Another Chance Acres

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Another Chance Acres is the name of our farm, which now exists only as a past dream and a virtual reality through this site. We don’t actually own a piece of dirt anymore, we did have one critter–a cat named Samuel, aka Samzilla!–and then another critter–Rosebud the Australian Shepherd–and our garden was a 4’x16′ of raised beds attached to the edge of the deck on our mobile home in a mobile home community, aka a trailer park. Now, the land has been sold due to unexpected health issues, and now we’re no longer living in an apartment in a retirement community, but have moved on to a nursing home, and I’m back on hospice. Our hopes and dreams were dashed, yet we continue to dream on. We’re living with another chance, with a very different life, and still in love. God is with us, even now …

Another Chance Acres originated as yet another chance for us, both in our mid-50’s, to feel productive and purposeful in our lives. Feeding people has always been important to me. Feeding people good, healthy food is even better! It was also intended to be another chance for animal breeds that are in danger of disappearing, or recovering from that danger. In addition, we had hoped to be able to offer another chance to teens who’ve had a rough time of it and need to turn their lives around in order to feel valuable.

We planned to start with a milk cow, ideally a Jersey/Dexter cross so there would be enough cream for butter and enough milk for us & cheese & feeding other critters & fertilizing the land, in an animal with hybrid vigor. A few laying hens were to join us right away, too!

After that, we wanted to raise Dexter cattle as a dual-purpose breed–for beef and for milk, and possibly train up a few steers as oxen. They’re a small breed of cattle and relatively docile & easier to handle than the larger breeds, producing gourmet-quality beef in smaller serving sizes for today’s smaller families. They’re also on in the “Recovering” category in the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, and we wanted to support that effort in all of our chosen breeds.

While we planned to start with whatever layers we could get locally, we intended to add the breed of our choice for long-term life with us–Buff Orpingtons. Eric and I have each raised them before and loved them!  They’re wonderful to work with, lay all year long, and produce a tasty, meaty carcass.  For pigs, we were leaning towards the Mulefoot hogs, which are on the endangered list and are listed as good, calm mothers, with good meat & lard & hams.  Let’s not forget the rabbits!  We considered the Giant Chinchilla, for meat and for pelts.

As a way of getting started on actually DOING something about our hopes and dreams, we started this website.  As we have learned that anything can happen to anyone, any time, the focus has been forced to change. Instead of living on a physically real farm, we are living yet another chance at life in different ways than we had planned. Hopes and dreams continue. On these pages, you’ll see “Mussings” (Eric’s take on “musings,” because life is messy and as I say, “Messy food is good food!”) and recipes, reflections and prayers.  And yes, the recipes and reflections are apt to be messy!

Instead of a physical farm at this point, what I’m sharing is another chance for all of us to thrive. It’s another chance for me to grow and to become and to give whatever I can, to whoever is willing to accept it.

For most of my life, I’ve done what I could to help encourage folks and to help them see from new and different perspectives, that they may grow and thrive. I used those skills when I was a pastor, and on May 18, 2016, I felt God’s promptings for me to write THIS PARTICULAR book: Love Wrapped Up in a Body. Sadly, it never will become enough to be a book, but maybe it’ll offer something of value to someone, some time. This IS my “Another Chance.” Another chance to live and to give, for however long that lasts.

We send out our love to all who spend time on our pages and hope that we bring joy to your life.