Holly and Polly

...sounded so much better than Bullox and Baltimore...

but those are the names you get from a little boy
who brings home two chicks from school.

On the other hand,

they were pretty creative names from a young chap.

Here they were already showing their combs.

It's amazing how fast they grow.

In just two short months they were small wee hens

all feathered out.
We're pretty sure one is Rhode Island Red and the other may be a Leghorn.

Grandma didn't really need more hens,

but Bobo (and mom) strong-armed her into taking them

after he reared them a bit.

He's such a good boy, especially at school, 

we didn't want to let him down and say no.

He'd been banking on the second grade chicks all year long

and had his little heart set.

Here are the ladies the day they left...

all feathered out!

Bo Bo's Chicks

Yes, we're shameless chicken lovers.

Bobo was able to bring a few home from school 

a few months ago
when they hatched a batch in class

and he has been taking care of his babies ever since
all by himself.

Today, they made their way over to Grandma's
(as they are no longer tiny peeps)...

...but not before the kids (and  Dan and me, too)

had the opportunity to get a chicken-fix.

These are just a few of my chicken glamour shots.

I'll share more in the days to come!

Regards, A

Sharing with the Farm Blog Hop!

Yeah, that Land Use Meeting...

This is an extremely long and informative post for those

who have been following our chicken saga.

 

 

 

 

I had said I would be going to the next county land use meeting

 

on the second Tuesday of August

 

to formally request that the committee leaders pursue lowering the cost of the chicken permit fee

 

and reclassify it as a recreational fee instead of a special use permit

 

 (which costs approximately $1000).

 

 

 

 

Throughout this whole process,

 

even when I was totally disgusted at the neighbor and the county over this issue,

 

I was still pretty confident we could get our hens back by October.

 

I was not afraid at all.

 

We have done nothing wrong.

 

 

 

 

I was absolutely certain St. Joseph, patron saint of the home, had my back on this one;

 

he would watch over what was going on and help us through it.

 

Read chicken saga here.

 

Little did I know...

 

The meeting would not go well.

 

Not only do they refuse to lower the fee,

 

some county workers immediately recommended upping it.

 

Their argument is that our unincoporated county's 'special use fee'

 

is progressive compared to other counties,

 

who charge twice as much.

 

The caveat is that nearby municipalities charge nothing at all

 

BECAUSE IT ISN'T CLASSIFIED AS 'SPECIAL USE.'

 

I guess having chickens is on par with strip clubs because if I was opening one

 

of those, I would have to go through the same process of mailings,

a sign in my yard, and two court hearings.

 

One worker in particular, stated that he would demand

 

(after chicken fees were paid in full and permitted),

 

a coop with a minimum $50 building permit fee - depending on the type of structure-

 

and that it would have to have an approved 90 mph wind-resistant roof.

 

Now,

 

please tell me,

 

how many of you have a 90 mph wind-resistant roof

 

on your own residence? 

(I do not.  Mine is like 60.  Not the top of the line,

but good enough for us right now).

 

That's the wind power that causes severe damage when trees come down.

 

Only Tom Weigel, the Land Use Chairman, was of any help-

 

with his farming experience at hand, he asked them to all lower it to fifty bucks.

 

The rest of the hungry committee pounced on him and railroaded it,

 

and, since Tom seems to be a soft-spoken guy,

 

I can read the writing on the wall.  They WON'T lower it.

 

It just isn't going to happen for us.

 

If even one person comes to protest at a hearing,

 

we could be denied and not get our money refunded.

 

 

 

 

I did get to speak, though they didn't want me to.

 

I reminded them that they (the county) got the federal grant for $100,000

 

to pass new zoning regulations (that included many updates like wind turbines,

but also included chickens)

 

to advertise Will County as sustainable to developers, but now they won't let

 

working families in semi-rural areas partake in it without bending over for their 'new rules.'

 

Instead, they got a $100,000 grant so they can make money hand over fist

 

as people come to apply for a chicken permit (or hopefully they will 'just go away'

 

for them because of all the trouble it involves).

 

One county official had the nerve to tell us that he

 

{spends too much time dealing with chicken matters on the phone and doing research.}

 

It was great to remind him in person that he is a government worker

 

who works for the people

 

on their dollar

 

and that he shouldn't be complaining to county residents that he's "spending too much time" on

 

issues we care about, especially since many residents are unemployed and would

 

be happy to have a posh job at the county.

 

They all smirked and wrote notes for each other as I spoke,

 

because that's what your government workers do, folks.

I feel like I'm in Communist Poland and they're trying to make me pay

for a high tech roof with architectural shingles

on a coop for a chicken, and wait I have to let them come and count our 4 hens.

WHY DON'T I JUST MOVE TO CHICAGO

WHERE IT'S FLIPPIN' UNLIMITED.
 

 

But THANK YOU TOM WEIGEL, for reminding them they are

 

on salary, not hourly commission,

 

and that they get paid no matter what work they get done (or not).

