Who We Are



The past few years, the area where I live, Crawford County, Ohio, has seen a wonderful explosion of younger families who are embracing the joys and challenges of living off the land. Because of them, amazing things are happening which have been embraced by our community. Farmer’s markets have been created and on-farm stores have opened. Families dedicated to growing organic produce and naturally raised meats are meeting the public’s needs for locally raised foods. And at the heart of this movement are the women.



Ohio Country Journal is my attempt to share the essence of farm life, focusing on, but not limited to, women. My goal is to bring you into our circle of friendship by inviting you to share your stories and experiences with us. You don’t have to be a full time country woman to benefit from joining us; you just have to be you.





The full-time country women featured in Ohio Country Journal are an inspiration to anyone who dares to follow her dreams, whether it is to live in the country or to bring the country life-style to their urban neighborhoods.





Friday, October 26, 2018

Flashback Friday - Inexpensive Halloween Decorating Idea

A blast from the past with Flashback Friday!





Hi All, 
This idea is so much fun, I decided to re-run it by you again. I know that it's just about time to pack Halloween decorations away for the season *sob* (hate to see them go), it is a good time to purchase plastic pumpkins if you plan to use this idea next year.

Since decorating this tree with plastic pumpkins two years ago, the population has almost doubled.  Maybe you're wondering why. Ponder no more: it's because at this time of year plastic pumpkins are extremely inexpensive, so naturally I had to buy more. Nowadays, this extreme orangeness brightens up our woods for our annual Halloween party. 

But even if you don't need, say, 100 plastic pumpkins (storage can be a problem, I must admit), it is still well worth it to buy a dozen or so to decorate a tree or make a banner by stringing them together with twine. 

I enjoyed revisiting this post. I hope that you do, too.

Marcheta *color my world orange

The "Trick" to this "Treat"





Pretty good for a crab-apple tree, huh? Sprouting plastic Jack-o-Lanterns just like it's Halloween time, or something like that!

This is not an original idea; I saw one somewhere last fall and thought it was brilliant because the multiple Jacks are so large that they are easily seen from a distance, and when seen up close and personal, they're downright impressive! 

I was inspired to do this at our own home, so I set out for my local Goodwill where I found a good amount of plastic pumpkins (the kind that kids use for trick or treating) for 50 cents each, which makes this decorating idea even more awesome. I found even more at another Goodwill, which made enough to fill the tree as far up as we could reach with our tall orchard ladder.

When the sun shines at just the right angle, it lights up the lanterns with solar energy, which is really cool. Maybe this year I'll buy some small solar lights and place them in the pumpkins to see if they will glow at night or on dark days. 

Installment was easy, I simply used chenille stems wrapped around the handles, and then around the tree limbs. Simple and satisfying!

Marcheta *Shine on, Orange Lantern