My Propertay

I bought a 876 sq ft brick house on a quarter acre of land in the Atlanta subdivision of Dixie Hills. I bought said house sight-unseen while in Boston and paid 20% over asking in cash. I still paid less than I had for a year's rent in Boston.

We're on a hill in a nice quiet neighborhood. Most of the neighbors have lived here for decades or they have inherited their homes from parents and grandparents. Most also state that I am the first person they have seen work on the yard in this property.

So far I have planted corn, onions, cilantro,brocoli, swiss chard, beets, cucumbers and green beans in the back. I have tomatoes, peppers, brussel sprouts, peas, fennel, strawberries, and some other things that I have forgotten what they were ready to go into the ground this week. Figs, artichokes, basil, and rosemary live in containers on my front porch.

If you're standing in the backyard, facing south, you will notice a mess of trees, weeds, brambles, and fallen limbs. It has been my ambition to clear this area and I have been doing a fantastic job, if I don't say so myself. Right up until the point at which I realized I have a lovely bloom of poison sumac on each forearm. One good thing, when I rushed to Kroger to get some cortisone cream, I finally remembered to buy paper towels.

I think I'm going to do the city-girl thing and pay someone to clean up the rest of this mess for me...

The Urban Redneck

Urbandictionary.com has two different definitions pages for "urban redneck.' The first of which breaks down into three basic personality types. The "Transplant" is one who has moved from his/her rural setting to the big city for work. This person retains their country roots and ethos whilst enjoying all the city has to offer. The "Poser" has little to no rural roots but proclaims to lead the country life. Think City Slickers.

I fall into the third category, the "post modern redneck:"

3) The Postmodern Redneck is also found all over North America. The Postmodern Redneck may, or may not, have Redneck roots. As opposed to "The Poser", the Postmodern Redneck has experienced a philosophical transformation in which he rejects modernism and urbanity, in favor of simpler more genuine way of life. The Postmodern Redneck is often an educated professional who owns guns, hunts wild game, and isn't afraid to get his hands dirty changing oil or cleaning a stable. (see http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=urban+red+neck)

Keith and I moved to Atlanta from Boston earlier this year. In 2005, we moved from Gainesville, FL to Boston. I've always lived in either cities or suburbs. Keith has run the full gambit from country to town to back. We moved to Atlanta partially because I kept getting laid off and it would probably be better to live somewhere a little cheaper.

Mainly, though, we were interested in finding a place that combined country life with the best a city has to offer. We also have the aim towards self-suffiency, ala The Good Life. So far, I have a number of plants in the ground and seedlings in the kitchen. Chickens to follow.

Keith referred to our attempt at homesteading city-style as being "urban rednecks." It was only natural that I blog about this contradictory lifestyle. We are not the first to come up with this phrase. Others have urban redneck blogs. The terms cosmo-redneck and metro-redneck can also be found on the interwebs. I felt urban-redneck best described our outlook if we use the term "urban" in the African-American sense. I know most people equate the term redneck with White, but you will find vast similarities between any peoples living in the country or in the South. Keith recently went to a men's prayer breakfast; each man received a Ford camo baseball cap. Does the fact that all the men there were African American make it any less redneckey?

Next post: Descriptions of my propertay and my thoughts on cars