Buying Local, Not Just Food

Yesterday I drove 45 minutes to the nearest Target to buy baby shoes and curtain rods. Sure it was cheaper, until you add the cost of gas. So then I thought, next time I'll just order from Amazon, just like the laundry detergent. 

Hmmmmm. Wait a minute there. I talk high and mighty about local food, but what about other things? It's not really cheaper once the cost of the drive and my time are added into the equation to drive all the way into town, even if I were to only go 30 miles to the nearest WalMart. 

Then I remembered. At church on Sunday (yes, church, but that's another post) I met a lady in the nursery that just this week opened a children's consignment store on the square- and she was really excited! If I continue to waste my money and resources driving to the big box stores, it is exactly people and shops like hers that suffer. Funny thing is, I enjoy shopping that kind of store more than the big ones anyway! 

So, I am going to challenge myself in the next month to not shop outside my county. It's going to be hard, but it will challenge us to find the resources that we will need in the long run, make the connections we need to. If our farm is going to work and succeed, we will need to tend the roots first. 

Princesses

Princess cake. I love modeling clay. It doesn't dry out like messy, crumbly playdough. It is awesome.
Every princess needs a hat.

Getting into stuff phase. You know, that phase that never ends, yes it goes on and on my friend, some people started.......anyway. I love mobility in babies!

Fire on the Road

One of the interesting things we encountered last month that really marked a stark difference between our former home and our farm life was this fire.

If this had been in the city, a 911 call would have been immediate. In the country people burn scrap wood and ditches and fields and their trash. However, they don't typically do that in the road. so I hesitated before I called the sheriff and asked about it. It was a round bale on fire.

Another stark difference was that the dispatcher didn't make fun of me. Living in the urban area we did, I called 911 for vandalism, car wrecks, burglaries in progress, fires, etc. Every single time either the dispatcher and/or the responding officer mocked me. "What did you expect living in a ghetto/this neighborhood/ect." It is no wonder that the area is still considered "bad".  Anyway, this time she was polite, I asked questions, and she sent someone to check it out. She promised me that if I was overreacting that she's send someone up to explain it to me. No one came, they actually spread the fire out and watched it until it was out. It is a volunteer fire department too. 

There are so many differences we are encountering out here. 

Five Alive

The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me. I will try to make these tailored to those five people. The restrictions and limitations:

*I will make no guarantees that you will like what I make.

*What I create will be just for you.

*You will have no clue what it will be

*The catch is that you have to post this as well, if you expect me to do something for you. 

*I have to be able to afford the postage, if you live out of country. :)

* I (you) have until 2009 is up to complete

Please link to your blog, if I don't know you, in case we are new friends.

Since this feeds to my facebook, those of you who see this on FB will have to go to the blogspot to sign up.

Yay! This will be so much fun!

*edit to add the 2009 thing. It really is part of the deal, I just forgot to type it up!