Do you have SS friends? Or do your friends think you are weird?

[DrakeMaiden]

Well, Beekissed, what can I say... I don't really have alot of friends, and personally they aren't even high up on the list of things I want. I have had many friends over the years, and they have all hurt me in one way or another, so, in all honesty, I like my chickens better.

. . . And I had no desire to keep in touch with the acquaintances I had made in the city. I don't get lonely, in fact, I would love to be able to live remotely with very little outside contact.

OMG, totally!

The only thing different with me is that I have ducks instead of chickens and I am making friends with one neighbor and her husband who are seemingly somewhat SS too.

 

[miss_thenorth]

that's so funny to read my words again after I wrote them quite a while ago.

Still true. While I do have aquaintances that might be easier to describe as friends--I still like my chickens better!

Go hug your duck!

 

[Henrietta23]

I found that when we met the woman who owns the farm where we bought a share, she felt she needed to explain the whole idea of a CSA, and why supporting local agriculture was important. She was really surprised that we "got it". She was thrilled that the only reason we need to do this is because we don't have space to grow it ourselves. AND that we won't need her eggs so she'll have more to sell to the public!

 

[Beekissed]

Well, Beekissed, what can I say... I don't really have alot of friends, and personally they aren't even high up on the list of things I want. I have had many friends over the years, and they have all hurt me in one way or another, so, in all honesty, I like my chickens better.

. . . And I had no desire to keep in touch with the acquaintances I had made in the city. I don't get lonely, in fact, I would love to be able to live remotely with very little outside contact.

OMG, totally!

The only thing different with me is that I have ducks instead of chickens and I am making friends with one neighbor and her husband who are seemingly somewhat SS too.

I know what you mean about that. I think we use the term "friend" lightly now, as I don't know many people who have any real friends....I mean the kind who would drop whatever they were doing and rush across the world to come when you needed them. You know the kind...the ones who listen to your dreams and put up with your whining, call you without you having called first, share their daily life with you, think about you when you aren't around....basically your grade school version of a best friend~but all grown up. The ones who aren't too busy to spend some time with you...those people.

The rest are merely good acquaintances.

 

[Homesteadmom]

Well, Beekissed, what can I say... I don't really have alot of friends, and personally they aren't even high up on the list of things I want. I have had many friends over the years, and they have all hurt me in one way or another, so, in all honesty, I like my chickens better.

. . . And I had no desire to keep in touch with the acquaintances I had made in the city. I don't get lonely, in fact, I would love to be able to live remotely with very little outside contact.

OMG, totally!

The only thing different with me is that I have ducks instead of chickens and I am making friends with one neighbor and her husband who are seemingly somewhat SS too.

I know what you mean about that. I think we use the term "friend" lightly now, as I don't know many people who have any real friends....I mean the kind who would drop whatever they were doing and rush across the world to come when you needed them. You know the kind...the ones who listen to your dreams and put up with your whining, call you without you having called first, share their daily life with you, think about you when you aren't around....basically your grade school version of a best friend~but all grown up. The ones who aren't too busy to spend some time with you...those people.

The rest are merely good acquaintances.

I have one from High School, but she lives over 60 miles from me so it is hard to get together frequently. But she was here on Valentines day & brought me a bottle of wine she & her brothers made at a winery(I dated one of her brothers too).

 

[me&thegals]

I found that when we met the woman who owns the farm where we bought a share, she felt she needed to explain the whole idea of a CSA, and why supporting local agriculture was important. She was really surprised that we "got it". She was thrilled that the only reason we need to do this is because we don't have space to grow it ourselves. AND that we won't need her eggs so she'll have more to sell to the public!

I know where she's coming from! I'm a CSA grower and it is so rare to meet someone who actually has heard of the concept. I think you're the second person on these forums to mention being a shareholder in a CSA, so it's great that the word is getting out!

