What a happy coincidence that Jenna's truck needs a ton of work right when she put out feelers for her next horsey. Does she have another drum in her closet she can peddle for a few hundred like last time? Might we see the treasured wool hat dangled before the pitying fans?
Gibson cut his paw and it was a financial disaster at CAF and in the next breath she wants to add another mouth to feed. She'll be doing good to get her puppy spayed before it gets knocked up.
Gibson is still in tact, so it could happen. She probably is planning on that and will say "oops, I didn't realize it could happen so soon..." as she concurrently sells those puppies for 1500 each....
Constant care? Like that which she provided to Maude?! How the heck is she going to provide quality care, feed and housing for another horse when she doesn't supply that now for the animals currently unlucky enough to live at CAF??? What type of FARMER has to feed hay to her livestock year-round because she lacks appropriate pastures for them to graze in?! Hey Jenna, share the kool-aid, please!
She could easily rent some grazing land. That's what anyone who wanted to raise sheep in any serious kind of way would do. I know this sounds pretty dumb but hindsight is 20/20--- when I first started reading her blog I thought that was her goal-- to have at least a modest flock. That's all she talked about -- how badly she wanted to be a shepherd. The truth is she's appallingly stupid about animals. It's not just that she lacks experience, she's just not cut out for farming. And so heartless, which we all know now, but it could take your breath away how callous she is. I just can't comprehend why she raises animals at all. What's she getting out of it?
She's getting attention, which is the point to a narcissist. Narcissists are also notoriously bad pet and animal owners, just as they are poor parents. They really don't care about anyone's feelings but their own. I truly fear for Merlin and any other horse she gets. Right now Merlin is an indespensible prop. He allows her to live a fantasy. When he becomes more burden than prop, he won't matter any more than Maude.
Surprise, her twuck sucks, but she'll get out of it, some enabler will come to her rescue, or maybe a whole bunch will, and she'll be so grateful she's not an effin poodle in a cubicle, hell yeah, buy a logo suckas, Gibby needs a bandaid
I feel so utterly sad for all the animals/pets on her property. All they seem to be are pawns, characters rarely mentioned, and most certainly not taken care of properly by any standards. I think the ones I feel the most sad about are the pets/things that get replaced- Annie with Gibson and now Gibson with Friday. Or Jasper with Merlin and now Merlin with? Or the Subaru with the Toyota and now the Toyota with the Ford.. and on and on.
okay, will one of you guys please marry Jenna, and settle her down? It will help if you have a decent bank account, farming skills, tools, and a new pick-up truck. Jenna's Mom will be happy too. Jenna is making herself pretty, it should be obvious to the folks in Veryyork, and on the internet, that Jenna is stepping out!
Of course, one can argue she already has a horse and many other animals that she cannot afford to take care of. But she doesn't like to be bothered by these details. Remember, this is Jennaland, where crying and whining result in money raining down from the heavens.
I am thinking of starting a Kickstarter fund for my new game, Jennaland. The object of the game is to accumulate as many donations as possible while doing the least amount of work.
As in Monopoly, where you buy houses and hotels, players would buy horses, dogs, sheep, pigs, trucks, carts, shawls, ham sandwiches, etc while actually not being able to afford them. Whoever accumulates the most stuff and gets the other players to pay for them wins.
There would be Donation Cards in varying denominations. Players would try to outwit their opponents with scams and shady tactics in order fool them into trading their cards with them.
There will be obstacles on the board too. Frozen pipes, broken trucks, root canals, vet bills, foreclosure notices...Players can either be tripped up by them or use them to their advantage.
So give up your pizzas and donate to my Kickstarter fund. You will actually help create this game (while I am out riding my horse). Target date of completion is sometime in the future or when you guys finish it.
I guess I don't understand the discrepancy? Did her favorite mechanics miss rusted brake lines, need for new pads, shocks and framework issues? I know when I ask a mechanic to take a look at a vehicle, inspect it for ALL issues they look at everything. I would assume that if you have one vehicle that doesn't pass inspection you would want to make sure the next one does, right? Before you or your fans buy it that is...
Just had the new pickup gone over by my favorite mechanics at Hoosick Tire, looks like the only thing wrong is one ball joint ! Not bad!
1st and 2nd opinion state that new truck needs- all new brakelines, pads, shocks, and framework....
