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nissag
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| Posted: Feb 06 2010 at 3:11pm | IP Logged
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We're back to considering re-locating our family out of Massachusetts. The farm we'd had a contract on wound up falling through (a con to being self employed). We've looked in Vermont and in New York, seen lovely places, but nothing really spoke to our hearts. We are revisiting the possibility of moving our family to Kentucky. We've always been drawn there, though neither of us has even visited.
The diaconate formation program looks really good - and Brian shouldn't need to start over. We all like that the area (Louisville) seems to be quite comfortably Catholic. There's plenty to do culturally, and the land is a lot cheaper than here in MA. So as long as there's a telephone and internet access, we can go - a major PRO to being self employed!
We're not sure about things like homebirth, homeschooling, and raw milk (selling), but we're beginning to do some research. The USDA hardiness zone is only 1 warmer than here, so I think our critters and most of what we want to grow will be fine.
We're talking about planning a visit to the area as soon as we can find board for our animals. We'd love to meet-up with families in the area if you have the time!
If you're local to us, can you keep this under your hat for the time being? We don't want to throw anyone here into a tizzy.
And if you know know of farmland available in the area 100+ acres (w/ or w/out a house), would you PM me? 
Blessings,
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Nissa
Deacon's wife, mother of eleven, farmer, teacher, creator, cook.
At Home With the Gadbois Family
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mrsgranola
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| Posted: Feb 06 2010 at 3:28pm | IP Logged
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Nissa, Jen S. from the MO list is moving near there soon. My m-i-l lives not far from there, too. It's a lovely area all and all. I do think that you could get a good deal somewhere... I just don't know where that somewhere is.
There seems to be a great deal of poverty in the more rural areas, IMHO. I'm not sure if you'd have the clientele for the CSA idea you'd considered before.
Just my $.02
JoAnna
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nissag
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Jen and I have been chatting, hoping to compare notes. 
I had wondered about how well received a CSA would be in the area. We're on LocalHarvest, so I can do a check of what is already going on there.
Our primary business is enough to support us, our CSA just has to pay for itself. And we can also take on contract growing/production for restaurateurs. We still have some great contacts in hospitality since my event planning days. Or we can just feed ourselves and offer what's leftover to our new neighbours... That works too.
There is just NO land here in MA. The area isn't terribly Catholic friendly - even from other Catholics... Homes are unbelievably pricey. I can't see paying as much as is being asked - even those in our "price range".
Blessings,
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Nissa
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monica
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im just an hour or so from louisville, in the lexington area. we arent catholic, but i do know the louisville area has a strong historic catholic community. the cost of living in KY is considerably less than the east coast. if you have seasonal allergies, KY is a hard place. it is beautiful and green and has rolling pastures, but lots of pollen and mold spores. that said, we love it here and as we drive through the countryside we are so happy to be back. this is definitely home.
as for raw milk, i have friends who have bought it and there is an active local foods movement here called Kentucky Proud. i think the laws say the thing about only for animal consumption, but once you get to know some farmers, you can find some. most cattle here are beef cattle though, so you might have to find an amish community or something.
let me know if you have any Kentucky questions, ive never lived in Louisville, but my father was born there and my grandmother grew up around there.
if you cant tell, i think its a great place to live.
also, New Albany Indiana is right across the river from louisville and i know some people live on one side and commute to the other for work. there may be a difference in property tax or something.
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nissag
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Thanks Monica!
We do have allergy issues, but we struggle here in Massachusetts, too.  So at least it may not be worse...
We're interested in selling our raw goat's milk. I thought I had heard that it needed to be labeled for animal use only. I wonder if goat shares could be a way around that there? It'll take some more investigation, I suppose.
We're looking south of Louisville at the moment. Looks like a good spot for us - out in the country a bit more, but still within a decent drive of culture, airports, diaconate classes...
Lay it on me - whatever you've got about Kentucky, I'm happy to hear and share with my husband, Brian.
Blessings,
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Nissa
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KC in TX
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Jennie C. from Far Beyond Pearls might be able to give you better information.
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JodieLyn
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Allergies are tricky things.. you may move to an area with new pollen and at least get a break because your body doesn't know to react to them yet. So if the pollens are fairly different you may not react or it may take a season or two before you start reacting. Vit. C helps reduce allergic reaction quite a bit. And you might consider in your property search if there's local honey available.. using that can help reduce your reactions as well.
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nissag
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| Posted: Feb 06 2010 at 8:50pm | IP Logged
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Thanks KC! I'll have to check in with her!
Blessings,
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Nissa
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nissag
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Great advice, Jodie. We plan on keeping several hives ourselves, but we'd have to get it elsewhere for a time. I actually didn't realize that Vitamin C helped with allergies. Something new for my notebook!
Blessings,
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Nissa
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nissag
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| Posted: Feb 08 2010 at 8:34am | IP Logged
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We found a piece of land online this weekend that looks like a possibility. There are already barns and shelters in place. The house looks like it might be a tear-down, but we were hoping to build anyway.
