I just watched “The Story of Stuff” with my oldest son today. The film tries to illuminate the cost of everything we consume to our planet. The earth is literally being buried beneath a mountain of American garbage. I’m grateful for works like this and brave people like its filmmaker Annie Leonard. I value the message. But I also like the way it reframes my life in my kid’s eyes. The truth is, for years we’ve been living a green lifestyle – but mostly because we’ve been broke.
When I was a kid and my family had to buy clothes at thrift stores and garage sales, mom would blush and explain about the car payment. Or when we ate beans for dinner and spaghetti with no meat, mom would explain about the house payment. I just tell my kids we’re being green. It lends an air of shabby gentility to our lives.
We try to buy almost everything second hand. Honestly, I love thrift store shopping. I can buy a pair of jeans for $3.00 and a shirt for $2.00. In addition, all the money goes to support local food shelves and services for families and children in crisis. And also I’m cheap and the last car repair bill made me cry. It was over a thousand. But I don’t have to tell my kids this. I tell them we’re being environmentally conscious.
The environmental movement has allowed me to feed my children wholesome food from our garden with my head held high. We hang our clothes out to dry on a clothesline. The kids get their toys from the thrift store. I can’t even remember the last time we set foot in the mall. When the kids turn the lights off, I smile and tell them “mother earth is so glad we’re helping take care of her.” Sometimes they roll their eyes. Most of the time though they remember not to leave things running.
Back in the 70’s, my mom had to call this being poor. Thankfully we get to be “green” instead. After all, blessed are the broke, for they shall inherit the earth. And since someday it will be ours, we’d like it to still be livable.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Saturday, August 21, 2010
What To Do When You Like a Cause, But Not Your Fellow Volunteers
This week is Ki Chi Saga Days. I realize that means practically nothing to most of the United States. But in my small community, Ki Chi Saga days means our community celebration. I have been involved with the festival one way or another for almost ten years now.
I value volunteering locally as a way to connect with and support my community. My family tries to volunteer when we can. My husband is a volunteer firefighter. I have various committees and groups. But Ki Chi Saga days is special to me. The friendships I have made there feel old and comfortable now. When my fellow volunteers meet, we can never believe how fast each other’s kids are growing up. And oh – I met my husband there -at my first Ki Chi Saga Days festival.
Volunteering has brought so much into my life – including a husband and our kiddos – that I always feel a little sad and alarmed about reports of declining volunteerism in the US. I know our local Lions Club and Legion is struggling to replace older members. Some social clubs and community events simply have to close down for lack of new blood.
Why don’t people volunteer as much as they used to? Work and childcare obligations are absolutely a hefty part of the equation – as lots of commentators are quick to point out. One factor rarely discussed, however, is the social dynamics of volunteering itself.
As much as I have enjoyed the friendships and connections I have made through volunteering, I have had many, many volunteer encounters that were – well simply a drag. My experiences over the years may be helpful in highlighting some frequent social pitfalls in volunteering. I also have some suggestions for how to handle these situations as well.
Four Common Pitfalls in Volunteering
Situation One: You start to feel as if all the other volunteers have known each other since kindergarten. They finish each other’s sentences. They laugh at one word, inside jokes. Eerily they all dress the same. Most people sign up to volunteer both to do good and to socialize as well. No one wants to feel like an outsider.
Of all the sins I have committed in organizing volunteer events, this is probably the one I am most guilty of. I live in a small town. Most of the time, I’m actually related by blood or marriage to most of the people I volunteer with. It can probably feel a little too clubby to someone new.
How to overcome this? I think it is most important to realize that the other volunteers aren’t making you feel like an outsider intentionally. As a result, a little effort can easily overcome this hurdle. Ask the group leader to start the next few meetings with a round of introductions, where everyone sits in a circle and introduces themselves. Offer to host the next meeting at your house. This will give others a glimpse of your personality. If this is a larger group, ask the coordinator or a long-time volunteer out to lunch. In the alternative, you could try roping in an existing friend to volunteer with you. This way you’ll have company until the ice is truly broken and you start to get all the inside jokes.
