Henny Penny, Big Chick and Pecker

Ceramic chicken painted by my motherPearl Lipkin. "Egg" is a rock 

Chickens and urban gardens are quite the rage in Portlandia. At one time back in the days of  our young  familyhood (late 1960's early 70's), we owned a home on the upper Newport Bay in Southern California. There really were Orange Groves in Orange County then.  We had a sort of mini farm for the Fishmans, Paul and I were both graduate students at UC Irvine, Eric was 3, and Geoff was 1 year old. We were Foodies, even then, although we didn't have a name for liking real food. One side of the garden was lined with tree height poinsettias. On the back fence, hibiscus shrubs produced gorgeous golden, red, and orange flowers.

Our yard had a  little "orchard" of citrus (orange, grapefruit,  lemon), apple and peach trees smack  in the center. In one sunny area along the fence we had a blackberry vine. We added a raspberry vine as well.  I loved making pies, marmalades, apple butter, and preserves. Paul put in a big vegetable garden. Even then, we ate organically, locally and sustainably.

Geoff really was ahead of his time with the raw food movement. He believed in picking up the snails from the grass and stuffing them in his mouth. I removed them with my fingers. Geoff got even by choosing a marble for his next gourmet endeavor, but that's another story.

Our milk was delivered in real glass bottles by the Altadena dairy. Our cheese and vegetables, not grown in our garden, came from a Food Coop.  Fresh eggs and the experience of  raising our own chickens,  seemed the way to round out our perfect food source.

Right down the block, someone raised Bantams. We purchased 3 fluffy, precious chicks. Eric named them: Henny Penny, Big Chick and Pecker. He was describing how Pecker got food.  Paul built a really nice large chicken coup. Henny Penny, Big Chick and Pecker grew up. Early very early a.m., we heard a cockadoodle doo. It was indeed Pecker.

We were not very wise and didn't do research to learn about raising chickens. Henny Penny and Big Chick laid eggs. We found them delicious, but thought how nice it would be for Eric and Geoff to see little chicks hatch. Pecker got to the chicks before we did. There was carnage in our back yard. So it goes for two people raised in Chicago.