is always that she can do what she likes and then becomes really quiet on the subject. That's all fine and dandy but then fund this stuff yourself and stop asking others to pay for it all. Stop being part of the problem and acting like you are some super cool do it yourself single woman who doesn't need anyone but her dogs.
The truth is..she is super lonely. A user and spins her own tales in her odd mythical world she likes to live in, Has anyone walked away from one of her posts or day camps thinking they actually learned something of value? If anything she is the poster child of how NOT to do anything homestead related.
I actually wonder if it will all cave in on her or if years from now she will still be cashing in on donations? She certainly isn't lacking those who will fund it all and eat up everything she has to say. She's been called out several times for not coming through with products and has been caught in lies and her general neglect for things around her property is also evident. Yet..She still collects money from people.
Oh but she is earning the money for this pup by trading one of her lame logos for it. A line or two of type and a picture. Something any competent artist could do for about fifty bucks. She uses the same typeface like over and over most the time. She is such a con artist. I am a graphic designer so I know what I speak of. There is no way her work is worth a thousand dollars. So sad that she has conned her way into another dog that you just know is going to turn into a breeding machine. I'm surprised she's not selling puppy shares already off the poor little thing.
So what happened here? A few weeks ago it was like, I'm so poor, all I have is my ratty old wool hat to sell to pay for a root canal. And now she is buying a thousand dollar puppy? Huh????
She's trading a logo as partial payment "on top of making small payments over the past few months".
To be fair, some of the pups are $500-- not sure which litter hers is from and the breeders puppy page only shows litters that are too young to be in Jenna's mits in early June.
Even so....
Shouldn't she reserve her logo work for paying customers so that she can use the money for her mortgage and teeth?
The picture she routinely paints on her blog is that she's barely able to make her payments and is grateful to have scraped by. It's dishonest to promote logos as a fundraiser for a root canal when you've been making payments on a puppy for months.
It's manipulative to try and hawk your favorite wool hat for money--- she knew damn well that it would appear incredibly desperate and people might just send donations and let her keep the hat. Afterall, who the hell really wants her nasty ass hat anyway? Pure genius.
Dear Susan - In your Facebook post you wrote, "Has anyone offered humble, I've been there, don't make the mistakes I've made, advice?"
What advice would you give to a person who writes about being chronically broke, behind in her mortgage, unable to get her truck repaired, unable to pay for a root canal, not able to get credit, who then announces she is going to buy a purebred Border Collie puppy from a breeder in Idaho who charges from $500-$1000 a pup, not including airfare for shipping?
I thought so.
Maybe you can offer the humble advice and succeed where others have failed.
But be prepared for a very snarky reply of "it's none of your business".
Yet it becomes everyone's business when this woman posts on a very public blog about how broke she is and either hints or asks outright for donations.
Yes, yes, her life is unbelievably magical. For now. But for those of us reading the blog long enough, we know the cycle.
Her life will be magical until the next crises, be it burst pipes, abscessed tooth, broken truck, late mortgage or sick dog. Then she will be flapping and squawking about wolves at her door and hitting rock bottom, until the supportive comments and money start flowing in. Then the cycle begins again.
Jenna from FB: Why Do Internet Trolls Troll? They might be sadists. "If your idea of a good time is reading a blog you can't stand, then writing about the blog you can't stand, and then hurting the person you can't stand.... get help. News flash: the person you can't stand is you."
love how she tries to say "the person you can't stand is you." Um, no. Pretty sure I am not the one stealing money from people only to waste it on frivolous things and then do it all over again the next day.
Jenna, my dear, our goal is to make sure that those who donate to your sloven, rip off life, see the truth in all it's glory. You are being outed by a myriad of people who see you for what you are- a cheat, and a poser.
Jenna just can't stop talking about internet haters yet she's adamant she doesn't read this blog--- then why are the haters always on her mind? In other words: Hi, Jenna!
Further commentary from her in the same thread on FB: "It was actually about the GOMI scene. I don't go to Voldemort's blog or any of the Deatheaters. There are 3 pages of comments about me on GOMI and that is nothing compared to the dozens and hundreds for other farm bloggers. You can't find a blogger out there who doesn't have a shitlord club."
Really? I can think of a lot of bloggers who hum along without shit blowing up in their comments section much less have web sites where people vent about what miscreants they are. She's admitted Jon Katz's blog is pretty much the only blog she reads so why she's speaking so authoritatively about the farm blogging scene is puzzling.
She may feel her "news flash" is a real cutting piece of insight yet I couldn't disagree more. Any thinking person feels the need to speak up when they see something wrong. How anybody could follow Jenna's blog and turn a blind eye to the poor treatment of animals and manipulative money grubbing is beyond me.
And sadism? No, I'm having a conversation with other like-minded people, I'm not emailing her or commenting on her blog, if she chooses to eavesdrop that makes her a masochist. See ya at therapy, Jenna.
Jenna is a predatory user who deceives people into feeling sorry for her and thus opening their pocketbooks. In fact, she's so good at it she's got toothless people sending her donations for a root canal-- you can't make this stuff up, folks. Her blog is a trainwreck of agricultural and fiscal mismanagement with a heavy sprinkling of subtle and not-so-subtle hints for money. To stick a pin in the bloated ego of someone who thinks they are so much more intelligent, unique, magical, and deserving than the rest of us is just icing on the cake.
If you don't want the scrutiny, don't run your life like a charity drive. If you don't want people calling you out for being an asshole, don't be one.
I'd write more but I have to go post on the Mother Theresa hate blog now....
Jenna just can't stop talking about internet haters yet she's adamant she doesn't read this blog--- then why are the haters always on her mind? In other words: Hi, Jenna!
Further commentary from her in the same thread on FB: "It was actually about the GOMI scene. I don't go to Voldemort's blog or any of the Deatheaters. There are 3 pages of comments about me on GOMI and that is nothing compared to the dozens and hundreds for other farm bloggers. You can't find a blogger out there who doesn't have a shitlord club."
Really? I can think of a lot of bloggers who hum along without shit blowing up in their comments section much less have web sites where people vent about what miscreants they are. She's admitted Jon Katz's blog is pretty much the only blog she reads so why she's speaking so authoritatively about the farm blogging scene is puzzling.
She may feel her "news flash" is a real cutting piece of insight yet I couldn't disagree more. Any thinking person feels the need to speak up when they see something wrong. How anybody could follow Jenna's blog and turn a blind eye to the poor treatment of animals and manipulative money grubbing is beyond me.
And sadism? No, I'm having a conversation with other like-minded people, I'm not emailing her or commenting on her blog, if she chooses to eavesdrop that makes her a masochist. See ya at therapy, Jenna.
Jenna is a predatory user who deceives people into feeling sorry for her and thus opening their pocketbooks. In fact, she's so good at it she's got toothless people sending her donations for a root canal-- you can't make this stuff up, folks. Her blog is a trainwreck of agricultural and fiscal mismanagement with a heavy sprinkling of subtle and not-so-subtle hints for money. To stick a pin in the bloated ego of someone who thinks they are so much more intelligent, unique, magical, and deserving than the rest of us is just icing on the cake.
If you don't want the scrutiny, don't run your life like a charity drive. If you don't want people calling you out for being an asshole, don't be one.
I'd write more but I have to go post on the Mother Theresa hate blog now....
Ummmmmmmm, next she'll be offering counseling workshops, too. I'm sure most of you know that the upfront cost of an animal is nothing compared to the long-term cost. Her dog went to the vet for, what was it, antibiotics? And she had to twist people to pay for that. Clearly that was successful enough to get dog number whatever (right after cat number whatever). Maybe we could learn psychology from her, she really gets how people's minds operate. She knows exactly what stimulus releases the money and defensiveness. Heck, she's probably even playing us. How scrappy. Dev
Yes, she is definitely playing a game, I think that's how she spends most of her time. I do think she's like a predator, and I don't think it's hateful to point out predatory behavior when you see it. As far as her fan's comments about us "hating our own lives." Please! I'm too busy doing the things she claims to do to hate anything right now. But she's tempting me with her puppy scam. She's really tempting me.
I am honestly amazed she isn't sitting in a corner rocking back and forth. If I screwed that many people out of money and products I would be scared shit less. It takes a whole lot of not caring to be her. She is the only fake farm blogger out there that has several blogs about how much of a fraud she is.
What she can't stand is that some people can see through the sham. She is not magical, she is manipulative. I was once a fan, but now consider myself a watchdog. It hurts to see people being manipulated into donating to someone who is fiscally irresponsible.
In response to her comment, "the person you can't stand is you", I think that someone with an outsized ego cannot conceive of anyone thinking they are anything but wonderful, thus, if you call them on a behavior, then there must be something wrong with you.
One of the most manipulative moves she has made was to post her wool hat for sale saying she was trying to raise money for a root canal, knowing full well people would send money instead.
Then she later posts that she has been quietly making down payments on a pure bred, $1,000 puppy from Idaho.
I feel badly for the people who sent her money, especially the man with the missing tooth.
I feel like I should have kept the email she sent back to me a few months ago. The tone and wording eluded to the current state of her finances, which was that they were just fine if not better. Once I read that, I knew she was doing this on purpose. I can't say whether she sets out each day to scam people, or if it's just a happy (for her) coincidence resulting from her lack of responsibility. I'm not her. I at least had the decency to post a final entry on my blog because I noticed things were getting circular and repetitious. Her? Nope. She's gonna keep beating the homesteading horse for as long as people cough up money. I highly dislike her and have only had Internet interactions with her.
Does anyone remember the Meadowbrook cart incident? Right after she got her $15,000 from Kickstarter, she bought the cart, even though the reason for the Kickstarter was to save her home from foreclosure. Then a few months later, she was selling the cart saying she couldn't justify keeping it. She also reported being late with her mortgage.
We've seen this pattern over and over. She gets a windfall, spends, and then desperately tries to sell stuff or wheedle money out of people to pay her bills.
I wonder how long it will take after she gets this puppy to post about how broke she is?
I bought a purebred puppy last year. The "new puppy" vet costs alone (vaccs and boosters, fecals/worming, initial flea/tick and heartworm stuff, microchip, etc.) came to $584. Note that this did include a year's worth of HW preventative because they were offering a deal if you bought it all on the day of the rabies shot. So, round down to maybe $500 without that deal. Has she planned on that? (Nahhhh...)
Then there's the cost of shipping (plus crate if she doesn't have one). Add in the cost of the puppy and the total will be close to $2000, excluding food.
I find it unbelievable in an ethical way that she was sneakily buying/sending payments on this puppy while at the same time crying poor and begging for dental and vet care. The obvious manipulative behavior just astounds me. How can you live with yourself? If you are that poor you should qualify for Medicaid and not have animals. If you're not that poor, quit buying more animals you can't take care of and get your financial and mental house in order.
Poor puppy. Poor ANY animal in her care, and to the people who support and donate to Jenna, I am sure she is tickled with her scamming acumen… every single dollar you send her, it just boosts her even more.
I agree, Anon at 10:58 pm, and I hope that she is reading this. I simply don't understand her unwillingness to work to have the life she wants. It's very sad that she is still able to convince people to send her money.
Annnndddd, just as was predicted here....let the begging begin. How in the world does she feel good about posting one day that there is a new puppy on the way and a few days later she's in jeopardy of imploding? Unbelievable!
Aw, she got bad news. You mean like Oh it's the first of the month and mortgage is due again? Again? Like every month? Shesh... the nerve of the bank and life to want money all the time. Jenna needs a new puppy! She can't be bothered with actually paying for her magical life.
If I was a client of hers I would be royally annoyed. I mean her fancy lame logos that are pretty simple and boring, but that she told me costs $500 or more dollars, but she firesales all the time for next to nothing when she has bad news. And she's not even caught up on them, so you have wait for ever but she needs the money up front.
That's right, folks, it's time to: "support this feral farm gal because by the gods, she needs it :)"
Accompanying the logo offers are snippets of her sob story:
"I got some bad news this week and need to make some sales to keep things okay around here, so if you ever considered a logo know that now is the lowest price I will offer and the need is real."
Curious she provides zero details about the nature of her bad news. Makes you wonder if the "bad news" isn't so bad and she really just needs cash for some non-essential (i.e. new puppy).
Promoting your logos with desperate pleas is just bad form: "I need to sell four logos today to keep things okay around these parts." Either a person needs a logo or they don't. The fact that you've spent the mortgage money on a new puppy doesn't make me need a logo any more. She's counting on people seeing her desperation and, not needing logos themselves, sending her a donation. When's the last time you got a breathless call from your plumber detailing his financial misfortunes and begging you to let him come plunge your toilet? Never? Me either.
And here I thought her life was magical......"Truly, unbelievably, magical."
She is utterly and totally predictable. Just a few days ago I posted that her life will be magical until the next crisis.
You see, a magical life does not bring in donations but a crisis will. So she needs to toggle between a magical life to keep her fans interested and sob stories to bring in the cash.
Didn't she just post recently that her logo price was doubling because she was worth it? I guess no one else thought so.
Maybe the only way she can sell logos is to post sob stories.
There she goes again posting pictures of items to sell as in, "I'm so poor, this is all I have to sell". She knows people will say, "there, there, keep your (whatever), here's some money".
How the heck is she going to pay for a puppy and all the ongoing expenses? And why did she have to buy one from across the country? Are there no Border Collies in New York?
Probably. How much does John Katz pay for his? I assumed she was getting a proven working bred puppy because she planned on breeding. We'll see. I wish there was a blog where we could place bets on what she 'll do next. I think we could all get rich.