Situation Two: Volunteering for one, little thing makes you feel like you’re trapped in the tractor beam scene in Star Wars. This is the situation where you sign up to bring brownies for the bake sale and are forever bombarded with phone calls and emails thereafter asking you to volunteer for twenty other related activities and events. All in one week.
Many really worthwhile organizations are starved for cash, staff and volunteers. This can lead them to lean on the existing volunteers for more, more, more. It can be stressful and awkward to have to turn down repeated requests. It feels even worse to show up for a volunteer event feeling resentful about the drain on your time needed for other things – like say sleep, work and family.
From experience, the only solution I have found to this is a confident and firm, but polite no. This is a two step process. First, you need to say, “I’m sorry Pastor/Honcho/Fearless Leader (fill in with your choice), but I have limited time this week. I would hate to volunteer for something that I might not be able to actually show up for or be able to see to completion.”
This really works – every experienced volunteer coordinator has dealt with people who promise the moon - and then never show up. This creates untold havoc.
The second step is more personal – after you say no, you need to jettison the guilt. Saying no with confidence is hard. It can make you feel like a bad person. But this isn’t the case - you’re a great person. You’re a volunteer to crissake! You give what you have. No one has the right to guilt you into volunteering more than your work situation, family obligations and mental health can sustain.
Situation Three: You show up for the first meeting and realize you were the only one who forgot their crown of thorns. I admit that I tend to see volunteering as a virtue – just like going to church and telling the truth. However, some people take this point of view a little too far. These folks tend to waste a lot of everyone’s time bragging about how much they volunteer, complaining that they have no time for themselves and tearing down others who they think “don’t do enough.” These types are easy to identify at volunteer events – they’re the ones throwing up their hands dramatically and sighing loudly.
I have to admit that this is my chief pet peeve as a volunteer. I once knew a couple who – through church, school and scouts, really did volunteer perhaps a wee bit too much. This made them irritable – so much so that they frequently bickered with each other at events about who was doing more. It was uncomfortable for everyone involved.
At first I felt really bad for this couple. However, every offer of help was ignored or outright rebuffed. For example, when I would offer to help set-up, this couple would arrive an hour earlier than the agreed upon time to do everything themselves. Then they would spend the rest of the day complaining that they were tired and never got any help.
Unfortunately, I have noticed, that these types of people seem to run rampant at all school related volunteering events. Sadly, this has dramatically limited my willingness to volunteer at my son’s school. I don’t have a solution to this situation- there is no known cure. I suggest simply moving on to another type of volunteering or group of volunteers that attracts fewer martyrs.
Situation Four: You signed up to volunteer because the group had really noble goals – but like the Donner Party they never seem to reach them. Often these groups can be fun to belong to. Meetings may involve barbeques and highballs. Lots of dish is shared. Sometimes the meetings can run hours and still not much gets done beyond socializing. This may result in the need for more meetings or even rush, emergency meetings.
These situations can often be remedied by the gentle suggestion of a written agenda for meetings. Points of business can easily be covered in the first half hour of the meeting, and socializing can happen later for those who have time to stay. If a gentle agenda suggestion doesn’t help, you may wish to simply point out at the beginning of the meeting that you can only stay for an hour (or some other fixed period of time). When you reach the hour, smile happily, tell everyone you had a great time – and then leave.
Don’t feel trapped into staying longer than you can. Eventually the group will get the point. If you are a person who prefers more formal meetings, consider choosing to volunteer with organizations associated with your profession. For example, I am an attorney. Most of the volunteer experiences associated with my bar association run with an agenda, bylaws and structured meetings.
Keep At It Until You Find the Right Group for You:
Social relationships in volunteering can be just as challenging and frustrating as those found in other aspects of life – family, marriage and work. Too many negative experiences can leave a person saying to themselves “why bother? I’ll just go fishing instead.” This is a shame not just for the volunteer, but for the whole community.
If these strategies for handling your fellow volunteers don’t work for you – follow my number one, most important tip. Don’t try to stick out a bad or unfulfilling situation. Keep trying. Like dating, sometimes you just won’t “click” with an organization and the people that run it. However, volunteer groups are run in hundreds of different ways, by all types of people. If something isn’t working, move on and find something new. A good fit may be just around the corner for you.
