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.





Saturday, December 22, 2018

Sparky to the Rescue


Hey, if any of you are looking for a last minute gift idea. Clark Griswold has one! (but not this one....for his, I suggest you pop some corn and watch Christmas Vacation). :)







I wanted to buy new blue jeans for one of Jim's Christmas presents, but did not want the hassle of shopping for an item that might end up with another trip to the store in case they didn't fit. Today, not technically the *last minute*, but still feeling under the gun, the light-bulb in my brain went off and the spark ignited an idea for a solution.

As an extra bonus, it also helps in de-cluttering by getting rid of an old pair of cut-offs that is beyond saving. Long past their prime, and even usefulness, they linger unwelcome (like Eddie, Sparky's brother-in-law) in one of Jim's dresser drawers, crowding other pairs of shorts to the point the drawer is hard to open or close, and naturally the whole bunch are wrinkled. 

I think that the cut-off's life had a happy ending because, for one last time, they served a useful purpose by providing a fun way to give Jim a gift card for new jeans. At least, that is what I hope he'll buy with it....*spoiler alert*...when Jim gets gift cards, he usually buys socks. He currently has two drawers that are full of socks from Cabela's because he thinks their clothes are too expensive. Go figure.

Here's how I re-purposed the cut-off jeans into a gift card holder:

After struggling to wrestle them out of the drawer, I freed the front pocket with a pair of shearers. Next I spray starched and ironed the pocket to make it look as good as possible (epic fail, nothing could improve this sad, sad pair of old work jeans).



The gift card was tucked in the small upper pocket (what is that normally used for, anyway?).








(Why does this post have so much text in parenthesis?) 

(Because this is a secret, and when I use parenthesis I feel as if I am whispering...shhh....).

Maybe this little idea will spark your imagination, too, for fun ways to give gift cards. If you have any old jeans that need to move out of your house, give them one last time to shine :)

Marcheta *Clark: "you're pretty set so far as shopping goes?"                             Marcheta: ("You betcha, Sparky!")