I'm curious which ploy will be used to get the funds to pay for the work. I'm also curious what kind of purchases will be made and shared once funds start coming in for said "truck repair"- makeup? kilts, Outlander shawls, a horse that has had small payments made on it for a few months and on an on. I imagine it can be quite addicting to have people Paypal you money everyday for just existing and having once written a good book, even more exciting to have someone send you gifts in the mail everyday. The only time it wouldn't be much fun is in the winter when cold, snow, pipes bursting, water freezing etc. interrupts the euphoric nature of your day to day. JMO
So...let me get this straight...JW has a truck that is not street legal, cant pass inspection and can't be driven because she can't afford the repairs, so she gets her brain dead fans to pony up $2000 for another truck that is not street legal, can't be driven until it is and she now has stated she can't afford those repairs either.
Worst of all...her fans seem completely blind to her pattern of bad decisions. Either that or they are so effing desperate to feel like they belong to a group that they think the money is worth the intangable friendship.
"So the truck needs $600 worth of work to get inspected and legal on Saturday."
Que the fire sale on logos again.
$150 bucks but "you have to settle the design with me with either 3 iterations of back and forth changes or by 6pm Friday - whichever comes first."
She intends to design four logos between now and 6pm tomorrow------ how is this fair to the customers? She's just going to fling a chicken on the screen and use the old standby folksy font and say "there ya go!".
Still trying to harvest customers from the same crowd of people on her friends list. The fact that she can't get buyers at $300 should be a sign that she should look elsewhere. What's next, logos for $29.99??
What's the rush? She has another truck to drive until she can get the money.
Would someone tell this girl that she will have more expenses next month -- scheduled, unexpected and otherwise---- just plan on it you moron.
Jenna Woginrich @coldantlerfarm 59m59 minutes ago I'm a compulsive farmer. I do it because I can't help it.
Geez, you'd think if she was so compelled to farm she'd have more to show for it than a scabby, diminutive, sheep pasture with some dotty old woolies chawing on purchased hay all year. Has she "compulsively" set up the outside pig yard or are they still jammed in the barn? Yeah, CAF really looks the kind of spread owned by someone who's positively driven to farm. Hold her back! She's going to hoe that row of potatoes, don't get in her way you might lose a toe!
As the daughter of a farmer, having grown up in and currently living in the Midwest surrounded by young farm families, I take offense at JW stating she is a compulsive farmer. She's a compulsive something but she is not a farmer. The life of a farmer looks nothing like the life portrayed, witnessed and written about by JW. FYI to her and her fans a real farmer has to consult with his/her family, help etc. in order to take time off to go to the dentist. A real farmer has to consult, ask permission, and sacrifice on a regular basis his/her needs and wants for the health of the farm. To the best of my knowledge there hasn't been a new type/kind of farming invented in the last few years where you beg for $ for a farm, equipment, livestock, feed etc. on the internet all the while you go swimming, riding horse, taste-testing beer etc. all day. To those following JW, could you answer this question? Which part of her current lifestyle do you want to live vicariously through? If you wish to own a small plot of land, put in a crop, raise sheep, ride a pony or raise chickens, I suggest you look to some real authentic sources of information regarding homesteading. I have homesteading friends and some of them did not grow up in a rural area like me or on a farm. But through intensive research, working full-time jobs, saving $ for years and back breaking hard work they are making it. They are different from the farmers I grew up knowing in that they do not want to work 24/7/365. They want to be able to have some fun, which I and others would never begrudge them. They seem to plan their fun wisely. They aren't out doing back to back extracurricular activities during planting season or harvest season. Spring & Summer are times to mend fences, clear pastures, fell trees for wood, fix roofs, plant gardens/crop, breed livestock and sell livestock/cull herds. I haven't seen any of this written on this so called compulsive farmer's blog. Have any of you? There are many times of crisis on a farm, but farmers plan for that before they set up to farm. Some things you can't plan for but my Dad never bought extra livestock in anticipation that a certain amount of them would be killed. Truth be told besides the raccoon pulling out a couple, 3 or 4 who or what killed the majority of those lost? Machinery or vehicles weren't purchased unless they were needed. And when they were purchased they were seen by my father or grandfather, checked thoroughly over and then maintained faithfully, compulsively. I've never known a farmer in my almost 45 years living in farm country that had regular fire sales to keep his farm in operation. There's a name for those kind of "farmers" around here and that's "lazy" farmer. On their own they don't last long but given all these modern ways of begging for funds they may be able to fund this kind of lifestyle longer than in the past.
