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A Farm of My Own:  Does anyone else get "the look?"  |
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MagnoliaWhisper
True Blue Farmgirl
2817 Posts
Heather
Haysville
Kansas
USA
2817 Posts |
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yarnmamma
True Blue Farmgirl
4247 Posts
Linda
Clarks Summit
PA
USA
4247 Posts |
 Posted - Oct 01 2008 : 2:11:06 PM
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lol
I love the thought of the outhouse seat hung up inside by the fireplace. ! lol
I lived in Alaska for a long time and it gets cold there. I have had to squat outside and quickly get my carharts back on when it was about 30 below. It is true that adventures like that end up being such good memories.
;-)
Linda in Scranton, PA
farmgirl #71
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Yes! I live in the Scranton, PA "The Office" TV show is based on! LOL LOL
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prairie_princess
True Blue Farmgirl
613 Posts
Elizabeth
Carpenter
WY
USA
613 Posts |
Posted - Oct 07 2008 : 7:54:19 PM
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My parents told me stories of harsh winters in ID... the snow drifts were so high (over the roof of the trailer) they couldn't get to the outhouse. they'd have to go right out the front door. This was right after i was born... they told me that winter they had to shut off all the rooms in the trailer and we'd only live in the living room to conserve the heat of the small woodstove. they just threw the mattress on the living room floor and we'd huddle up all winter. i hope to have some adventurous, harsh living stories like that someday! i don't mind outhouses at all.... funny to say this, but they are "rustic" to me.
"Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy."
-Guillaume Apollinaire |
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FannyMay
Farmgirl in Training
25 Posts
Tara
Rosston
Arkansas
USA
25 Posts |
Posted - Oct 07 2008 : 10:37:21 PM
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I to have gotten the LOOK! Until I read these post tonight I didn't think anyone else knew about them. I am 34 and my husband and I live so far back in the sticks you have to pipe sunshine in to us LOL! I a have been canning and making my own things for years now and recently gotten the bug about making my own soaps and cheeses. Any time I would mention any of these things to someone they would say what do you want to do that for? I dont' know of a lot of other farm girls here where I live that like to do alot of the same things that I do. People seem to think I have lost my mind sometimes!
There is no other life for me, but farm life. |
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Janneane Hazlip
True Blue Farmgirl
67 Posts
Janneane
Fort Scott
Kansas
USA
67 Posts |
Posted - Oct 08 2008 : 06:40:34 AM
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There are those that give "the look" and there are those like the insurance adjuster that was here last week. He was on the roof forever. I was thinking " this is not going to be good, he is looking for an excuse not to cover our damage." When he came down he said "I hope you don't mind that it took me so long, I was just enjoying the peace and quiet." He also left a check for a new roof.
I am considering renting the roof at an hourly rate to the next person that gives "the look" and from then on it will only be a look of envy.
Jaanneane |
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yarnmamma
True Blue Farmgirl
4247 Posts
Linda
Clarks Summit
PA
USA
4247 Posts |
Posted - Oct 08 2008 : 12:54:43 PM
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LOL that is soooo funny about the insurance adjuster....!
Linda in Scranton, PA
farmgirl #71
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Yes! I live in the Scranton, PA "The Office" TV show is based on! LOL LOL
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knittingmom
True Blue Farmgirl
665 Posts
AnneMarie
Edmonton
Alberta
Canada
665 Posts |
Posted - Oct 08 2008 : 1:09:47 PM
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Prairie Princess, if you feel you want to live a simple, down to earth lifestyle, go for it, ignore the look. The more you and your husband are able to be self reliant (i.e. making preserves, moving to live off the grid) the better off you'll be. Check into geothermal heating for your home, it's a bit pricy initialy but in the long run it's worth it.
Also making things from "scratch" is MUCH healtier for a person (has anyone taken a close look at some of ingredients listed, there's something to the saying if you can't pronounce it don't eat it). Plus things made from scratch taste much better.
My thought is our society has lost something wonderful as we've advanced technologically, "we" don't really visit with our neighbours (if we know them at all), everything is so fast paced that a 1 minute commerical seems like an eternity, "we're" constantly connected with cellphones and blackberries, we don't know how to sit still and enjoy the quiet anymore. It's pretty sad.
Ok that's my little rant off topic.
I wish you all the best. |
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doglady
True Blue Farmgirl
435 Posts
Tina
Howard
Ohio
USA
435 Posts |
Posted - Oct 08 2008 : 1:34:48 PM
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I love the Look! My mom says that we have already been in a recession but I don't need to worry because I live like I'm in a depression. LOL I have folks calling me and asking for canning advice which I gladly give. I love it. I thought that I would be finished with canning this year until my brother asked me to help him can some free beets and apples. Oh well, it's a good thing that I hadn't put the canner up for the winter. We're getting our wood in this weekend. It's a dirty type of heat but so toasty and I smile every time the electric bill comes. Come to think of it - not too many people have been giving me the Look lately! LOL.