I value volunteering locally as a way to connect with and support my community. My family tries to volunteer when we can. My husband is a volunteer firefighter. I have various committees and groups. But Ki Chi Saga days is special to me. The friendships I have made there feel old and comfortable now. When my fellow volunteers meet, we can never believe how fast each other’s kids are growing up. And oh – I met my husband there -at my first Ki Chi Saga Days festival.
Volunteering has brought so much into my life – including a husband and our kiddos – that I always feel a little sad and alarmed about reports of declining volunteerism in the US. I know our local Lions Club and Legion is struggling to replace older members. Some social clubs and community events simply have to close down for lack of new blood.
Why don’t people volunteer as much as they used to? Work and childcare obligations are absolutely a hefty part of the equation – as lots of commentators are quick to point out. One factor rarely discussed, however, is the social dynamics of volunteering itself.
As much as I have enjoyed the friendships and connections I have made through volunteering, I have had many, many volunteer encounters that were – well simply a drag. My experiences over the years may be helpful in highlighting some frequent social pitfalls in volunteering. I also have some suggestions for how to handle these situations as well.
Four Common Pitfalls in Volunteering
Situation One: You start to feel as if all the other volunteers have known each other since kindergarten. They finish each other’s sentences. They laugh at one word, inside jokes. Eerily they all dress the same. Most people sign up to volunteer both to do good and to socialize as well. No one wants to feel like an outsider.
Of all the sins I have committed in organizing volunteer events, this is probably the one I am most guilty of. I live in a small town. Most of the time, I’m actually related by blood or marriage to most of the people I volunteer with. It can probably feel a little too clubby to someone new.
How to overcome this? I think it is most important to realize that the other volunteers aren’t making you feel like an outsider intentionally. As a result, a little effort can easily overcome this hurdle. Ask the group leader to start the next few meetings with a round of introductions, where everyone sits in a circle and introduces themselves. Offer to host the next meeting at your house. This will give others a glimpse of your personality. If this is a larger group, ask the coordinator or a long-time volunteer out to lunch. In the alternative, you could try roping in an existing friend to volunteer with you. This way you’ll have company until the ice is truly broken and you start to get all the inside jokes.
Situation Two: Volunteering for one, little thing makes you feel like you’re trapped in the tractor beam scene in Star Wars. This is the situation where you sign up to bring brownies for the bake sale and are forever bombarded with phone calls and emails thereafter asking you to volunteer for twenty other related activities and events. All in one week.
Many really worthwhile organizations are starved for cash, staff and volunteers. This can lead them to lean on the existing volunteers for more, more, more. It can be stressful and awkward to have to turn down repeated requests. It feels even worse to show up for a volunteer event feeling resentful about the drain on your time needed for other things – like say sleep, work and family.
From experience, the only solution I have found to this is a confident and firm, but polite no. This is a two step process. First, you need to say, “I’m sorry Pastor/Honcho/Fearless Leader (fill in with your choice), but I have limited time this week. I would hate to volunteer for something that I might not be able to actually show up for or be able to see to completion.”
This really works – every experienced volunteer coordinator has dealt with people who promise the moon - and then never show up. This creates untold havoc.
The second step is more personal – after you say no, you need to jettison the guilt. Saying no with confidence is hard. It can make you feel like a bad person. But this isn’t the case - you’re a great person. You’re a volunteer to crissake! You give what you have. No one has the right to guilt you into volunteering more than your work situation, family obligations and mental health can sustain.
Situation Three: You show up for the first meeting and realize you were the only one who forgot their crown of thorns. I admit that I tend to see volunteering as a virtue – just like going to church and telling the truth. However, some people take this point of view a little too far. These folks tend to waste a lot of everyone’s time bragging about how much they volunteer, complaining that they have no time for themselves and tearing down others who they think “don’t do enough.” These types are easy to identify at volunteer events – they’re the ones throwing up their hands dramatically and sighing loudly.