She is an utter fool. First, I'm irrationally pissed at her getting a mid-'90s F150...because that's what I have haha. I hate to think that Jenna and I are in the same truck family now. Sigh. Second, a Ford of that age is never "just" $xxx or "just" a, b and c repair. It's everything, all the time and it's a lot of money. Especially if hers came from the northeast where roads are heavily salted. They're cheap because they need work and you've won the lottery if you find one that's been maintained well enough to pass an inspection with such minimal work once you get it. I've purchased all the parts for mine directly and with no mechanical costs for labor and I'm sure I've surpassed the $600 estimate she's throwing out there. In true Jenna fashion, it could very well be a bandaid to get it through this inspection, only to have to sink another $1000+ into it next year to pass inspection again. ~AM
The reason Jenna's current fans are blind is that they're in the early phases of their Jenna cycle. I'd be willing to bet that many of us have been through the same thing. You're at the library or bookstore and pick up a copy of Made By Scratch or Barnheart. You, too, have a dream to live on a small farm, and here's someone who's actually doing it. You of course go to her blog and follow her on FB. She's a good writer and you think she's really cool--she's living *your* dream after all. Maybe you go back to the very beginning of her blog, which quite frankly is really good. Of course you're willing to pay up for all that good writing. She's inspiring you. Writers should be paid!
It takes a while for the picture to come together. Maybe it starts with your first small donation--$10 or $25--that's not acknowledged in any way. You try not to mind it, but you do, because you, too, have limited funds. The next time a plea for money comes, you hold your wallet a little tighter. And you start noticing that she doesn't seem to be ... well, farming. And she keeps buying new animals and trucks and toys. And then getting in financial scrapes that send her spiraling. The wolves are at her door--again. Why doesn't she get a job, just something part-time? And why, when she's in such financial difficulty, is she always taking up new hobbies or out horseback riding or practicing archery? I mean, you understand that her blog posts don't take in the whole of her life or even the whole of her day, but still, something seems strange ...
At some point you begin to hear rumors ... in fact, Jenna is the one who first alerts you to the fact that somewhere out there on the interwebs, folks are talking about how much they don't like her. It's easy enough to do a quick search that lands you on Coldantlersham.com, where you learn about Jenna's failed wool CSA and the logos she never delivered. And that's when you realize you're no longer a fan and haven't been for a long time.
But this process can take awhile. It was the Birchthorn (?) Kickstarter drive that made a little lightbulb go off over my head. I'd followed Jenna long enough to know there was a really good chance she wasn't going to write the book. She'd write a few chapters, but that would be it.
What's interesting to me right now is how the Jenna train never seems to wreck. I'm one of those who thinks it won't ... although recent events make me wonder. The truck was a stupid move on many levels. She's asking her current crop of fans for too much too fast. But the amazing thing about the Jennas of this world is that Jennas bounce. She'll figure a way out of it. I'll be interested to see how she does it this time.
I read for years also and quite enjoyed her writing, too. But, I never responded to the plea for money. I was a single mom with a kid in school. I had my own expenses to cover and figured a single working woman, dream or no dream, could pay her own way. I, after all, had a dream too, and it didn't include funding her's.
She lost me with the purchase of her current farm. The gloating about how a person with messed up credit and no money, deep in debt, unable to put a down payment on the farm smacked of total irresponsibility and an "I have to have it now" mentality that reminded me of my ex, who almost bankrupted us with his spending. Her comments to people who suggested she come up with a plan to save everything she could for a year then buy were shot down to the tone of a spoiled brat. Back to the I want it and I want it NOW!
It got worse when she announced that she had purchased, on payments before escrow closed, a small flock of sheep she was ill prepared to maintain.
The last two straws for me was the nasty comments to those of us genuinely trying to give a young shepherd the benefit of our decades of experience and her announcement that she HAD to have a truck now that she was a farmer.
I realized then that the Jenna show was all about the show. Looking like a farmer, not actually being a farmer or shepherd. And, her path has changed drastically since then, as many have come to recognize. There is no talk about farming, or simple living or cooking from scratch or homesteading anymore. It's all been taken over by the crisis of the day/month/season, begging, pushing workshops, logos, wish list items for fans to purchase and garage sale crap in a half-hearted attempt to raise money.
I don't think she has written one single post comparable to the early days in more than a year. Maybe she thinks that absence will make the heart grow fonder, but she would be mistaken.
She's had a real opportunity to make something special out of her place and her talents, but she has decided to take the easy road and beg for her supper.
Will the train wreck? I don't know. But, what I do know is that even Peter Pan had to land eventually.
