"Growing food yourself is a dangerous act because you are in danger of becoming free." - Jules Dervaes
Here is a family who has taken self-sufficient living to a fascinating level.
I've been fascinated for years by the above quote. In danger of becoming free calls my name. I don't know if I could ever take it to the level the Dervaes family does, but the feeling of accomplishment that comes from producing food on my own property is fantastic.
Do you have your own urban homestead? If now where would you start?
As I've spoken with representatives of Tooele City one of the concerns they've voiced is that legalizing goats may open the door for people wanting to legalize other "farm animals".
It's a pretty resonable issue to stare down. What is the difference between goats and sheep? If we were to legalize goats, then would somebody want to legalize sheep next? Or pigs? I've never figured out how to define the difference between goats and sheep effectively. But the fact remains that there is one. If you Google "urban goats" the search returns story after story about people who decided they wanted a goat in their city back yard. However, if you Google "urban sheep" a yarn store tops out the search with a few stories and videos about sheep grazing at a city park, etc. In three pages of Google I could not see one story about somebody trying to keep a sheep in their city back yard.
Of course its pretty commonly known that there are severall small breeds of goats, whereas I had to do some research to know that there are also small breeds of sheep.
My personal experience has been that goats are more friendly. The year after I had to get rid of Ms. Billy I attended the County Fair where there were both goats and sheep. The goats came right over to me and were very friendly. The sheep shied away from me. But its possible that the goats had been around people more since they had been brought specifically for the petting area. Whereas the sheep were in completition.
I'd love feedback on this. It would help me define more clearly the difference between goats and sheep. Any thoughts on on why goats are more popular as a backyard than sheep? Or pig? You hear about people keeping pot belly pigs as pets. Where do you think that fits?
I was pulling some big weeds yesterday and sure wished Ms. Billy was there to take care of them for me. Weed control is one of the many reasons I hear people say they wish they could get a goat.
Have you seen the weeds in Tooele. These pictures were taken June 29, 2011. If you look at the same fields right now the weeds are much more of a fire hazard. But it shows clearly a problem we deal with every year. I think my favorite is the tree hanging into the alley in the center picture. I'm not sure a car could even drive down that alley. It makes me laugh. Those awful elm trees were Ms. Billy's favorite. Stake her out there for a few days or trim the branches and throw them into her pen and she'd take good care.
In many communities including large
cities such as Los Angeles,
goats have become part of the solution.They are friendlier to the environment and make the work easier for
people trying to solve the problem.Goats are happy to eat the noxious weeds and brush we are trying to
control.They love elm trees and would
successfully open up the alley pictured above if given the chance.
One Tooele resident who has owned
goats for eight years is happy with the job they do with his weeds.People often ask to borrow his goats to get
their weeds under control.Another
Tooele resident said, “I wish I could have a goat to help my weed
problem.”Goats really
are an asset where weeds are concerned.
Although a few extra goats in the
residential zones of Tooele are not going to completely solve the weed problems
Tooele faces, it is a step in the right direction. Goats can be part of the solution.
Wouldn't you love to have a goat for your weeds? Where would you keep your goat?
Is urban homesteading a trend or just the pendulum swinging back as suggested in this YouTube video published by Urban Conversion?
It's a fascinating question.
The interesting thing about Tooele is that when I was growing up next door to where I live now, we had cows, pigs, turkeys and rabbits at various times. And it was all legal then.
I have treasured memories of following my dad out back to watch him milk the cow. He always filled a bowl with the fresh milk for the cats in the neighborhood. They knew when milking time was and showed up to wait. Dad would sometimes squirt one of the cats while he was milking and they would proceed to clean the milk off their fur, enjoying every drop of course. The best thing about the cow was that I had all the milk I wanted.
The year we had 60 turkeys as a 4-H project, I loved to spend time letting them eat out of my hand. As they grew and became stronger I did this less because it hurt when they pecked your hand. More precious memories.
Why did it change? Why are goats not allowed on a half acre like ours?
Because Tooele is trying to imitate the big city. Many people want to be less rural and more urban. However, what they don't see is all the urban areas that are turning back to what is natural. People have the desire to be closer to their food. Many of those people live in Tooele. But we haven't spoken loudly and synergistically enough yet.
Are enough Tooele residents who care about this issue to make a difference? One person asked me, "Have you filled a room yet?" She said this from experience. She's been through a similar process and said that until we fill a room it won't happen.
What will it take to fill a room with people who care enough to help legalize goats in Tooele?
Many large cities allow goats for family purposes. Evidently, San Francisco is one of those cities. Heidi Kooy says that she is allowed to "have two female goats for family purposes". She raises chickens and goats. From this she is able to produce eggs and milk in her own back yard. She makes her own cheese from the goat milk. Additionally she grows a vegetable garden. Heidi talks about the fact that a generation ago "there was a knowledge about how food was produced, where it comes from, and there was a strong connection to it."
I think Heidi is right about the idea that many people have a desire to hold onto something that seems to be disappearing in our society. We become so fast paced that we can lose something. When we find ways to slow down and become more self-reliant, we find part of ourselves again.
How about you? Do you think we've lost something by becoming so distant from our food? What are the benefits in raising your own food?
At some point in our short association with Ms. Billy I looked at her and wondered what was going on with her udders. They were filling up and she was starting to produce milk. The funny thing was that I even took her to the animal clinic where they asked if she could be pregnant.
"Nah," I told the vet. "Couldn't be," I told myself.
But then started noticing how she was more round in the middle. It dawned on me where she had been before she was given to us. She was one of two goats that had been picked up on the streets of Tooele. The other was male. They were in the same pen. Once I thought that through, I realized there was a real possibility of her being pregnant.
As I watched, I became more convinced by the day, and watched her more closely. One night something clued me in that she might be close (I don't even remember what now). But I checked on her the first thing next morning.
Other than my wedding day and the births of my children there are two events in my life that are more magical than any other. The first time I saw fireflies and the the morning I laid my eyes on those baby goats. I'll tell you, it was like magic.
From that day forward my kids wanted to spend every moment in that goat pen loving those babies. I could hardly get them to come in the house. Of course I was usually out there with them. They thought they were so clever to name the babies Annie Oakley and Billy the Kid.
As magic as that day was, the day that followed was devastating. I remember just as vividly, opening that door to man appointed to deliver the notice that informed us that we could not keep the goats. After he left, I sobbed. I don't remember when I finally brought myself to tell the children. I just remember feeling like somebody had yanked my moment of magic harshly from beneath my feet.
Part of what has sidetracked me from the goat effort the
last little while is my novel. I finished it but will edit it several more
times…I’m sure. I managed to add goats to the underground civilization I
created in in my novel, Lost Generation. These fictional people who live underground are
trying to be self-reliant and a goat just made sense.
The novel before that had a goat too.
I just started working on a new novel and I’m having
thoughts about adding a goat. Another one. I must be obsessed.I keep looking for other options. But Tahlia
needs an animal companion. One that is loving and useful. From experience I
know that goats qualify for this position.
Maybe I can’t have a goat, but Tahlia can.
Should I add a goat or would some other animal work better?
