Yesterday I got some bad news from one of my landlords. I should preface this by stating that I have one wonderful, responsible landlord and one not so nice, kind of irrational one…I’ve posted about friction in the house of late but now it’s come to a head. Their partnership is dissolving and now I have to move the backyard farm.
At first news of this, I panicked. This has become my life and I am not certain how I will adjust to not having access to a space to grow food and raise critters to feed myself with. And then it dawned on me…I’ve simply outgrown being here. While I certainly don’t think I deserve to be the target of anyone’s anger, I do see how my lifestyle might rub people the wrong way. It marks me with a rather large bullseye. My interests are not meant to anger anyone, but I can’t much help what other people think or feel about it. I thought I was doing the best I could to be considerate, tidy and self-aware but it may not have been enough. And so it is. I have to clear the farm stuff out.
I’m moving my rabbits over to Dara’s place temporarily. They will live in the hollowed out carriage house in her backyard in Bed Stuy. I’ve got to cull Salad’s offspring this weekend. I’m simultaneously filled with dread and anxious to see the job done. They’ve been getting free outdoor time daily and seem happy and I’ve been enjoying my time with them. Even so, the time as come. I may just sell off Hazel’s litter because I just don’t know where I’ll be able to cull them once they are of age. I’ve had kind offers from folks upstate to host such an event but money is extremely tight right now and I can’t afford the gas and tolls for such a trip.
The chickens are staying put for now. The bees will be moved to Brooklyn Navy Yard in the Spring where they will be part of Brooklyn Grange‘s new bee yard. It’ll be a good place for them because I can pester Tim to check in on them every so often.
As far as the gardening is concerned….I’m not sure if it’s worth trying to plant at all this Spring. Maybe just a ton of early crops. Radishes, greens, peas…
I’ll be able to get my hands really dirty with the ladies at Domestic Construction this Spring and Summer. I’ve signed on to help them get Design Plot, their urban garden, up and running. They are really inspiring ladies so I’m so completely stoked that I get to work with them on this. I’ve got a post coming up on a truly awesome project involving me, the Grange folk and Domestic Construction…Stay tuned for that!
Anyway, I’m certainly sad that things are ending on a sour note here at Jewel Street, but I’ve been sensing the end drawing close for some time now. I’ve been planning and scheming. I’ve got a project on the wings for later this summer, into 2013 which would afford me space, freedom, and some quiet all within reach of the city I’ve grown to love. I’ll be able to bring my critter kingdom back together under one canopy of trees overlooking the shore. It’s going to be beautiful and inspiring and I cannot wait to share it with you all. Once I’ve got all of that settled and confirmed, I’ll spill all of the beans about it.
With that, I hope that you all continue to follow me on my journey. I’ll still be teaching classes and working with other folks on their projects. Things will be different, but not much so. This is not the end. Just a little bump in the road. I’ve been fortunate to be cruising for as long as I had been.
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