To both anons with the longer paragraphs, thank you! Those were very thoughtful. It's sometimes hard to pinpoint why these things make me so upset but that helped put it into words. The scamminess is awful, and the turn from the roots of actual homesteading is off putting. For someone who's worked hard for her money, planned thoughtfully and waited as patiently as possible (sometimes impatiently), and is learning my homesteading limits through trial and error and improving as much as I can, it's just a downer to see people throwing money away on someone who weirdly doesn't think it's a big deal that her animals are constantly dying unintentionally. I understand death happens on farms but it shouldn't be happening like that. And that's not a farm.
She sure has lost her way from made from scratch. I think she knows it too. Even her "I'm so happy" posts seem more like a pep talk to herself instead of genuine emotions.
She's not different, she was laying a foundation. She's been lying, scheming, and stealing long before Cold Antler Farm and will be lying, scheming, and stealing long after.
Dam you poodles, you dare raise your ire at the great and awesome WOZ! You, low life cubicle sucking toads of responsible stewardship, who labor for dental health and store bought kale, and in your minds believe that I cannot farm! Begone, you vipers of dark clouds raining on the sunny flowers of Veryork, who think only of repo men and their sinister love of collateral, who want to limit animals, kilts, t shirts, beers and game nights. Away you cretins of cantankerous collective conspiracy creating crowdfunding confusion, the great WOZ must have what she must have, pay homage and pay now!!!!!
Posting with my real name, because I have nothing to hide from anyone.
I had been following Jenna's blog for years. First because I, too, am single, with a sole income household. I don't have a farm, just a garden, some fruit trees and a berry patch or two, and I also write books. (Mine are all fiction.) I was--at first--impressed that someone with a full-time day job could manage to get so much done around her original (rented) homestead. I felt inspired that I, too, could manage to get stuff done around mine.
Working full-time, writing, gardening, and with various other hobbies takes up a lot of time. I wanted to find the time to do what I loved even though the day job ate up a lot of my 'spare' time.
I started questioning when she asked for help to buy Merlin. And then turned around and quit her job.
I could not imagine, even with workshops, being comfortable enough with skating on the edge of financial ruin to actually up and quit my hated day job. At that time, I was working through paying off a lot of debt, and I knew she had a truck payment and a mortgage, so I just couldn't imagine actually quitting. Especially after asking for money to buy herself a pony, after asking for money to help buy her farm.
The whole Birchthorn thing was just disgusting to me, because honestly, the chapters she'd posted for free were so badly written and cringe-worthy that I couldn't imagine any publisher actually wanting to publish it, much less anyone wanting to support her in a kickstarter. I mean, I'm not ever going to win the Pulitzer Prize or anything, but I can put a sentence together and write an interesting story with characters that the reader cares about.
I've read one of her books--Made From Scratch. I found it very light on actual real content. Maybe that's normal, I haven't read any others like her books. But I was disappointed.
I stumbled across this site and coldantlersham a while back. Probably around the kickstarter time, because I honestly could not believe that it would be funded. And what I've read here and elsewhere.. makes me happy I never actually gave her any money.
It's sad, really. I feel sorry for her, in a train wreck sort of way.
On August 17, she also posted that she would sell Merlin to keep Gibson safe. And on the same day she posts that she is looking for a new horse?
ReplyDeleteAnd how is she going to get this new horse? From her fans.
And how is she going to support this new horse? By her fans.
Would someone plleeaassseeee explain to me why people continue to throw money at her. Jenna fans? Are you out there? Please explain!!!!
What a happy coincidence that Jenna's truck needs a ton of work right when she put out feelers for her next horsey. Does she have another drum in her closet she can peddle for a few hundred like last time? Might we see the treasured wool hat dangled before the pitying fans?
ReplyDeleteGibson cut his paw and it was a financial disaster at CAF and in the next breath she wants to add another mouth to feed. She'll be doing good to get her puppy spayed before it gets knocked up.
Gibson is still in tact, so it could happen. She probably is planning on that and will say "oops, I didn't realize it could happen so soon..." as she concurrently sells those puppies for 1500 each....
ReplyDeleteI wonder if even the most slick scam artist ever gets weary of the constant hustle?
ReplyDelete"...a life of love, constant care..."
ReplyDeleteLOL!
Constant care? Like that which she provided to Maude?! How the heck is she going to provide quality care, feed and housing for another horse when she doesn't supply that now for the animals currently unlucky enough to live at CAF??? What type of FARMER has to feed hay to her livestock year-round because she lacks appropriate pastures for them to graze in?! Hey Jenna, share the kool-aid, please!
