"This year, we've made a commitment to either grow all of our own food or only buy from the local farmers' markets. We have laying hens for eggs , Heritage breed chickens for meat, two large gardens and a couple of ducks and goats. We also live near the city so we get the best of both worlds - public transportation, biking accessibility, local parks and a wonderful community. We're trying to change our cultural outlook and be active and involved in not only the production and harvest of our meals, but in our community as well. We preserve fruits and vegetables during the summer and live with the seasons. I like to think of it as Depression Era living and so far it's been wonderfully vibrant. Before, when our lives revolved around the television and shopping, we lived in a black and white world. Now it seems that we've exploded into a world of Technicolor. What was once the barely noted passing of the seasons now has become an exciting moment in our lives, full of color. Our family cherishes the food on our table and the company of one another. I never knew life could be so beautiful."