People should ask themselves why they are donating money to someone so that she can stay at home and play. I donate to charitable causes or interest groups, but giving money to someone so that they can stay at home and shoot arrows or throw axes at targets doesn't make sense from ANY perspective.
Jennifer Mandel I don't have a farm, but I enjoy reading about yours immensely, so I just made a donation. It's small, but hopefully it'll help, and inspire others to do so.
I wonder if she's in trouble yet with property taxes. I know around here, when you are chronically late with your mortgage, which feeds your property tax escrow account, eventually, they get very pissy and want money up front to cover the shortage. And they are not very nice about it all. Ask me how I know... :-)
And that comes in the form of a letter of intent to go to tax lien sale, which is one step away from sheriff sale of the property. I would call that bad news.
So does she need 4 logo sales at the cheap rate? ($200) or the inflated rate ($600 or more?) One wonders.
Don't you just want to slap all the Jennifer Mandels of the world? For gosh sakes. Go read someone else's blog that is immensely more interesting and someone to truly admire.
Another dramatic breathless post about running and life and being naked (eh gads, why do we have to hear about her love affair with nakedness all the time??? Now forest nakedness... shesh....) but most importantly, we learn she has bills and she is behind in her mortgage again... (what, I thought she was caught up just a wee bit ago... ) She has to be nearly two or more months behind if you ask me... if she's getting letters about it and it's not even the first of the month... oh whatever, I digress...
She pitches.. her whine about being scrappy, nekked and tough and making it so far on various income streams.... (ie begging, donations, kickstarter, ah, selling crap) like logos and pig shares (which she is behind on, and cheats people with... because she's too busy making payments on expensive dogs and running around the damn mountain and shooting arrows and whatever else crap she does all day long....)
I just can not believe how people don't get so weary of this routine. This cycle... this WHEEL of the year in Jenna.... there are some mighty desperate and sad people out there that think her life is something to admire. This tough scrappy con artist.
I still just get upset thinking about the 15 grand that she must have pissed through. I mean... how is she to make bound hardback copies of this Birchthorn tome when she can't pay her mortgage and is obviously broke, or so she says.
Why the heck this chick won't go and get some tough, rustic farm job around the area to make end meet is beyond me. We rural folk do it all the time. Helping out a neighbor for a few bucks here and there. It works well all the time.
Oh, yeah... hard work. ah... She's really not into that, is she.
Or like taking personal responsibility and getting her act together with some real assistance, wisdom and respect to all the rest of us unmagical poodles that have to work hard, pay bills and make ends meet before we can do what she does all day long in tra-la-la-antler land.
She just makes me so darn mad. I used to like her. She's like some damn ex-wife that is always asking and begging her way back in your paycheck and them runs around and flaunts her lifestyle and you don't get a piece of it.
Great post! We've had the fire starting nakedness, the sleeping with Gibson nakedness and now the forest nakedness....I guess that just leaves the Main Street Cambridge nakedness....I wait with baited breath.
Anon 7:38, I think you're jealous. I think you secretly want to run into a thunderstorm and get naked in the forest. Isn't that how you're supposed to feel? You'll never be cool enough to get naked in the forest and take a bag shower. Probably your first of the week. I bet she's been living without a bathroom for a while, and now she has people coming and has to get it fixed. I bet you also have an ex-wife, that comment was too real. Karma shows up when she damned well feels like it, not a minute sooner.
What is this person doing running around naked all the time? Is she starting a nudist colony for one? And do we need to hear about her doing her business squatting in the bushes? Doesn't she have indoor plumbing, or did that fail to make the priority list along with truck repairs and root canals? If the wrong people find out about her behavior they'll haul her away in a rubber truck.
They'll only haul her away if she's deemed a danger to herself or others. Beyond that, she'll be left to become a recluse that manipulates strangers over the Internet.
This is post #2537 about how it's a weekday and she's at home doing something non-worky, sometimes it's archery, sometimes it's horseback riding. Today it's running. It's tough, it's hard but in the end she's just so grateful. Grateful she isn't working in an office looking out the window wishing she was outside like those poor schmucks that keep her lazy ass afloat (sorry, decent ass).
But this post isn't really about running-- it's a metaphor for her life (I know 'cause Jenna told me). And that's when we get to the meat of this story: Jenna is behind on her bills. As usual.
But don't worry about her! She'll find a way! She's too stubborn not persevere. This feral, she-beast washes the grime of her gritty existence off with water warmed by the Sun Gods in the lush, fecundity of Nature......
Are you inspired yet? Donate!
BARF!!!!
Does she think all her readers have short term memory loss? Normal people behind on their mortgage don't buy pricey dogs they don't need. No mention of the root canal-- shall we consider that funded? I guess there was some "magic" at Cold Antler once again.
And the gratuitous nudity? She's just whetting appetites for her upcoming Kickstarter campaign for the homestead erotica she's planning to write. Contribute at the $1000 mark and you get to be in the book! She'll tie you up with Merlin's reins and.......
She is sad and lonely. She speaks romantically because she lives in a constant state of anxiety as she mentions in numerous blogs that she struggles with it. I pity her. I pity her for not knowing a world outside her fantasy.
Can I say how grateful I am to find this blog and all of the people who have shared their stories? Like many, I discovered Jenna back when Made From Scratch came out and enjoyed her blog in its early days.
Also like many, I stopped reading around the time when she wanted to get Merlin and wouldn't listen to anyone who tried to tell her that this was not the smartest idea.
I did keep reading her on Twitter, though, just to sort of keep an eye on someone whose story I used to care about. Unfortunately for her she tweeted about GOMI, which got me curious enough to start googling, and from there I could see just how much of a downward spiral she's been on.
I had no idea about the failure of the CSA wool shares but it doesn't surprise me that she bought her first sheep based on romantic ideas and not silly concepts like researching what breeds provide what kind of wool. I remember way back when she did the first Antlerstock and she scheduled it for the same weekend as the New York Sheep and Wool festival, an event that is not only more of a draw for the audience she was aiming for but one which she should've been going to herself!
(Mind you, I'm glad now that she never tried to go to Rhinebeck as an expert. May it still somehow mysteriously stay under her radar.)
The pattern with Jenna back in the day became pretty obvious: want a new shiny thing, get it, have a crisis about not being able to afford to pay her bills, somehow get money, immediately spend that money on the next shiny thing. Later, rinse, repeat.
What's sad is that it's all in black and white, and the pattern is right there for her to see! How many winters has she gone through now where her pipes have frozen? At what point does she realize that this is something she needs to anticipate and plan for?
What sickens me is discovering how many of her animals have died. I'm no member of PETA by a long shot. I get the use of animals for food and would not cry foul just because someone wasn't tucking their pigs in at night with a bedtime story and a massage.
But from a sheer resource management standpoint ALONE how does she not take action? How does she not look back through her very own blog entries and conclude that yes, farm animals do die on their own from time to time, but that doesn't mean a farmer should throw their hands up and allow it to happen. The accidents should be accidents, not the way of life. Imagine what good shape Cold Antler would be in if she'd spent even a half hour each day working on the fences and shelter for the animals over the YEARS she's spent treating the problems that come from these things as being entirely out of her control.
Yet in some ways I'm tempted to think death is the better option. At least those animals have finally found peace and an end to the horrible path Jenna puts them on. It completely sickened me to read about how Maude died, and to go through her blog after years away and discover that Jasper was tossed aside, and Gibson's training left to go to utter waste, and I'm afraid to even ask about Jazz or Annie.
But Jenna is Jenna so of course the next best thing is always the solution! It's all the magic of her intent and being brave enough to just DO things! Anybody who suggests she should think or plan is just being negative!
Anyway, just wanted to say that it was comforting to find others who saw what I did, and thus I wanted to offer a little comfort and fellow feeling in return. Thanks.
I just read her latest, um, entry.. you know, regarding her referencing what is said here, the truisms, and how she says that yes, this is true, but I am mythical and shower in the woods, because my heart is bursting with? Most people who are adults, work hard, and then share not only the hard stuff, you know, actual hard work to get by in a day, and then share the small things that make things okay. Jenna has twisted this to demonstrating just how special her life is every single minute, despite owing money to everyone.. you know, because her heart is full, it does not matter.. Her constant references to being naked, and her body parts, and now the descriptive of her washing her naked self SCREAMS desperate. She will never admit this, but she is the loneliest person we have met, she is DESPERATE for acceptance. It's really very pitiful and I almost feel bad reading it… It's distasteful to see someone go from an energetic hopeful young person to a washed up (no pun intended) used up woman who can't seem to keep any friends, and has to use suggestive verbiage to keep her audience enthralled. It's just gross. She makes Kathy Bates in the Misery movie, seem extremely normal.
JW appears to have much in common with others of her generation who believe they're "special" (thanks in large part to Mr. Rogers) and "important", if for no other reason than that they get up in the morning. This is the generation who got trophies and ribbons even if they were on the losing team and whose schoolwork was often graded with a purple pen instead of red, lest they feel bad about themselves. Failure was/is acceptable as long as they "tried". As a result, we have a disturbing number of narcissistic young adults trying to make their way through life with a huge sense of entitlement and self-importance. This is the selfie-generation - they are obsessed with themselves. Shielded from life's bumps and bruises while growing up, their huge egos are now easily shattered by the slightest criticism. Nothing is ever their fault. I suspect that most of her loyal followers fit the same generational profile, which is why they continue to enable her irresponsible lifestyle, and don't see it as a problem.
Don't you DARE blame any of that on Mr. Rogers. Good grief. I agree with the rest, but I happened to LOVE Mr. Rogers and I'm a responsible adult and not a narcissist relying on the charity of others to fund my irresponsible lifestyle while I sit on my ass and do nothing but the fun things.
Mr. Rogers taught about caring, sharing, being gentle and kind to others, etc. Put the blame where it belongs...largely on parents and society encouraging it.
Have to disagree, Anon 10:33. You may have loved Mr. Rogers but that doesn't mean his message didn't have unintended consequences.Does he deserve ALL the blame? Of course not. Yes, he was sweet and gentle and, I'm sure, had the best of intentions, but he shouldn't be placed on an untouchable pedestal. I'm not the first to recognize this, either. Many specialists in child/family interactions have come to the same conclusion. This article is a case in point; http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB118358476840657463
Please don't lump JW's actions into a generational thing. It's a person-thing. She is supported by all ages, dreamers mostly, who want to believe they are supporting something bigger than themselves and get hoodwinked by her romantic words. She is a 30+ year old woman who has demonstrated her whole career that she has no problem taking money for projects and not producing or begging for money to get what she wants. That is NOT my generation, that is Jenna.
Apologies if this comes off grumpy, but I have worked my butt off to get where I am today (proud homeowner with a nice office in a global company) and watched my peers get kicked down and get right back up as they build their lives. It drives me bonkers to hear us called lazy by those in your generation. Not to mention the fact the every generation thinks the one after them is lazy or ungrateful or entitled. Some generations had parenting philosophies with unintended consequences resulting in more people like you describe, some generations are dealt worse hands than others, some people think their generation was dealt a worse hand than others. However, at the end of the day, you have greedy people and hardworking people. People with loose personal ethics and people with strong personal ethics. Saying Jenna's atrocious behavior is a generational thing not only excuses her but also does a strong discredit to all the adults out there that did get the right message and have built successful lives and are a productive members of society.
I'm just amused that she waffles between a public and private Facebook. (Or she's just decided that most of her posts should be public, and there's some really desperate and lonely stuff being hidden.) And, of course, she's mixed her family, friends, and readers all together instead of leaving herself a personal profile and then creating a page for herself and/or Cold Antler. Much of what she does perplexes me, and really smacks of low self-esteem and insecurity.
Well, any legitimate business would have a business account where they choose carefully what they post on Facebook. Legitimate is not in her realm.
Also, for someone who knows designing websites, etc so well, you would think her page would look better and have better navigation than it does. Back when she was writing actual interesting stuff-years ago- it would annoy me to no end to look for something and not have a simple search button on there, or even a few categories to help narrow something down. The way it is right now it is impossible to find anything of value.
Judging by the logos, her website(s) over the years, and the rumors regarding Orvis, I have the feeling that she really isn't that competent in anything she went to school for anymore. Maybe at one time, but definitely not now. And, using the free service that is Blogger,she could just change the theme to one that allows searching or even just start using labels on her posts. It's really not hard, but she's the queen of scrappy, right?
An intelligent and well considered comment, CdP. I agree that Maude's slow, painful death was appalling, and completely preventable with a bullet through the head or knife to the throat. However, despite all of her bravado, she was too cowardly to perform that act of mercy (or, god forbid, hire a vet). Instead, she went inside and blogged until she was fairly sure that Maude was dead. For someone who claims to be a farmer/homesteader, that is inexcusable cruelty. And as you and others have said, it's far from the only example to be found in her blog.
She wants to live like someone with a trust fund or a big lottery win, as illustrated by her post on running. However, few people have the luxury of not working in their 30s. She needs to grow up, support herself and stop ripping off people using the internet. I didn't see many comments on her latest post, so perhaps the pool of willing fools is shrinking.
That was another aspect that surprised me when I got caught up. I didn't necessarily see red flags when she first quit her job because she seemed to have a plan. (though I saw mention that someone from Orvis said she was close to being fired anyway? Is there a link for that?)
Her decision then was the kind of thing that I think was understandable given the time and her age. She seemed to get that it would mean some belt tightening, and really hustling (in the good way) with her workshops and writing, and she had health insurance lined up. Risky, sure, but the kind of risk that someone could take when young and healthy.
But at the time I assumed she really would be a full time farmer, doing what she could to live off of her land. I'm no farmer myself, but I could see the possibility of success from someone who was devoting her days to her crops and animals and supplementing with part time writing and workshop hosting to have cash coming in.
