My name is Gloria. I am one third of a trio of persons who have decided to forfeit "normality" to follow our dreams of building a more self-sustained existence! My partners in crime are Angela, my mom, and Billy, my boyfriend.
Last year was a turning point... last year brought hard lessons learned and changes for the better... this is the year of our rebirth! Through hardships untold (for now), we have come together to form what we hope will be a healthy, progressive relationship with the earth and what grows in it and from it. In this way, we will ourselves grow and thrive.
Last year, Angela opened The Derby General Store in a close-knit, southern Indiana town on the Ohio River. This is a place like you would imagine it to be - a rural, farming community full of some of the most caring, and often the most interesting, folks you could think to meet.
Shortly thereafter, an opportunity to purchase a farm just a mile and a half down the road presented itself. I had always had aspirations of a farm life, and am just a plain ol' country-lovin' gal to begin with. The time was right, the stars aligned, and serendipity brought us our beloved 27 acre farm which we have dubbed, "Crow's Run."
Panoramic of Crow's Run
We consolidated our possessions. We faced the task of compressing 4000 square feet of belongings into just over 1300 square feet of space. We have learned to live without some things that we had previously thought necessities, which we have discovered is just what we are trying to accomplish, anyhow.
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| Mona, Charlie, Gracie, Lulu, and Griffin |
Our lives, and the lives of our pets, merged into one. We each brought two dogs to the table; Angela brought her territorial, food aggressive, cat-hating, yet well meaning, Cairn Terrier, Griffin, and the quiet, caring shepherdess, Lulu. I brought my completely and utterly spoiled, apartment dwelling Pug/Cocker Spaniel, Charlie, and my shy, misplaced, city-dwelling hunting dog, Mona. Let's not forget to mention my three exclusively indoor cats, Nola, Ryu, and Banjo, and Billy's just as domesticated kitties, Sam and Chinaski.
Take a moment to imagine the chaos that ensued over the next couple of weeks... now multiply that by your wildest imagination.
Yup. That's all I have to say about that.
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| Jewel, Bear, and Misty |
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| Princess Buttercup! |
Nevertheless, we've all adjusted splendidly, and have even added a little Mountain Cur, Gracie, to our pack.
Also added very soon after, were three horses from Indiana Horse Rescue South, a local rescue I volunteer for: Jewel, a beefy, sorrel quarter horse, Misty, a quaint and shy little Appaloosa, and Bear, a feisty, bay ex-racehorse.
Our most recent endeavor has been the addition of a couple of goats. In our quest for self-sustainability, I have acquired an interest in starting a herd of dairy goats so we can have our own goat milk, cheese, soap, etc. Four days ago, we picked up Buttercup, a mini-Nubian (half Nigerian Dwarf, half Nubian) doeling that is now two weeks and four days old and still being nursed every five hours by Billy and myself.
Two days ago, we picked up her companion, Barley, a full-blooded Nigerian Dwarf buckling that is two months old and soon to be wethered... the reasoning behind his castration (and a "how to") will be explained in my next blog!
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| Barley, in front, and Sebastian, a short-term foster, in back. |
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| Estimated 300 year old American Beech |
Our dreams are great here. They seem to flow out and manifest as easily as the wind whips over the hill country to rustle the brittle leaves that retain their tentative grasp on the 300 year old beech tree crowning the edge of our woods. - We dream of building a hillside of cabins for ourselves and our guests... we want to maintain an expansive equine facility where we can give trail rides, lessons, hold camps and shows... we want to thrive off of solar energy and live off the grid... but, we must take things one step at a time, and we can never forget to live in each unique and wonderful moment.
Right now we're working on fencing in acreage. We have to seed our pastures so we can rotate our livestock. After that comes the garden - the biggest I've ever kept, planted in a 110' by 45' space beside the future chicken coop and dilapidated hog-house. Chicken season is coming up, too!!