ReplyDeleteShe could easily rent some grazing land. That's what anyone who wanted to raise sheep in any serious kind of way would do. I know this sounds pretty dumb but hindsight is 20/20--- when I first started reading her blog I thought that was her goal-- to have at least a modest flock. That's all she talked about -- how badly she wanted to be a shepherd. The truth is she's appallingly stupid about animals. It's not just that she lacks experience, she's just not cut out for farming. And so heartless, which we all know now, but it could take your breath away how callous she is. I just can't comprehend why she raises animals at all. What's she getting out of it?
DeleteShe's getting attention, which is the point to a narcissist. Narcissists are also notoriously bad pet and animal owners, just as they are poor parents. They really don't care about anyone's feelings but their own. I truly fear for Merlin and any other horse she gets. Right now Merlin is an indespensible prop. He allows her to live a fantasy. When he becomes more burden than prop, he won't matter any more than Maude.
DeleteSurprise, her twuck sucks, but she'll get out of it, some enabler will come to her rescue, or maybe a whole bunch will, and she'll be so grateful she's not an effin poodle in a cubicle, hell yeah, buy a logo suckas, Gibby needs a bandaid
ReplyDeleteI feel so utterly sad for all the animals/pets on her property. All they seem to be are pawns, characters rarely mentioned, and most certainly not taken care of properly by any standards. I think the ones I feel the most sad about are the pets/things that get replaced- Annie with Gibson and now Gibson with Friday. Or Jasper with Merlin and now Merlin with? Or the Subaru with the Toyota and now the Toyota with the Ford.. and on and on.
ReplyDeleteokay, will one of you guys please marry Jenna, and settle her down? It will help if you have a decent bank account, farming skills, tools, and a new pick-up truck. Jenna's Mom will be happy too. Jenna is making herself pretty, it should be obvious to the folks in Veryyork, and on the internet, that Jenna is stepping out!
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't even wish her kind of drama on my ex.
DeleteAnd, that's saying something
She's also looking for a guy who does housework.
ReplyDeleteToday's suggested merch: Outlander tartan shawl $229
ReplyDeleteWhat does she want???!!!
DeleteAn Outlander tartan shawl!!!!
When does she want it???!!!
___________!!!!!!
Today's suggested merch also includes another horse, as suggested by her post, "Life is short. Buy the damned horse"
DeleteOf course, one can argue she already has a horse and many other animals that she cannot afford to take care of. But she doesn't like to be bothered by these details. Remember, this is Jennaland, where crying and whining result in money raining down from the heavens.
DeleteI am thinking of starting a Kickstarter fund for my new game, Jennaland. The object of the game is to accumulate as many donations as possible while doing the least amount of work.
DeleteAs in Monopoly, where you buy houses and hotels, players would buy horses, dogs, sheep, pigs, trucks, carts, shawls, ham sandwiches, etc while actually not being able to afford them. Whoever accumulates the most stuff and gets the other players to pay for them wins.
There would be Donation Cards in varying denominations. Players would try to outwit their opponents with scams and shady tactics in order fool them into trading their cards with them.
There will be obstacles on the board too. Frozen pipes, broken trucks, root canals, vet bills, foreclosure notices...Players can either be tripped up by them or use them to their advantage.
So give up your pizzas and donate to my Kickstarter fund. You will actually help create this game (while I am out riding my horse). Target date of completion is sometime in the future or when you guys finish it.
Lol good one I love it!
Deletethey could be "crisis cards"
DeleteInteresting that all the kilt models on that site are men.
DeleteIs she trying to tell us something?
I guess I don't understand the discrepancy? Did her favorite mechanics miss rusted brake lines, need for new pads, shocks and framework issues? I know when I ask a mechanic to take a look at a vehicle, inspect it for ALL issues they look at everything. I would assume that if you have one vehicle that doesn't pass inspection you would want to make sure the next one does, right? Before you or your fans buy it that is...
ReplyDeleteJust had the new pickup gone over by my favorite mechanics at Hoosick Tire, looks like the only thing wrong is one ball joint ! Not bad!
1st and 2nd opinion state that new truck needs-
all new brakelines, pads, shocks, and framework....
I'm curious which ploy will be used to get the funds to pay for the work. I'm also curious what kind of purchases will be made and shared once funds start coming in for said "truck repair"- makeup? kilts, Outlander shawls, a horse that has had small payments made on it for a few months and on an on. I imagine it can be quite addicting to have people Paypal you money everyday for just existing and having once written a good book, even more exciting to have someone send you gifts in the mail everyday. The only time it wouldn't be much fun is in the winter when cold, snow, pipes bursting, water freezing etc. interrupts the euphoric nature of your day to day. JMO
So...let me get this straight...JW has a truck that is not street legal, cant pass inspection and can't be driven because she can't afford the repairs, so she gets her brain dead fans to pony up $2000 for another truck that is not street legal, can't be driven until it is and she now has stated she can't afford those repairs either.
