sanctuarywitch
Farmgirl at Heart
9 Posts
shannon
otsego
mi
USA
9 Posts |
Posted - Sep 13 2005 : 4:14:49 PM
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I think this might be just the place I've been looking for! I read the book last week, and feel like I've met a kindred spirit in MaryJane, and hopefully here on the forum.
I live close to Kalamazoo, Michigan, on a 13 acre farm. After being married for 15 years, I was divorced last year and my 2 teenage sons moved to town with their father. Like MaryJane, I fell in love with a neighbor/friend (post-divorce), and we now live here together in my 1860's farm house. I hope to be planning a country wedding sometime in the near future!
I've had an animal sanctuary here on the farm for over 10 years. This summer we expanded to open a small petting farm, which is going to be a big hit once word-of-mouth starts getting out. We offer lifetime care for animals with special needs. Put another way: we take other peoples' culls. This includes several orphaned shetland sheep, old laying hens, foundered ponies, old-lady goats. I'm a sucker for anything imperfect...whether it's parrots or pumpkins or shabby chic furniture. I'm the one who buys the littlest, scroungiest Christmas tree, because I feel sorry for it. I bet you girls can relate!
Next week I'm getting a champion dairy goat for cheap, because her udder isn't perfectly attached & so her owner is opting not to keep her for breeding. I can do the dairy goat thing, making the cheese and food products. I've never made soap or cosmetics, though, so I'll be looking here for tips.
I was a vegetarian/vegan/animal rights person for 15 years. Now, at age 37, I see that much of what I thought was black & white, is actually gray. I stopped the veg diet after developing hypoglycemia, and now I eat meat that my partner raises, because I know the kindness with which he treats the animals. I avoid commercial animal foods whenever possible. Each year, I get better at canning and freezing stuff from the garden, and I'm commited to baking as much as possible with these wonderful duck eggs I'm finding. I've recently adopted a new goal, of living as a better planet citizen...using less, eating less, recycling more, giving more away. Some days are easier than others!
Good to be here. Thanks for creating this forum!
Life rewards action! |
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