We found boarding for our sheep and possibly for our wether, too. We'll have to board the dog now, and then plan the trip. 900 miles in a bus with 9 people sounds like an adventure! 
Blessings,
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Nissa
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nissag
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JoAnna,
Did some checking over the weekend for CSAs and comparable operations near where we are looking. I was very pleasantly surprised. There are a handful, and prices for shares and farmgate products are the same as here in Massachusetts. Looks like good news for us on that front.
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Nissa
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mrsgranola
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Yahoo! That's great to hear, Nissa! I hope it all works out well!!!
JoAnna
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nissag
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I'm getting awfully bold in my old age... I just emailed a realtor in the area to send us more information on that farm we saw, and anything else they might have nearby. *nervous knots*.
Blessings,
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Nissa
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Barbara C.
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I am Louisville born and raised, even though I moved away six years ago.
Louisville has the largest Catholic population in the state. There used to be hundreds of grade schools, but they've been combining some of those in recent years. But there are about six or seven high schools.
Places like Lexington, Owensboro, and Covington have smaller Catholic populations with an average of one Catholic high per city. Otherwise, most of the rest of the state is heavily Protestant (mainly Southern Baptist) and somewhat anti-Catholic. (This was a real shocker for me when I went away to college in Bowling Green.)
You would probably want to be around Bardstown or Elizabethtown (aka E-town). Bardstown is very Catholic, and both Bardstown and E-town are more rural but no more than 30 or 45 minutes outside Louisville.
My college room-mate and her family just moved back down to that area from Southbend. She was just appointed the DRE at the small Catholic parish that she grew up in. She said that there are several small farms in her area for sale. I'll pm you with more information...after I check my daughter's handwriting work.
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nissag
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| Posted: Feb 09 2010 at 11:56am | IP Logged
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So we've decided. The door on the farm we were interested in here in Massachusetts has closed for good.
We're going to pull up sticks and just go. We've got a couple of things to wrap up here - transferring to the new diaconate program, arranging for transportation of animals... We've got a real estate agent on the other side looking out a house for us, temporary and permanent.
We're blessed that Brian doesn't have to get a job first. He and his partner run everything for their business by phone and internet. It offers us a great deal of freedom. And wherever we are, school is.
We're very excited!
I guess I ought to mosey over to the prayer forum and ask for some spiritual support for our adventure.
Keep that information coming though. We need all the preparation we can get.
Blessings,
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Nissa
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Donna Marie
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{{{{Nissa}}}}
Wow, you have been busy! We are continuing to pray for you and your Magnum Opus.
God go with you, my friend!!
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God love you!
Donna Marie from NJ
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nissag
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Thank you Donna Marie! The real estate agent sent us a listing for a farm. She's going to ask if we can rent while financing gets processed. We'll see how that pans out.
We're hoping we can get it for a bit under the asking price to allow us to build a larger home on the property at some point. The barns are in great shape, the pastures are fenced already... so that looks promising.
And she's looking out for some more places that might suit in the event that this place doesn't work out.
Blessings,
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Nissa
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nissag
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Thought you all might enjoy taking a look at this link we found about the city of Bardstown, which Barbara mentioned.
Pretty nice place!
Blessings,
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Nissa
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juststartn
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Oh yes! My mother grew up there on the family farm (she still owns it, but doesn't live there). She grew up just outside of Cecilia, which is a bit away from Etown (that's the closest bigger city). Glendale is another teeny tiny burg near her place. Dh and I wanted to rent it/live there, but she already has it rented to the same man who rents the land, and so... well, it wasn't to be. 
Regardless, it is a LOOOOVEELLLY area. When they are harvesting in the summer time though? Oh mercy gracious me, it can be AWFUL if you have allergies (one of my younger sisters does, and we invariably visited during harvest time..two weeks of listening to her hack and snort and snore and hack and wheeze ). Definitely go for the local honey.
Of course, none of my family there was or is Catholic, so I have NO advice on that aspect. Sorry.  But it is absolutely beautiful. Make sure, though, to have good alt power resources, wherever you end up, because they got SLAMMED last year in that monster snowstorm and it took forever to get things running again.
If Kentucky doesn't work out, Oklahoma is always open, too! Its beautiful here, lots of land for sale, and we can always use a few more good Catholics! (hint hint--lots of land for sale out here, just itching for a good family to take over...ahem. Some right near here, as a matter of fact..  )
Rachel
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nissag
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Generator is definitely on the list of things to buy. We got slammed with the ice storm last year too. We live in a very rural town and the power was out for days - weeks for some.
I think the first thing I'm going to do is scout the honey out. My husband and kids suffer with allergies. I remember being in England when the rape (canola) was ready for harvesting. I LOVED it, but poor Brian was miserable.
We're now trying to hook up with local homeschoolers. Seems every Catholic parish in the area also has an elementary school. That amazes me. Here in MA, they've done away with all but a tiny number of them. Even Kentucky's non-Catholic areas are more Catholic than here.
I have a high school friend who relocated to OK and she loves it. :)
Blessings,
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Nissa
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4Real Forums : Tea and Conversation
Topic: Anyone near Louisville...or Lexington?
