Savingdogs-Saving the chickens

[Henrietta23]

I'm not sure but everytime I take on something new my dad takes great delight in pointing out that he was trying it in the 70s. We spent a few good years growing a huge garden in our suburban yard, using herbs in place of traditional medicines, researching alternative fuels, etc. And what he didn't try then he sure did when he was a kid in the 30s. He had goats and chickens.

 

[sekinkead]

I agree with Java. This type of life was never on my radar either. I knew I wanted to live out here because I love it, but never thought about animals until the kids got into 4-H and we got rabbits, then chickens, and soon goats! I grew up out in the country and always loved animals so it makes some sense.

I grew up with a huge garden and we canned everything and my dad was a beekeeper and a hobby carpenter. Let me tell you there were times I hated helping with all that stuff but I am so thankful for those skills now. We are getting our first hive of bee's this year and we have chickens and meat rabbits and some of my friends thought I was crazy but now some of them are asking for advice.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

SD that is hi-larious! i stopped taking Sunset last year but i'd kept it this whole time - it was my link to the left coast.

anyway - my brother who still lives on "That" side is always regaling his pals of what we are doing here. initially it was met with shock and horror, now they are coming around and asking questions. i knew i was ahead of the game when Tori Spelling said in an interview that she wanted to raise goats. ha!

and just keep telling people you have a $25/week grocery bill..then they all start coming around....hee hee hee

DenDeb - you are just right. i was laughing about this same thing!

btw, have you seen a show called Portlandia? (i think they have cc on the site) LOVE IT. ha!
http://www.hulu.com/watch/210887/portlandia-put-a-bird-on-it#s-p1-sr-i0

and i think i've actually been in this store:
http://www.hulu.com/watch/210890/portlandia-feminist-bookstore-reading-list

ha!

 

[Wifezilla]

Portlandia is HI-larious

Especially since i have actually visited Portland a few times in the 80's. Apparently it hasn't changed much

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

ha! hey WZ! i knew you'd love it! i thought of you when i was watching it.

then i sent the link to Bourbon Red and we had a hoot together about the old days. ha ha ha ha ha

we loved the one about ordering chicken.

;-)

 

[TanksHill]

We are so trendy!!!!

 

[glenolam]

I think many people are starting to realize just how lazy we are as a society. I mean, everyone has only one specific trade they are good at and they sell that trade or barter it for their neighbor's trade. No one takes the time to learn how to sew anymore - we just throw out those old jeans and buy new ones because it's easier. No one plants a garden because it takes time to grow the seedlings - we just go to the produce section at Wal-Mart. No one takes their freezer pig out to thaw it for dinner because they think it takes too long and too much money to raise a pig - we just go to the meat section at the gorcery store and buy "fresh cut" pork.

I think many of the 'city folk' are starting to realize how much fun we're having and how proud we are of our capablities. Maybe the redneck/roughneck/farmer way of life is starting to sound good....who else has more fun talking about skinning and butchering than people like us!

 

[abifae]

Well, DIY is the IN THING for teens. Add your own touches to your clothes. Knit, crochet is BIG. Kids are starting to sew their own stuff.

It comes and goes

For a while, it was a sign of riches to NOT do your own stuff. Makes sense.

But now doing it yourself is a sign of individuality. Especially for teens. I think it's a great sign. And if they're already doing knit and crochet, pretty easy to get them into other DIY projects.

 

[framing fowl]

My folks were on the band-wagon back in the 70's. Bought in bulk, joined co-ops, had chickens, sheep, goats, bees, pigs, cows, gardened, woodstove heat, clothesline, etc. I think it comes and goes as far as main-stream but I think there will always be those who want to do more for themselves.

I think it's great because it has given us more opportunities in the city to barter. We're also very lucky that there aren't really suburbs here to speak of. You're pretty much in the city, or five minutes out of town, you're in the country. Someone in our neighborhood on a smaller lot than ours has a chicken coop and barn with goats and a donkey. I'm not sure what they do with the donkey but we hear it braying.

 

[savingdogs]

Well I see this is a popular topic with everyone! lol.....I think I agree with what each and every one of you said....I really belong here...

We enjoy living near Portland even though it is a little kookie sometimes. We like to joke about the hippies and the granola ladies, but I was a teenager in the 70s and so I'm a bit of a granola lady myself, I don't know about hippie. Hubby likes to tease about the Portland granola ladies (you know, they wear earth shoes, no makeup, are vegetarian or eat natural foods only and usually have curly hair and casual comfortable clothes).

I at him and remind him that I am a granola lady.......so he has to come over and hug me and say he loves this particular granola lady. I gave away my earth shoes awhile ago though for work boots.

Portland is known for having a big chicken movement and fresh eggs are really trendy. At their big Saturday market eggs were going for a fortune. But the TV morning news demonstrations of how easy it is to make soap were making me a little mad. How dare they copy me? Who the heck makes soap?

Martha Stewart brags about her own eggs too.

But besides locally, I even found that in a few novels I downloaded for my kindle, characters in the books have been raising chickens or keeping chickens and/or goats. Although one novel (which I can't recommend, it wasn't very good) made me laugh out loud because the main character was sleeping in the back of his truck on occasion with a goat.............and in the end of the book you find out it was an intact buck! Hah! I bet the girl in the story would never gotten NEAR the guy if he slept with a buck! It was a romance.

So some of these folks are kinda wanna-be people trying to do what we are.....I guess trying to do. I don't know if I'm really there yet but at least I know not to sleep with billy goats!