Livin' the Country Life - 2025

Our cats sleep outside.

Some sleep in the hay barn. These two sleep on the front porch in a fleece-lined kitty igloo.

The more than 90 Prescott Courthouse Plaza trees decorated with lights for the holidays were switched to blue in honor of National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day.

We've been enjoying all the local beauty. Lynx Lake is located in the nearby Prescott National Forest.

Don, Sheila, and Bekah, recently walked a trail that goes around the lake.

Bekah's friend, Natalie, came from Texas for a visit.

Gracie, learning about goats from Auntie Bekah.

The first snow of the season arrived in late January.

The colors of our sheet metal cactus and our glass art really pop against the white background.

No description necessary.

We bought a greenhouse kit. Don and Sheila have been assembling it.
Lots of pieces and lots of work putting it together. 

We hope to have it assembled in time for spring planting.

This is Codigo. He went missing in early January. This was troubling as more than once, he jumped into the back of a FedEx truck when the driver was delivering a package.

After several weeks of worry, he just showed up. We don't know where he went, what he did, or how he got home, but we're happy he did.

Kinda like a Disney movie.

We had an unexpected snowfall in early March

As usual, it was enough to look beautiful but not enough to affect local driving conditions.

Sheila's niece, Erica, got married in Phoenix. 

Donny, Rebekah, Cheryl, James, and Gracie were able to join us.

No reason to let the cold interfere with grilling out.

It was cold and windy but a closed sliding door and a propane fire pit made things pretty cozy.

A local craftsman built and installed this gate. It was a nice finishing touch to the greenhouse project.

Sheila won a two night stay at the historic St. Michael hotel in downtown Prescott.

We felt like tourists in our own town

Since Bekah's goats are ADGA registered, each receives a tattoo indicating its unique ID. 

Visit Moon Shadow Acres to learn more about Bekah's herd.

There's no shortage of spring flowers. Some are native, some we've planted.

Shelter: noun; a place giving temporary protection from bad weather or danger.

Cinch, the  young female cattle dog shown in the movie, was recently adopted by a Chino Valley resident. More to follow soon.

Jackson, Sheila's nephew, and Abby were wed in a beautiful outdoor ceremony.

We had a great time visiting with Sheila's siblings and their families.

We spent the last few days of our journey with Don's cousin Pam in Carmichael, California.

The next stop of our journey, we stayed with longtime friends, Ken and Elena Jordan in Roseburg, Oregon.

We're standing on the front porch of the remarkable home that Ken, Elana, and their boys built. Watch this video for the fascinating back story.

Sheila and I took a quick trip to Southern California and spent some time with Donny.

Our visit included lots of Donny-time, great meals, and a trip to the Museum of Latin American Art.

We also attended a rehearsal for Donny's band, badsoma.

Sheila's Spanish Barb horse, Amado died quietly but very unexpectedly in his sleep this August.

Words fail me. There's a special connection between a girl and her horse.

Each year, Bekah and her coworkers at the Recreation Department conduct Territorial Days, Chino Valley's biggest annual event.

This year Don, with his well-modulated radio voice, co-hosted a radio broadcast of the parade on Prescott's KDDL radio.

We attended Pickin' in the Pines, a three-day bluegrass festival in Flagstaff.

Bekah has been raising Muscovy ducks.

Muscovy brings back great childhood memories for Don.

Donny's band, badsoma, performed at the Riverside Arts and Music Festival.

It was great to see the show and to spend some time with Donny.

Sheila and I stayed at the historic Mission Inn in downtown Riverside.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched 28 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg AFB in Southern California.

This was our view from our backyard, 380 miles from the launch site.

Anyone can have a birthday. Sheila gets a birthday month. One of her presents was this beautiful painting by local artist Jennifer Fox-Hamilton. 

Jennifer has an amazing story. Read about it in her book, Alaska Unwilling.

Our trip started with a night in Tucson. From there we headed east to Wilcox for the Willcox Wine Country Fall Festival.  

After two nights in Wilcox, we traveled north and east to Pinetop-Lakeside, spent the night and headed home via Winslow.

Although God designed goats for outdoor use, ours sleep indoors at night.

It seemed a little cruel to lock them in a comfy box with straw bedding so Don added a covered patio. They're not animals you know.

Our good friends Randy and Marylin Raysbrook stopped in for a visit. They are on a vacation celebrating their 50th anniversary.

Don and Randy met in 1983 through the Navigators, a Christian ministry and have stayed close since. 

Don isn't the only one who enjoys outdoor cooking. Gracie baked a delicious mud pie for Nana.

Mint Mobile, Don's employer since Feb 2019 was recently acquired by T-Mobile. In late October, Don was informed that his position had been eliminated.

Being half artist and half geek, Don's time at Mint was a high point in his career. After the initial shock, he and Sheila  are excited about retirement.

Now there will be more time for standing on the corner...

We were installing some under-eve lights and Gracie decided the ladder looked inviting.

Don was asked to participate in a School of Blues session. The School of Blues features local musicians teaching various musical topics.

Don gave a presentation on how to play bass with a band.

In July, Sheila received a surprising letter. Her cousin, Sandy (third from the left), whom Sheila hadn't seen since childhood, lived very near to us.

Sandy invited us for Thanksgiving Dinner. She had announced to her guest they would be playing a game. Using only yes or no questions, they had to identify Sheila. 

Chris Fleming is a talented guitar builder. When Don turned 65, he asked Chris to build him a bass. 

Three of Bekah's goats decided to give birth between noon on Thanksgiving Day, and the evening of Black Friday. Total count: ten new kids.

You can follow Moon Shadow Acres on Instagram for updates.

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