Livin' off the Land

I grew up in Los Angeles. I say that so you know that I wasn't in 4-H because, let's be honest, 4-H doesn't exist in LA. There are no county fairs. No one is entering a pumpkin pie in a contest.

That's part of the charm of Indiana for me. Not having grown up around the "ag" world, there are a lot of cute things about living in the midwest. For example, my favorite building at the State Fair is the one where produce is judged... and, yes, actual ribbons are presented. I love looking at the lines of zucchini and tomatoes and string beans; there's a simpleness (in a good way) of knowing that a whole pavilion is dedicated to these blue ribbon, garden gems.

So, it shouldn't have come as a shock to Bret, who knows that I have a tendency to become fixated, that I wanted a composter. It shouldn't have come as a shock that the words "micro-farm" and "chicken coop" came up at dinner. I think there's something really exciting about being mostly self sufficient and organic.

And, now, I have the space to do so. I have acres of space to do so. If I want to sell produce at the farmer's market, I can. If I want beehives (another potential in my book), I can. If I want a chicken coop housing my pet chickens (Henny Penny and General Tso, if you're interested), I can.

I think part of Bret's concern, rightfully so, is two-fold. One: I have a tendency to start things without a whole lot of follow through when things get old, tired, boring or hard. Like the guitar. Or the bathroom floor in our current "master bath" (quote marks because to call the smallest bathroom in history "master" seems a tad bit off). So, I think he thinks that I'll leave my poor chickens to freeze at the first sign of snow or after the first coop poop clean. And, he might be right.

Second: I'm from LA. I'm not sure you can kick the city out of the girl, no matter where you move. And, he might be right.

But, I contend that I have amazing stubbornness resolve and amazing resourcefulness. I often amaze Bret with what I can accomplish (like picking up that 60" TV all on my own or hoisting large pieces of furniture up the stairs). I'm pretty self reliant (for better or for worse), and I don't ask for Bret's help all too often (for better or for worse), so at the end of the day, I think my micro-farm might really work.

But, I've decided to take it easy on Bret and start small (not a usual approach for my "I'm all in" attitude), so we might just start with a large garden next summer and a composter as soon as I can find one I like. But, I just don't think it should come as a shock when this California girl sees her prize eggs or giant gourd at the State Fair. Because at the end of the day, I'm a country-livin' Hoosier now, and I've made peace with that!