“Radiant City”, a video/documentary on suburban sprawl exposes the isolation and starkness that exists in a structured society that actually presupposes you have one vehicle per adult. I kept waiting for them to mention the lack of trees and flowers and gardens in this vast suburbia. Maybe they did, but if they did it was only in passing. They were speaking more about the wasteland effect of power shopping centers being within driving and not walking distances of the suburbanite’s homes and that there were no gathering spots for neighborhoods to get to know one another.

They ignored the fact that there were no trees, no gardens, no birds, no streams, and no rivers. A realtor highlighted the fact that the upper class houses resided on a “large lake” which really looked like a large sterile pond. Ponds and lakes naturally provide the water and nutrients for plants and wildlife, but not when you surround the boundaries of the lake with large rocks and boulders. There are no large willows whose overhanging branches make for great rope swings. You swing like Tarzan over the water while hanging on to the rope and then you let go, splashing into the water below. A great way to cool off in the hot summer days. However, if there are no tree branches over the water and no spot for willows or large silver maples to grow up from, you can kiss this recreation or pasttime goodbye.

How about adding some gardens and animal life to the individual homes as a way to get to know the neighbors. The growing green movement means that you seek to live healthy and do it at the lowest possible cost. The 25 feet or less in front of the homes would make great vegetable gardens. Yes, usually they are in the backyard, but some of suburbia only have decks and patios with little else. Vegetable plants need full sun, especially in the morning hours.

By getting rid of shrubs you should have the necessary space and if you buy wooden or bamboo poles that you shape into teepees instead of the metal cones, your vegetable garden should look great and even sheik. Vegetable gardens requires watering and mulching and /or weeding. What a great way to get to know your neighbors while you are discussing what you planted this year and how last years crop went.

Taking the green movement even further, how about raising some chickens so that you can get country fresh eggs throughout a large portion of the year. Yes, laws may have to be changed, so change them. Chickens can be raised in rabbit hutches off the ground and you can limit the number of chickens to a reasonable number that your yard can support. You could even build some decks and patios for the specific purpose of putting chicken hutches on. If you use rabbit-type hutches, you do not need any hen houses at all and just before winter, you can enjoy fresh chicken meat as you butcher your chickens. In the spring, you purchases a fresh batch of chicks and start all over again.

Lastly, when some power centers outgrow their usefulness, tear down the buildings and rip up the huge parking lots. Bring in tons of celery soil, fine, rich dark black humus soil, and make community gardens for all to enjoy and gather at. If your power center is still flourishing, ask the suburb fathers for some community property that could be tilled up for gardening. Get the green movement going in your community.

Don’t let suburbia remain a wasteland. Affect change by doing what others have done in years gone by. Make a difference in your quality of life. Don’t let life pass you by while you shut yourself off from the rest of the world. No, facebook is not enough. If laws prevent the greening of America, change them for the better.

Efficiency. A well-structured farm is the epitome of efficiency. Even though the Mullers lane Farm (MLF) does not have that many animals, it still needs the efficiency to take care of the animals. It still needs a place to keep feed dry – protecting it from the elements and to keep it from the varmints, or the critters such as mice that will get into it and spoil it.

Also whether you have one horse or many horses you still need a place to put up saddles and tack. If you look carefully in the barn you will spy the saddles in one room and outside that room are rows of nails set up for the horse’s tack.

Mullerslane Farm -Animals and Buildings 2

Another aspect of efficiency is: Am I working for the animals or are the animals working for me? Another question that might be asked is: Do the animals need to be confined to pens or will they do just as well feeding free?

In the past years the MLF kept their birds confined in pens. That means that every so often Paul and Cindy and the rest of the family had to clean out the pens and lay down new bedding for the birds as well as the daily filling of the feeders with water and feed. Stay tuned for Part 3 of Mullerslane Farm Animals and Buildings.