About Ivory and TL
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Ivory and TL are old friends that like to fool around with back-to-basics living in the burbs. Ivory is an award-winning children’s book author, newspaper columnist, and local speaker.
TL is a private gal, not near as tacky as Ivory. TL taught Ivory everything she knows and writes for Birds and Blooms . If you want to see a shot of her mug, you’ll have to wait for their first book, Little House in the Suburbs: Simple Living that Fits Your Yard.
Both ladies have 8 chicks, half that many children, little houses, and very understanding husbands. TL can grow the best tomatoes you ever ate and Ivory can…well…she’s a card catalog of information, but is too way flaky to have mastered any arts. (She’s never grown a decent tomato in her life. Shhhh…)
In addition to the chickens and children, TL has a charming, yet smelly terrier and Ivory keeps a couple of really obnoxious mini goats that hacked off her town.
Read about Ivory in the news:
Spotlight on Mom
Goat drama 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and a video.
See her horrid tomato plants
Contact us here!
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Ivory,
I read about your goat adventures in the Commercial Appeal and I am wondering if you might be able to help me out? I live in your area and I REALLY want to get a couple mini goats of my own, but I’m having a bit of trouble figuring out who to talk to. I’m just getting the run around from different city offices so far. Let me know if you think you might be interested in helping a fellow urban homesteader out. Thanks!
What municipality are you in? If you are in Collierville, it’s a big hassle. Lots of signatures to get a permit. But for Germantown and Bartlett you don’t need any permission. Memphis is pretty much a “No, unless you’re neighbors aren’t going to complain.”
Thanks! I am in Memphis. Part of the city code says, “The health officer shall issue permits only when the keeping of such animals in the yard or buildings, and under the circumstances set forth in the application for the permit, shall not injuriously affect the public’s health. ” (http://library.municode.com/HTML/16109/level2/T8_C8-8.html#T8_C8-8_s8-8-10)So far no one I have talked to knows who the “health officer” is, but the code says there IS a permit process. I have called Animal Control, Animal Services, the Health Department, Code Enforcement, and a few others that I was forwarded to, but they keep trying to send me back and forth to each other. There is a bar on Beale St. that has goats called Silky O’Sullivans. I figure, if a restaurant can keep goats and its not “injurious to public health” they why shouldn’t I be able to have them in my backyard? I don’t think my neighbors would complain, they love our chickens, I just want to make sure I do it legally so i don’t have to try to hide them and worry about them getting taken away. Thank you!
I had to laugh at your asparagus entry. I did the same thing and finally planted a nice bed of it. The first year was fine and I let it grow and was patient not to cut it. The second year and all following years the bunnies enjoyed it. Even with a fence, they managed to get to the succulent stalks of deliciousness. Ha-ha Good luck with yours.
Kayci and anyone else, I too am in memphis city limits and would like to have a goat. Did you ever find out how to obtain a permit? Just wondering if you went ahead with the goat, or if you applied for the permit, were you able to get one? Thanks so much!
The soaps & hand-knitted washcloth look positively scrumptious! Makes me want to take a nice long soak in the tub.
So~~~I’m thinking TL wrote this… Ha ha! I love this site!
Check with the local animal shelters. They adopt out animals and would know the rules of (goat) residency. Veterinarians would know of clients that have goats and could refer you to the proper authority or goat owners who could be of assistance and perhaps become a mutual bond in the future.
I have lways been a cloth user but there are certain things you need paper towels for: draining bacon, picking up puppy poop, kid fridge spills,, etc. If you used cloth towels for these you would have to immediately wash them in hot water and thereby more waste.
Hi,
What state do you live in? I am interested in this because of all that you have grown this winter. I live in central Maryland.
thanks!!
Joy–We’re in TN. Eliot Coleman writes from the perspective of Maine, so his methods are applicable to very cold conditions.