I live in Dallas. I have a chicken coop in my backyard. I dare you to tell me this isn't normal. Ok, ok, so the coop isn't finished and the neighbors don't know, but I'll soon win them over with eggs of green and turquoise and heirloom fresh tomatoes so juicy they will be begging for more. Or, they will call the city code compliance and turn me in, either way. FYI, in the city limits of Dallas you can have up to twelve hens and zero roosters...so cluck on that! And, I only have four hens: Henrietta, Violet, Rose and Petunia. (pics to follow soon) More on the chickens in a minute.
When we moved to Dallas three years ago and people asked where I was from, I answered Breckenridge. The response was always the same: "Wow, Breckenridge, Colorado. It's gorgeous!" Then, I would say, "No, not Breckenridge, Colorado. Breckenridge, Texas". Blank stares always follow. I quickly say it's a small town of 5,000 west of Fort Worth. WEST OF FORT WORTH? Most of my Dallas friends think that the world comes to a screeching halt west of Fort Worth. But, knowing I'm from Breckenridge explains the chickens..sort of.
Rewind to a few weeks ago.
The Place: Carmines Pizza.
The Setting: Parents and kids celebrating the end of a 2nd grade basketball season. (on a side note, I'm pretty sure most of the celebrating was by the parents that the season was OVER, judging by the amount of Shiner Bock being consumed)
The Conversation: I'm sitting with my good friend A, talking about the garden I'm currently planting. I casually throw out that I'm so excited to have chicken poop to add to my compost pile because it should really make my tomatoes thrive. SCREECH!!! That is when my friend M throws her blonde head around and says, "Did you just say CHICKEN POOP"? Yes, yes I did. I then spend the next hour explaining to her, and 5 other parents that I am in fact getting chickens..building a coop in the backyard..and will be getting solar on the house to go off the grid. More blank stares. I seem to be getting a lot of these lately. I find myself quickly telling them that if they would pick up the latest issue of The Advocate, that they could read about backyard coops popping up all over Lakewood. This earns me some mild street cred, however, most of the parents still have looks on their faces ranging from mild shock, to total fear. I assure them I'm only raising the chickens for eggs, not meat. I can't tell if this makes them feel better knowing I'm not slaughtering chickens in our backyard, or scares them that I might know how:)
When we moved to Dallas three years ago and people asked where I was from, I answered Breckenridge. The response was always the same: "Wow, Breckenridge, Colorado. It's gorgeous!" Then, I would say, "No, not Breckenridge, Colorado. Breckenridge, Texas". Blank stares always follow. I quickly say it's a small town of 5,000 west of Fort Worth. WEST OF FORT WORTH? Most of my Dallas friends think that the world comes to a screeching halt west of Fort Worth. But, knowing I'm from Breckenridge explains the chickens..sort of.
Rewind to a few weeks ago.
The Place: Carmines Pizza.
The Setting: Parents and kids celebrating the end of a 2nd grade basketball season. (on a side note, I'm pretty sure most of the celebrating was by the parents that the season was OVER, judging by the amount of Shiner Bock being consumed)
The Conversation: I'm sitting with my good friend A, talking about the garden I'm currently planting. I casually throw out that I'm so excited to have chicken poop to add to my compost pile because it should really make my tomatoes thrive. SCREECH!!! That is when my friend M throws her blonde head around and says, "Did you just say CHICKEN POOP"? Yes, yes I did. I then spend the next hour explaining to her, and 5 other parents that I am in fact getting chickens..building a coop in the backyard..and will be getting solar on the house to go off the grid. More blank stares. I seem to be getting a lot of these lately. I find myself quickly telling them that if they would pick up the latest issue of The Advocate, that they could read about backyard coops popping up all over Lakewood. This earns me some mild street cred, however, most of the parents still have looks on their faces ranging from mild shock, to total fear. I assure them I'm only raising the chickens for eggs, not meat. I can't tell if this makes them feel better knowing I'm not slaughtering chickens in our backyard, or scares them that I might know how:)
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