I have to admit that this is my chief pet peeve as a volunteer. I once knew a couple who – through church, school and scouts, really did volunteer perhaps a wee bit too much. This made them irritable – so much so that they frequently bickered with each other at events about who was doing more. It was uncomfortable for everyone involved.
At first I felt really bad for this couple. However, every offer of help was ignored or outright rebuffed. For example, when I would offer to help set-up, this couple would arrive an hour earlier than the agreed upon time to do everything themselves. Then they would spend the rest of the day complaining that they were tired and never got any help.
Unfortunately, I have noticed, that these types of people seem to run rampant at all school related volunteering events. Sadly, this has dramatically limited my willingness to volunteer at my son’s school. I don’t have a solution to this situation- there is no known cure. I suggest simply moving on to another type of volunteering or group of volunteers that attracts fewer martyrs.
Situation Four: You signed up to volunteer because the group had really noble goals – but like the Donner Party they never seem to reach them. Often these groups can be fun to belong to. Meetings may involve barbeques and highballs. Lots of dish is shared. Sometimes the meetings can run hours and still not much gets done beyond socializing. This may result in the need for more meetings or even rush, emergency meetings.
These situations can often be remedied by the gentle suggestion of a written agenda for meetings. Points of business can easily be covered in the first half hour of the meeting, and socializing can happen later for those who have time to stay. If a gentle agenda suggestion doesn’t help, you may wish to simply point out at the beginning of the meeting that you can only stay for an hour (or some other fixed period of time). When you reach the hour, smile happily, tell everyone you had a great time – and then leave.
Don’t feel trapped into staying longer than you can. Eventually the group will get the point. If you are a person who prefers more formal meetings, consider choosing to volunteer with organizations associated with your profession. For example, I am an attorney. Most of the volunteer experiences associated with my bar association run with an agenda, bylaws and structured meetings.
Keep At It Until You Find the Right Group for You:
Social relationships in volunteering can be just as challenging and frustrating as those found in other aspects of life – family, marriage and work. Too many negative experiences can leave a person saying to themselves “why bother? I’ll just go fishing instead.” This is a shame not just for the volunteer, but for the whole community.
If these strategies for handling your fellow volunteers don’t work for you – follow my number one, most important tip. Don’t try to stick out a bad or unfulfilling situation. Keep trying. Like dating, sometimes you just won’t “click” with an organization and the people that run it. However, volunteer groups are run in hundreds of different ways, by all types of people. If something isn’t working, move on and find something new. A good fit may be just around the corner for you.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Children and Community
Children need community too! Not just for fun – but to keep them safe. Recent events - especially the news stories related to Phoebe Prince and criminal charges against some of her former classmates - have pointed out painfully to all parents how bullying can endanger our children. I enjoyed this recent New York Times Opinion piece by Susan Engel on preventing bullying. Find the piece here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/23/opinion/23engel.html?src=me&ref=general. Importantly Engel notes (emphasis added) “[e]ducators need to make a profound commitment to turn schools into genuine communities. Children need to know that adults consider kindness and collaboration to be every bit as important as algebra and reading.”
I think many people believe that community for children just happens naturally. Kids like to play, hang-out and talk to one another. They have myriad opportunities to find each other – at school, sports and on the playground. Community for children seems to be something that we say “have at it” and let it go. It turns out, however, that shrugging off conscious community building among children – assuming that it will take care of itself – frequently creates bullying. This is the main point of Engel’s article.
Community building isn’t a job for teachers alone. Parents and neighbors can help children build community as well. So how can parents help children build community? There are myriad ways, but I thought I would blog about one that has been working for me this summer. I call it the “bring extra” principal. Two nights a week, my oldest son has three hours of baseball practice and games. Luckily, the baseball field complex has a playground attached. This is where little brother and I play, while big brother runs the bases and slams in homeruns (hopefully). Little brother quickly got tired of the play equipment, and I started to bring a sand bucket filled with $5.00 worth of toys from the second hand store. These were cheap plastic shovels, left over happy meal figurines, car and plastic doll dishes for making and “cakes.” Noticing the toys, my youngest son soon had several similar aged (toddler) friends and even a few grade-schoolers. A fierce battle for the one shovel ensued. I held up the extra doll dishes and suggested that these could be used for digging too. I suggested we bury cars in the sand and try to find them. Gentle redirection always seems to work.
