ALL HIPPIE AND SHIT

I totally, completely, utterly aspire to be a hippie. There are a few things I do wrong with this concept and mainly it has to do with Bobbi Brown cosmetics and BCBG stilettos. But I also don't wash my hair often and like to garden, so that cancels out, right?

Right?

So yesterday when the Galveston Daily News had an article by Dr. Fred Thomas about his gardens and chickens and YORKSHIRE PIG, I got all hippie again and started thinking about what I was doing in order to make even a small impact on the world.

"Can you do this? Do you want to do this? Should you or others do this? I would say, yes. And you might ask why? My response would be food security." - Dr. Fred Thomas

You know, at least try to cancel out 1/16th of what Pappy is doing during his annual Lenten Mission to increase his carbon footprint.

I've always wanted chickens in my yard and now city ordinances allow us to do so - and I started reading. And Matty got scared.

And told me no.

And then started searching Craigslist for chicken coops because he knows intuitively when he will lose and what makes me happy.

I only want a few chickens. Like 4. And I'd like to name them after Gladys Knight and the original Pips.

My questions:

Do chickens make a lot of noise?
How do I keep bugs off of them?
Will our landlord be bothered by this?

I will report back to you after finding these answers.

This year our garden has been such a source of joy for us - we've been making lots of tomato and basil and balsamic salads, putting peppers in everything, cutting the rosemary for cooking and marinating. We now have a rather large watermelon vine that should be flowering soon and boy, we can't wait for that!

It's one of the most rewarding things I've ever done - putting something in the ground. Caring for it. Reaping the benefits of your labor. Every evening we weed, we water, we prune and clip. It's a labor of love. And it's bloody brilliant for keeping toddlers busy.

I grew up with so many animals - ducks, pigs, cats, birds, fish, every type of lizard and small mammal you can think of, a BEE HIVE, I'M NOT KIDDING. My parents insisted that we care for them and respect them, or we would lose the privledge of having them. I'd like for IV to grow up with that same respect, with a healthy dose of realizing that food does not come from a grocery store.

It comes from our Earth. And someone worked damn hard to put it on your plate - and that someone could be you.

Can you think of a more important lesson?