Urban Farmer

Halloween 2012

I love (I mean live) in Somerville. A hip little city nestled right next to the North of Boston. It's an artsy city, and something that they recently started is the Urban Agriculture movement. They encourage the citizens to grow vegetables, raise chickens for eggs, and even keep bee's if you're ambitious. I can't keep bees, as I'm allergic.. BUT I CAN raise hens and a garden!

Last year, I raised the heck out of tomatoes, mint, and basil, but I kind of failed at squash. I got one measly yellow pepper, and a couple small pieces of broccoli and cauliflower. This year, I am armed with a never-ending supply of compost and some fancy new lessons. I will conquer the squash and cucumbers.. all of the peas will be MINE!!!

Blizzard 2013

Along with the veggies, we have successfully raised 4 hens. 2 Golden Bluffs (Dorothy and Rose, red in color) and 2 Partridge Cochins (Sophia and Blanche, black and fluffy). Just this past month, they started giving us eggs. If you've never had a fresh egg, you really just don't know what you're missing. They have a creamier consistency, not to mention you get the thrill of discovering different colored and shaped eggs in their coop every day. The chickens themselves are funny on their own. I never thought that a chicken could have a distinct personality, but the girls sure do.

The main idea of this particular post is to back up the idea that I spent a good chunk of my life eating poorly, and in the past 2 years, it's changed. It's nice to go to whole foods and marvel at all of the fantastically delicious produce they have (I always did because of my love of colors), but to see it grow and harvest it yourself is rewarding. 

Tomorrow is one of the bigger days regarding the road to surgery. It's something Tufts calls "immersion day" where you meet with the surgeons and go through what all of the surgeries entail. At least that's what I think it is. I'm eager to step on the scale and see if the past 2ish weeks of the shakes and protein is making a change. Yesterday was a bit of a challenge. I took one of my first road trips to a place called Polly's Pancake Parlor, in Sugar Hill NH for their opening day of the season. I had a shake for breakfast, and the pancakes for lunch. The punch of carbs made me feel like I'd swallowed rocks (several for that matter), and even though we went for a walk around the AMC Highland center, I still felt a bit of regret for all the discomfort I felt later. The next time we do a trip up there, I hope that the weather will be nice enough to allow for a real hike to burn off all of the deliciousness so there isn't suffering later. I was talking with a good friend and lamenting about how I was excited, but terrified of surgery. The most important idea was that overall, as soon as I felt healthier and was losing weight one of the first things I want to do is REALLY hike in the White Mountains.

When your back and knees hurt all of the time, the idea of a 3-4 mile hike makes you queasy. Soon, I'll be conquering the trails.