Home girl Novella Carpenter threw an open house Saturday and welcomed whoever wanted to come tour her urban farm, meet her goats, chickens, bees and rabbit; buy her book, Farm City; and exchange information about urban homesteading. I came home with a bag of ripe prune plums, made into jam, and goat poo and hay on one of my sneakers.

Transformation of an empty lot next to the author's house near downtown.

Visitors admire the garden Novella writes about in her book. Novella lives next door on the second floor.

The author signing books.

Nani Steele, author of My Nepenthe, amused to see an outhouse for guests.

Oops, it's busy right now. The goats had babies, and Novella's looking for homes.

A character from the neighborhood asked for spare change, then chicken. The woman behind the stand offered him lavender and lemon coffeecake instead. Right.

Novella says the ducks will move to this car, a safer place from predators. She had artist friends jazz up the Mercedes to welcome them. Behind is a Buddhist monastery.