To come back now and see that over the years she's barely managed to grow some kale absolutely astounds me. I live in an apartment. I have a back porch that I can do some container gardening in and apparently I've had more plentiful crops than she has!
And the thing of it is that she has the time. This was supposed to be the point of quitting her job. She has her entire day at her disposal to devote to animals and crops. Instead everything is neglected beyond the bare minimum for whatever her latest hobby is. And if she wants to do that to her crops or herself, fine. But once she makes animals the victims of her flights of fancy it's completely unacceptable. Woman up, grow up, and either take on the daily responsibility for these lives which are dependent on you or give them to people who will!
I can't help but wonder, though, if this is all we can see based on her very own writing, is there more horror going on that even she is too ashamed to tell people about?
Remember when she posted the picture of herself with a low cut top and referred to herself as a busty woman? Then she got upset when people started commenting on it and called the police and bought a gun.
She's not actually selling the violin. She's putting one of her most prized posessions "up for sale" to garner more pity, and thus more donations. Same with the old wool hat, the beat-up license plate, Any many more items. It's all "old hat." I would not be surprised if one of her blinder followers later gifted her with a new violin.
Also, as an amateur violinist myself, that kit is not worth anywhere near $400, new or used. You could pick up the same student violin, bow (including a case) and amplifier at most music stores, brand new, for $200 at most.
So she admitted to being irresponsible and late on bills. She forgot selfish, egotistical, and parasitic.
How anyone can read that post and still want to donate to her is beyond me.
As for the puppy, isn't it so very poodle to buy a thousand dollar purebred puppy that has to be shipped clear across the country? Wouldn't a scrappy, feral farm gal at least get a puppy from Border Collie rescue?
"How anyone can read that post and still want to donate to her is beyond me."
One commentor already answered that question...she lives in an apartment and relies on Jenna to fulfill her own fantasy of living on a farm.
Unbeknownst to the commentor there are way better farms and blogs to be inspired by.
Sadly, most of her supporters are the very same people she looks down on--apartment dwellers and urbanites--they just haven't figured out that while she is taking their money she also insulting them for not being like her.
As my grandma use to say...misery loves company. ~j~
So true Anon 4:29. She has a big yard, a few sheep and one dog already. Why another one? This is the woman who wrote a long paranoid piece about coming home to find her barn door open. Supposedly soooo afraid that she was thinking of (or did) getting a handgun, yet then showers outdoors? Guess she's not really too worried, or she's just swerving back and forth between paranoia and verbal exhibitionism. I don't have a problem with her planning and sharing her midday shower. But it is odd to start running on a 90 degree day so you can be ready for your shower bag. BTW, does she camp? I thought she couldn't leave home. Why the shower bag? Hmmmm I think it's strange, but some folk eat it up. To me the real problem will remain the fake Antler Farm concept and the poor treatment her animals seem to receive. BTW, love the concept of Homestead Porn! Maybe she has a guy on the hook she's trying to reel in. And I thought Maude had one of the easier demises of the animals who reside there (sad).
Do her posts sound manic/depressive to any of you? One minute her life is truly magical, the next minute things are dire.
Or, do you think it's more along the lines of her getting super annoyed that real life gets in the way of her fantasy life. I mean, toothaches, broken trucks and mortgage payments aren't supposed to happen to her, right?
*raises hand* Right here. Not that you can or should diagnose someone over the internet. But the constant cycle of up/down, combined with the belief that she can do everything and nothing about her latest dream could possibly go wrong reminded me a lot of a bipolar friend of mine.
I will wager though, that there is another Kickstarter project in the works. Birchthorn is due to be completed soon and she will need another large infusion of cash. Even though she went through the Birchthorn money pretty quickly.
I no longer believe she will ever hit bottom, as long as there is a new stream of internet readers who believe what they read over a couple of months' time and give money. One set will become discouraged and leave after helping her raise 15K only to have her talking about buying a bunch of new goods but also being behind in the mortgage once again just a few months later. But a new set of innocent, fresh eyes will come in and think it's all wonderful over there until they see the same thing happen for themselves. People these days just don't ask enough questions online to those they give money to. And lets face it, if some guy can crowdfund 15 grand to make an egg salad sandwich or something equally as dumb, Jenna will successfully crowdfund for root canals, new roofs and whatever else she wants. But I DO believe in karma, the universe has its own ways of balancing the scales so I'll leave it to the universe to deal with. It just may take a long time. Until then I am glad Meredith's blog exists for those who want to do a little online research before opening their wallet to someone raising money online who may not be a wise investment.
HotFlash - I hope you are wrong but am afraid you may be right. It seems she will always find a fresh flock to fleece. Look at those televangelists. Most are so phony, but they get a lot of people of limited means to give money to them, even though they make no secret of being wealthy.
I mean, how do you get the have nots to willingly give to the haves?
In Jenna's case, how does she manage to get working people to donate to her when she is adamant that she will never return to work?
Maybe someone smarter than me can explain it, because I sure can't figure it out.
I bet her plumbing is ruined from being frozen all winter. Why else is she showering and squatting in the bushes? I hope she gets that straightened away before she hosts any workshops. It's bad enough stepping on a dog turd in the yard. I suppose the toiler paper could act like a little flag to alert people. Or is using toilet paper to poodle for her?
I'm wondering, among the many "Anon's" here, how many different Anon's check in periodically? Would you be willing to share some blog stats? Or perhaps the Anon's could count off (very grade school, I know)? I am curious because Meredith mentioned a while back that she gets inquiries about CAF from potential sponsors. I'm not trying to stir up any ugly pots, just wondering how many minds have gone from CAF to here.
This is my first comment ever on here but I'm an aspiring homesteader/dairy farmer who's starting small and realistic (you know, researching before doing, belt tightening, making do, assuming that a stable non-farm job will be required for at least 5-10 years before my one-day dairy farm succeeds) and I have been voraciously reading farming nonfiction narratives (like Cold Antler Farm, the book). I thought it waxed a bit too lyrical for my tastes but overall I enjoyed it.
Then I read the blog, and didn't initially understand the issues with it. But somehow (googling CAF maybe?) I stumbled on GOMI & this blog.
Now I kind of can't stop reading her blog and then coming here, it's like a slow-motion trainwreck that gets a deep analysis after every confounding post.
The puppy thing is baffling me - I'm on a super tight budget right now to pay my mortgage and yes, I bought small livestock recently *but it was budgeted for, my mortgage was paid, my bills are paid, my animals got meds when they got mildly ill after bringing them home, and I'm still coming out a bit in the black every month.* I got the cheapest animals I could find from a high-quality breeder and we bartered labor for a better price. I brought them home in my own truck. These animals will get love and attention and care and I won't buy more until I can afford to, in terms of resources, time, energy and space.
I'm younger than her, starting with fewer resources - I cannot imagine taking on so much more than is responsible like that, especially in my 30s after learning through trial and error, or never knowing how my bills will be paid, or buying a purebred, out-of-state puppy - not even a livestock guardian dog, but a herding puppy when I didn't have anything to herd. What about a rescue puppy!? Or like someone else suggested, a border collie rescue? It's the kinder and by far more affordable option, if a person is bound and determined to have a puppy just for having a puppy. If you need working stock, I understand that costs money, but just as a companion animal - hell, I got my gorgeous, smart great pyr mix for $150 bucks, all shots & neutered, at a shelter, and he was only 7 months when I got him!
Anyway, this has turned a bit long winded but count me in as a tally for the survey. Glad I'm not the only one baffled by her blog!
Congrats to you for being a smart young person and doing your homework and getting into your homesteading dreams with eyes open and being smart and realistic.
Hopefully, Jenna's blog and this one will give you more insight and anyalsis on how to do things smarter and better. And yes, you'll make mistakes, we all do. It's just nice to have some heads up info and try to avoid things that can be avoided, so just learn from this all.
I hate to see all the commentary at times because I think, I sure wouldn't want this much critique in my every move, since I'm learning to homestead as well, but still, I think she has drawn this to her with a pompous attitude, and her snarky ways and her cavalier attitude towards animal deaths and care, etc etc. just once, I'd like to see her post something that sounds like she finally gets it, that some sort of wisdom is sneaking in, instead of just more and more fantastically off beat magical living off us all. I have donated three times!!! I can't believe I fell for it. Gads if she just got a part time job, and laid off the animal acquisition for a few months and sold real stuff, not junk and got herself on track, I would be one of the front row clapping fools. I would like to see her succeed. I'm embarrassed at what she's become and her homesteading bumbles.
It's one thing to be new and learning, making mistakes and learning from them. It's quite another to be new and learning, making mistakes, not learning from them and hosting workshops from the standpoint that you are qualified to do so.
Oh, I totally agree. She has no wisdom and the very basic of experience to be hosting workshops as an expert. You can learn more off the internet in the privacy of your own home on You Tube University and such then paying high prices to learn from her. That is unbelievable.
My 3 cents for CAF and JW Eat, free or give way all the animals at one final Antlerstock, call it Burning One Woman Festival, do the whole shebang - nude bicycles, people camping in the trees, art - whathaveyou - then blow up the whole farm, throw Gibsom in the truck and go get a job and write, write, write your ass off. You're a good writer I think. Do this for 10 years (make it a prison sentence), then come back after having saved and buy another farm with no mortgage. I mean, write one final memoir of the hell of CAF, make it long, Gone with the Blog. The do fiction, you have the talent - you have the SHINE girl, just stay out of Room 432. 10 years, have a kid, date, grow up some. come back maybe with a best friend of hubby and do it right. Most of all, you'll need to make it right with all the sinners who now want to throttle you - yes we're talking REPENTANCE to the whole f'in internet community, it will take you 10 years to do this also. So come back in 2025, still young, a nestegg to crack open and start the dream again. Free advice ain't free these days, this is my gift.
Amen, Anon 7:39! That's the exact same advice I'd give. Jenna's been wanting a book contract, and I bet an editor would be interested in a book about her quitting the farm, a book about the journey to the farm, the dream, the struggle to keep it going. Write about the successes and the failures. No shame in trying to live the dream and the dream not working out--happens to everyone. Stay off the interwebs, do what you can to make reparations to the folks you owe money to, get a job, get some love, save your money, and WRITE.
Lot of accusations about JW mistreating animals. I don't know what claims, if any, are true, but if there has been mistreatment, then reparations need to be made on that account as well. That sort of stuff is corrosive, psychologically and spiritually.
Jenna's a writer, and she's a good writer, but she needs to write the truth. Own it. I feel like the truth's been in the other room these last couple of years, and the writing has suffered and the spirit has suffered and folks are gathering over here to bitch and moan, with good reason. They feel betrayed and ill-used. Get back to the truth, JW. Get off the farm. Ten years sounds like a good plan. Listen to Anon 7:39. Accept the gift.
That's the best idea I've heard. Others of course have stated generally that she get rid of the animals, get off the farm, but your post lays out an actual plan, Anon 7:39. And brilliant idea about the book Anon 8:27. Writing is her strong suit. Focusing on that without the distraction of trying to beg money to care for all those animals, bills, house/farm maintenance, etc. would maybe bring back her spark for life and relieve some of the obvious anxiety she is suffering.
I think she has made a reputation for herself, and will not be a salable author beyond her blind followers. She is too delusional to make a wise decision. If she was capable of clear thought, would she be in the position she is in now?
She doesn't seem able to work for others. If she didn't have the Internet she'd have nothing since her last book. (Maybe she'd find some locals to take workshops or some way to advertise more widely)
(What happened to Birchthorn?) Why does she keep bringing up her precarious financial woes--everyone knows by now she can't pay her mortgage on time and she insists on expensive playthings (she has 2 dogs, a horse and a kitten-supposedly) Even if they are her "family" - she can't afford care for all of them Annie is old and may need special care. How dare
she put her current animals at risk. My husband has a decent job with benefits. We also have an old farmhouse with all the maintenance and repair that entails. With no children, we.have one dog and one cat. We can't afford any more animals or livestock if we wanted it. (Our dog cut.her paw -only 2 stitches $400+ And luckily we didn't have to go to the emergency vet. Flea/tick, heartworm not to mention food for all her animals. She is living an extravagant lifestyle. Yes she admits.being in love with her own mythology until that pesky reality rears it's head-- but she wants her readers to be in love with HER mythology too and keep it going. She is doing nothing sustainably - she tries to come off as a producer but she is just consuming her life away. Remember before the internet? Real sustainability would not require a constant internet presence. It brings up an interesting question - of course real farmers and homesteaders should take advantage of the Internet to broaden their market and exposure especially if they live in a remote location- but they are NOT taking advantage of their readers because they are offering real deliverable products . Professionals don't need to try to manipulate their readers. If she didn't have the Internet she'd have to face herself without the reflection of her adoring fans. That would leave her nowhere, miserable but at least she would see what she NEEDS to do. After she got her current CAF, she told her readers she was done accepting donations -it was time to stand on her own 2 feet. Years later, she is as dependent on her enablers as ever. And she has the nerve to post repeatedly that SHE made these hou se and car and horse payments. That is the big lie that her self-professed "stubborn" self *her best quality supposedly that is really making her into a begging serf that she must write regular soliciting "offerings" to these people , her lords and gods. She is just clever at trying to disguise them as creative descriptions of her so-called "feral farm gal" life. Btw, feral farmer is an oxymoron because real farmers have to be sharp managers of time, resources(including and especially their animals, )money and energy to be successful. And they need to be civilized planners to achieve their goals and get along with many types of people. They likely do not have time to criticize "poodles" or would even think to do so. Stubbornness can be born of pride and it takes humility to learn from mistakes and admit maybe things aren't working as is and it takes real pride in self to insist on making your own way in the world. I hope she can break out of this pattern - it is not admirable and if both she and other members of her "family" need medical care - is she going to sacrifice for those animals ??? Is crowdfunding a sustainable practice? That's putting your faith in the lords and ladies and one can't count on keeping them amused and engaged forever.
with people. Of course they love their lives. But does anyone here really believe Jenna loves what the Modus Operandi
I think you should copy and paste this on her site. At least some readers would see it for a few minutes before it is deleted. And, is Birchthorn completed? I'm curious, but not on the paying site for it.