The next week I brought more cheap plastic shovels. When my son dumped all his toys on the ground to play, kids quickly started to hover. Their polite, Minnesotan parents quickly intervened, telling them “those aren’t your things, honey.” I smiled and assured them we’d brought the toys to share. The parents still hesitated. “I bought everything from the thrift store for a few dollars. I don’t care if it gets lost or wrecked,” I added. That seemed to seal the deal. The next week more kids played. This past evening, as we near the end of baseball season, the kids are so familiar with my bucket, that they follow me to the sand box. Another parent started bringing additional toys. For the past few nights we’ve had half a dozen kids peacefully playing in the sand together. All the parents stay nearby, monitoring the conflicts over shovels, pointing out ways to share.
Thus my principal of “bring extra” for community building with kids was born. I note that it didn’t cost me much and doesn’t take a lot of time. Most evenings, I leave the filled bucket in my car for the next baseball night. Bring extra also works at the beach and family gatherings. And I’m thinking of trying it out next month as our family contemplates a week of camping on the lake. I’ll let you know how that goes. Flush with my success, I’m trying to think up new ways to put the “bring extra” principal to work other areas of my life with kids. Any ideas? Let me know.
I think many people believe that community for children just happens naturally. Kids like to play, hang-out and talk to one another. They have myriad opportunities to find each other – at school, sports and on the playground. Community for children seems to be something that we say “have at it” and let it go. It turns out, however, that shrugging off conscious community building among children – assuming that it will take care of itself – frequently creates bullying. This is the main point of Engel’s article.
Community building isn’t a job for teachers alone. Parents and neighbors can help children build community as well. So how can parents help children build community? There are myriad ways, but I thought I would blog about one that has been working for me this summer. I call it the “bring extra” principal. Two nights a week, my oldest son has three hours of baseball practice and games. Luckily, the baseball field complex has a playground attached. This is where little brother and I play, while big brother runs the bases and slams in homeruns (hopefully). Little brother quickly got tired of the play equipment, and I started to bring a sand bucket filled with $5.00 worth of toys from the second hand store. These were cheap plastic shovels, left over happy meal figurines, car and plastic doll dishes for making and “cakes.” Noticing the toys, my youngest son soon had several similar aged (toddler) friends and even a few grade-schoolers. A fierce battle for the one shovel ensued. I held up the extra doll dishes and suggested that these could be used for digging too. I suggested we bury cars in the sand and try to find them. Gentle redirection always seems to work.
The next week I brought more cheap plastic shovels. When my son dumped all his toys on the ground to play, kids quickly started to hover. Their polite, Minnesotan parents quickly intervened, telling them “those aren’t your things, honey.” I smiled and assured them we’d brought the toys to share. The parents still hesitated. “I bought everything from the thrift store for a few dollars. I don’t care if it gets lost or wrecked,” I added. That seemed to seal the deal. The next week more kids played. This past evening, as we near the end of baseball season, the kids are so familiar with my bucket, that they follow me to the sand box. Another parent started bringing additional toys. For the past few nights we’ve had half a dozen kids peacefully playing in the sand together. All the parents stay nearby, monitoring the conflicts over shovels, pointing out ways to share.
Thus my principal of “bring extra” for community building with kids was born. I note that it didn’t cost me much and doesn’t take a lot of time. Most evenings, I leave the filled bucket in my car for the next baseball night. Bring extra also works at the beach and family gatherings. And I’m thinking of trying it out next month as our family contemplates a week of camping on the lake. I’ll let you know how that goes. Flush with my success, I’m trying to think up new ways to put the “bring extra” principal to work other areas of my life with kids. Any ideas? Let me know.
