Thursday, May 31, 2012

Who Goes There?

Pa & Ma Fulton, Dave, Meriah & Bella Gammage & Rory & Erin Roberts
You can learn a lot about us from this picture. 4 out of the 6 adults have on flip-flops, our farm dog is a pug, Pa Fulton is wearing silk pants, Ma's sporting a white dress with leopard print cowboy boots, Meriah's hair wants brushing (we kid), and you'll catch Erin working in that dress or another most of the time. In short, we're not your average farmers or Wyomingites for that matter.

Pa (Steve), Ma (Tina) and their six kids (Spencer, Erin, Chris, Nate, Meriah & Tessa) moved from Fresno, CA to Douglas, WY in 1997 and then to Gillette, WY in 2001. All their children still live in Gillette with Meriah & Erin living on the family farm with their husbands. Dave's family hails from New Mexico (he met Meriah at Casper College), leaving Rory the only Wyoming Native. He was born and raised in Star Valley (Etna, WY...which couldn't be much farther away from the farm in Gillette and still be in the same state.) and met Erin in Denver, CO.


Through positive and negative experiences we've been lead to this place, at this time, to work together to regain the knowledge that's been lost to us and regain a true freedom of choice. By that we mean we're taking it back...way back to a time when we didn't rely on what was on the shelves at the grocery store to feed and clothe ourselves. When we didn't rely on somebody else for our spiritual needs and when all we needed was provided by trusting in our own hard work and the good will and trade of our neighbors. In these increasingly uncertain times (aren't they all?) we feel more secure in our family's continued survival when we produce what we need in a sustainable and repeatable way. We mean this blog to be a chronicle of our journey, an outlet to share our triumphs, hard won though they may sometimes be, with family and friends and hopefully a place that gives confidence to those who are like minded and similarly ignorant to the process of turning their little slice of Heaven in to something that provides food, water, shelter, clothing and transportation.

Everything we do is done to bring us closer to living lives that ring true to this mission statement (Yeah, we're also the type of family to sit down and write a mission statement...the nerdy-ness doesn't even come close to stopping there):

*We will live as sustainably as possible upon the Earth and upon our land, in particular, in a manner that ensures our survival despite future political or social climates.
*We will strive to find ways to feed and otherwise support ourselves by our own hands first and, when necessary, to purchase or barter goods and services as locally as possible.
*All goods produced and sold from our land will be held to the highest standards as we endeavor to leave the land better than we found it.
*We will provide sanctuary physically, emotionally and spiritually to those in our circle who require it.
*We will fully enjoy the fruits of our labor and the opportunity we have to experience the universe in our current form.
*We will bring forth and raise up productive, loving, empathic, creative and grateful children.
*We will spend time cultivating personal growth in order to safely push the boundaries of current human consciousness.
*We will recognize and respect that each member of our community's opinions and feelings are important and should be expressed in a healthy way, whenever necessary, with an eye toward personal growth.
*We will end each day together rejoicing with music and other merry makings.
  (I told you it would get nerdy-er...)


Specifically, we have 6 plots on 1/4 acre set up to grow barley, wheat, corn and a myriad of other vegetables. Closer to the house, we also have 3 herb spirals and a cut flower garden. Each adult is responsible for one plot (weeding, watering, trouble shooting and harvesting) and will post an update with pictures each week in The Weekly Scoop. You will also find any other exciting farm news in this section.

Yeah, that's a turgola in the back...a pergola for a turtle.
We do a lot of "see a need, fill a need" type work around here, in addition to our more regular duties and more often than not we have to time to get really creative. We'll post about the exceptionally cool or especially frustrating experiences in The Mad Scientists' Hobby Corner. These projects are sure to cover every discipline from carpentry to metal working to ecology to weaving or sewing.


We try and fill as many of our consumer needs in house as possible. In addition to cooking from scratch and buying in bulk, we use homemade shampoo, conditioner, body scrubs, deodorant, shaving gel, laundry soap, etc and we are expanding our knowledge constantly. Maiden-Mother-Crone will contain posts on all this plus personal insights on women's issues including: conception, pregnancy, motherhood, grand-motherhood and the life changes that are part of every stage in a woman's life. Also look for info on how we plan our monthly meal calendar, execute our monthly and weekly shopping trips and feed ourselves plus 600 lbs of husbands and families tasty, nutritious, nourishing meals and snacks on a budget (with tons of recipes, of course!).

Cornstarch+baking soda+coconut oil=deodorant!
For just straight recipes or step-by-step instructions on projects we've covered more loosely in post click You Can Make/Do It Better. You can make highly effective and very inexpensive bug repellent, zit cream, rash ointments...gosh really anything you can buy in the store you can make cheaper and without any harmful chemicals AT ALL!!! If you've ever seen a commercial for something and thought, "Hey, I could make that for less money and it won't break the first time I use it!" you're in great company around here. Look forward to posts with detailed instructions to help you make the perfect "as-seen-on-TV" knock-offs.


This June our farm animal family finally begins to take shape with the addition of 2 Nigerian Dwarf bucklings and 4 does of the same!!! To keep up with their sure-to-be-adorable antics make My Lil' Goaty and Friends your destination. We hope to add some alpacas and maybe a mule or two to the "petting zoo" in the near future, as well as expand the goat heard, so you can read about the trials and tribulations of farm animal purchasing here too.


We hope we can pass on some of the excitement we feel for everything we are accomplishing and learning. Please let us know what you think often by commenting below each post, participating in our poles and joining our e-mail list!

4 comments:

  1. I love you guys. I want to come and live with you. But my spoiled consumerist family insists I stay here. :(

    ReplyDelete
  2. Good pic! You guys look great!

    ReplyDelete