"Who, or what, is Team Chicken?!" my younger daughter asked as she glanced at my to-do list for the week sitting there on the kitchen counter. Make doctor appointment. Mail gifts. Finish writing cards. Contact Team Chicken.
"Oh, Team Chicken," I answered, nonchalantly. "yeah, we're gonna join for a month, starting in January."
"I am not joining anything called Team Chicken!" my older daughter chimed in from the living room, where she was curled up with a book on the couch.
"Oh, come on. It'll be fun!" I said.
"What exactly is this Team Chicken?" my younger daughter asked again, her interest clearly piqued.
Well, turns out when I went to that Chicks in the City Class a month or so ago, Allison Adams, the singer-chickenkeeper, mentioned that the Oakhurst Community Garden's chickens are cared for by Team Chicken, which is a group made up of dedicated families who take turns feeding the chickens and cleaning the coop. She said it was a great way to get to know how to care for chickens--and to see if it's something you like to do.
I had cocked my head at that (so to speak) and jotted it down in big letters in my notebook. TEAM CHICKEN.
"But we can't even have chickens in this neighborhood, remember, Mom?" my younger daughter reasoned.
"But ya' never know, hon," I went on. "Maybe one day things will change. Or we will move, although, of course, I have no intention of leaving my lovely soil anytime soon! Or when you get older and you get chickens of your own, you'll know what to do."
I could tell she was on board with the idea. One morning a week. Four weeks. Team Chicken.
The older one's nose was still deep in her book. She was wearing a cute black t-shirt that she had gotten as a gift recently and seems to particularly love.
"We could get t-shirts," I suggested, in desperation.
"I am not wearing a t-shirt that says Team Chicken on it!" she answered. Please keep in mind that she was currently wearing a t-shirt that said Cut the pickle.
"But you'll wear that?" I countered.
"This is an inside joke," she said, glancing up from the pages briefly.
"So Team Chicken can be an inside yolk!" Yes! Aren't I brilliant?
Pause. Long, long pause.
"That is not even funny."
Back to the book.
As Chicago debates the possibility of an urban chicken ban (the issue was supposed to be voted on this week but the vote has been temporarily delayed), I continue to try to work chickens into my life. Even if Team Chicken, rather than Team Baker, is the closest I ever get.
UPDATE: Slightly later in the morning, after Older Daughter reads this!
"Can you change that, Mom? It makes it sound like I'm not into these things. I'm just not into chickens. I mean, if it were goats or ducks . . . "
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18 comments:
Let me guess: Younger daughter is 11. Elder daughter is 14 or 15.
Val
I'm so glad you've found a way to be around poultry! You'll love it. And my guess is the oldest will too,even if she would never admit it!! :)
That is so fun! You should start petitioning your neighborhood to allow chickens. Find out what the county law is and go from there. And enjoy playing with the chickens. Is that storm coming up from Texas supposed to pass over you guys? We are supposed to get rain/snow from it later this week.
Christy: I would never petition the neighboorhood about this. I chose to liove here, I accepted the terms of the covenants, I full yunderstood the rules, and I'm cool with that. At least I can scratch my chicken itch elsewhere!
Oh, it'll be fun. Can you score poop/bedding from the coop, or does the garden get it all? (It's a wonderful addition to a compost heap.)
No chickens, no clothes lines, what other of life's necessities can't you participate in ?I can't believe it !
your daughter has good taste in tshirts
Okay, all--Nesgodol is the one who gave it to her!
Pattie - I understand you accepted the terms of the neighborhood when you moved there, but that doesn't mean you can't work to change them too. Accepting something doesn't mean we can't try to make it better. If we weren't moving I would be working on my neighborhood on allowing chickens. Allowing people to have 2 or 3 chickens is not going to negatively affect the neighborhood.
But wouldn't that piss you off if you were a neighbor that didn't want chickens? I don't think the covenants should be up for renogotiation. Also, it's a slippery slope (like so many things in life) and I am so not a fan of slippery slopes! If we make an acception for chickens, then the door swings wide open for all kinds of things. It just seems very black and white to me. Some battles are worth fighting. Not this one.
Pattie, I certainly see your point, and agree, for the most part. But I remember reading in one of your earlier posts that many (most?) of the residents in your neighborhood have changed since you moved there. And I seriously doubt that the new people moved there just because they were looking for a place that didn't allow chickens.