Photo from this link: a href="http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/view-image.php?image=5404&picture=smiling-baby-girl">Smiling Baby Girlby Petr Kratochvil
Saturday, July 10, 2010
The Honest Truth About My Chickens
I’ll tell you the honest truth- my shame. I don’t have any chickens- no tall white chickens with bright red combs, no frilly chickens imported from China, no Reds or roosters. Nada. Nothing. I’m not as trendy as I used to be. It used to be easy for me to keep up – first we started the garden, and then installed the clothesline and started growing our own grapes and making jelly. For awhile we were on the edge of the “radical homemaker” movement as its coming to be called. But then the whole thing went to the chickens and we got left behind. My city doesn’t allow chickens on less than 20 acres lots.
Radical homemaking is something of a movement sweeping all the 30 somethings I know these days. Yes! Magazine just published a great article called “10 Easy Steps for Becoming a Radical Homemaker” by Sharon Hayes that sums up the things pretty well. Here is the link: http://www.alternet.org/story/147367/10_easy_steps_for_becoming_a_radical_homemaker
Radical homemaking is for both men and women. It is about slowing life down to do things in ways that are less focused on consumption, more environmentally friendly and more community focused. These days it’s also about chickens – lots and lots of chickens. If you’re slowing down, chickens are the new way to do it. But I’m left reading about other people’s new chickens – last week a father in Minneapolis told the paper about the coop he was building. He waxed on about the fresh eggs he could give to his neighbors. He noted that a house down the street has chickens and they’ve never heard a peep from them. I eyed the old shed in my yard and sighed heavily. I imagined clearly in my head – as some must picture cloud castles – exactly where the chicken run would go. The week before, in another city, the paper printed a story of a young girl’s tearful plea to be allowed to keep her chickens. They had names like Moseys and Woodrow. In my mind I pleaded with her, but I would name my chickens cooler names.
I’m not sure why chickens have caught on as a symbol of the movement. I suspect it’s not a desire rooted entirely in thriftiness. In my years of gardening, canning and freezing, I can’t really tell you that I’ve done anything more than break even. Seeds, peat pots, woodchips and tools – everything that goes along with being a gardener – costs money. The one year that I totaled it up, we came out about even on our grocery bill. Sure, we could probably save money if we grew larger amounts of single crops and if my kids were willing to eat beans every night. But they’re not. I suspect most other kids won’t either. I imagine the economics of chicken works out to be about the same. The eggs they lay are free- but the poults, the coop, the feed, keeping the shed heated in the winter and everything else is not.
Nor does it seem to be about access to organic or cage free chicken eggs. You can find these everywhere these days. I checked. Both of my local, small town grocers offer at least one variety. The Super Wal-Mart that my rural WI relatives drive 45 minutes to reach offers a few varieties. Same with the Super Target down on University in St. Paul, a store just minutes away from some of St. Paul’s poorer neighborhoods.
So that strikes out the practical motivations to raise chickens – leaving me to speculate on the romantic ones. Why have chickens become the face of the movement to do things better? I have noticed that most of the people in the newspaper articles seem to be about my age, with children under or around 10 years old. Chickens seem like the perfect antidote to the plastic childhoods we shared in the 70’s. They’re both homey and quirky at once. Plus there are endless varieties, allowing personal expression in the choice.
Despite my longing for chickens, it’s hard to blame my city for not allowing chickens. Raising chickens – agriculture – is not a typical “use” allowed in city/urban/suburban residential zoning districts. Zoning is the tool communities use to separate incompatible uses from one another. Zoning is the reason I can’t have chickens, but it is also -thankfully - the reason why my neighbor can’t decide suddenly to turn his house into an auto repair shop, a toothpick factory or an all night strip club. Before zoning happened in the 40’s, one did actually run the risk of suddenly waking up to find a factory next store (blowing smoke and dust through the windows). So thank goodness for zoning.
In reading Sharon Haye’s article it seems like I lucked out. So far I’ve gotten away with a lot on my path to becoming a radical homemaker. The only protests I got when I put up my clothesline were from my mother. She begged me not to put our underwear out there – that was the kind of thing her grandmother would have done. I hung an inside line on the porch just for underwear to appease her. She lives one town over and god forbid she should face the shame of driving by her daughter’s underwear on the clothesline. She’d have to sink low in the seat each time she drove by – much like my teenage years.