Anon 12:30, I think she's dug herself in deep, and that's the reason why she's not thinking clearly. Imagine you've made your reputation as homesteader--published lots of books, been the go-to younger farmer quote person for the Huffington Post and Mother Earth News. Somehow you've gone from neophyte gardener to Expert on all Things Farming. Your name gets dropped into articles next to Joel Salatin's and Wendell Berry's.
First of all, that sort of attention is going to go to your head. And it's going to change your focus. It's not so much about self-sufficient living and farming anymore, it's about being who everyone has come to believe you are. It's about telling a story that people want to hear--the story of your magical, mythical life that everyone wishes they were living, too.
But what if your life turns out to be less magical and mythical than you thought it would be? What if it's lonelier? What if you made a bad decision to buy property you couldn't afford? What if in an effort to fortify your mythmaking, you bought animals you couldn't afford and didn't know how to care for (or didn't have time to care for) instead of sticking to chickens?
I think Jenna made a lot of dumb financial decisions she thought she could dig her way out of through selling shares on wool and holding workshops and writing books. The wool CSA was a disaster, as we know. The workshops couldn't possibly bring in enough to sustain mortgage payments month after month.
But instead of saying "this isn't working," Jenna kept digging. And I can see why--she's built a career on being a spunky homesteader, an expert farmer. How can she admit now that she was in way over her head?
It seems to me that when Jenna gets money from her readers, through sales and Kickstarter campaigns and just plain pleading for it, she ends up spending it on new things for herself--an expensive puppy, for instance--instead of paying her bills. While I've been very wary of the various diagnoses people have made here about Jenna (she's manic depressive; she's a narcissist), there is something about her behavior that seems compulsive to me, a sort of addict mentality. It has occurred to me that she self-medicates through buying new things. Like I said, I'm wary of these sorts of appraisals, but I've found a lot of her behavior baffling, the way she cycles through feast and famine, and wonder why she's not managing her finances more responsibly.
Jenna, if you're reading this, and I suspect you are, please know it's okay to quit. It's okay to say "I got in over my head and I made mistakes." That would be so much better than the manic posts about how wonderful and magical your life is, followed by posts about how broke and worried you are. If the wolves are at your door, you can't make them go away by pretending they're not there. Sometimes all you can do is open the door.
Her last post actually combined the magic and the wolves. But you're right --taking responsibility for supporting herself first--and being okay with that--would be so freeing and a huge morale booster. She would have to be brutally honest with herself and others.
What's sad is that she doesn't realize that it doesn't have to be an either/or proposition. She could probably keep her home if she just got a job, saved up, and tried the lifestock thing once she had a nest egg.
Part of her denial is she'd rather classify people giving her helpful advice as being naysayers. They aren't saying no, they're saying this is what people need to do to reach their goals. It's not cowardice that makes people do wacky things like put together a budget and figure out how to stick to it. It's solid planning.
She's in an incredibly fortunate position to have been able to get that house and land at a time when many her age would not have been able to swing it. Full credit to her there. But getting your dream and keeping it are two entirely separate things.
CdP - No full credit to her there. She came right out and asked her readers for donations for the house. Just like she asked readers for donations for her horse, Merlin. And for truck repairs, etc...
It's all very good advice but Jenna won't be taking any of it. She's had a taste of retirement and has found lazy days of horseback riding, WoW, and shooting arrows suits her just fine. Making logos is a distasteful bit of work, a stop-gap until a more lucrative gravy train starts flowing. If she were serious about the logos why doesn't she advertise where she could reach more potential clients? Small farming magazines, other blogs etc. Working's just no fun and it's not the Jenna way.
Living Like Fiction does not include flourescent lighting or printer jams-- it's riding a Fell pony, preferably noonish on a weekday, while someone else hits the donate button from the confines of their drab, grey cubicle.
You know, there are plenty of people out there that work AND have livestock. Her farm shouldn't take much more than an hour morning and evening to feed and water everyone and then she can work a decent work shift. She doesn't have to have one or the other. She could even take a part time job if that was such a huge problem. She just doesn't want to be inconvenienced. After all, she's made it this far without a job on her own you know.
There didn't appear to be much ventilation on those chicken tractors. Aren't they supposed to be moved around the yard? I didn't notice any fence between the road and her yard. Must be a treat for her neighbors.
That was cruel. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Cruel. Just as cruel as when she let her pony chase a terrified sheep that eventually died - probably of fright. What kind of person allows that kind of thing to happen and thinks it's cute? What kind of other people encourage that kind of person to keep allowing it to happen?
Oh my god!! I just watched it. You can hear the chicks all crying out when the goats jumped on their homes. HOW is that cute or funny? Aw, poor chicks. I feel so badly for them. This woman doesn't give a crap about chicks/chickens - I guess b/c they are "so cheap." It is so inhumane. I can't believe Mother Earth and other "reputable" outlets respect her.
She's awful-- why should those chickens be distressed even one second just because she feels the need to create content for her blog?
Now she's alledgedly transforming the chicken tractors into shelters, buying electric poultry netting and allowing them to free range. Poultry netting seems to start at $150 not including charger. That's certainly going to yum up a lot of her profits--- you get the idea she isn't as broke as she makes out.
Jenna Woginrich I didnt realize how melancholy I was until she fell asleep on my lap on my way home from the airport. Like · Reply · 6 mins
Jenna Woginrich after that - total joy
What happens when the buzz wears off and she's meloncholy yet again? Another puppy?
Animals aren't the answer to the constant state of ennui she seems to be in. That woman needs therapy.
And if she's as broke as she lets people believe getting another animal is totally irresponsible and reckless. What about her other pets? Merlin is getting older -- he could easily need supplements or meds. Annie is elderly already. Even easily treatable problems cost money.
I know this sounds judgemental, so be it, but I 've found that the best way to cure depression or boredom is to get up and work. The harder, the better.
I hope her suckers/supporters (same thing) realize she just totally lied to them. Hmm...'I need a $1,000 root canal'. They send money, she buys a $1,000 puppy. Gee, coincidence? I think not. She is mentally unstable. Insane. Sick. A thief.
ReplyDeleteSomeone needs to tell those breeders they're sending a puppy to someone who cannot afford to properly care for what she has. Did you see how tiny her goats' pen is? Those poor goats...barely enough room to turn a circle.
Have you contacted them?
DeleteI'll repost this here:
ReplyDeleteI was just going to post about the new puppy. "haven't done the design yet! The breeder is thinking about what they want!"
So she bartered a logo for this puppy. At least the breeder is smart enough not to give her the dog without having the logo in-hand first!!!
She can't even properly take care of the animals she has (crowdfund for Gibson's vet bills). Oh well, now we'll have CAF puppy mill. sigh...
Another poster mentioned spaying as one of the upcoming costs. She's not going to spay that puppy. She's going to start a puppy mill. And that puppy will go to waste just like Gibson in the training department.
She's a scam artist!
ReplyDeleteShe's been begging for a root canal for months now.
Next breath she's getting a puppy with a "partial" barter for a logo--- that still leaves some of the cost of the puppy, several vet visits for the puppy for shots/worming and the puppy would need spaying within the next 6 months--- to say nothing of food, HW pills, toys and odds and ends.
THERE WAS NO ROOT CANAL!!!!!!!!!!
Either that or she is batshit crazy!
www.milliron-sranch.com/
ReplyDeleteMillironsranch@gmail.com
A person who has more animals than they can pay for is mentally ill. I don't care if it's 50 cats under your porch or ONE PUPPY when you're teeth are rotting out of your head --- you have a problem if you get animals you cannot afford.
ReplyDeleteJenna doesn't need a new puppy she needs therapy.
Speaking of her animals, I would like to know about the boar in the barn. Is he still there? Poor thing. I see her buying piglets to raise, not breeding pigs, so why does she still have him? Or is he in the compost pile now?
ReplyDeleteThe boar had chronic diarrhea last fall and there's been no mention of him since. One of her dimwit friends thought they were going eat him so perhaps someone out there is gagging through a freezer full of boar taint pork chops---- who knows with this crew.
DeleteIt makes me ill to think about her getting another animal she can't care for. I bet people are correct that she will be getting a female and breeding dogs for extra cash. Just another crappy back yard breeder pumping out puppies for profit. I doubt she will health check either parent or the puppies.
ReplyDeleteIs it a Border Collie puppy? It's interesting to note that Jon Katz just got a Border Collie puppy. A case of puppy envy or coincidence? Who knows.
ReplyDeleteWhat we all know here is that what Jenna wants, Jenna gets. Then she figures out later how to pay for it. And we all know how she does it. By begging, wheedling, and playing the martyr so people will feel sorry for her and send her money. This story has gotten so old, I can't believe there are people still falling for it.
Totally thought the same thing about Jon Katz's new puppy--- she couldn't stand it anymore and had to get her own.
DeleteOf course it's a border collie puppy. She'll get more money selling purebred puppies from this poor girl and Gibson.
ReplyDeleteLet me get this straight. She's had a couple of bad winters, she can't afford to fix her truck or get a root canal, she ran out of firewood, is constantly late on her mortgage, so to treat herself she gets a $1,000 puppy? Is she insane?
ReplyDeleteOf course she will be begging once again either for more money to pay it off or for the inevitable vet bills.
I can see her smirking now.
Ka-ching, Ka-ching! A thousand dollars for a puppy. I can see the dollar signs in JW's eyes now. I also believe she is planning to breed that puppy and breed her a lot.
ReplyDeleteI dearly hope she does not let that dog breed at first heat when they're only about 6 months old. Of course, with her stellar animal management plans I see no other way. Poor dog.
ReplyDeleteJenna is sick.
ReplyDeleteLast month it was a new kitten (she doesn't even like cats-- just wait a minute, she'll tell you).
Jenna gets bored/lonely/depressed and gets another animal. She admitted it was meant to be a "boost" after two hard winters (I guess she's still reeling from 2014???).
Last week she was taking offers on her beloved wool hat to save up for a root canal--- she had moved the appointment FOUR times due to lack of money---- today she reveals that she's been making payments to a BC breeder in Idaho.
Dogs are a luxury-- teeth not so much.
It's a strange way to go about getting a new dog--- find a breeder that will accept a logo as partial payment....... At any rate the breeder won't be paying the airfare. Someone asked her what the new dogs breeding is: crickets.
In her blog comments she writes: "dogs are my main family up here" --- that's what this is all about. In lieu of real relationships with people she turns to animals. Jenna doesn't need any more four-legged friends -- there aren't enough Border Collies in the world to fill the void in that woman's life.
A little FB hilarity:
ReplyDeleteSeason Pass Sale $250
Includes Antlerstock
Free Logo for the first three to sign up
Business must be getting mighty slow! The logo is supposedly worth $300-600. She seems to have set her FB to public, too.
Didn't she just post that her logo prices were going to double because she was worth it? And now she is giving away three for free?
DeleteMy guess is she is going to offer logos that other clients rejected. I highly doubt that she is going to spend time designing a logo from scratch for free.
DeleteGeez...a couple of people have asked her what the breeding is and she is either evading the question or doesn't understand that people are interested in the lineage.
ReplyDeleteNotice to people asking about the breeding of the dog: It doesn't matter! Jenna will make a few feeble attempts to train it and then it will take up her role as mascot. It will be a biscuit eater like Gibson is.
Seems like the dog to sheep ratio is a little off-- maybe her plan is to just outnumber them? To hell with training!
I know someone who had her design a vehicle logo. Those black and gold house stickers from the hardware store would have looked better.
ReplyDeleteI hope her supporters realize that the money they sent her for a root canal is going towards a puppy. Of course, she will post again about not having enough money for a root canal and people will still send money. She plays her fans like a violin.
ReplyDeleteSo glad I took her off of my facebook friends list and no longer follow her blog. I feel sorry for the animals that are under her care. If you can't pay for a root canal then you have no business acquiring another animal. She always gets defensive when people start calling her on her bullsh** and her answers is always that she can do what she likes and then becomes really quiet on the subject. That's all fine and dandy but then fund this stuff yourself and stop asking others to pay for it all. Stop being part of the problem and acting like you are some super cool do it yourself single woman who doesn't need anyone but her dogs.
ReplyDeleteThe truth is..she is super lonely. A user and spins her own tales in her odd mythical world she likes to live in, Has anyone walked away from one of her posts or day camps thinking they actually learned something of value? If anything she is the poster child of how NOT to do anything homestead related.
I actually wonder if it will all cave in on her or if years from now she will still be cashing in on donations? She certainly isn't lacking those who will fund it all and eat up everything she has to say. She's been called out several times for not coming through with products and has been caught in lies and her general neglect for things around her property is also evident. Yet..She still collects money from people.
Sad and dangerous.
Oh but she is earning the money for this pup by trading one of her lame logos for it. A line or two of type and a picture. Something any competent artist could do for about fifty bucks. She uses the same typeface like over and over most the time. She is such a con artist. I am a graphic designer so I know what I speak of. There is no way her work is worth a thousand dollars. So sad that she has conned her way into another dog that you just know is going to turn into a breeding machine. I'm surprised she's not selling puppy shares already off the poor little thing.
