Years ago, I lived on four acres of land that was quickly moving to sustainablity. I was "happily" (or not) married, with five children, two nubian milk goats, two bunnies, one dog, one cat and a soon to be flock of chickens. I had a 1/4 acre veggie garden, huge herb garden, smaller medicinal herb garden and was quite content in that lifestyle. Due to circumstances that I prefer to never think about again, I was forced to leave that home with my five children and become a single mother. The following four and a half years were spent in a townhouse while I busted my ass for a degree (Sociology!) and worked full time in a shelter for battered women and later a shelter for teen mothers.
I thought I would never live a sustainable life again, how could I? I am single. . . have a home of kids, live in town with a small back yard. . . it seemed so foreign. THEN I found a website about urban sustainable living. I am in a fairly small town, so I began to figure if they can live sustainably in the middle of a city what am I complaining about in a town? Granted my yard is tiny compared to my former four acres and I work way too many hours a week to milk goats daily but at the same time . . . there is much I can do to lesson my footprint and live life in a far more simple way. . .
Over the past year and a half I have built four garden beds and fill them completely year round. Years ago I laughed at small gardens, now I admire them. In many ways I prefer this style of gardening, my weeds are less, I grow only what we will eat, I have food year round and I don't have to get muddy! I don't have goats, but it enables me to leave to go camping on the weekends, to go fishing, to do festivals and concerts and enjoy my life to the fullest. I can't argue with that!
SO, this weekend was the first weekend home in about a month. We went to my father's home the weekend before (he can bbq. . . BOY can he bbq!) and the weekend before that was camping. By the time the weekend hit the weeds in the yard were a mile high. I spent saturday fertilizing (organic) weedeating, composting, transplanting (how did I end up with 9 zucchini plants?) and making strawberry jelly (16 jars out of a flat of strawberries!) However, I was really missing having a bunny, as they are the perfect animals for small gardens. Rabbits are the perfect recyling machine. . . give them garden scraps and what goes in . . . must come out as perfect fertilizer!
Our last bunny passed away about a month ago, and I have been letting my children's heart rest for a bit, but this weekend I watched the compost pile grow higher and higher and realized it was too much. One trip to the local coop . . . and here is what we came home with . . .
I thought I would never live a sustainable life again, how could I? I am single. . . have a home of kids, live in town with a small back yard. . . it seemed so foreign. THEN I found a website about urban sustainable living. I am in a fairly small town, so I began to figure if they can live sustainably in the middle of a city what am I complaining about in a town? Granted my yard is tiny compared to my former four acres and I work way too many hours a week to milk goats daily but at the same time . . . there is much I can do to lesson my footprint and live life in a far more simple way. . .
Over the past year and a half I have built four garden beds and fill them completely year round. Years ago I laughed at small gardens, now I admire them. In many ways I prefer this style of gardening, my weeds are less, I grow only what we will eat, I have food year round and I don't have to get muddy! I don't have goats, but it enables me to leave to go camping on the weekends, to go fishing, to do festivals and concerts and enjoy my life to the fullest. I can't argue with that!
SO, this weekend was the first weekend home in about a month. We went to my father's home the weekend before (he can bbq. . . BOY can he bbq!) and the weekend before that was camping. By the time the weekend hit the weeds in the yard were a mile high. I spent saturday fertilizing (organic) weedeating, composting, transplanting (how did I end up with 9 zucchini plants?) and making strawberry jelly (16 jars out of a flat of strawberries!) However, I was really missing having a bunny, as they are the perfect animals for small gardens. Rabbits are the perfect recyling machine. . . give them garden scraps and what goes in . . . must come out as perfect fertilizer!
Our last bunny passed away about a month ago, and I have been letting my children's heart rest for a bit, but this weekend I watched the compost pile grow higher and higher and realized it was too much. One trip to the local coop . . . and here is what we came home with . . .
This would be Marx ~ He is hiding between cilantro and swiss chard, happy as can be. My sweet six year old son thought that the garden bed was a salad bar for Marx. . . but alas, Marx quickly was moved to a more appropriate area.
This would be Freud. Yes, we have a sociology/psychology bunny off. See, I have a degree in sociology and my 15 year old daughter Katie just took her first psychology class. . . can you see where this is going? Oh yes. . . we debate for days in this home. It's rather frightening. SO, Katie named her bunny Freud, which of course meant I had to name my bunny Marx.
This is just another shot of Marx . . . I need to show him off the most because Marx is the sociologist bunny, therefore, my favorite . . . he already is proving to be the rebel, Freud is mellow and will cuddle up with anybody, Marx wants to kick and scratch and hop around like mad. He must be an angry proletariat!
SOOO That was our weekend . . . . Gardens, bunnies, Jelly, all good stuff!
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