Eggs in the Coffee, Sheep in the Corn: My 17 Years as a Farmwife

by Marjorie Myers Douglas

Tears of frustration and loneliness more than once filled the eyes of Marjorie Myers Douglas as she valiantly coped with her new status as a farmwife. Life on a western Minnesota stock ranch in the years during and after World War II was, after all, a far cry from growing up in her parents' Minneapolis home community of academics and her years as a medical social worker in New York City and St. Paul. It all began in 1943 as a two-year plan to help Don's ill father avoid losing the 1,200-acre farm. With World War II pulling able-bodied men into the military, it was nearly impossible to find good farmhands, and Don felt an obligation to contribute to his father's physical and economic recovery from a severe heart attack. Leaving their modern suburban house behind, Marjorie, Don, and baby Anne moved their worldly goods to the simple farmhouse some three miles from the little town of Appleton. For Marjorie it was more a challenge than just a change - a challenge that stretched far beyond the two years into seventeen! In Eggs in the Coffee, Sheep in the Corn Marjorie Douglas tells how she faced the challenge and came out on top: raising three babies in a house with no running water; learning to understand and live with a demanding father-in-law; providing an ever-ready supply of coffee to go with endless lunches, dinners, and suppers; nurturing peonies for the touch of beauty she needed; making new friends and playing whist; establishing working relationships with the farm animals; finding some satisfaction in her own PTA and church work; keeping the sheep out of the raspberries; canning fifty quarts of rhubarb sauce; getting acquainted with German prisoners of war; butchering eighty-five chickens. With sharp wit and quiet wisdom, Douglas offers a candid view of life in rural Minnesota from 1943 to 1960. Her stories will ring true to anyone who has ever experienced farm life and will pleasantly bring understanding to anyone who hasn't.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction

259 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1994

Reviews

[Joanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the chapters about cooking. I was reminded of my Aunt Rachel, standing at the wood stove, turning out the best food, for family and farm hands. Boston Baked Beans, cinnamon rolls, ham and garden vegetables. RIP, Aunt Rachel.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

What happens when a city girl needs to leave her life there and move with her husband back to his parents' Minnesota farm to help run it following his dad's heart attack...and two years stretch into eleven? This book covers the years 1949-1960 and Marjorie Douglas does an excellent job of relating how difficult the transition was for her. She doesn't pretend that all went well and yet the reader can slowly see that Marjorie is ultimately growing to love their farm and lifestyle in Appleton, Minnesota. She is an excellent and descriptive writer!

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was quite lovely. Marjorie’s straight forward way of writing made it easy to follow along with her memories of her time on the farm.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This memoir gently relates the seventeen years Marjorie Myers Douglas spent as a young farm wife in west central Minnesota. Most of the short chapters are filled with experiences that remind me of growing up on a farm in the same region. I enjoyed the unpolished, honest, and very real writing!

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

"the fairy tale of the bluebird, symbol of happiness, is sought around the world and found at last in one's own backyard."

made me think of my gramma, and how she loved birds and blue, and that now I am back in that yard again.

[Lynell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading about her life on the farm. I had spent some summers with my grandparents on the farm. This farm was much, much bigger, but many of the chores, joys and frustrations were the same.

[Ellen the Herbivore · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many people romanticize “the old days” of growing your own food and providing for almost everything you need within your family. I wish more of them would read this book. The author had many modern conveniences, yet she and her husband worked SO HARD all the time. Douglas’ vivid writing made it easy to get absorbed in this book and to feel the sheer exhaustion from all of the farm chores. Really enjoyed this look at a very different life from mine.

[Slotsjudge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our cliffside vows felt cinematic, yet everything was calm and organized thanks to The Seven Agency’s team. Midway through our search, we compared wedding packages in Bali and saw how transparently they lay out options. The result was a tailored experience no hidden costs, just honest guidance, gorgeous views, and a celebration that reflected us completely

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book, very easy read

[Ann Jonas · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars. A good book!

[Grace Grimm · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet capsule in time

[Julie Davidson]

Entertaining read about farm life

[Treasure Island Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Farmwife life in a vanished world.

[Nathan T · Rating 2 out of 5]

meh

[Leticia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. It was a simple story about how a city-girl had to adapt to life on a farm in the 1940s and 1950s. It was neat reading about what rural Minnesota was like during that time.

[Francine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book and thinking of my mother-in-law who grew up on a farm in western Minnesota. It was fun reading about the author's real experiences in places I've heard of. I came away wishing I had known Marjorie Douglas, the author.

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed her writing style. Having lived in Minnesota for 2 years, made it more special.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting prospective of a well educated farm woman in west central Minnesota after WWII, arriving from cushioned life around Minnetonka to a "no running water" life on a farm.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice biography of the life of a farmwife in the 1940's and 50's. Many cute stories and insights of farmlife and ajusting to new situations. A nice read.

[Stephanie A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love hearing about raising a family amidst the rural life in my home state, especially circa 1943-1960. It's everything you'd imagine in nostalgia from that time period.

[Romie]

Another winner from marjorie