- Mar 18, 2011
- 12
- 0
- 22
To start my story, i am a consumerist who wants to do things my own way. My husband has blood pressure issues and so we started learning about the foods we eat. I started out by learning appropriate portions. We realized that really, he could still eat the things he liked, as long as we portioned them correctly. So i started becoming educated on brain foods, and low sodium foods. This grew into something a bit bigger. I then moved us into little or no HFCS. (I stopped drinking soda for an entire year) he still drinks a can of diet pepsi everyday. I cant complain though, thats really all the HFCS we take in. Label reading became a everyday thing. I felt like, "Hey we are doing pretty good!".
Then i started pondering what else i could do. I have a friend who is an urban farmer in Portland. Chickens, full on farm, suburbia, with 3+ kids(#4 neice/nephew on the way!). She and i talk for hours about this kind of thing. We talk about healthy eating, child rearing (no kids for me sadly). She educated me, she inspired me. I started a tomato plant 2 summers ago. My husband and I fell in love with that tomato plant. We waited for it, patiently to turn red that two tomatos that it grew. They were the two most amazing tomatos that i have ever had. Then and there we decided to do a small garden the next year.
We built two small boxes. In the first one we grew 24 Tomatos (3 varieties), and red peppers. We also had broccoli, where i learned about cabbage loopers, and brussel sprouts. None of these prospered, but i learned.
We also had some other landscaped areas that we grew stuff in as well. We grew cucumbers, jalapenos, and cherry tomatos, as well as basil and dill. I lost the dill to a beautiful butterfly caterpillar, but i was ok with it.
Throughout this process, i started shopping differently. I quit shopping at our big name stores, but only a few times a year. I found a local butcher for our meat, and a farm market for our deli needs, and a local egg farm.
I have gotten to know the family. I have learned bit by bit pieces of information about the birds. I took my photography gear out for photoshoots with the chicks. I fell in love with a rooster.
A ROOSTER.
You see.. I have roosters on my wall in my kitchen as a border. I hated them. I have hated the roosters since i moved in to this house 8 years ago. I have yet to take them down.
When i started going to sit with the chickens, saw him. I learned he was an accidental rooster. He was supposed to be a hen.
So you ask, how do you fall in love with a rooster?
You do when he looks like this.
So fast foward to year three of my gardening life. I have HUGE plans for my garden this year. I repeatedly asked my husband if we could have two chickens for the house. He has said no.. A lot, and repeatedly.
However last week, he joined me out on my grocery driving extravaganza, between the three places i go, driving alone is about an hour or so, but its worth it.
We stopped at Red Brick Poultry, and talked to Jason, the owner. I told him how i really wanted chickens too, as pets, as well as for the eggs. He then GRACIOUSLY offered to let me get chicks to keep at their house. I was so excited that as soon as we got home, i decided to talk to my husband about it. I managed to get him on board with this! Talk about exciting. So I have been shopping for about 2 weeks now looking for exactly what i wanted. I have landed on some Blue Laced Red Wyandottes. I should be picking them up on monday!
Im sure more antics will come as i spend days with them at the farm, and learn about their personality's.
Wish me luck!
Then i started pondering what else i could do. I have a friend who is an urban farmer in Portland. Chickens, full on farm, suburbia, with 3+ kids(#4 neice/nephew on the way!). She and i talk for hours about this kind of thing. We talk about healthy eating, child rearing (no kids for me sadly). She educated me, she inspired me. I started a tomato plant 2 summers ago. My husband and I fell in love with that tomato plant. We waited for it, patiently to turn red that two tomatos that it grew. They were the two most amazing tomatos that i have ever had. Then and there we decided to do a small garden the next year.
We built two small boxes. In the first one we grew 24 Tomatos (3 varieties), and red peppers. We also had broccoli, where i learned about cabbage loopers, and brussel sprouts. None of these prospered, but i learned.
We also had some other landscaped areas that we grew stuff in as well. We grew cucumbers, jalapenos, and cherry tomatos, as well as basil and dill. I lost the dill to a beautiful butterfly caterpillar, but i was ok with it.
Throughout this process, i started shopping differently. I quit shopping at our big name stores, but only a few times a year. I found a local butcher for our meat, and a farm market for our deli needs, and a local egg farm.
I have gotten to know the family. I have learned bit by bit pieces of information about the birds. I took my photography gear out for photoshoots with the chicks. I fell in love with a rooster.
A ROOSTER.
You see.. I have roosters on my wall in my kitchen as a border. I hated them. I have hated the roosters since i moved in to this house 8 years ago. I have yet to take them down.
When i started going to sit with the chickens, saw him. I learned he was an accidental rooster. He was supposed to be a hen.
So you ask, how do you fall in love with a rooster?
You do when he looks like this.
So fast foward to year three of my gardening life. I have HUGE plans for my garden this year. I repeatedly asked my husband if we could have two chickens for the house. He has said no.. A lot, and repeatedly.
However last week, he joined me out on my grocery driving extravaganza, between the three places i go, driving alone is about an hour or so, but its worth it.
We stopped at Red Brick Poultry, and talked to Jason, the owner. I told him how i really wanted chickens too, as pets, as well as for the eggs. He then GRACIOUSLY offered to let me get chicks to keep at their house. I was so excited that as soon as we got home, i decided to talk to my husband about it. I managed to get him on board with this! Talk about exciting. So I have been shopping for about 2 weeks now looking for exactly what i wanted. I have landed on some Blue Laced Red Wyandottes. I should be picking them up on monday!
Im sure more antics will come as i spend days with them at the farm, and learn about their personality's.
Wish me luck!
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