luna acres

Ever since going to the farm, cutting back our expenses, learning to live simply and not cherish the material things in life, the thought of building our own home has excited us. We have the land, but we need a house. Working 40+ hours a week to pay the ridiculous costs to build a traditional home isn't an option for us. Well okay, it's an option, but not one we are considering. Learning the skills to build our own home out of cheap and plentiful materials? Now that sounds like a real option.  I started researching natural building workshops about a year ago. I found plenty, but they are primarily on the other side of the country, and very expensive. We're talking, a grand a person for a week. Again, not an option. A few weeks ago I found Disputanta Cob , a group of people who teach cob building in central Kentucky. They have several buildings at various stages of construction, which allows attendees to get hands on experience with each aspect. Thanks to perfect timing...

surprise belated birthday flowers :) completely irrelevant to the post, just pretty! The year is two thousand and fourteen, and as everyone knows (who doesn't live with their head in the sand) marijuana is a big issue in our country right now. Medical marijuana laws exists in something like 15 states, and as of last November two states, Washington and Colorado, have legalized the recreational use of marijuana as well. There are many more states with laws in the pipelines for medical or recreational legalization too. Society has made huge strides since the Reefer Madness days, but it is still far from legal and accepted by everyone.  All this led to a discussion a few nights ago regarding how a parent could/should/would raise their children in a home with regular marijuana use. Even in it's current illegal state there are many different answers to this question (evident by the world around us.) Many parents smoke in bathrooms and closets, others smoke openly in front of...

Amy and Deacon   It's been a great weekend already, and we still have tomorrow.  These three day weekends have done so much for our quality of life.  me and Jonathan before the show  Last night we went out on the town with all of our favorites; my sister Amy and her fiance, Deacon, and Justin and Savannah (another engaged couple we love dearly.) We saw a local punk band, The Jackal Tickets , who we have been supporting for a few years now. They always put on a good show with lots of energy. It makes it even more special personally, that Troy, the lead singer, was at my grandfather's funeral, folding the flag and giving it to my grandmother, which meant a great deal to my family. The show was a blast, as always, and afterwards we all went to IHOP for late night dinner before we headed back over the mountain. The drive home is always the worst part, but we made it. It was a great night.  I can't wait until the next show. my favorite gir...

our adorable kittens, completely unrelated to the following post  I have found myself thinking about society quite often lately. The expectations we have for ourselves and everyone else we interact with. From preschool we are taught to color inside the lines, follow the leader, sit still. Study hard in school, get good grades so that you get into a good college, so you can study hard so that you get a good job, so you can work really hard to buy a good car, and a nice house, and then you can keep working hard to pay that mortgage, and scrimp and save money so that one day you can retire and then  maybe, just maybe, you can live the life you wanted to live all along. Well, I'm not drinking the cool-aid anymore. We want a different kind of life. Where our time spent together on our land is more valuable than the same time being spent in town, in jobs we hate, so we can pay our expensive mortgages and car payments and childcare, which we have to pay for because o...

Since the day before the storm last week we have been getting nearly a duck egg a day.  Beautiful baby blue duck eggs. It makes me very happy. The little wicker duckie makes me smile too. I have a red one two, they were goodwill gifts from my sister. I adore them. Until next time, Angela Kelly

Something you may not know about Jonathan and myself, is that we are pretty big nerds. We love space, time travel, fringe science, aliens, all that stuff. Inspired by Douglas Adams (Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy) and Doctor Who. Well yesterday in the middle of our lunch rush at work, a gentleman came in to eat. He was nice enough, nothing stood out, except that when I set his drink down on the table he said, "Thanks, babe." We were very busy, so I didn't think much about it at the time, but it's a strange term of endearment for a customer to use. I'm accustomed to sweetie and hun, especially from older country men, but not usually "babe". After he left and I was cleaning the table, I noticed a key chain had been left. I threw it into my apron pocket without really looking at it, and continued working. Later, when the rush had passed and cleaning was caught up, it was time to change in my moneys, and I remembered the key chain. I was surprised to s...

sisters are foreva I was so focused on losing the rabbits the other day that I didn't share more about the fun parts of the weekend. I failed to point out that yes, my birthday is on February 14, Valentine's Day. It's good and bad. I grew up hearing, "Oh, a Valentine's baby!" every time I had to give that information to someone. When I was younger (think middle school) I was home schooled and obviously didn't have a booming social life. I didn't have my first boyfriend until eighth grade. Back then I always felt my birthday was ruined by my loneliness. Once I reached high school I entered a steady relationship and haven't spent one birthday/valentines single since. Honestly, I could care less about Valentine's, it's my birthday, and that's that. Which is how we all felt hanging out Friday night. My sister's fiance had to work, so we went to his restaurant to eat dinner so she could see him. We love Deacon, he's a great ...

I have taken a little break from writing this weekend, enjoying my birthday by celebrating and relaxing. On Friday (my birthday) had dinner with my sister at Mac and Bob's where her fiance was working all night. After we drank tasty dreamsicle cocktails and danced around the kitchen to old old music. Saturday we had a little shindig on the farm, my older sister's family all came to visit (my brother in law, nephew, and two neices.) They brought me two new rabbits as a gift, both bucks and a perfect breed. I didn't have any cages free, but set them up in totes with cage wire over the top held down by a cinder-block.We drank coffee all day, caught up on our lives, talked about farming dreams and ambitions, just enjoyed the company of family. I taught the kids how to play The Sims, which occupied them the entire day. It was a good visit, I don't get to see them very often, and I love them soo dearly. Remember the cinder block topped rabbit totes? It was no...