ReplyDeleteJenna seems to want to keep the breeder a secret (she'll tell you if you email!):
ReplyDeleteThe breeder of Jenna Woginrich's new puppy, Friday, is Mill Iron S Ranch, Steve and Sheri Wight of Chesterfield, Idaho. www.milliron-sranch.com
No need for the cloak and daggers game-- we already know.
She's also claiming the dog will be spayed: "She will be spayed. I don't feel ready or experienced enough to take on breeding."
Since when has being "ready or experienced enough" ever been an obstacle for Jenna? Likely scenario: no money to spay-- oops!-- here come the puppies!
Oh yeah, I can see it now. Puppy shares.
DeleteSo what happened here? A few weeks ago it was like, I'm so poor, all I have is my ratty old wool hat to sell to pay for a root canal. And now she is buying a thousand dollar puppy? Huh????
ReplyDeleteShe's trading a logo as partial payment "on top of making small payments over the past few months".
ReplyDeleteTo be fair, some of the pups are $500-- not sure which litter hers is from and the breeders puppy page only shows litters that are too young to be in Jenna's mits in early June.
Even so....
Shouldn't she reserve her logo work for paying customers so that she can use the money for her mortgage and teeth?
The picture she routinely paints on her blog is that she's barely able to make her payments and is grateful to have scraped by. It's dishonest to promote logos as a fundraiser for a root canal when you've been making payments on a puppy for months.
It's manipulative to try and hawk your favorite wool hat for money--- she knew damn well that it would appear incredibly desperate and people might just send donations and let her keep the hat. Afterall, who the hell really wants her nasty ass hat anyway? Pure genius.
It's not just dishonest, it's disengenuious to the extreme!!
DeleteJ
Dear Susan - In your Facebook post you wrote, "Has anyone offered humble, I've been there, don't make the mistakes I've made, advice?"
ReplyDeleteWhat advice would you give to a person who writes about being chronically broke, behind in her mortgage, unable to get her truck repaired, unable to pay for a root canal, not able to get credit, who then announces she is going to buy a purebred Border Collie puppy from a breeder in Idaho who charges from $500-$1000 a pup, not including airfare for shipping?
I thought so.
Maybe you can offer the humble advice and succeed where others have failed.
But be prepared for a very snarky reply of "it's none of your business".
Yet it becomes everyone's business when this woman posts on a very public blog about how broke she is and either hints or asks outright for donations.
An obnoxious FB post today detailing how great her life is or as she put it "Truly, unbelievably, magical."
ReplyDeleteIt's gonna take some magic to keep that tooth from falling out.
Sounds like someone just sent her a lot of money.
DeleteYes, yes, her life is unbelievably magical. For now. But for those of us reading the blog long enough, we know the cycle.
DeleteHer life will be magical until the next crises, be it burst pipes, abscessed tooth, broken truck, late mortgage or sick dog. Then she will be flapping and squawking about wolves at her door and hitting rock bottom, until the supportive comments and money start flowing in. Then the cycle begins again.
Makes you wonder if there is even a problem with her tooth..
ReplyDeleteJenna from FB:
ReplyDeleteWhy Do Internet Trolls Troll? They might be sadists.
"If your idea of a good time is reading a blog you can't stand, then writing about the blog you can't stand, and then hurting the person you can't stand.... get help. News flash: the person you can't stand is you."
Truth hurts...
DeleteOr...haters gonna hate!
love how she tries to say "the person you can't stand is you." Um, no. Pretty sure I am not the one stealing money from people only to waste it on frivolous things and then do it all over again the next day.
DeleteJenna, my dear, our goal is to make sure that those who donate to your sloven, rip off life, see the truth in all it's glory. You are being outed by a myriad of people who see you for what you are- a cheat, and a poser.
DeleteHey, Meredith-- I just posted and now my comment is gone.....? Did you delete it or should I repost?
ReplyDeleteI didn't delete any but think I know which it was. Repost or I can copy and paste it and post. It was a good one!
DeleteI didn't delete any but think I know which it was. Repost or I can copy and paste it and post. It was a good one!
DeleteIs this it.....
DeleteJenna just can't stop talking about internet haters yet she's adamant she doesn't read this blog--- then why are the haters always on her mind? In other words: Hi, Jenna!
Further commentary from her in the same thread on FB:
"It was actually about the GOMI scene. I don't go to Voldemort's blog or any of the Deatheaters. There are 3 pages of comments about me on GOMI and that is nothing compared to the dozens and hundreds for other farm bloggers. You can't find a blogger out there who doesn't have a shitlord club."
Really? I can think of a lot of bloggers who hum along without shit blowing up in their comments section much less have web sites where people vent about what miscreants they are. She's admitted Jon Katz's blog is pretty much the only blog she reads so why she's speaking so authoritatively about the farm blogging scene is puzzling.
She may feel her "news flash" is a real cutting piece of insight yet I couldn't disagree more. Any thinking person feels the need to speak up when they see something wrong. How anybody could follow Jenna's blog and turn a blind eye to the poor treatment of animals and manipulative money grubbing is beyond me.
And sadism? No, I'm having a conversation with other like-minded people, I'm not emailing her or commenting on her blog, if she chooses to eavesdrop that makes her a masochist. See ya at therapy, Jenna.
Jenna is a predatory user who deceives people into feeling sorry for her and thus opening their pocketbooks. In fact, she's so good at it she's got toothless people sending her donations for a root canal-- you can't make this stuff up, folks. Her blog is a trainwreck of agricultural and fiscal mismanagement with a heavy sprinkling of subtle and not-so-subtle hints for money. To stick a pin in the bloated ego of someone who thinks they are so much more intelligent, unique, magical, and deserving than the rest of us is just icing on the cake.
If you don't want the scrutiny, don't run your life like a charity drive. If you don't want people calling you out for being an asshole, don't be one.
I'd write more but I have to go post on the Mother Theresa hate blog now....
Is this it.....
DeleteJenna just can't stop talking about internet haters yet she's adamant she doesn't read this blog--- then why are the haters always on her mind? In other words: Hi, Jenna!
Further commentary from her in the same thread on FB:
"It was actually about the GOMI scene. I don't go to Voldemort's blog or any of the Deatheaters. There are 3 pages of comments about me on GOMI and that is nothing compared to the dozens and hundreds for other farm bloggers. You can't find a blogger out there who doesn't have a shitlord club."
Really? I can think of a lot of bloggers who hum along without shit blowing up in their comments section much less have web sites where people vent about what miscreants they are. She's admitted Jon Katz's blog is pretty much the only blog she reads so why she's speaking so authoritatively about the farm blogging scene is puzzling.
She may feel her "news flash" is a real cutting piece of insight yet I couldn't disagree more. Any thinking person feels the need to speak up when they see something wrong. How anybody could follow Jenna's blog and turn a blind eye to the poor treatment of animals and manipulative money grubbing is beyond me.
And sadism? No, I'm having a conversation with other like-minded people, I'm not emailing her or commenting on her blog, if she chooses to eavesdrop that makes her a masochist. See ya at therapy, Jenna.
Jenna is a predatory user who deceives people into feeling sorry for her and thus opening their pocketbooks. In fact, she's so good at it she's got toothless people sending her donations for a root canal-- you can't make this stuff up, folks. Her blog is a trainwreck of agricultural and fiscal mismanagement with a heavy sprinkling of subtle and not-so-subtle hints for money. To stick a pin in the bloated ego of someone who thinks they are so much more intelligent, unique, magical, and deserving than the rest of us is just icing on the cake.
If you don't want the scrutiny, don't run your life like a charity drive. If you don't want people calling you out for being an asshole, don't be one.
I'd write more but I have to go post on the Mother Theresa hate blog now....
Yes, that's it-- thank you!
DeleteI agree, that was a good one. It made me chuckle.
DeleteVERY WELL SAID!!! BRAVO!!!
DeleteUmmmmmmmm, next she'll be offering counseling workshops, too. I'm sure most of you know that the upfront cost of an animal is nothing compared to the long-term cost. Her dog went to the vet for, what was it, antibiotics? And she had to twist people to pay for that.
ReplyDeleteClearly that was successful enough to get dog number whatever (right after cat number whatever). Maybe we could learn psychology from her, she really gets how people's minds operate. She knows exactly what stimulus releases the money and defensiveness. Heck, she's probably even playing us. How scrappy.
Dev
So true
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteYes, she is definitely playing a game, I think that's how she spends most of her time. I do think she's like a predator, and I don't think it's hateful to point out predatory behavior when you see it. As far as her fan's comments about us "hating our own lives." Please! I'm too busy doing the things she claims to do to hate anything right now. But she's tempting me with her puppy scam. She's really tempting me.
DeleteHey Meredith - Nothing to do with Jenna or the puppy thing, but thought you might like to see this:
ReplyDeletehttps://gma.yahoo.com/national-park-land-grabs-those-willing-farm-175941039--abc-news-lifestyle.html
I am honestly amazed she isn't sitting in a corner rocking back and forth. If I screwed that many people out of money and products I would be scared shit less. It takes a whole lot of not caring to be her. She is the only fake farm blogger out there that has several blogs about how much of a fraud she is.
ReplyDeleteWhat she can't stand is that some people can see through the sham. She is not magical, she is manipulative. I was once a fan, but now consider myself a watchdog. It hurts to see people being manipulated into donating to someone who is fiscally irresponsible.
ReplyDeleteIn response to her comment, "the person you can't stand is you", I think that someone with an outsized ego cannot conceive of anyone thinking they are anything but wonderful, thus, if you call them on a behavior, then there must be something wrong with you.
ReplyDeleteWhat she can't stand is being 'outed'.
ReplyDeleteOne of the most manipulative moves she has made was to post her wool hat for sale saying she was trying to raise money for a root canal, knowing full well people would send money instead.
Then she later posts that she has been quietly making down payments on a pure bred, $1,000 puppy from Idaho.
I feel badly for the people who sent her money, especially the man with the missing tooth.
I feel like I should have kept the email she sent back to me a few months ago. The tone and wording eluded to the current state of her finances, which was that they were just fine if not better. Once I read that, I knew she was doing this on purpose. I can't say whether she sets out each day to scam people, or if it's just a happy (for her) coincidence resulting from her lack of responsibility. I'm not her. I at least had the decency to post a final entry on my blog because I noticed things were getting circular and repetitious. Her? Nope. She's gonna keep beating the homesteading horse for as long as people cough up money. I highly dislike her and have only had Internet interactions with her.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone remember the Meadowbrook cart incident? Right after she got her $15,000 from Kickstarter, she bought the cart, even though the reason for the Kickstarter was to save her home from foreclosure. Then a few months later, she was selling the cart saying she couldn't justify keeping it. She also reported being late with her mortgage.
ReplyDeleteWe've seen this pattern over and over. She gets a windfall, spends, and then desperately tries to sell stuff or wheedle money out of people to pay her bills.
I wonder how long it will take after she gets this puppy to post about how broke she is?
Or how the puppy needs shots, spaying, food, vet care...
ReplyDeleteI bought a purebred puppy last year. The "new puppy" vet costs alone (vaccs and boosters, fecals/worming, initial flea/tick and heartworm stuff, microchip, etc.) came to $584. Note that this did include a year's worth of HW preventative because they were offering a deal if you bought it all on the day of the rabies shot. So, round down to maybe $500 without that deal. Has she planned on that? (Nahhhh...)
DeleteThen there's the cost of shipping (plus crate if she doesn't have one). Add in the cost of the puppy and the total will be close to $2000, excluding food.
She'll probably try to crowdfund it.
DeleteI find it unbelievable in an ethical way that she was sneakily buying/sending payments on this puppy while at the same time crying poor and begging for dental and vet care. The obvious manipulative behavior just astounds me. How can you live with yourself? If you are that poor you should qualify for Medicaid and not have animals. If you're not that poor, quit buying more animals you can't take care of and get your financial and mental house in order.
ReplyDeletePoor puppy. Poor ANY animal in her care, and to the people who support and donate to Jenna, I am sure she is tickled with her scamming acumen… every single dollar you send her, it just boosts her even more.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Anon at 10:58 pm, and I hope that she is reading this. I simply don't understand her unwillingness to work to have the life she wants. It's very sad that she is still able to convince people to send her money.
ReplyDeleteAnnnndddd, just as was predicted here....let the begging begin. How in the world does she feel good about posting one day that there is a new puppy on the way and a few days later she's in jeopardy of imploding?
ReplyDeleteUnbelievable!
bad news...I spend $1000 of my time/money on a puppy.
DeleteBecause she wants what she wants and she wants it now :)
ReplyDeleteGolden goose...border collie puppy...
DeleteAw, she got bad news. You mean like Oh it's the first of the month and mortgage is due again? Again? Like every month? Shesh... the nerve of the bank and life to want money all the time. Jenna needs a new puppy! She can't be bothered with actually paying for her magical life.
ReplyDeleteIf I was a client of hers I would be royally annoyed. I mean her fancy lame logos that are pretty simple and boring, but that she told me costs $500 or more dollars, but she firesales all the time for next to nothing when she has bad news. And she's not even caught up on them, so you have wait for ever but she needs the money up front.
I just can not believe the gall that gal has.
Last week you could get a logo thrown in with the purchase of a Seasons Pass for workshops at the low, low, price of $250.
DeleteIf I just sent her a check for $300-600 for my logo I'd be having a serious WTF? moment.
Friday: New puppy!
ReplyDeleteWednesday: Emergency! Dire straits!