 

[Henrietta23]

LOL, it could have been me before. I know I've mentioned it. When I tell most people I know in my real life about it they look at me like I have two heads. After telling them what CSA means they have no idea why it's a better option than buying food at the grocery store. Just no idea what-so-ever! Most of them now just assume I'm nuts, a hippy wannabe, whatever.
When my son told people at church last Sunday that we'd tapped our maple tree they LAUGHED at me. "you're going to get about a tablespoon of syrup, why bother?" Because I can! Because my son knows where his syrup came from. Because my son's syrup isn't full of high fructose corn syrup. Because my son learned something. These same people think it is quaint that we have chickens and now ducks. They've gotten used to that idea but still don't get why. I haven't dared tell them that I want goats too. It's so easy to pick up milk at the convenience store on the way home from work.
I did, however, have one woman ask me for the number of the farm and I believe she called and snapped up the last share available! I guess that's why I put on a brave face and talk about what's important to me. Everynow and then a lightbulb goes off for somebody and they make a change.

I found that when we met the woman who owns the farm where we bought a share, she felt she needed to explain the whole idea of a CSA, and why supporting local agriculture was important. She was really surprised that we "got it". She was thrilled that the only reason we need to do this is because we don't have space to grow it ourselves. AND that we won't need her eggs so she'll have more to sell to the public!

I know where she's coming from! I'm a CSA grower and it is so rare to meet someone who actually has heard of the concept. I think you're the second person on these forums to mention being a shareholder in a CSA, so it's great that the word is getting out!

 

[me&thegals]

Good for you! I hope you have a wonderful CSA experience. It really answers so many problems: Food safety, food miles, nutrition, freshness, blah, blah.

I was at an organic farming conference in Feb where one of the presenters was a CSA grower (MN, midwinter, solar greenhouse only) and was thrilled to have finally an audience where she didn't have to explain what CSA stood for

I love it when people like you are willing to take the time to explain. It seems to be instinct for people to laugh at or not pay attention to things they don't understand. But, when someone takes the time to explain it, it's amazing how many of them think it's a really neat idea!

My local librarians are some of my best customers. They just look at the titles of my latest books and ask if that's what I'm doing now (beekeeping, egg chickens, meat chickens, organic veggie gardening). So, now I have all of them on a weekly egg delivery schedule, 2 of them buying meat chickens, one of them getting veggies in summer, and another hoping for honey next year.

And, yeah, who cares if you only get 1 cup of syrup? We only get a few quarts from our trees, but it really is great for kids to understand their food. We took pictures last year of the whole process, then typed up captions and made a 3-ring binder story of maple syrup, brought it into their kindergarten and 2nd grade classes. My kids presented the story, and I served mini homemade pancakes with maple syrup. The kids loved it! My daughter's little friend has been requesting more maple syrup Another child more connected to his food.

 

[PamsPride]

Of course I have SS friends! I am a little more 'out there' than most!! LOL!! But, you all are my friends so I hope you don't think I am weird!! I talk to my DH and mom about what you all say like I talked to you on the phone this morning or we went out and had coffee together!! My IRL friends just don't get me and I find that I just don't have a whole lot of IRL friends! They don't get excited when I say "I have 7 chicks now!" They just don't get it. It is also to hard to talk to them at 11:15 at night like I am talking to you all now!!

 

[hennypenny9]

I'm so happy someone at BYC pointed me at this site. I don't currently live near my family, and many of my friends went to college in other areas of the country. So I don't have many people to think I'm nuts. Except my co-workers! I talk about how much I want to get chickens like every day!! They'll kind sigh and be all "you and your chickens again...." they don't understand or believe that back yard chickens lay better eggs. And don't even get me started on how much I want to learn to spin and weave, and make bread from scratch. (I fail when yeast is involved)

Thanks to this site I have even more weirdness on the way! I'm planting strawberries ($5.99 per pound? I don't think so!), and thinking of other veggies that will grow well in pots. Mint, and other herbs.

Oh, I have an indoor cat. I don't want him to be hit by a car or mauled by dogs. When we I lived at home we had outdoor cats, and a dog to keep away the predators. Anyway, I got fed up with how much litter cost, and have almost finished training my cat to use the human toilet. He seems to be okay with it. Haven't bought litter in 10 months.

Can't wait to try all the awesome things I've read here. Homemade laundry detergent! Canning once I grow veggies! I'm moving, but don't know when (house is for sale) but I really want to rent a house on acreage. Maybe with a house like the one I grew up in. It was a log cabin with a wood burning stove. It was less then 900 square feet. My mom and dad built it themselves. I never thought I'd miss it, but I do. Almost non-existent energy bill. If the power went out, so what? Candles and the stove are all we needed. Chickens. A garden. It just too small for three adults, though. Someday maybe I'll build my own... The people at work REALLY are confused at this point.