Unfortunately, we only have one buck. He has become sort of a mascot for our farm, being one of the friendliest rabbits. He came to us with one bum foot from some unknown past accident. We also recently had to treat him for ear mites, his poor ears were covered in scabs. Hopper (named by my nephew Stephen) is a real trooper, but we do hope to add a strong breed, possibly pedigreed buck to our rabbitry this spring. UPDATE: Well, this week I received two new bucks, the same breed as Hopper, New Zealands, for my birthday and I was so happy. Unforunately,  thanks to my unpreparedness and lack of adequate cages, we lost both of them the first night. My best guess is the dogs pushed the cinder block off the top of their totes and proceded to chase them down. I found one of them lying lifeless on the front porch at four this morning. What a wakening. The other one is MIA, I set a trap in the barn with some food for him, I hope we can catch him. This has brought up a lot of feeling...

These are our girls. We currently have five breeding does, all different breeds. Reading our new rabbit book, "Storey's Guide to Raising Rabbits" I am a little disappointed to realized that of all our rabbits, Donna, the plain jane white bunny who is my least favorite (I know I shouldn't have favorites but hey, they're farm animals, sue me) is the best one, the most preferred breed for meat producers. Just my luck. It looks like we will be keeping one of her daughters this year to add to our breeding colony.  Now, onto the ladies! Rose Leela Martha Donna Amy Until next time, Angela Kelly

  This is the most snow we have seen in years, and it's pretty cool how wide spread the storm was, so many people experiencing it together. This afternoon we mainly relaxed, but made several trips outside to check on the animals, shovel the steps and sidewalks, un-bury the cars, etc. It's a beautiful snow. Roxy didn't like it at all hehe but my babies do snow ducks greenhouse skeleton winter wonderland I'm loving this snow, but I really hope we can make it to town tomorrow evening to celebrate my birthday! Until next time, Angela Kelly

We woke up to almost 16 inches of fluffy white snow this morning. The puppies were lunging though it, making trails for us to follow. The animals didn't seem to mind much, as usual. The ducks were eating up the snow and still interested in their water. The deep snow made their water bowl look like an in-ground pool! We took care of everyone, gave them plenty of hay, then shoveled the porch steps and sidewalk, called into work, and retreated back inside to watch round two of the snow which is now in full swing. I hate to miss work because I need the dough (haha) but it is nice to have a five day snow filled vacation for my birthday! Trilli the snow dog Jonathan and Dakota playing in the snow just like kids snow on the rabbit hutch bandit dog is covered the duckies in ground pool (or maybe a hot tub? we did use warm water...) Until this afternoon, Angela Kelly

We have five rabbits that are still growing, and we have been making cages work as we go, but as they are getting bigger we were running out. When rabbits reach a certain age the siblings will start fighting and hurting each other (among doing other things to each other) if they are in confined quarters. The other morning we had to do some patching of cages, but we worked out a nice, solitary home for everyone.  I thought a rabbit update was in order for any new followers out there to meet our hippity hops! These are the five growing babies: Until next time, Angela Kelly

welcoming us home Thankfully, we managed to dart out of work around three this afternoon, early enough to make it home, although the roads were quite covered and a little treacherous. The responsibilities that come with farming can be stressful in weather like this. We could easily have stayed in a hotel close to work, but then no one would be here checking to make sure the water isn't frozen, the hay is full, the tarps haven't blown open or off... so much can happen in a storm. But-we are here! Watching, tending, staying warm and doing our best to keep the animals warm as well. It's good to be here. looking at the barn and rabbits from the ducks the ducks just keep on swimming snow snow snow They say we may get over a foot. See you in the morning! Until next time, Angela Kelly

Patches chilling in her crib I posted last week in a post that we set up kitty cages in the house.  I promised some further details, and the time is upon us. First, let me explain to any newcomers about our cat situation. We have six cats. The first two were brought home by me in my multiple, "I need a place to live" moments I went through. When my younger sister divorced she moved back home too, along with her two male cats. The environment was a disaster from the start, two girls already settled in, suddenly two boys (used to being together already) take over the place, it was an intense clash of wills. Two versus two. When we moved home before we went to the farm we had Zaphod with us, which brought us up to five cats. At the farm, we lost Zaphod to the busy highway out front, and were devastated. Several weeks later we adopted two kittens (one was supposed to stay on the farm...) brother and sister, and they have made a home in all our hearts very quickly. Ret...

Last year I was too late to start the early season plants, but not this time!  I even used my farmers almanac calender to plan the dates to start seeds!  I sure hope this broccoli grows!  It's like a little sneak peak of spring... Until next time, Angela Kelly

a summer picture, i know i needed it!  It has been coming to mind quite often recently how lucky I feel to live where we do. It seems the world is falling apart. Hurricanes, earthquakes, volcanoes, typhoons, fires, flooding. Extreme summer heat.  Just last week I saw on the news that a town not too far from here had their water source contaminated with coal ash or something dumped by a local company. Right now temperatures across the country are miserable and frigid, negative 30 and 40 degrees in some places! The weather here is beautiful. In the summer we usually have just a handful of 100 degree days, even 90 degrees. This winter we have had a few single digit days at the worst. We worry about a lot of things living here. We already dealt with the realities of having a well, which we know can't be contaminated by others ignorance, but can certainly still cause issues. We also have to worry about septic tanks, electric lines, and lots more. Still, watching the...