ReplyDeleteWorst of all...her fans seem completely blind to her pattern of bad decisions. Either that or they are so effing desperate to feel like they belong to a group that they think the money is worth the intangable friendship.
I'm getting a brain cramp.
Bingo, I send her money because she and I both NEED it, call me cheap but all my best friends cost $10 a month via Paypal
DeleteOr, you can buy (pre-paid of course) a logo but you have to agree to only 3 changes and it has to be paid for by Friday.
ReplyDeleteUmmm...isn't that tomorrow?
And, why didn't she know this ahead of the purchase? After all is had covered all the base's and she was on-top of it. Right?
At least that's what she chided a commenter over.
"So the truck needs $600 worth of work to get inspected and legal on Saturday."
ReplyDeleteQue the fire sale on logos again.
$150 bucks but "you have to settle the design with me with either 3 iterations of back and forth changes or by 6pm Friday - whichever comes first."
She intends to design four logos between now and 6pm tomorrow------ how is this fair to the customers? She's just going to fling a chicken on the screen and use the old standby folksy font and say "there ya go!".
Still trying to harvest customers from the same crowd of people on her friends list. The fact that she can't get buyers at $300 should be a sign that she should look elsewhere. What's next, logos for $29.99??
What's the rush? She has another truck to drive until she can get the money.
Would someone tell this girl that she will have more expenses next month -- scheduled, unexpected and otherwise---- just plan on it you moron.
Jenna Woginrich @coldantlerfarm 59m59 minutes ago
ReplyDeleteI'm a compulsive farmer. I do it because I can't help it.
Geez, you'd think if she was so compelled to farm she'd have more to show for it than a scabby, diminutive, sheep pasture with some dotty old woolies chawing on purchased hay all year. Has she "compulsively" set up the outside pig yard or are they still jammed in the barn? Yeah, CAF really looks the kind of spread owned by someone who's positively driven to farm. Hold her back! She's going to hoe that row of potatoes, don't get in her way you might lose a toe!
As the daughter of a farmer, having grown up in and currently living in the Midwest surrounded by young farm families, I take offense at JW stating she is a compulsive farmer. She's a compulsive something but she is not a farmer. The life of a farmer looks nothing like the life portrayed, witnessed and written about by JW. FYI to her and her fans a real farmer has to consult with his/her family, help etc. in order to take time off to go to the dentist. A real farmer has to consult, ask permission, and sacrifice on a regular basis his/her needs and wants for the health of the farm.
DeleteTo the best of my knowledge there hasn't been a new type/kind of farming invented in the last few years where you beg for $ for a farm, equipment, livestock, feed etc. on the internet all the while you go swimming, riding horse, taste-testing beer etc. all day. To those following JW, could you answer this question? Which part of her current lifestyle do you want to live vicariously through? If you wish to own a small plot of land, put in a crop, raise sheep, ride a pony or raise chickens, I suggest you look to some real authentic sources of information regarding homesteading. I have homesteading friends and some of them did not grow up in a rural area like me or on a farm. But through intensive research, working full-time jobs, saving $ for years and back breaking hard work they are making it. They are different from the farmers I grew up knowing in that they do not want to work 24/7/365. They want to be able to have some fun, which I and others would never begrudge them. They seem to plan their fun wisely. They aren't out doing back to back extracurricular activities during planting season or harvest season.
Spring & Summer are times to mend fences, clear pastures, fell trees for wood, fix roofs, plant gardens/crop, breed livestock and sell livestock/cull herds. I haven't seen any of this written on this so called compulsive farmer's blog. Have any of you?
There are many times of crisis on a farm, but farmers plan for that before they set up to farm. Some things you can't plan for but my Dad never bought extra livestock in anticipation that a certain amount of them would be killed. Truth be told besides the raccoon pulling out a couple, 3 or 4 who or what killed the majority of those lost? Machinery or vehicles weren't purchased unless they were needed. And when they were purchased they were seen by my father or grandfather, checked thoroughly over and then maintained faithfully, compulsively. I've never known a farmer in my almost 45 years living in farm country that had regular fire sales to keep his farm in operation. There's a name for those kind of "farmers" around here and that's "lazy" farmer. On their own they don't last long but given all these modern ways of begging for funds they may be able to fund this kind of lifestyle longer than in the past.