That's right, folks, it's time to: "support this feral farm gal because by the gods, she needs it :)"
Accompanying the logo offers are snippets of her sob story:
"I got some bad news this week and need to make some sales to keep things okay around here, so if you ever considered a logo know that now is the lowest price I will offer and the need is real."
Curious she provides zero details about the nature of her bad news. Makes you wonder if the "bad news" isn't so bad and she really just needs cash for some non-essential (i.e. new puppy).
Promoting your logos with desperate pleas is just bad form: "I need to sell four logos today to keep things okay around these parts." Either a person needs a logo or they don't. The fact that you've spent the mortgage money on a new puppy doesn't make me need a logo any more. She's counting on people seeing her desperation and, not needing logos themselves, sending her a donation. When's the last time you got a breathless call from your plumber detailing his financial misfortunes and begging you to let him come plunge your toilet? Never? Me either.
And here I thought her life was magical......"Truly, unbelievably, magical."
Probably the air fare on the puppy or final sales price was more than she liked. The solution: Create a crisis!
DeleteShe also had a problem flushing her toilet recently.
DeleteWas the bad news her mortgage bill?
ReplyDeleteShe is utterly and totally predictable. Just a few days ago I posted that her life will be magical until the next crisis.
You see, a magical life does not bring in donations but a crisis will. So she needs to toggle between a magical life to keep her fans interested and sob stories to bring in the cash.
Didn't she just post recently that her logo price was doubling because she was worth it? I guess no one else thought so.
Maybe the only way she can sell logos is to post sob stories.
There she goes again posting pictures of items to sell as in, "I'm so poor, this is all I have to sell". She knows people will say, "there, there, keep your (whatever), here's some money".
ReplyDeleteHow the heck is she going to pay for a puppy and all the ongoing expenses? And why did she have to buy one from across the country? Are there no Border Collies in New York?
Sheeesh
Probably. How much does John Katz pay for his? I assumed she was getting a proven working bred puppy because she planned on breeding. We'll see. I wish there was a blog where we could place bets on what she 'll do next. I think we could all get rich.
DeletePeople should ask themselves why they are donating money to someone so that she can stay at home and play. I donate to charitable causes or interest groups, but giving money to someone so that they can stay at home and shoot arrows or throw axes at targets doesn't make sense from ANY perspective.
ReplyDeleteAnnnnnnnd here's what she wanted.......
ReplyDeleteFB:
Jennifer Mandel I don't have a farm, but I enjoy reading about yours immensely, so I just made a donation. It's small, but hopefully it'll help, and inspire others to do so.
See? Her life is truly magical.
DeleteYou should have warned me- I just threw up and it hit the computer screen!!
ReplyDeleteThe curious thing is that on her Clan Cold Antler blog, she posted yesterday that the farm has "never been in better shape." So which is it?
ReplyDeleteI wonder if she's in trouble yet with property taxes. I know around here, when you are chronically late with your mortgage, which feeds your property tax escrow account, eventually, they get very pissy and want money up front to cover the shortage. And they are not very nice about it all. Ask me how I know... :-)
ReplyDeleteAnd that comes in the form of a letter of intent to go to tax lien sale, which is one step away from sheriff sale of the property. I would call that bad news.
So does she need 4 logo sales at the cheap rate? ($200) or the inflated rate ($600 or more?) One wonders.
Don't you just want to slap all the Jennifer Mandels of the world? For gosh sakes. Go read someone else's blog that is immensely more interesting and someone to truly admire.
The other blogs aren't breathless with drama.
DeleteBad news? What, did she chew through an entire pack of Trident again and run out of TP?
ReplyDeleteLOL..That is hilarious!!!!!!
DeleteInteresting that she didn't say what the bad news was. Maybe there was no bad news, like maybe there was no root canal.
ReplyDeleteDing ding ding!!!
ReplyDeleteAnd... there is the opening pitch!
ReplyDeleteAnother dramatic breathless post about running and life and being naked (eh gads, why do we have to hear about her love affair with nakedness all the time??? Now forest nakedness... shesh....) but most importantly, we learn she has bills and she is behind in her mortgage again... (what, I thought she was caught up just a wee bit ago... ) She has to be nearly two or more months behind if you ask me... if she's getting letters about it and it's not even the first of the month... oh whatever, I digress...
She pitches.. her whine about being scrappy, nekked and tough and making it so far on various income streams.... (ie begging, donations, kickstarter, ah, selling crap) like logos and pig shares (which she is behind on, and cheats people with... because she's too busy making payments on expensive dogs and running around the damn mountain and shooting arrows and whatever else crap she does all day long....)
I just can not believe how people don't get so weary of this routine. This cycle... this WHEEL of the year in Jenna.... there are some mighty desperate and sad people out there that think her life is something to admire. This tough scrappy con artist.
I still just get upset thinking about the 15 grand that she must have pissed through. I mean... how is she to make bound hardback copies of this Birchthorn tome when she can't pay her mortgage and is obviously broke, or so she says.
Why the heck this chick won't go and get some tough, rustic farm job around the area to make end meet is beyond me. We rural folk do it all the time. Helping out a neighbor for a few bucks here and there. It works well all the time.
Oh, yeah... hard work. ah... She's really not into that, is she.
Or like taking personal responsibility and getting her act together with some real assistance, wisdom and respect to all the rest of us unmagical poodles that have to work hard, pay bills and make ends meet before we can do what she does all day long in tra-la-la-antler land.
She just makes me so darn mad. I used to like her. She's like some damn ex-wife that is always asking and begging her way back in your paycheck and them runs around and flaunts her lifestyle and you don't get a piece of it.
Where is karma when you need her?
Great post! We've had the fire starting nakedness, the sleeping with Gibson nakedness and now the forest nakedness....I guess that just leaves the Main Street Cambridge nakedness....I wait with baited breath.
DeleteDon't forget Hot Tub Nakedness with her good ol' friend Patty!! Gross! I would never get into a hot tub with her filthy naked ass.
DeleteSomebody call Maxim!! There's a Decent Ass on Colfax Road and it's grunting uphill!!!!!
ReplyDeleteOMG, LOL.
DeleteAnon 7:38, I think you're jealous. I think you secretly want to run into a thunderstorm and get naked in the forest. Isn't that how you're supposed to feel? You'll never be cool enough to get naked in the forest and take a bag shower. Probably your first of the week. I bet she's been living without a bathroom for a while, and now she has people coming and has to get it fixed. I bet you also have an ex-wife, that comment was too real. Karma shows up when she damned well feels like it, not a minute sooner.
ReplyDeleteHahaha yah, you found me out.
DeleteHmmmm, I wonder if the appearance of the solar shower is in any way related to the many frozen pipes this winter.....
DeleteWhat is this person doing running around naked all the time? Is she starting a nudist colony for one? And do we need to hear about her doing her business squatting in the bushes? Doesn't she have indoor plumbing, or did that fail to make the priority list along with truck repairs and root canals? If the wrong people find out about her behavior they'll haul her away in a rubber truck.
ReplyDeleteThey'll only haul her away if she's deemed a danger to herself or others. Beyond that, she'll be left to become a recluse that manipulates strangers over the Internet.
DeleteI don't like Jenna, let's start with that.
ReplyDeleteThis is post #2537 about how it's a weekday and she's at home doing something non-worky, sometimes it's archery, sometimes it's horseback riding. Today it's running. It's tough, it's hard but in the end she's just so grateful. Grateful she isn't working in an office looking out the window wishing she was outside like those poor schmucks that keep her lazy ass afloat (sorry, decent ass).
But this post isn't really about running-- it's a metaphor for her life (I know 'cause Jenna told me). And that's when we get to the meat of this story: Jenna is behind on her bills. As usual.
But don't worry about her! She'll find a way! She's too stubborn not persevere. This feral, she-beast washes the grime of her gritty existence off with water warmed by the Sun Gods in the lush, fecundity of Nature......
Are you inspired yet? Donate!
BARF!!!!
Does she think all her readers have short term memory loss? Normal people behind on their mortgage don't buy pricey dogs they don't need. No mention of the root canal-- shall we consider that funded? I guess there was some "magic" at Cold Antler once again.
And the gratuitous nudity? She's just whetting appetites for her upcoming Kickstarter campaign for the homestead erotica she's planning to write. Contribute at the $1000 mark and you get to be in the book! She'll tie you up with Merlin's reins and.......
She is sad and lonely. She speaks romantically because she lives in a constant state of anxiety as she mentions in numerous blogs that she struggles with it. I pity her. I pity her for not knowing a world outside her fantasy.
ReplyDeleteCan I say how grateful I am to find this blog and all of the people who have shared their stories? Like many, I discovered Jenna back when Made From Scratch came out and enjoyed her blog in its early days.
ReplyDeleteAlso like many, I stopped reading around the time when she wanted to get Merlin and wouldn't listen to anyone who tried to tell her that this was not the smartest idea.
I did keep reading her on Twitter, though, just to sort of keep an eye on someone whose story I used to care about. Unfortunately for her she tweeted about GOMI, which got me curious enough to start googling, and from there I could see just how much of a downward spiral she's been on.
I had no idea about the failure of the CSA wool shares but it doesn't surprise me that she bought her first sheep based on romantic ideas and not silly concepts like researching what breeds provide what kind of wool. I remember way back when she did the first Antlerstock and she scheduled it for the same weekend as the New York Sheep and Wool festival, an event that is not only more of a draw for the audience she was aiming for but one which she should've been going to herself!
(Mind you, I'm glad now that she never tried to go to Rhinebeck as an expert. May it still somehow mysteriously stay under her radar.)
The pattern with Jenna back in the day became pretty obvious: want a new shiny thing, get it, have a crisis about not being able to afford to pay her bills, somehow get money, immediately spend that money on the next shiny thing. Later, rinse, repeat.
What's sad is that it's all in black and white, and the pattern is right there for her to see! How many winters has she gone through now where her pipes have frozen? At what point does she realize that this is something she needs to anticipate and plan for?
What sickens me is discovering how many of her animals have died. I'm no member of PETA by a long shot. I get the use of animals for food and would not cry foul just because someone wasn't tucking their pigs in at night with a bedtime story and a massage.
But from a sheer resource management standpoint ALONE how does she not take action? How does she not look back through her very own blog entries and conclude that yes, farm animals do die on their own from time to time, but that doesn't mean a farmer should throw their hands up and allow it to happen. The accidents should be accidents, not the way of life. Imagine what good shape Cold Antler would be in if she'd spent even a half hour each day working on the fences and shelter for the animals over the YEARS she's spent treating the problems that come from these things as being entirely out of her control.
Yet in some ways I'm tempted to think death is the better option. At least those animals have finally found peace and an end to the horrible path Jenna puts them on. It completely sickened me to read about how Maude died, and to go through her blog after years away and discover that Jasper was tossed aside, and Gibson's training left to go to utter waste, and I'm afraid to even ask about Jazz or Annie.
But Jenna is Jenna so of course the next best thing is always the solution! It's all the magic of her intent and being brave enough to just DO things! Anybody who suggests she should think or plan is just being negative!
Anyway, just wanted to say that it was comforting to find others who saw what I did, and thus I wanted to offer a little comfort and fellow feeling in return. Thanks.
-CdP
I just read her latest, um, entry.. you know, regarding her referencing what is said here, the truisms, and how she says that yes, this is true, but I am mythical and shower in the woods, because my heart is bursting with? Most people who are adults, work hard, and then share not only the hard stuff, you know, actual hard work to get by in a day, and then share the small things that make things okay. Jenna has twisted this to demonstrating just how special her life is every single minute, despite owing money to everyone.. you know, because her heart is full, it does not matter.. Her constant references to being naked, and her body parts, and now the descriptive of her washing her naked self SCREAMS desperate. She will never admit this, but she is the loneliest person we have met, she is DESPERATE for acceptance. It's really very pitiful and I almost feel bad reading it… It's distasteful to see someone go from an energetic hopeful young person to a washed up (no pun intended) used up woman who can't seem to keep any friends, and has to use suggestive verbiage to keep her audience enthralled. It's just gross. She makes Kathy Bates in the Misery movie, seem extremely normal.
ReplyDeleteJW appears to have much in common with others of her generation who believe they're "special" (thanks in large part to Mr. Rogers) and "important", if for no other reason than that they get up in the morning. This is the generation who got trophies and ribbons even if they were on the losing team and whose schoolwork was often graded with a purple pen instead of red, lest they feel bad about themselves. Failure was/is acceptable as long as they "tried". As a result, we have a disturbing number of narcissistic young adults trying to make their way through life with a huge sense of entitlement and self-importance. This is the selfie-generation - they are obsessed with themselves. Shielded from life's bumps and bruises while growing up, their huge egos are now easily shattered by the slightest criticism. Nothing is ever their fault. I suspect that most of her loyal followers fit the same generational profile, which is why they continue to enable her irresponsible lifestyle, and don't see it as a problem.
DeleteDon't you DARE blame any of that on Mr. Rogers. Good grief. I agree with the rest, but I happened to LOVE Mr. Rogers and I'm a responsible adult and not a narcissist relying on the charity of others to fund my irresponsible lifestyle while I sit on my ass and do nothing but the fun things.
DeleteMr. Rogers taught about caring, sharing, being gentle and kind to others, etc. Put the blame where it belongs...largely on parents and society encouraging it.
