Cut From the Same Cloth

Looking through an original magazine called The Farmers Wife, dated June 1931, it is obvious that while time marches on, some things never change. As the year winds to a close, I know well all busy with Christmas preparations, but take a break to take a quick stroll with me back in time to visit Farmgirls of yesteryear, in Cut From the Same Cloth

You Are Your Own Best Advocate

Have laptop, will travel! The Mountain Farmgirl is traveling for a couple of weeks with her ‘portable office’ and thought this would not only be a good time to give everyone an update on her health, but to talk about the importance of self-advocacy as we all try to blindly navigate through the modern healthcare maze. Join her in the important discussion of “You are Your Own Best Advocate” ...

Technologically Challenged

“Technology is my friend … technology is my friend…technology is my friend”.  This is the Mountain Farmgirl’s mantra today as she confronts internet issues, WiFi challenges, setting up a new laptop and is baffled by the latest version of her new operating system. But she is not going to let it get the better of her.  Join her for a fireside chat as things heat up in “Technologically Challenged”….
Brrrr … it’s cold out there! November is here and the fire is on, a little trick that usually warms my heart as well as my hands, making little problems seem not quite so insurmountable.  I sip my tea in a cup I made myself, while the fire crackles and roars. It’s all about the simple pleasures … and all is right with the world. Usually -- but not so today.  I’m frustrated by wireless things I don’t understand, and with setting up my new computer, which should be simple but which is not.  Both the ‘Sledge Hammer Solution’, and ‘Tossing it Out the Window’ technique are not options, although they are two very good ones I have, at various times, considered.

If You Feel Like a Lemon, It Might be Lyme

Ever been described as a “Superwoman”?  Of course you have … you’re a FARMGIRL!! But what if you wake up one day and feel like anything BUT? Join the Mountain Farmgirl in “If You Feel Like a Lemon, It Might be Lyme” …

Look and Ye Shall See

“Open your eyes; it’s as clear as the nose on your face!”.   Sound familiar?! If you find yourself ‘losing things’ frequently, or not being able to “see” things at times, there’s probably nothing wrong with your eyes, it’s just a perception problem! Rather than scheduling an eye exam, give yourself a personal “I” test.  Come “see” how, with The Mountain Farmgirl in “Look and Ye Shall See” …

Farmgirl Wabi-Sabi

Farmgirl WHAT? I don’t mean the little green gob of spicy horseradish root that accompanies your sushi and cleans out your sinuses when you have a head cold. I’m talking about a concept and a style so essentially ‘farmgirl’ and so anciently Japanese at the same time that it’s radically hip on the homestead! Join the Mountain Farmgirl as she obsessively, compulsively goes Wabi Sabi, Farmgirl-Style!

 

That's What It's All About!

What IS it all about, anyway?  WHY are we here … and WHAT are we doing about it exactly? The answer doesn’t have to be as esoteric as we sometimes make it seem. The meaning of life is an age-old enigma, and anyone whose pondered it knows that it’s not really about money, profession, power, skill, health, accomplishment, stature or influence … although these things all affect us and the lives we live. No, the Mountain Farmgirl experienced the TRULY important essence of life last week at a simple family gathering, and it didn’t consist of any of the above.  Come join her in “That’s What It’s All About”!

Kindest Regards

Aesop, known for his wisdom and classic fables, once said that “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted”. Truer words were never spoken! Join the Mountain Farmgirl as she looks at how kindness (and its opposite) ripple through the universe and affect more than you know, in ‘Kindest Regards’ …

Good Fences Make Good Neighbors

It’s common Farmgirl knowledge that ‘Good Fences Make Good Neighbors’.  Boundaries that we (and others) create and respect are very important.  But what about personal boundaries? Do you mark and protect your own emotional spaces  as well as you do your physical property? Let’s talk today about healthy ‘Boundaries’ in Good Fences Make Good Neighbors…

Live the Dream!

The Mountain Farmgirl is DOING it … are you? It may not be the perfect time or place or a million other things, but you CAN live the dream every day. Look where Cathi’s has taken her this week and take a peek into what she is doing in … Live the Dream!
Cathi Belcher

Cathi Belcher,
an old-fashioned farmgirl with a pioneer spirit, lives in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. As a “lifelong learner” in the “Live-Free-or-Die” state, she fiercely values self-reliance, independence, freedom, and fresh mountain air. Married to her childhood sweetheart of 40+ years (a few of them “uphill climbs”), she’s had plenty of time to reinvent herself. From museum curator, restaurant owner, homeschool mom/conference speaker, to post-and-beam house builder and entrepreneur, she’s also a multi-media artist, with an obsession for off-grid living and alternative housing. Cathi owns and operates a 32-room mountain lodge. Her specialty has evolved to include “hermit hospitality” at her rustic cabin in the mountains, where she offers weekend workshops of special interest to women.

“Mountains speak to my soul, and farming is an important part of my heritage. I want to pass on my love of these things to others through my writing. Living in the mountains has its own particular challenges, but I delight in turning them into opportunities from which we can all learn and grow.”

Column content copyright © 2010– Cathi Belcher. All rights reserved.

Mountain Bounty

“Keep close to Nature’s heart ... and break clear away once in awhile to climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods, to wash your spirit clean.”
– John Muir

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