You hit the nail on the head. She can't be a farmer, she doesn't know what one is. What does she farm?
DeleteJust because I own a toothbrush doesn't make me a dentist.
She is an utter fool. First, I'm irrationally pissed at her getting a mid-'90s F150...because that's what I have haha. I hate to think that Jenna and I are in the same truck family now. Sigh. Second, a Ford of that age is never "just" $xxx or "just" a, b and c repair. It's everything, all the time and it's a lot of money. Especially if hers came from the northeast where roads are heavily salted. They're cheap because they need work and you've won the lottery if you find one that's been maintained well enough to pass an inspection with such minimal work once you get it. I've purchased all the parts for mine directly and with no mechanical costs for labor and I'm sure I've surpassed the $600 estimate she's throwing out there. In true Jenna fashion, it could very well be a bandaid to get it through this inspection, only to have to sink another $1000+ into it next year to pass inspection again. ~AM
ReplyDeleteThe reason Jenna's current fans are blind is that they're in the early phases of their Jenna cycle. I'd be willing to bet that many of us have been through the same thing. You're at the library or bookstore and pick up a copy of Made By Scratch or Barnheart. You, too, have a dream to live on a small farm, and here's someone who's actually doing it. You of course go to her blog and follow her on FB. She's a good writer and you think she's really cool--she's living *your* dream after all. Maybe you go back to the very beginning of her blog, which quite frankly is really good. Of course you're willing to pay up for all that good writing. She's inspiring you. Writers should be paid!
ReplyDeleteIt takes a while for the picture to come together. Maybe it starts with your first small donation--$10 or $25--that's not acknowledged in any way. You try not to mind it, but you do, because you, too, have limited funds. The next time a plea for money comes, you hold your wallet a little tighter. And you start noticing that she doesn't seem to be ... well, farming. And she keeps buying new animals and trucks and toys. And then getting in financial scrapes that send her spiraling. The wolves are at her door--again. Why doesn't she get a job, just something part-time? And why, when she's in such financial difficulty, is she always taking up new hobbies or out horseback riding or practicing archery? I mean, you understand that her blog posts don't take in the whole of her life or even the whole of her day, but still, something seems strange ...
At some point you begin to hear rumors ... in fact, Jenna is the one who first alerts you to the fact that somewhere out there on the interwebs, folks are talking about how much they don't like her. It's easy enough to do a quick search that lands you on Coldantlersham.com, where you learn about Jenna's failed wool CSA and the logos she never delivered. And that's when you realize you're no longer a fan and haven't been for a long time.
But this process can take awhile. It was the Birchthorn (?) Kickstarter drive that made a little lightbulb go off over my head. I'd followed Jenna long enough to know there was a really good chance she wasn't going to write the book. She'd write a few chapters, but that would be it.
What's interesting to me right now is how the Jenna train never seems to wreck. I'm one of those who thinks it won't ... although recent events make me wonder. The truck was a stupid move on many levels. She's asking her current crop of fans for too much too fast. But the amazing thing about the Jennas of this world is that Jennas bounce. She'll figure a way out of it. I'll be interested to see how she does it this time.
I read for years also and quite enjoyed her writing, too. But, I never responded to the plea for money. I was a single mom with a kid in school. I had my own expenses to cover and figured a single working woman, dream or no dream, could pay her own way. I, after all, had a dream too, and it didn't include funding her's.
DeleteShe lost me with the purchase of her current farm. The gloating about how a person with messed up credit and no money, deep in debt, unable to put a down payment on the farm smacked of total irresponsibility and an "I have to have it now" mentality that reminded me of my ex, who almost bankrupted us with his spending. Her comments to people who suggested she come up with a plan to save everything she could for a year then buy were shot down to the tone of a spoiled brat. Back to the I want it and I want it NOW!
It got worse when she announced that she had purchased, on payments before escrow closed, a small flock of sheep she was ill prepared to maintain.
The last two straws for me was the nasty comments to those of us genuinely trying to give a young shepherd the benefit of our decades of experience and her announcement that she HAD to have a truck now that she was a farmer.
I realized then that the Jenna show was all about the show. Looking like a farmer, not actually being a farmer or shepherd. And, her path has changed drastically since then, as many have come to recognize. There is no talk about farming, or simple living or cooking from scratch or homesteading anymore. It's all been taken over by the crisis of the day/month/season, begging, pushing workshops, logos, wish list items for fans to purchase and garage sale crap in a half-hearted attempt to raise money.