Have to disagree, Anon 10:33. You may have loved Mr. Rogers but that doesn't mean his message didn't have unintended consequences.Does he deserve ALL the blame? Of course not. Yes, he was sweet and gentle and, I'm sure, had the best of intentions, but he shouldn't be placed on an untouchable pedestal. I'm not the first to recognize this, either. Many specialists in child/family interactions have come to the same conclusion. This article is a case in point; http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB118358476840657463
DeletePlease don't lump JW's actions into a generational thing. It's a person-thing. She is supported by all ages, dreamers mostly, who want to believe they are supporting something bigger than themselves and get hoodwinked by her romantic words. She is a 30+ year old woman who has demonstrated her whole career that she has no problem taking money for projects and not producing or begging for money to get what she wants. That is NOT my generation, that is Jenna.
DeleteApologies if this comes off grumpy, but I have worked my butt off to get where I am today (proud homeowner with a nice office in a global company) and watched my peers get kicked down and get right back up as they build their lives. It drives me bonkers to hear us called lazy by those in your generation. Not to mention the fact the every generation thinks the one after them is lazy or ungrateful or entitled. Some generations had parenting philosophies with unintended consequences resulting in more people like you describe, some generations are dealt worse hands than others, some people think their generation was dealt a worse hand than others. However, at the end of the day, you have greedy people and hardworking people. People with loose personal ethics and people with strong personal ethics. Saying Jenna's atrocious behavior is a generational thing not only excuses her but also does a strong discredit to all the adults out there that did get the right message and have built successful lives and are a productive members of society.
I'm just amused that she waffles between a public and private Facebook. (Or she's just decided that most of her posts should be public, and there's some really desperate and lonely stuff being hidden.) And, of course, she's mixed her family, friends, and readers all together instead of leaving herself a personal profile and then creating a page for herself and/or Cold Antler. Much of what she does perplexes me, and really smacks of low self-esteem and insecurity.
ReplyDeleteWell, any legitimate business would have a business account where they choose carefully what they post on Facebook. Legitimate is not in her realm.
DeleteAlso, for someone who knows designing websites, etc so well, you would think her page would look better and have better navigation than it does. Back when she was writing actual interesting stuff-years ago- it would annoy me to no end to look for something and not have a simple search button on there, or even a few categories to help narrow something down. The way it is right now it is impossible to find anything of value.
Judging by the logos, her website(s) over the years, and the rumors regarding Orvis, I have the feeling that she really isn't that competent in anything she went to school for anymore. Maybe at one time, but definitely not now. And, using the free service that is Blogger,she could just change the theme to one that allows searching or even just start using labels on her posts. It's really not hard, but she's the queen of scrappy, right?
DeleteAn intelligent and well considered comment, CdP. I agree that Maude's slow, painful death was appalling, and completely preventable with a bullet through the head or knife to the throat. However, despite all of her bravado, she was too cowardly to perform that act of mercy (or, god forbid, hire a vet). Instead, she went inside and blogged until she was fairly sure that Maude was dead. For someone who claims to be a farmer/homesteader, that is inexcusable cruelty. And as you and others have said, it's far from the only example to be found in her blog.
ReplyDeleteShe wants to live like someone with a trust fund or a big lottery win, as illustrated by her post on running. However, few people have the luxury of not working in their 30s. She needs to grow up, support herself and stop ripping off people using the internet. I didn't see many comments on her latest post, so perhaps the pool of willing fools is shrinking.
That was another aspect that surprised me when I got caught up. I didn't necessarily see red flags when she first quit her job because she seemed to have a plan. (though I saw mention that someone from Orvis said she was close to being fired anyway? Is there a link for that?)
DeleteHer decision then was the kind of thing that I think was understandable given the time and her age. She seemed to get that it would mean some belt tightening, and really hustling (in the good way) with her workshops and writing, and she had health insurance lined up. Risky, sure, but the kind of risk that someone could take when young and healthy.
But at the time I assumed she really would be a full time farmer, doing what she could to live off of her land. I'm no farmer myself, but I could see the possibility of success from someone who was devoting her days to her crops and animals and supplementing with part time writing and workshop hosting to have cash coming in.
To come back now and see that over the years she's barely managed to grow some kale absolutely astounds me. I live in an apartment. I have a back porch that I can do some container gardening in and apparently I've had more plentiful crops than she has!
And the thing of it is that she has the time. This was supposed to be the point of quitting her job. She has her entire day at her disposal to devote to animals and crops. Instead everything is neglected beyond the bare minimum for whatever her latest hobby is. And if she wants to do that to her crops or herself, fine. But once she makes animals the victims of her flights of fancy it's completely unacceptable. Woman up, grow up, and either take on the daily responsibility for these lives which are dependent on you or give them to people who will!
I can't help but wonder, though, if this is all we can see based on her very own writing, is there more horror going on that even she is too ashamed to tell people about?
- CdP
Yeah, like is the pig in the barn dead? I suppose so.
DeleteShe does have a trust fund. She trusts her followers will fund her lifestyle.
DeleteI was going to ask (again) about the poor boar stuck in the barn.
ReplyDeleteRemember when she posted the picture of herself with a low cut top and referred to herself as a busty woman? Then she got upset when people started commenting on it and called the police and bought a gun.
ReplyDeleteSo why does she keep writing about being naked?
If she sells her violin, how will she play sad music to accompany her sob story posts?
ReplyDeleteShe's not actually selling the violin. She's putting one of her most prized posessions "up for sale" to garner more pity, and thus more donations. Same with the old wool hat, the beat-up license plate, Any many more items. It's all "old hat." I would not be surprised if one of her blinder followers later gifted her with a new violin.
DeleteAlso, as an amateur violinist myself, that kit is not worth anywhere near $400, new or used. You could pick up the same student violin, bow (including a case) and amplifier at most music stores, brand new, for $200 at most.
So she admitted to being irresponsible and late on bills. She forgot selfish, egotistical, and parasitic.
ReplyDeleteHow anyone can read that post and still want to donate to her is beyond me.
As for the puppy, isn't it so very poodle to buy a thousand dollar purebred puppy that has to be shipped clear across the country? Wouldn't a scrappy, feral farm gal at least get a puppy from Border Collie rescue?
"How anyone can read that post and still want to donate to her is beyond me."
ReplyDeleteOne commentor already answered that question...she lives in an apartment and relies on Jenna to fulfill her own fantasy of living on a farm.
Unbeknownst to the commentor there are way better farms and blogs to be inspired by.
Sadly, most of her supporters are the very same people she looks down on--apartment dwellers and urbanites--they just haven't figured out that while she is taking their money she also insulting them for not being like her.
As my grandma use to say...misery loves company.
~j~
So true Anon 4:29. She has a big yard, a few sheep and one dog already. Why another one?
ReplyDeleteThis is the woman who wrote a long paranoid piece about coming home to find her barn door open. Supposedly soooo afraid that she was thinking of (or did) getting a handgun, yet then showers outdoors? Guess she's not really too worried, or she's just swerving back and forth between paranoia and verbal exhibitionism.
I don't have a problem with her planning and sharing her midday shower. But it is odd to start running on a 90 degree day so you can be ready for your shower bag. BTW, does she camp? I thought she couldn't leave home. Why the shower bag? Hmmmm
I think it's strange, but some folk eat it up. To me the real problem will remain the fake Antler Farm concept and the poor treatment her animals seem to receive.
BTW, love the concept of Homestead Porn! Maybe she has a guy on the hook she's trying to reel in.
And I thought Maude had one of the easier demises of the animals who reside there (sad).
Do her posts sound manic/depressive to any of you? One minute her life is truly magical, the next minute things are dire.
ReplyDeleteOr, do you think it's more along the lines of her getting super annoyed that real life gets in the way of her fantasy life. I mean, toothaches, broken trucks and mortgage payments aren't supposed to happen to her, right?
*raises hand* Right here. Not that you can or should diagnose someone over the internet. But the constant cycle of up/down, combined with the belief that she can do everything and nothing about her latest dream could possibly go wrong reminded me a lot of a bipolar friend of mine.
Delete- CdP
Both. Plus, she's close to hitting bottom. She isn't living a sustainable life, she's living a Ponzi scheme.
DeleteI agree. It's not a matter of if but when.
DeleteI will wager though, that there is another Kickstarter project in the works. Birchthorn is due to be completed soon and she will need another large infusion of cash. Even though she went through the Birchthorn money pretty quickly.
I no longer believe she will ever hit bottom, as long as there is a new stream of internet readers who believe what they read over a couple of months' time and give money. One set will become discouraged and leave after helping her raise 15K only to have her talking about buying a bunch of new goods but also being behind in the mortgage once again just a few months later. But a new set of innocent, fresh eyes will come in and think it's all wonderful over there until they see the same thing happen for themselves. People these days just don't ask enough questions online to those they give money to. And lets face it, if some guy can crowdfund 15 grand to make an egg salad sandwich or something equally as dumb, Jenna will successfully crowdfund for root canals, new roofs and whatever else she wants. But I DO believe in karma, the universe has its own ways of balancing the scales so I'll leave it to the universe to deal with. It just may take a long time. Until then I am glad Meredith's blog exists for those who want to do a little online research before opening their wallet to someone raising money online who may not be a wise investment.
DeleteHotFlash - I hope you are wrong but am afraid you may be right. It seems she will always find a fresh flock to fleece. Look at those televangelists. Most are so phony, but they get a lot of people of limited means to give money to them, even though they make no secret of being wealthy.
DeleteI mean, how do you get the have nots to willingly give to the haves?
In Jenna's case, how does she manage to get working people to donate to her when she is adamant that she will never return to work?
Maybe someone smarter than me can explain it, because I sure can't figure it out.
She has a stream and a pond on her property...why the heck is she ducking behind a barn using a shower bag?
ReplyDeleteShe has a stream and a pond on her property...why the heck is she ducking behind a barn using a shower bag?
ReplyDeleteI bet her plumbing is ruined from being frozen all winter. Why else is she showering and squatting in the bushes? I hope she gets that straightened away before she hosts any workshops. It's bad enough stepping on a dog turd in the yard. I suppose the toiler paper could act like a little flag to alert people. Or is using toilet paper to poodle for her?
DeleteOff-topic question for Meredith:
ReplyDeleteI'm wondering, among the many "Anon's" here, how many different Anon's check in periodically? Would you be willing to share some blog stats? Or perhaps the Anon's could count off (very grade school, I know)? I am curious because Meredith mentioned a while back that she gets inquiries about CAF from potential sponsors. I'm not trying to stir up any ugly pots, just wondering how many minds have gone from CAF to here.
This is my first comment ever on here but I'm an aspiring homesteader/dairy farmer who's starting small and realistic (you know, researching before doing, belt tightening, making do, assuming that a stable non-farm job will be required for at least 5-10 years before my one-day dairy farm succeeds) and I have been voraciously reading farming nonfiction narratives (like Cold Antler Farm, the book). I thought it waxed a bit too lyrical for my tastes but overall I enjoyed it.
DeleteThen I read the blog, and didn't initially understand the issues with it. But somehow (googling CAF maybe?) I stumbled on GOMI & this blog.
Now I kind of can't stop reading her blog and then coming here, it's like a slow-motion trainwreck that gets a deep analysis after every confounding post.
The puppy thing is baffling me - I'm on a super tight budget right now to pay my mortgage and yes, I bought small livestock recently *but it was budgeted for, my mortgage was paid, my bills are paid, my animals got meds when they got mildly ill after bringing them home, and I'm still coming out a bit in the black every month.* I got the cheapest animals I could find from a high-quality breeder and we bartered labor for a better price. I brought them home in my own truck. These animals will get love and attention and care and I won't buy more until I can afford to, in terms of resources, time, energy and space.
I'm younger than her, starting with fewer resources - I cannot imagine taking on so much more than is responsible like that, especially in my 30s after learning through trial and error, or never knowing how my bills will be paid, or buying a purebred, out-of-state puppy - not even a livestock guardian dog, but a herding puppy when I didn't have anything to herd. What about a rescue puppy!? Or like someone else suggested, a border collie rescue? It's the kinder and by far more affordable option, if a person is bound and determined to have a puppy just for having a puppy. If you need working stock, I understand that costs money, but just as a companion animal - hell, I got my gorgeous, smart great pyr mix for $150 bucks, all shots & neutered, at a shelter, and he was only 7 months when I got him!
Anyway, this has turned a bit long winded but count me in as a tally for the survey. Glad I'm not the only one baffled by her blog!
Congrats to you for being a smart young person and doing your homework and getting into your homesteading dreams with eyes open and being smart and realistic.
DeleteHopefully, Jenna's blog and this one will give you more insight and anyalsis on how to do things smarter and better. And yes, you'll make mistakes, we all do. It's just nice to have some heads up info and try to avoid things that can be avoided, so just learn from this all.
I hate to see all the commentary at times because I think, I sure wouldn't want this much critique in my every move, since I'm learning to homestead as well, but still, I think she has drawn this to her with a pompous attitude, and her snarky ways and her cavalier attitude towards animal deaths and care, etc etc. just once, I'd like to see her post something that sounds like she finally gets it, that some sort of wisdom is sneaking in, instead of just more and more fantastically off beat magical living off us all. I have donated three times!!! I can't believe I fell for it. Gads if she just got a part time job, and laid off the animal acquisition for a few months and sold real stuff, not junk and got herself on track, I would be one of the front row clapping fools. I would like to see her succeed. I'm embarrassed at what she's become and her homesteading bumbles.
It's one thing to be new and learning, making mistakes and learning from them. It's quite another to be new and learning, making mistakes, not learning from them and hosting workshops from the standpoint that you are qualified to do so.
DeleteOh, I totally agree. She has no wisdom and the very basic of experience to be hosting workshops as an expert. You can learn more off the internet in the privacy of your own home on You Tube University and such then paying high prices to learn from her. That is unbelievable.
DeleteShe got a rescue border collie (an adult female) once before, and gave it back, remember? This was early on in her blogging career.