Tina
You can tell your dog all of your secrets and they'll never say a word!
www.kennelcreations.com |
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Sheep Mom 2
True Blue Farmgirl
1534 Posts
Sheri
Elk
WA
USA
1534 Posts |
Posted - Oct 08 2008 : 1:53:22 PM
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| Oh how true that is. All of a sudden my "labor intensive" lifestyle doesn't seem so crazy anymore. Even with the ridiculous prices on canning jar lids & pectin this year it's still more cost effective to can my own produce. The cost of sugar does give one a bit of a pause though. At least it's honest sugar and not high fructose corn syrup....Not interchangeable if you ask me. The frost was definetly on the pumpkin here this morning - 27 degrees. Guess that's the end of the tomatoes for the year. Anyone else frosted out yet? |
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prairie_princess
True Blue Farmgirl
613 Posts
Elizabeth
Carpenter
WY
USA
613 Posts |
Posted - Oct 08 2008 : 3:54:03 PM
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is it wrong to feel bad for the "civilized" people who may have trouble if the economy fails or is in a heavy slump? i feel very secure in my lifestyle. but i don't want to be a "i told you so" person if something bad happens.... i feel i'm just doing what i need to do to keep myself safe, living in "the depression" state of mind instead of spending money like crazy. plus i like this lifestyle anyway. we've been buying bulk foods just in case and keep lots of food on hand... i like to take people down to the "apocalypse cellar" to see what kind of looks i get... ha ha!
Sheri- i know what you mean about "honest sugar." if you havn't yet, check out the forum regarding high fructose corn syrup in the farm kitchen section... some interesting stuff! we got a light frost the night before last... i'm trying to take care of my babies as much as possible, but a rain/snow mix is expected for saturday!
"Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy."
-Guillaume Apollinaire |
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Sheep Mom 2
True Blue Farmgirl
1534 Posts
Sheri
Elk
WA
USA
1534 Posts |
Posted - Oct 08 2008 : 4:13:47 PM
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I think if the bottom truly drops out you will see a lot of panic...those folks haven't been in touch with the source of their supply for a long time. I think that living "close to the ground" helps one to have a different view of things all the way around. I always stock up on the staples in the fall - just as my parents always did. When I was growing up my dad was caretaker of summer homes in the mountains near Lake Tahoe and our road wasn't plowed in the winter. We had to pack in our supplies in the fall because we couldn't carry much in once the road to our home closed for the winter. Even though my road doesn't close for the winter, I still don't see the wisdom of having to run to the store all the time for every little thing. If the weather is bad I sure don't want to drive the 15 miles to the nearest small town to buy toilet paper! I have lived out here (and I am sure many of you relate) long enough where the 15 miles (one way) doesn't seem strange but just the usual. However I believe in saving up all my errands and doing them all at once because going to town isn't something I enjoy all that much plus why waste the gas on numerous trips.
As to the high fructose corn syrup - if you get PBS in your area watch for a POV episode called "King Corn" about a couple of college guys who decided to plant an acre of corn and follow it from it's planting to it's processing & beyond. Chilling at the very least. |
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Suzan
True Blue Farmgirl
659 Posts
suzanne
duncannon
pa
USA
659 Posts |
Posted - Oct 08 2008 : 4:23:33 PM
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| My daughter who is 29 has always lived frugally, and is finally wanting to get together to do some canning...a little late in the year, but there's always applesauce and pumpkin, whatever she can gather up at the Farmer's Market (she's in Ithaca, NY). She does make her own yogurt and sews her own curtains so I'm encouraged! She's probably the only one who doesn't give me the "look" and understands me! She's quite a gem! |
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oldfashioned girl
True Blue Farmgirl
2391 Posts
monica
oatman
az
USA
2391 Posts |
Posted - Oct 08 2008 : 8:03:59 PM
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Tara, I have made 2 batches of cheese so far and I get the same comments!
Janneane, Renting out the roof sounds like a good idea!
AnneMarie It is true that as things advance with technology we do lose something! Nature is so wonderful and honest hard work I believe is so god for the soul!
Elizabeth, Don't get me started on high fructose corn syrup!!!!! It is in everything from saltines to ketchup and studies have linked it to diabetes and obesity! That is why I started canning and I will only buy pure maple syrup even though it costs a lot more! The other stuff is a bottle of colored high fructose corn syrup!
Any way I praise God for the look!!!I don't want to be like everyone else, except you ladies!
