City Slicker

I spent most of my life planning to live in a big, bustling city throughout my 20s.  Now I'm in my mid-20s, living in the 3rd largest city in the U.S. and I have decided I'd actually like to live on a farm.  And grow my own things.  And have chickens and goats.  Seriously.

The change came when these happened:

These are some tiny red-leaf lettuces that I'm growing from seed on my window sill.  In about a month I should be eating my epiphany salad.  Something happened while doing research at work for a episode we're doing on the Relocalization movement.  After watching the video for PathToFreedom.org, a homestead located in Pasadena, CA where the family grows 6,000 lbs of food a year on their 1/5th of an acre in the 'burbs, a change came over me that has left a permanent impact.  I checked out a high pile of books from the library on how to grow vegetables and I'm actively reading blogs like yougrowgirl.com and small-mart.org.

It's too long to fully explain here, but basically I'm yearning to become a more sustainable person and to learn how to focus in on what's around me locally and make the most of it.  Luckily there is space for me to grow a vegetable garden behind our apartment and we also have a big back deck where I can have a container garden, but things like the chickens and goats are going to have to wait.  

After talking with our friends Emily and Josh the other night, I'm also starting to get this itch to visit Portland.  They're thinking about moving out that way and the way they describe it sounds wonderful.  My friends Haley and Jason are also having Portland conversations, and I have one friend in particular who I bet would be quite thrilled to have myself and one of her best buds living in the same city as her.  There's so much there that appeals to me, I think (won't know until I visit.)

I know I just arrived in Chicago three months ago, and I know we'll probably be here for a few years to come...and it's not that I don't like Chicago, it's just that the odds of me getting a big yard to grow and moderate temperatures throughout the year are, well, extremely not likely.

For now, I'll eat me lettuces, hope Miro lays an egg, and continue to try to figure myself out.  Ah, 20s.