I don't think she has written one single post comparable to the early days in more than a year. Maybe she thinks that absence will make the heart grow fonder, but she would be mistaken.
She's had a real opportunity to make something special out of her place and her talents, but she has decided to take the easy road and beg for her supper.
Will the train wreck? I don't know. But, what I do know is that even Peter Pan had to land eventually.
She'll either have her own reality show or end up in a padded cell.
DeleteEither way, it's gonna be ugly.
To both anons with the longer paragraphs, thank you! Those were very thoughtful. It's sometimes hard to pinpoint why these things make me so upset but that helped put it into words. The scamminess is awful, and the turn from the roots of actual homesteading is off putting. For someone who's worked hard for her money, planned thoughtfully and waited as patiently as possible (sometimes impatiently), and is learning my homesteading limits through trial and error and improving as much as I can, it's just a downer to see people throwing money away on someone who weirdly doesn't think it's a big deal that her animals are constantly dying unintentionally. I understand death happens on farms but it shouldn't be happening like that. And that's not a farm.
DeleteI'm one of Jenna's biggest fans and I'm her to tell you to leave her alone!
ReplyDeleteShe's the coolest, badest-assed, rock star, kilt wearing, superhero ever!
I would slave away under fluorescent lights, even if I have to beg my boss for time off to see a dentist, to be able to send her money.
I would buy her wool hats, beloved fiddles, and drums.I will chop her wood. I will give up pizzas and my front teeth. I will send her all my money!
So leave my badass, superhero alone. She is JFW!!!
Hare, Jenna, Hare Jenna, Hare Jenna
ROFL.
DeleteShe sure has lost her way from made from scratch. I think she knows it too. Even her "I'm so happy" posts seem more like a pep talk to herself instead of genuine emotions.
ReplyDeleteIf you read some of her earlier writings she seems like a totally different person now and not in a good way.
DeleteAgreed--she is a totally different person and it is really shocking. Like 'needs to be evaluated' shocking.
DeleteShe's not different, she was laying a foundation. She's been lying, scheming, and stealing long before Cold Antler Farm and will be lying, scheming, and stealing long after.
DeleteDam you poodles, you dare raise your ire at the great and awesome WOZ! You, low life cubicle sucking toads of responsible stewardship, who labor for dental health and store bought kale, and in your minds believe that I cannot farm! Begone, you vipers of dark clouds raining on the sunny flowers of Veryork, who think only of repo men and their sinister love of collateral, who want to limit animals, kilts, t shirts, beers and game nights. Away you cretins of cantankerous collective conspiracy creating crowdfunding confusion, the great WOZ must have what she must have, pay homage and pay now!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the laugh-- I always love your posts!
DeleteThe great WOZ demands a sacrifice and demands it NOW!
DeleteLOL!!!
ReplyDeletePosting with my real name, because I have nothing to hide from anyone.
ReplyDeleteI had been following Jenna's blog for years. First because I, too, am single, with a sole income household. I don't have a farm, just a garden, some fruit trees and a berry patch or two, and I also write books. (Mine are all fiction.) I was--at first--impressed that someone with a full-time day job could manage to get so much done around her original (rented) homestead. I felt inspired that I, too, could manage to get stuff done around mine.
Working full-time, writing, gardening, and with various other hobbies takes up a lot of time. I wanted to find the time to do what I loved even though the day job ate up a lot of my 'spare' time.
I started questioning when she asked for help to buy Merlin. And then turned around and quit her job.
I could not imagine, even with workshops, being comfortable enough with skating on the edge of financial ruin to actually up and quit my hated day job. At that time, I was working through paying off a lot of debt, and I knew she had a truck payment and a mortgage, so I just couldn't imagine actually quitting. Especially after asking for money to buy herself a pony, after asking for money to help buy her farm.
The whole Birchthorn thing was just disgusting to me, because honestly, the chapters she'd posted for free were so badly written and cringe-worthy that I couldn't imagine any publisher actually wanting to publish it, much less anyone wanting to support her in a kickstarter. I mean, I'm not ever going to win the Pulitzer Prize or anything, but I can put a sentence together and write an interesting story with characters that the reader cares about.
I've read one of her books--Made From Scratch. I found it very light on actual real content. Maybe that's normal, I haven't read any others like her books. But I was disappointed.
I stumbled across this site and coldantlersham a while back. Probably around the kickstarter time, because I honestly could not believe that it would be funded. And what I've read here and elsewhere.. makes me happy I never actually gave her any money.
It's sad, really. I feel sorry for her, in a train wreck sort of way.