Hello. My name is Liz. Ever since I was a kid I had a dream of living in the woods in a cabin away from everything. I wanted to gather water from the stream and ride a horse into town. I never understood why people drove cars when they could just as easily ride a horse. People used to do it, why don't we do it now?
I grew up in Texas on a few acres outside of Austin where the topsoil is about six inches thick before you hit solid limestone. I had a small patch of garden once with my mother. We grew snapdragons, but the heat of summer killed them off quickly. That was my entire experience gardening until I was in college. My boyfriend at the time and I took over a plot of land in his parent's backyard in Albuquerque and grew a vegetable garden. The first time I witnessed the literal fruits of my labor I was hooked. It was the first time I really made the connection of the food you buy at the store coming from the ground. I lived in a string of apartments for several years after and never got to have a garden again. Not really. I grew basil in a pot in the window and had an aloe plant in my dorm room, but that was all.
Now, I am all grown up and have settled in Portland, OR. The last two years I have lived in condos or rental houses where I was able to grow a few plants. Last year I was even able to have legitimate harvest days and fill a basket with tomatoes, zucchini, bell peppers, and tomatillos. Since then my mind has been constantly on the next garden fix.
So, I did it. I finally bought a house of my own. A homestead. The thing I have been yearning for the past six years while I was bouncing from city to city, apartment to apartment. And now all I want to do is make my little cabin in the woods I have wanted since I was a little girl. Except I'm in the middle of the city. Which isn't so bad. I ride a bike instead of a horse and I walk to the market or the pub and I will hopefully feed myself from my land. And I want chickens. And I kind of want a goat, even though everyone says they are annoying; I could have milk and butter and cheese right in my backyard. I have a pretty big lot of land for living in the city and I am going to take advantage of it.
When I bought the house the yard was a blank slate. Well, it's still a blank slate, but I've only been living there a few months and it's really been raining the whole time. We had one of the warmest Januarys on record here in Portland and I am already starting to see buds and blooming. I've ordered my winter crop seeds, and now I just need to build my beds and get some dirt and then it will begin.
Not two months after I moved into my house was I on my way to work on my bike on a crisp, clear and cold Friday morning when I got hit by a car. It was even at the intersection I was always nervous of; I guess I had good reason. I was thrown from my bike and broke my ulna and patella. I had to have surgery and a metal plate and seven screws put in my arm. I haven't been able to do much for the past month and a half, but I am starting to get more mobile now. I have another surgery on my arm in about a month to look forward to, and I still can't do a whole lot with my left arm, and I'm not supposed to kneel or squat for a while longer (which should make gardening fun!). But thankfully I have the help of my lovely assistant and loved boyfriend, Mike. And our dog, Lemon. She can help to. And the cats. They love to help in the garden. So, I think I should be good.
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