Monica
farmgirls rule!
www.justducky48.etsy.com
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5 acre Farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
1007 Posts
~~~*Terri*~~~
WA.
USA
1007 Posts |
Posted - Oct 09 2008 : 10:01:21 AM
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I have gotten "looks" for years....I have always loved "old fashioned" things and have dressed that way also...the "looks" are not worth going to look like the rest of our naked society to me....
Farmgirl Sister #368
http//:froccsfrillsfurbiloesandmore.blogspot.com
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prairie_princess
True Blue Farmgirl
613 Posts
Elizabeth
Carpenter
WY
USA
613 Posts |
Posted - Oct 11 2008 : 5:41:19 PM
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Sheri, i just watched King Corn a couple weeks ago after it was brought up in a chat over in the Farm Kitchen section... it was very enlightening. my friend keeps telling me she wants to cut back on drinking Mountain Dew. i gave her some information from the movie about soda... i don't think it did much good. and, ew, now i can't think of that fake maple syrup in the same way after you said that. i would love to start buying the real maple syrup instead. i can't believe HFCS is in almost everyting! in my coffee creamer, my ice cream! i can hardly eat or drink anything without thinking to myself "this is not good for my body". i heard it is also a large contributer to heart disease...
"Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy."
-Guillaume Apollinaire |
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catscharm74
True Blue Farmgirl
4687 Posts
Heather
Texas
USA
4687 Posts |
Posted - Oct 11 2008 : 6:17:25 PM
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Actually, Texas is the FIRST place I haven't gotten the "look". Frugal, farm living ideals still abound around here. Now, there are a lot of new housing developements and I avoid them as much as I can, but the old timers and those who have grown up here don't give me a second look. Nothing I like seeing better than a man in his t-shirts, Levis and cowboy hat in the store. OH MY!!!
I don't have a clothesline but I do put my clothes out on the front porch. People say it is nice to see someone younger conserving and doing things the "old way". I can't wait to get a house and have a PINK clotheline.
Texas is actually the first place I have felt comfortable with my simple, frugal ways.
Heather
Yee-Haw, I am a cowgirl!!!
FARMGIRL #90 |
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Sheep Mom 2
True Blue Farmgirl
1534 Posts
Sheri
Elk
WA
USA
1534 Posts |
Posted - Oct 13 2008 : 12:00:00 PM
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| I would love to be able to dry my clothes on a line but I live on a dirt road and the dust is horrible....people that have moved in out here fly down these roads and raise such a cloud that my clothes would be dirtier than when I started if I hung them out and I don't even live next to the road. My driveway is 1/4 mile and I still get the dust clouds. Anyone else get the "look" when they get to town with a rig that is coated in DUST? Ever see the cloud that comes out when someone with an air impact wrench tries to change your tires? Now that really is a look!! |
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Mother Hen
True Blue Farmgirl
604 Posts
Cindy
Peck
ID
USA
604 Posts |
Posted - Nov 23 2008 : 01:28:30 AM
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Elisabeth, I got the look from my parents and they thought I was nuts until they decided to move back out of the concrete jungle and have a small farm in KY now. Now my dad and I talk about the tractors and about our cattle and building a shed (I want to but haven't yet) and gardening, etc. Before I moved to Idaho I was living in CT for a year. People at work back there were very different from me. For that reason I had joined eHarmony to find my husband. It worked and now I'm happy. We live on a 200 acre farm that he has worked his whole life and my daughter loves it(my son didn't so he moved back by his father where there are malls and fast food and "things to do"). We find plenty to do here. On a farm there is always something to do.
When I was in CT my mother's next door neighbor didn't know how to cook. She was a wife and mother of a 2y/o and every night her husband brought home supper. I went out with one guy who was impressed I knew how to use a broom. Give me a break!!! I couldn't handle it. If I hadn't met my husband, I was ready to do it on my own. That was just not the place for me. I don't know how people can live like that and not care, I just don't understand. But anyway, that's why I live where I do and why I am now a farmgirl on here! This is the best. I love the comradery (sp?)
So don't worry about "the look", I would bet most of us have gotten them and still do. Just know you are doing what is right for you and if all goes to heck in this country, you won't be one of the rats(from the rat race) looking for food, you'll be growing your own.