In addition to my mom, all I have to deal with are city regulations – and my city could care less if I have a clothesline or a garden. Some people, however, live in planned subdivision developments with private restrictions. Some neighborhood associations don’t allow simple clotheslines or even small gardens in their communities. And these people are definitely out of luck if they want chickens. Generally, the courts have upheld these types of private restrictions – even against people who weren’t aware of them when they moved in. The restrictions are generally considered a contract matter and the courts won’t re-write them unless they deal with something illegal like race. Getting these restrictions waived on a voluntary basis is often impossible as well – everyone in the subdivision (potentially 100’s of people) would have to agree to the changes and sign off in writing. In my experience, neighbors eyeing their property values are never willing to amend neighborhood association restrictions to allow for things like chickens.
In the end though, that might be okay. Chickens are nice, but they shouldn’t be a distraction to one of the other main tenants of radical homemaking – developing community connections. If one person having chickens in the neighborhood makes everyone else reach for their pitchforks, we might be missing the point. There are still lots of other ways to be a radical homemaker – at least 10 simple ways listed in Sharon Haye’s article. For example, bringing your own cloth grocery bags to the store to use instead of plastic ones. Or maybe goats and homemade cheese . . . just joking. I know that really, really isn’t allowed.
Radical homemaking is something of a movement sweeping all the 30 somethings I know these days. Yes! Magazine just published a great article called “10 Easy Steps for Becoming a Radical Homemaker” by Sharon Hayes that sums up the things pretty well. Here is the link: http://www.alternet.org/story/147367/10_easy_steps_for_becoming_a_radical_homemaker
Radical homemaking is for both men and women. It is about slowing life down to do things in ways that are less focused on consumption, more environmentally friendly and more community focused. These days it’s also about chickens – lots and lots of chickens. If you’re slowing down, chickens are the new way to do it. But I’m left reading about other people’s new chickens – last week a father in Minneapolis told the paper about the coop he was building. He waxed on about the fresh eggs he could give to his neighbors. He noted that a house down the street has chickens and they’ve never heard a peep from them. I eyed the old shed in my yard and sighed heavily. I imagined clearly in my head – as some must picture cloud castles – exactly where the chicken run would go. The week before, in another city, the paper printed a story of a young girl’s tearful plea to be allowed to keep her chickens. They had names like Moseys and Woodrow. In my mind I pleaded with her, but I would name my chickens cooler names.
I’m not sure why chickens have caught on as a symbol of the movement. I suspect it’s not a desire rooted entirely in thriftiness. In my years of gardening, canning and freezing, I can’t really tell you that I’ve done anything more than break even. Seeds, peat pots, woodchips and tools – everything that goes along with being a gardener – costs money. The one year that I totaled it up, we came out about even on our grocery bill. Sure, we could probably save money if we grew larger amounts of single crops and if my kids were willing to eat beans every night. But they’re not. I suspect most other kids won’t either. I imagine the economics of chicken works out to be about the same. The eggs they lay are free- but the poults, the coop, the feed, keeping the shed heated in the winter and everything else is not.
Nor does it seem to be about access to organic or cage free chicken eggs. You can find these everywhere these days. I checked. Both of my local, small town grocers offer at least one variety. The Super Wal-Mart that my rural WI relatives drive 45 minutes to reach offers a few varieties. Same with the Super Target down on University in St. Paul, a store just minutes away from some of St. Paul’s poorer neighborhoods.
So that strikes out the practical motivations to raise chickens – leaving me to speculate on the romantic ones. Why have chickens become the face of the movement to do things better? I have noticed that most of the people in the newspaper articles seem to be about my age, with children under or around 10 years old. Chickens seem like the perfect antidote to the plastic childhoods we shared in the 70’s. They’re both homey and quirky at once. Plus there are endless varieties, allowing personal expression in the choice.
