Help Tony and Melissa begin again
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Hi, We’re Tony and Melissa!
We’ve spent the last two years living and working on a goat farm – a life neither one of us ever imagined for ourselves, and a life that has engaged us on every level - work, life, play, love, and community. We have experienced the cycles of life here, and tied our lives to these cycles - births, deaths, growing, harvesting, hard work, and good rest - a true relationship in community with animals, food, and the land.
On Friday February 10th a fire broke out on the farm. The combination of record high February temperatures, dry air and soil, and hurricane force winds with gusts up to 103 mph, led to a fire spreading across the farm in a matter of minutes. It quickly engulfed many buildings, one of which was our home.
We are grateful for our lives and the life of our dear dog banjo. We are heartbroken by the loss of our home, our beloved dairy goats, little pack-goats, countless chickens, and the rich land that supported us.
We lost our home, our jobs, and all of our possessions. A lifetime of accumulating: record collections and musical instruments , computers, tv's, video/audio recording equipment, herbal medicine apothecary, and kitchen appliances as well as treasures collected from around the world...journals and baby pictures...handmade quilts and gifts from departed friends and family... this 'stuff' is just 'stuff' but it makes up a life ...a reflection of our journey.
And yet today, the physical objects of our lives are all gone. Gone too is our way of life. We find ourselves on the cliff's edge of a-once-in-a-lifetime decision.
To understand this moment for us - we are asking our friends to imagine that they are suddenly facing the most significant choice of their lifetime: you've lost your possessions and your way of living. So... will you attempt to replace them and repeat the lifestyle that you've learned over these years? - Or will you take a leap into something new?
We have decided to take the leap. Fire - the great transformer - has given us the opportunity to begin again - we plan to change our lives.
For years we have been dreaming of renovating a school bus into an off-grid mobile home. We have wanted to see parts of this country that we've never seen and find opportunities as artists and teachers and builders that we can't imagine while rooted in one place. We have decided to listen to the fire and transform ourselves.
Here's the plan: We will buy a used school bus and find a place to park/work on it. Much of this work we can do ourselves but some of it will require professional assistance. We estimate it will take us between 6-9 months to do a full renovation.
Here's what we're asking for: The estimated cost of this project is somewhere between 40-50k and the additional 25k is to replace some of what we've lost and provide a means to live while we create this dream.
Thank you to family, friends, and a loving supportive community.
We are humbled and grateful.
Melissa, Tony, and Banjo
We’ve spent the last two years living and working on a goat farm – a life neither one of us ever imagined for ourselves, and a life that has engaged us on every level - work, life, play, love, and community. We have experienced the cycles of life here, and tied our lives to these cycles - births, deaths, growing, harvesting, hard work, and good rest - a true relationship in community with animals, food, and the land.
On Friday February 10th a fire broke out on the farm. The combination of record high February temperatures, dry air and soil, and hurricane force winds with gusts up to 103 mph, led to a fire spreading across the farm in a matter of minutes. It quickly engulfed many buildings, one of which was our home.
We are grateful for our lives and the life of our dear dog banjo. We are heartbroken by the loss of our home, our beloved dairy goats, little pack-goats, countless chickens, and the rich land that supported us.
We lost our home, our jobs, and all of our possessions. A lifetime of accumulating: record collections and musical instruments , computers, tv's, video/audio recording equipment, herbal medicine apothecary, and kitchen appliances as well as treasures collected from around the world...journals and baby pictures...handmade quilts and gifts from departed friends and family... this 'stuff' is just 'stuff' but it makes up a life ...a reflection of our journey.
And yet today, the physical objects of our lives are all gone. Gone too is our way of life. We find ourselves on the cliff's edge of a-once-in-a-lifetime decision.
To understand this moment for us - we are asking our friends to imagine that they are suddenly facing the most significant choice of their lifetime: you've lost your possessions and your way of living. So... will you attempt to replace them and repeat the lifestyle that you've learned over these years? - Or will you take a leap into something new?
We have decided to take the leap. Fire - the great transformer - has given us the opportunity to begin again - we plan to change our lives.
For years we have been dreaming of renovating a school bus into an off-grid mobile home. We have wanted to see parts of this country that we've never seen and find opportunities as artists and teachers and builders that we can't imagine while rooted in one place. We have decided to listen to the fire and transform ourselves.
Here's the plan: We will buy a used school bus and find a place to park/work on it. Much of this work we can do ourselves but some of it will require professional assistance. We estimate it will take us between 6-9 months to do a full renovation.
Here's what we're asking for: The estimated cost of this project is somewhere between 40-50k and the additional 25k is to replace some of what we've lost and provide a means to live while we create this dream.
Thank you to family, friends, and a loving supportive community.
We are humbled and grateful.
Melissa, Tony, and Banjo
Organizer
Tony LoVerde
Organizer
Longmont, CO