So, what came to my mind is more of a "how would you feel about allowing chickens (or clotheslines, or whatever, with agreed upon regulations of course)?" poll. And if no one currently living in the neighborhood minds chickens, then you could have chickens. And if even one or two families aren't in to it, then no harm. No chickens. No one feeling defensive. Everything stays as is.
Petitions are aggressive, and suggest "winning" over "opposition." A poll just lets you know if there actually is current opposition.
That also alleviates the wide swung door. You'd be making it clear that you wouldn't consider something that even one neighbor has a problem with. Or, with this sort of atmosphere, the door just might actually open to some other really good ideas that other neighbors might have that no one else has considered yet.
Even if you already know of neighbors who would definitely oppose these sorts of changes, I believe it's important to realize that there are alternative ways to try to bring about change than resorting to force by majority (as with a petition).
Sorry, that's kind of a long two cents... :-| But the way people interact with each other while trying to make positive changes is something I feel strongly about.
Annette
Anonymous: Who are you?! That was very persuasive. I actually went to bed last night feeling bad that I was so cut and dry with Christy (sorry, Christy!). And I did just have an conversation with a neighborhood board member the other day about rain barrels in the front yard, xeriscaping and clotheslines. And he seemed open to bringing up environmental issues at a board meeting. And so maybe, just maybe . . .
Thanks, both to Christy and Anonymous, for keeping me a bit more open when I was ready to clamp shut.
(And I even proofread my comment, for once!)
Pattie - I'm glad you are reconsidering and I appreciate the apology. When we are living in community with people, we have to be willing to keep negotiating and trying to find ways that work for everyone in the community. That includes you! And with things heading the way they are, I think environmental changes are necessary and that many neighborhoods need to wake up to how un-environmentally friendly some of these policies are. So, maybe they won't end up allowing chickens, but maybe you can have a clothesline or rain barrels in the front yard. Every change that helps the environment is huge!
Sorry, just to beat this horse a little more and then I'll shut up about it. I don't think it was understood what I meant by petitioning the neighborhood, which is my fault for not being clearer. I didn't mean to go around and get neighbors to sign a petition or anything that might be construed as hostile. I meant going to a board meeting with some well-researched information about the benefits of chickens, or clotheslines or rain barrels and asking the board to consider changing the rules regarding that thing. Boards are changing deed restrictions or convenants all the time as times change. You can't expect a set of rules developed 20 years ago or more to apply for all time. These things do need to be re-examined from time to time to see if they are still meaningful.
Anonymous = Annette (signed off at the bottom), as in, Annette in Alaska...
Pattie,
The reasoning for your initial aversion is quite respectable. Allowing for your neighbors' differing views is commendable.
But some of the changes that could be brought about could be active, positive benefits for you and your neighbors.
I agree with Christy, neighborhood policies should be looked at periodically, and maybe changed, not only to reflect the values of current residents, but also to tailor them to current environmental and/or social issues. You guys just went through a very dramatic summer.
Water shortages, dramatic increases in fuel and electricity prices, updated technology, heightened awareness of alternatives and solutions to some of our current problems... all these things are bound to make people think differently than they did 20 years ago (as Christy said).
Examining the rules, and working together to change what is outdated, would not only benefit everyone, it's also bound to bring you all closer, set a fantastic precedent, and serve as an unbelievably positive example to your children.
Just think how your neighborhood might even influence other neighborhoods to make positive changes for themselves, too.
You have a great heart and a wealth of knowledge. And I bet your neighbors, especially after this summer, would at least be willing to listen to some ideas and maybe even offer some of their own.
The worst thing that could possibly happen is that they all end up hating you and you'd have to move.... to somewhere you could have chickens!! ;-) Not so bad, eh?
Oh, Annette! I should have known! Ya' know what? I'll do it! I'll ask the board if it's possible to discuss potential updates to the convenants due to changing environmental circumstances!
After the summer you guys just had, I'd say that's likely to be the most effective angle to use to get folks on board.
-Annette
Folks are already asking about my rain barrel and my garden, so I think I'll just start there and see where it goes. Thanks so much for all your persuasive points. Much food for thought!
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