And I don't mind saying these things because it's all public record

and videotaped for youtube anyway.

 

Well, I for one will be at the election box in November to make some checks

 

on who is running for re-election to county board.

 

And I cannot express to you

 

how sick I have been over all of this...

 

I know people have far worse problems in life

so I'm trying not to be so sad because then I make myself feel guilty that I have no right

to be unhappy or feel beaten by injustice.

I have a hard time contolling my bitterness over it and sometimes that's the worst part.

 

We are very lucky to all be healthy.

 

No matter what happens we will be okay, I just have to be willing to hand this over.

I have to trust in God that this is all going to work out in the end...somehow.

 

But it has hurt us very deeply...

 

to the point where hard lines are drawn in the sand.

 

 

 

SO, we have made the decision

 

to save the money we would use to fight this and

 

instead use it as a down payment on another home, zoned agricultural.

 

Chickens will stay at Grandma's, for now (or indefinitely).

 

And enter St. Joseph again, although not as I originally intended

 

(now for help and guidance in moving).

 

We have already completed a market appraisal.

 

It may take a year.  Or five.

 

We have the upcoming winter to begin to prepare for what may come.

 

 

 

 



Sun- Kissed

It's summer, so it's still hot,

but not so stinkin' hot that you can't stand it.

At least not today.

And today is good.

The sunflower heads are getting big,

and I love to take these heads to school

-when they are dried-  for my students to paint.

They make the perfect specimen

with their radial design and texture.

And they remind me of a favorite quote-

"Keep your face to the sun,

so you cannot see the shadow."

And we'll be having a county land use meeting soon,

in early August,

with restructuring the chicken permit fee

as a hot topic.

So I need to keep my face to the sun and remember

that St Joe still has my back.

Sharing with:

Sunday Best at My 1929 Charmer

Friday Fences at Life According to Jan and Jer

Green Day with Fiona at Raindrops and Daisies



Chicken Week: The Hoopla

Yesterday, I was completely overwhelmed with the hoopla of what we have to do

to acquire our "special use" chicken permit now that the ordinance has been *approved.*

Today, I am MAD.  Really mad. It takes about one day for me to get over

the emotion of it all and for my blood to boil.

Let me detail for you all the steps necessary:

#1) file for permit at county land use building

#2) mail file to 8 local agencies by certified mail (about $3-$5 per mailing)

#3) return certified slips to county office

#4) notify my 10 adjoining neighbors by certified mail ($3-$5 per mailing)

#5) pay $675 fee for permit issue

#6) pay $100 to run an add in newspaper for a hearing

#7) pay $100 to post a county sign in my front yard announcing the hearing (SERIOUSLY?!)

(this gets refunded if the sign is returned undamaged, but I still have to have the money upfront,

and who knows if my neighbor might damage it)

#8) attend two hearings for review in which

anybody can come to protest even if they don't live by us

(as if we had a flippin' tiger in the backyard)

and we get to listen to anyone or any anti-chicken person drag us through the mud even though

the county *won't disclose* who reported our chickens (but we know who it was)

#9) committee then decides if they will issue the permit

#10) if denied, nothing is refunded.

THAT IS DISGUSTING.

Don't make ANYONE go through a process like this, take their money, but then deny them.

This is why I am so mad at government today.

And you know what, I don't want to hear that there are rules everywhere you go...

WE ARE TALKING PRIVATE PROPERTY.

I am confident we can acquire a permit at a hearing

because no matter what anyone says of us, our property is in order and maintained,

but it is still too much money they are asking of families

who want an eco-friendly and educational experience for their children.

This is not a commercial enterprise, this is for personal use.

If I were erecting a GAS STATION, an ADULT THEATRE, or MOTEL

which might attract questionable characters to my community

I would have to go through the same process.

There are several municipalities in Illinois that are nearby and

do not require a permit for chickens at all.

They include:

Chicago, IL

Plainfield, IL

Batavia, IL St. Charles, IL

Oak Park, IL 

Mount Prospect , IL

to name a few.

They just ask that the coops be humane and no roosters be onsite.  TOTALLY FAIR.

So I say the county should WAIVE IT ALTOGETHER.

We have made the decision to attend the next Land Use Committee meeting in August

to continue to address these excessive fees before we pay any money down.

Some county board members DO AGREE this is too much for families.  Thank you for your support,

I hope you will continue to stand by that.

Others feel everything *comes at a price.*

(is this a shared and rehearsed quote among my elected county officials?

Because I called all of you.  You know what I feel about that?  Some people don't

count the cost, they do it because it is the right thing to do.)

AND THIS PRICE IS HIGHWAY ROBBERY!

There is discussion that they may lower the fee, or reclassify it to something other than "special use,"

but nothing is promised and nothing is ever done quickly.

We still hope to have the girls back by October.

We will certainly do the hearing process if nothing gets changed.

Thank you to my readers for your support.