Despite my longing for chickens, it’s hard to blame my city for not allowing chickens. Raising chickens – agriculture – is not a typical “use” allowed in city/urban/suburban residential zoning districts. Zoning is the tool communities use to separate incompatible uses from one another. Zoning is the reason I can’t have chickens, but it is also -thankfully - the reason why my neighbor can’t decide suddenly to turn his house into an auto repair shop, a toothpick factory or an all night strip club. Before zoning happened in the 40’s, one did actually run the risk of suddenly waking up to find a factory next store (blowing smoke and dust through the windows). So thank goodness for zoning.
In reading Sharon Haye’s article it seems like I lucked out. So far I’ve gotten away with a lot on my path to becoming a radical homemaker. The only protests I got when I put up my clothesline were from my mother. She begged me not to put our underwear out there – that was the kind of thing her grandmother would have done. I hung an inside line on the porch just for underwear to appease her. She lives one town over and god forbid she should face the shame of driving by her daughter’s underwear on the clothesline. She’d have to sink low in the seat each time she drove by – much like my teenage years.
In addition to my mom, all I have to deal with are city regulations – and my city could care less if I have a clothesline or a garden. Some people, however, live in planned subdivision developments with private restrictions. Some neighborhood associations don’t allow simple clotheslines or even small gardens in their communities. And these people are definitely out of luck if they want chickens. Generally, the courts have upheld these types of private restrictions – even against people who weren’t aware of them when they moved in. The restrictions are generally considered a contract matter and the courts won’t re-write them unless they deal with something illegal like race. Getting these restrictions waived on a voluntary basis is often impossible as well – everyone in the subdivision (potentially 100’s of people) would have to agree to the changes and sign off in writing. In my experience, neighbors eyeing their property values are never willing to amend neighborhood association restrictions to allow for things like chickens.
In the end though, that might be okay. Chickens are nice, but they shouldn’t be a distraction to one of the other main tenants of radical homemaking – developing community connections. If one person having chickens in the neighborhood makes everyone else reach for their pitchforks, we might be missing the point. There are still lots of other ways to be a radical homemaker – at least 10 simple ways listed in Sharon Haye’s article. For example, bringing your own cloth grocery bags to the store to use instead of plastic ones. Or maybe goats and homemade cheese . . . just joking. I know that really, really isn’t allowed.
Friday, July 2, 2010
5 Not Boring and Easy Ways to Be Part of Your Community
Sometimes being a good citizen and neighbor can seem pretty damn boring - like it should involve reading reports and watching debates on public television. Here are some not boring ways to be a vital member of your community that maybe you haven't thought about:
1. Attend your city's Music In the Park (take family and friends).
2. Get your exercise locally - take a walk around town. People make a city vital and no one wants to live in a ghost town.
3. "Friend" your city on FaceBook. Lots of cities are getting savvy about social networking. This is a great way to find out what's happening locally (and figure out what time music in the park starts for #1).
4. Play some bingo. Tons of community organizations (the fire department, lake association, Lion's Club) use bingo as a fundraiser for neat projects that benefit the local area. Usually, its pretty cheap, clean family fun. You'd be surprised how packed these events usually are. This is how my oldest learned his numbers.
5. Go to the local Corn Festival (or Wannigan Days or Taco Daze - whatever they call it where you lives). Frankly, my summer schedule is always packed. Minnesotans sure do love their festivals! Between local festivals, the county fair and the fireman's rodeo my dance card is full through September.
1. Attend your city's Music In the Park (take family and friends).
2. Get your exercise locally - take a walk around town. People make a city vital and no one wants to live in a ghost town.
3. "Friend" your city on FaceBook. Lots of cities are getting savvy about social networking. This is a great way to find out what's happening locally (and figure out what time music in the park starts for #1).
4. Play some bingo. Tons of community organizations (the fire department, lake association, Lion's Club) use bingo as a fundraiser for neat projects that benefit the local area. Usually, its pretty cheap, clean family fun. You'd be surprised how packed these events usually are. This is how my oldest learned his numbers.
5. Go to the local Corn Festival (or Wannigan Days or Taco Daze - whatever they call it where you lives). Frankly, my summer schedule is always packed. Minnesotans sure do love their festivals! Between local festivals, the county fair and the fireman's rodeo my dance card is full through September.
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