Meet The Quirky Kirks...

Hi! We are the Quirky Kirks!

My husband and I met in Boone back in 2002. Both of our families moved us to Boone as teenagers, and it is where we call home having spent 20+ years there. We met 11 years ago and both had a child from a first marriage. We had made our living in a variety of ways: librarian, cook, server, painter, lighting designer, stage electrician, artist, and musician. Whatever it took. Finally we moved to the Triangle (Raleigh/Chapel Hill) together to find steadier work, and in one of life’s strange twists, found my husband working a corporate job and us living in downtown Raleigh. Once I became pregnant again, we decided to marry even though neither of us ever wanted to do that again. We were an extremely close blended family of “yours, mine and ours.” But then everything changed.

Father’s Day weekend, three years ago this June, my 18 yr old stepson, who had just graduated High School, passed away in his sleep. After 3 months of waiting for autopsy results we found it was deemed unexplained death by natural causes. We were left with no answers and our world turned completely upside down. We spent a few months running- we burned through our savings just not wanting to be home. Everything felt so weird and being where things should feel comfortable made it worse, it was better to just be somewhere foreign. When we finally came home, things started to drastically change for us. We moved out of our fancy city apartment and into a 112 yr. old dilapidated farmhouse.  We started painting and caulking, planted a huge garden, we got chickens, we started dumpster diving for food, we stopped buying anything new; we started removing ourselves from this society. We got angry. We were tired of missing out on our kids’ lives. We were tired of living to work.  We were tired of eating poison and waiting to be told we have cancer. We couldn’t look at the world the same anymore and all of a sudden we didn’t fit in. We also just had this deep desire to be in nature. I think anytime you need severe healing nature is the only thing that can help. We still can’t find our place. We are still wandering, searching, trying to heal and grow and stay a close family. We realize it is time to shake things up and reset our clocks to nature’s rhythm.

We all have skills to contribute and are in a place to give back. We are in a place to wipe our slate clean, and believe traveling can transition into a more direct experience with life.  We can gain skills and confidence. We can learn how to focus our efforts in the right way. We can reset and reprioritize. 

We are searching for our community. Having a tribe is an important factor in our family tapestry. Right now, being off in our own little box, next to boxes that similar to ours isn't working for us. Although we love our animals and garden and we know we are doing right by the earth, we need to be a part of something bigger.

It is our hopes that we will advance our current skills, and learn new ones along with finding our place. 

Kevin a.k.a."Free"

Over the years, in many ways, I have been searching for my tribe... for community… a thing that seems elusive if not lost in today's civilization. I have also tried to live as free as possible, for better or for worse, but things get hazy along the way… 

I have spent the last 7 years in a "corporate job" which has been an incredibly foreign experience… truly I have been a stranger in a strange land… and though I am thankful that it has allowed me to "support the fam" in ways I never could before, and has allowed me to be "all grown up", it has also clipped my wings and replaced creativity with consumption.

Now, having traveled the brutal road of grieving for the past 3 years, I have come out the other side a different creature. I have shared time and space with all my fears, demons, rage, anger, hopelessness & selfishness… all my monsters… and found that my heart is at last, much lighter. Nature has guided me home, has compelled me to evolve and be true to myself. There is no longer any reason to compromise myself or my family, or to prevent us from gathering our tribe.

With the Earth as my muse, I now strive to live as close to her as possible and in such a way that is not aggressive. My interests lie in resilience, horticulture/ permaculture, natural building and alternative energy. I am also returning to my roots as a musician and beginning to write again, as well as reclaiming my activist role to stand up against injustice. I have a long way to go, but a fresh untraveled path before me and a loving family… my heart, soul & strength… around me to share in the adventure.

Stormie

I believe that Life is Art, I accept that, I embrace that and I am that.

In the past two years I have spent my days slowing down, and noticing that all of the "work" and all of the passing days are art, each moment it's own masterpiece. From seed to harvest, from child to teen- each season, each hour. How joyous to spend those days in the pure splendor of exploring those moments! 

I have a large organic garden that supplies most of our food during the growing season. I grow everything from tomatoes to corn to luffas. I have learned so much in my two years of having a big garden but I am ready to learn more. I have pushed myself and have determination to go further with interests in permaculture, biodynamics and learning more about the compost I am finally learning to love. We have chickens and would love to learn more about milking and cheese making with a goat.

I am a passionate cook. I love to cook and I love to eat delicious food. We focus on healthy ingredients and recognize food as medicine. We are flexitarian, meaning we do not eat meat unless it is sustainably raised and/or obtained. I was once the co-owner of a restaurant and worked many different restaurant jobs and I love learning primitive cooking skills and food arts like fermenting, medicinal and culinary herbal arts, foraging and preserving. 

I am an activist and have worked and organized with groups such as Food Not Bombs and spoken out against fracking, Monsanto and in favor of women's rights. Our relationship with the earth has strengthened our need to be a voice for the wrongs in the world. I have adapted into a simplified DIY non-consumer lifestyle, this has been slow and hard process at times but I truly live by 

"Use it up 

Wear it out 

Make it do

Do with out"

I am an artist. I make jewelry using dead bugs and other natural items found in nature. I also use old costume jewelry pieces and rusty skeleton keys, resined old book pages and other forgotten treasures; giving old items a new life. I also make altered books and other paper arts. I have also enjoyed some time in my life as a performance artist and the Director of a Children's Theatre Troupe. I dabble in all crafty activities and enjoy creative work of all kinds. I would love to learn more fiber and fabric arts. 

I homeschool/unschool/freeschool my kids. We are explorers of the world and enjoy this new adventure. I went to college to teach but never got my degree and went into Library Science instead where I worked as a Young Adult Librarian for 7 years. I am able to establish great relationships with teens and preteens and very much enjoy working with them. 

Ian - 1993-2011

The world is dimmer without Ian in it… I often say that. He was very intelligent & witty with a great sense of humor a la Monty Python. He loved Led Zeppelin, The Dead Kennedy's and Daft Punk. Ian was a hacker, a long time member of the Latin club, a dare devil, poker player & the best friend too.  He touched multiple lives with his kindness and understanding, and is sorely missed. After he passed we have been constantly visited by dragonflies and know it is his spirit sharing with us. We has adopted  it as our tribe name, Dragonfly Tribe, to remind us to always "Float On".

Phaedra a.k.a."Phae"

I'm Phaedra and i am 13 years old. I really love reading and writing and music is very important to me. Being raised a city kid until 12, I never thought I'd ever want more pets then a cat. Moving out to the "country" has let my love of taking care of animals blossom. I am "mom" to a black cat, Jaq, two chickens, Midge and Roxie, and a bunny, Cowboy. I really enjoy taking care of my animals daily and knowing their silly personalities. 

This has been my first year homeschooling and it has really helped me discover more of who i am and been an all around great experience so far. 

Dresden

Dresden is almost 5 and his personality is bigger than his small stature! Dresden loves costumes and is someone new everyday. Dresden says he would like to be a cowboy when he grows up. He enjoys learning math and his letters, playing in water outside, robin hood, pirates and superheroes. 

Our Family's Current Theme Songs