Chicken Week: The Inspection, The Vote, and Aftermath

I'll be posting some old photos of the girls today

as I update you all on our chicken news.

First, we had our -inspection- to come into compliance on Wednesday, and it went great!

The coop is in storage.

We are all in the clear and avoided court (and possibly the fine- but we will see).

Second, THE VOTE was today.

The GOOD NEWS is the ordinance passed to allow chickens to people in our area.  YAY!

The AFTERMATH ensuing is that the law takes effect October 1st.

Also, the *special use permit fees and requirements*

are extremely excessive.

We are talking about $1000 when all is said and done

and when you go up for your review, you can still be

"denied"

 depending on who comes "to protest" at your hearing.

Well, we all know what can happen here.

TOO MUCH government regulation at its finest, folks.

So we are sleeping on it.

I have made thirty phone calls today.

We have a stack of paperwork ready to go...

and tomorrow morning we decide to either move forward

or wait to see if they will reduce the fees (which others have complained about, too).

But, with government, nothing ever really goes down...

in fact, it goes up, which one county board member did predict.

So with that said, if we go forward tomorrow

to get our chickens back by OCTOBER

(they'll be staying at Grandma's longer than anticipated)

then we will be getting mentally prepared and

relying on St Joseph to get us through the war,

which I feel, in all honesty, is an attack on our home.

I think we can do it.

If not us, than who?


Sharing our news with

Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground

French Country Cottage

Green Day at Raindrops and Daisies

Chicken Week: Girls on Vacay

Continuing on with my updated chicken posts,

(please read my prior post if you are confused, as we have an ongoing saga

on the Town and Prairie),

the girls have gone to stay with Grandma for a few days.

Here is what the chicken yard looked like before:

And now after:

We have removed all chicken paraphanalia from the yard

and stored them away in the garage so we can be in compliance

for the inspection tomorrow morning.

St. Joseph is STAYING (he's in the red rum lilies).

I have complete confidence this will all work out.

Wish us luck!

Thursday is THE VOTE!

Chicken Week @ Town and Prairie

I said there was a 

BIG CHICKEN UPDATE 

coming soon and I wasn't kidding.

Our not so lovely neighbor... who lives yonder on the other side of my

"I hate you," hedge...

(let's be frank here, she planted a crummy one first, so I had to show her how it was done...)

(see 6 foot tall flowering shrubs below)

...decided that she was going to call the county on us about our chickens.

This person has failed to mind her own business since we moved in.

We have done nothing but clean up and beautify a property

that had been overgrown, dated, and vacant for a year.

But you know the type.

And you know what...

we are not the only people that keep chickens even though it is "not allowed."

It is SUSTAINABLE to teach your children how to grow a garden...

to use what you grow at your table...

and have your own sources of food in your backyard.

It is important to know what goes into your food

because it goes into your body.

The way people create so much DRAMA over it all you would think raising a handful of chicks

is equivilant to having a crack lab in your backyard.

It wasn't so long ago that many people had

their own self-sustaining forms of agriculture

and it was a normal way of life.

I REFUSE TO BE LABELED A CRIMINAL

for educating my children about what goes into food.

Four hens on almost an acre of property aren't hurting ANYONE.

Well.  We DID get a letter from the county. 

We DO have to have an inspection to show that the chickens have been temporarily moved.

TEMPORARILY??

 

YES.  Enter St. Joseph who has been watching our backs (and the coop) this WHOLE TIME!

And the remarkable backyard miracle that is about to evolve

right in front of us.

She starts battles but we DID NOT lose the war.

In my doings with the county to resolve the issue, I discovered that

a new ordinance has been drafted by our county and is up

FOR A VOTE

this Thursday.

There is a lot of support on the "YES" side!!

The new ordinance will allow people to have chickens AND goats AND pot-bellied pigs.

SO!

After THE VOTE on Thursday (which we will be attending),

(assuming it all goes our way)

and after our official -inspection-,

(the girls are going on vacay to Grandma's for a few days)

we can purchase a brand new special use permit

and bring the girls home permanently.

HOME CHICKENS RULE.

YOU WILL NEVER EAT GROCERY STORE EGGS AGAIN

ONCE YOU CAN RAISE YOUR OWN.

I will continue to update this week on proceedings.

Sharing with

Garden Party at Delightsome Life

Garden Party at Fishtail Cottage

St. Joseph in My Backyard

We have St. Joseph in our backyard.

This spot was specifically chosen for him

--so he could watch our backs--.

He has also been watching over our chicken coop since

this past spring when Dan had to move it

because of a nosy-busy-body.

This turned out to be a very important placement for all of us concerned.

He is the patron saint of the family, the home and home protection.

I have found him to be quite dependable.

 

 

MAJOR chicken update coming soon...

We are still waiting to find out the details,

but I believe I will have quite a remarkable story to share in the end.

Sharing with:

Fiona's Friday Green Party

Garden Party at Delightsome Life

Garden Party at Fishtail Cottage