ReplyDeleteI think that female BC was from a breeder but she returned it because it was biting people.
ReplyDeleteIt's doubtful that Jenna would pass muster with any rescue: 4 cats dead/MIA and Gibson isn't neutered.
Jenna's gotta have a shiny, new puppy, anyway. Just another prop for her pretend farm.
She's the biggest poodle of them all, she just doesn't realize it.
ReplyDeleteMy 3 cents for CAF and JW
ReplyDeleteEat, free or give way all the animals at one final Antlerstock, call it Burning One Woman Festival, do the whole shebang - nude bicycles, people camping in the trees, art - whathaveyou - then blow up the whole farm, throw Gibsom in the truck and go get a job and write, write, write your ass off. You're a good writer I think. Do this for 10 years (make it a prison sentence), then come back after having saved and buy another farm with no mortgage. I mean, write one final memoir of the hell of CAF, make it long, Gone with the Blog. The do fiction, you have the talent - you have the SHINE girl, just stay out of Room 432. 10 years, have a kid, date, grow up some. come back maybe with a best friend of hubby and do it right. Most of all, you'll need to make it right with all the sinners who now want to throttle you - yes we're talking REPENTANCE to the whole f'in internet community, it will take you 10 years to do this also.
So come back in 2025, still young, a nestegg to crack open and start the dream again.
Free advice ain't free these days, this is my gift.
Amen, Anon 7:39! That's the exact same advice I'd give. Jenna's been wanting a book contract, and I bet an editor would be interested in a book about her quitting the farm, a book about the journey to the farm, the dream, the struggle to keep it going. Write about the successes and the failures. No shame in trying to live the dream and the dream not working out--happens to everyone. Stay off the interwebs, do what you can to make reparations to the folks you owe money to, get a job, get some love, save your money, and WRITE.
ReplyDeleteLot of accusations about JW mistreating animals. I don't know what claims, if any, are true, but if there has been mistreatment, then reparations need to be made on that account as well. That sort of stuff is corrosive, psychologically and spiritually.
Jenna's a writer, and she's a good writer, but she needs to write the truth. Own it. I feel like the truth's been in the other room these last couple of years, and the writing has suffered and the spirit has suffered and folks are gathering over here to bitch and moan, with good reason. They feel betrayed and ill-used. Get back to the truth, JW. Get off the farm. Ten years sounds like a good plan. Listen to Anon 7:39. Accept the gift.
That's the best idea I've heard. Others of course have stated generally that she get rid of the animals, get off the farm, but your post lays out an actual plan, Anon 7:39. And brilliant idea about the book Anon 8:27. Writing is her strong suit. Focusing on that without the distraction of trying to beg money to care for all those animals, bills, house/farm maintenance, etc. would maybe bring back her spark for life and relieve some of the obvious anxiety she is suffering.
ReplyDeleteI think she has made a reputation for herself, and will not be a salable author beyond her blind followers. She is too delusional to make a wise decision. If she was capable of clear thought, would she be in the position she is in now?
ReplyDeleteTrue, Anon 12:30, but this girl can dream.....
ReplyDeleteBut she has barnheart, and it's incurable.
ReplyDeleteShe doesn't seem able to work for others. If she didn't have the Internet she'd have nothing since her last book. (Maybe she'd find some locals to take workshops or some way to advertise more widely)
ReplyDelete(What happened to Birchthorn?) Why does she keep
bringing up her precarious financial woes--everyone
knows by now she can't pay her mortgage on time and she insists on expensive playthings (she has 2
dogs, a horse and a kitten-supposedly) Even if they
are her "family" - she can't afford care for all of them
Annie is old and may need special care. How dare
she put her current animals at risk. My husband has
a decent job with benefits. We also have an old
farmhouse with all the maintenance and repair that
entails. With no children, we.have one dog and one
cat. We can't afford any more animals or livestock
if we wanted it. (Our dog cut.her paw -only 2 stitches
$400+ And luckily we didn't have to go to the
emergency vet. Flea/tick, heartworm not to mention food for all her animals. She is living an extravagant
lifestyle. Yes she admits.being in love with her own
mythology until that pesky reality rears it's head--
but she wants her readers to be in love with HER mythology too and keep it going. She is doing
nothing sustainably - she tries to come off as a
producer but she is just consuming her life away.
Remember before the internet? Real sustainability
would not require a constant internet presence. It
brings up an interesting question - of course real
farmers and homesteaders should take advantage
of the Internet to broaden their market and
exposure especially if they live in a remote location-
but they are NOT taking advantage of their readers
because they are offering real deliverable products
. Professionals don't need to try to manipulate their
readers. If she didn't have the Internet she'd have to
face herself without the reflection of her adoring
fans. That would leave her nowhere, miserable
but at least she would see what she NEEDS to do.
After she got her current CAF, she told her readers
she was done accepting donations -it was time to
stand on her own 2 feet. Years later, she is as
dependent on her enablers as ever. And she has the
nerve to post repeatedly that SHE made these hou
se and car and horse payments. That is the big lie
that her self-professed "stubborn" self *her best
quality supposedly that is really making her into a
begging serf that she must write regular soliciting
"offerings" to these people , her lords and gods. She
is just clever at trying to disguise them as creative
descriptions of her so-called "feral farm gal" life.
Btw, feral farmer is an oxymoron because real
farmers have to be sharp managers of time,
resources(including and especially their animals,
)money and energy to be successful. And they need
to be civilized planners to achieve their goals and get along with many types of people. They likely do not have time to criticize "poodles" or would even think to do so. Stubbornness can be born of pride and it takes humility to learn from mistakes and admit maybe things aren't working as is and it takes real pride in self to insist on making your own way in the world. I hope she can break out of this pattern - it is not admirable and if both she and other members of her "family" need medical care - is she going to sacrifice for those animals ??? Is crowdfunding a sustainable practice? That's putting your faith in the lords and ladies and one can't count on keeping them amused and engaged forever.
with people. Of course they love their lives. But does anyone here really believe Jenna loves what the Modus Operandi
Disregard last part. Format due to typing on phone!
DeleteI think you should copy and paste this on her site. At least some readers would see it for a few minutes before it is deleted. And, is Birchthorn completed? I'm curious, but not on the paying site for it.
DeleteAnon 12:30, I think she's dug herself in deep, and that's the reason why she's not thinking clearly. Imagine you've made your reputation as homesteader--published lots of books, been the go-to younger farmer quote person for the Huffington Post and Mother Earth News. Somehow you've gone from neophyte gardener to Expert on all Things Farming. Your name gets dropped into articles next to Joel Salatin's and Wendell Berry's.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, that sort of attention is going to go to your head. And it's going to change your focus. It's not so much about self-sufficient living and farming anymore, it's about being who everyone has come to believe you are. It's about telling a story that people want to hear--the story of your magical, mythical life that everyone wishes they were living, too.
But what if your life turns out to be less magical and mythical than you thought it would be? What if it's lonelier? What if you made a bad decision to buy property you couldn't afford? What if in an effort to fortify your mythmaking, you bought animals you couldn't afford and didn't know how to care for (or didn't have time to care for) instead of sticking to chickens?
I think Jenna made a lot of dumb financial decisions she thought she could dig her way out of through selling shares on wool and holding workshops and writing books. The wool CSA was a disaster, as we know. The workshops couldn't possibly bring in enough to sustain mortgage payments month after month.
But instead of saying "this isn't working," Jenna kept digging. And I can see why--she's built a career on being a spunky homesteader, an expert farmer. How can she admit now that she was in way over her head?
It seems to me that when Jenna gets money from her readers, through sales and Kickstarter campaigns and just plain pleading for it, she ends up spending it on new things for herself--an expensive puppy, for instance--instead of paying her bills. While I've been very wary of the various diagnoses people have made here about Jenna (she's manic depressive; she's a narcissist), there is something about her behavior that seems compulsive to me, a sort of addict mentality. It has occurred to me that she self-medicates through buying new things. Like I said, I'm wary of these sorts of appraisals, but I've found a lot of her behavior baffling, the way she cycles through feast and famine, and wonder why she's not managing her finances more responsibly.
Jenna, if you're reading this, and I suspect you are, please know it's okay to quit. It's okay to say "I got in over my head and I made mistakes." That would be so much better than the manic posts about how wonderful and magical your life is, followed by posts about how broke and worried you are. If the wolves are at your door, you can't make them go away by pretending they're not there. Sometimes all you can do is open the door.
Her last post actually combined the magic and the wolves. But you're right --taking responsibility for supporting herself first--and being okay with that--would be so freeing and a huge morale booster. She would have to be brutally honest with herself and others.
DeleteWhat's sad is that she doesn't realize that it doesn't have to be an either/or proposition. She could probably keep her home if she just got a job, saved up, and tried the lifestock thing once she had a nest egg.
DeletePart of her denial is she'd rather classify people giving her helpful advice as being naysayers. They aren't saying no, they're saying this is what people need to do to reach their goals. It's not cowardice that makes people do wacky things like put together a budget and figure out how to stick to it. It's solid planning.
She's in an incredibly fortunate position to have been able to get that house and land at a time when many her age would not have been able to swing it. Full credit to her there. But getting your dream and keeping it are two entirely separate things.
-CdP
CdP - No full credit to her there. She came right out and asked her readers for donations for the house. Just like she asked readers for donations for her horse, Merlin. And for truck repairs, etc...
DeleteVery interesting comments, all.
ReplyDeleteIt's all very good advice but Jenna won't be taking any of it. She's had a taste of retirement and has found lazy days of horseback riding, WoW, and shooting arrows suits her just fine. Making logos is a distasteful bit of work, a stop-gap until a more lucrative gravy train starts flowing. If she were serious about the logos why doesn't she advertise where she could reach more potential clients? Small farming magazines, other blogs etc. Working's just no fun and it's not the Jenna way.
Living Like Fiction does not include flourescent lighting or printer jams-- it's riding a Fell pony, preferably noonish on a weekday, while someone else hits the donate button from the confines of their drab, grey cubicle.
You know, there are plenty of people out there that work AND have livestock. Her farm shouldn't take much more than an hour morning and evening to feed and water everyone and then she can work a decent work shift. She doesn't have to have one or the other. She could even take a part time job if that was such a huge problem. She just doesn't want to be inconvenienced. After all, she's made it this far without a job on her own you know.
ReplyDeleteYou're very right. Jenna often presents false dichotomies. I think this is meant to be part of her mythology--- corporate slave vs. scrappy farmgal.
DeleteScrappy=too inexperienced and lazy to function.
ReplyDeleteDid anyone else notice the "Who Needs a Trampoline" post? Those little chicks were terrified.
ReplyDeleteThere didn't appear to be much ventilation on those chicken tractors. Aren't they supposed to be moved around the yard? I didn't notice any fence between the road and her yard. Must be a treat for her neighbors.
DeleteYeah, that made me kinda sick to my stomach.
ReplyDeleteBaby goat gonna smash the wire and break that chicken tractor.
DeleteIt doesn't matter. Other people helped make them for her. It's their hard labor ruined. She can always find more suckers to make new ones.
DeleteThat was cruel. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Cruel. Just as cruel as when she let her pony chase a terrified sheep that eventually died - probably of fright. What kind of person allows that kind of thing to happen and thinks it's cute? What kind of other people encourage that kind of person to keep allowing it to happen?
ReplyDeleteI agree completely.
DeletePeople that just don't know any better.
DeleteOh my god!! I just watched it. You can hear the chicks all crying out when the goats jumped on their homes. HOW is that cute or funny? Aw, poor chicks. I feel so badly for them. This woman doesn't give a crap about chicks/chickens - I guess b/c they are "so cheap." It is so inhumane. I can't believe Mother Earth and other "reputable" outlets respect her.
ReplyDeleteShe's awful-- why should those chickens be distressed even one second just because she feels the need to create content for her blog?
ReplyDeleteNow she's alledgedly transforming the chicken tractors into shelters, buying electric poultry netting and allowing them to free range. Poultry netting seems to start at $150 not including charger. That's certainly going to yum up a lot of her profits--- you get the idea she isn't as broke as she makes out.
Anyone ever read Of Mice and Men? She reminds me of a certain character in it.
ReplyDeleteI thought she sold those goats? I saw somewhere that she wrote "Sold!" on a post about them. It said $75 each or something.
ReplyDeleteShe probably did. She will sell them a dozen more times before slaughtering them for herself.
DeleteJenna's new play thing has arrived. She's got puppy pics up on FB-- someone commented "It looks as if she's smirking."
ReplyDeleteJenna's surely smirking--- here she is with her new puppy while she leaves the Wool Share folks empty-handed.
What an asshole.
She has no shame, no integrity and no morals.
ReplyDeleteJenna Woginrich I didnt realize how melancholy I was until she fell asleep on my lap on my way home from the airport.
ReplyDeleteLike · Reply · 6 mins
Jenna Woginrich after that - total joy
What happens when the buzz wears off and she's meloncholy yet again? Another puppy?
Animals aren't the answer to the constant state of ennui she seems to be in. That woman needs therapy.
And if she's as broke as she lets people believe getting another animal is totally irresponsible and reckless. What about her other pets? Merlin is getting older -- he could easily need supplements or meds. Annie is elderly already. Even easily treatable problems cost money.
The whole thing is a trainwreck.
I know this sounds judgemental, so be it, but I 've found that the best way to cure depression or boredom is to get up and work. The harder, the better.
DeleteSo true, redhorse. "Action comes first, and motivation comes later." Act first, then motivation follows.
DeleteExcellent blog, Congrats to the Web Master, nice colors and text.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your knowledge. God bless you.
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