I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. Psalms 34:1 |
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MsCwick
True Blue Farmgirl
775 Posts
Cristine
Farmville
Virginia
USA
775 Posts |
Posted - Nov 24 2008 : 09:20:53 AM
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I get the look when I explain why I dont have a dryer. Go figure :)
Cristine |
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K-Falls Farmgirl
Chapter Leader
2096 Posts
Cheryl
Klamath Falls
Oregon
USA
2096 Posts |
Posted - Nov 24 2008 : 09:54:24 AM
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In my opinion..."The Look" is a sign of A. not understanding B. Understanding but skeptical C. Wanting the same thing but embarrassed to admit it..D. all of the above.. keep doing what you are doing and thinking like you are thinking there are plenty of support for those whe get "the look".
http://www.k-fallsfarmgirl.blogspot.com/
Cheryl #309
Farm girl sister
Enjoy the little things in life....someday you'll look back and realize they were the big things. |
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Old Spirit
True Blue Farmgirl
1499 Posts
Rae
MN
1499 Posts |
Posted - Dec 12 2008 : 09:32:46 AM
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Hi there Prairie Princess!!! I have lived in the country now almost a year, just a couple weeks short and people always ask if I like it and can't believe it. Maybe because I am 52 and we are starting all over and live really really out in the woods. I always knew I would love it but never knew how much I would. I love getting home from work and going nowhere and weekends are best, going no where :-)
We are going to farm and hopefully in a few years here will be able to always stay put. It is such a nice calm and rewarding life.
Enjoy!!!!!
Rae
I love living in the country!! |
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K-Falls Farmgirl
Chapter Leader
2096 Posts
Cheryl
Klamath Falls
Oregon
USA
2096 Posts |
Posted - Dec 12 2008 : 12:50:19 PM
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here here... I give the look right back..A great big SMILE!
http://www.k-fallsfarmgirl.blogspot.com/
Cheryl #309
Farm girl sister
Enjoy the little things in life....someday you'll look back and realize they were the big things. |
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LouisvilleMom
True Blue Farmgirl
246 Posts
Kathryn
Louisville
KY
USA
246 Posts |
Posted - Dec 16 2008 : 8:09:57 PM
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I get the look everytime someone comes into my office. I have an antique cultivator. I mean a full-size, hook it to a horse, pull it through the field, rusted up...cultivator. I love it. One of the handles is broken and it was outside for years so the brake and everything else is rusted tight but I am putting it on top of my entertainment center in my great room. It is rustic and I like it but people always say "Um....what is that?" when they walk in which really means "why do you have a rusted piece of junk sitting here?"
SAHM mom to four great boys.
http://ksfarnsworth.blogspot.com/ |
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lisamarie508
True Blue Farmgirl
2648 Posts
Lisa
Idaho City
ID
USA
2648 Posts |
Posted - Jan 11 2009 : 08:23:04 AM
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The rusty old stuff is the best! Lots of us here collect that stuff.
I have gotten the look, but mostly from tourists who seem to think I'm "quaint" or part of the "show" here. The locals don't think anything of the way I dress. Our town is an old mining town, still with all the wooden boardwalks and horses are ridden up and down Main Street on occasion. We get quite a few tourists in the summer. I often wear long skirts and a straw hat or jeans and straw hat. Apron or not, I catch people taking my picture when I'm bent over in one of my flower beds in the front yard or moving something in the wheelbarrow. I find it kind of funny that they look at me like I'm some kind of museum display or something.
I do have a couple prairie bonnets, too, but I usually only wear that during the week when I go home for lunch and work in the garden. It's the only hat I have that doesn't mess up my hair. I don't want to take the time to make it presentable again before going back to work.
All in all, most folks around here totally understand the farmgirl way of doing things; even if they don't want to bother with it themselves. So, we are very comfortable with our ideas and goings-on here.
Farmgirl Sister #35
"If you can not do great things, do small things in a great way." Napoleon Hill (1883-1970)
my blog:
http://lisamariesbasketry.blogspot.com/
[size=1]My apron website:
http://lisamariesaprons.bravehost.com [size=1] |
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electricdunce
True Blue Farmgirl
2544 Posts
Karin
Belmont
ME
USA
2544 Posts |
Posted - Jan 11 2009 : 09:43:37 AM
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I don't even notice if I get the look anymore. I live in a small town , surrounded by other small towns, and in the last twenty five years lots of back to the land people have moved here. Lots of organic farms, even the occasional alpaca, my new neighbors have horses and a little tack shop. I only get the look these days when I wear my hats to town...I love my old wool old lady hats and last summer I got the best straw hat ever. I'm old, I'm fat, but I have got some fab hats....
Cities just drive me crazy, I used to live in Tucson when I was first married. I hated it, my husband loved it. I love being on a back road, and there is a thirty acre hayfield behind my house which I love. I like to be able to see the night sky....
This forum is such a delight to me, and it is so enriching to read all these posts....
Karin
Farmgirl Sister #153
"Give me shelter from the storm" - Bob Dylan
http://moodranch.blogspot.com
http://domesticnonsense.etsy.com |
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A Farm of My Own: Does anyone else get "the look?" |
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Does anyone else get "the look?"
