{ A Holiday Tradition Continues }

Every first Monday in December I go to a holiday tea with my girlfriend, Dori, her Mom, Andrea and DeAnn. Dori owns Island Tea Company a few miles away and this is her holiday gift to her staff and supporters. Since I volunteer each year to be a tea shop girl so Dori can go with her family to holiday events, I qualify as a supporter. This year we are visiting The Queen Mary in Seattle. Over the last five years, this day has become one of my most treasured holiday traditions.

{ A Very Special Day }

Sunday would have been my parents 40th wedding anniversary. My mother, no doubt, would have planned something large and over the top and Dad would have gone along with her but all the while probably wishing they could just go out to dinner. Of course, we won't get to celebrate that milestone as intended with Mom now gone but I still feel that it's important to not ignore the day. My parents were a rare breed...dedicated through anything to one another, their marriage and the family they created together. I know that my parents went through hard times but never did I feel the stability of our lives was at risk. They rarely fought, at least not in a way that would be obvious to us kids. They were always a united front. It was a good example to grow up with as children and has served us well in our adult relationships. While I know Dad will be with Mom on Sunday, it will be to place fresh flowers at her crypt rather than to bring home roses for the dining room table. My heart is heavy for what is missing but forever grateful for love that remains.

{ Where I Shop Locally }

I often go on and on about shopping locally. While we adhere to about 90-95% shopping within a 1000 mile radius or less of our home the other 5-10% of the time we shop here:

The Chef's Pantry is the sweetest store, filled to the brim with cheeses, wines, salami, teas and coffees, cook books, cooking supplies, gadgets and tools and my new favorite drink Dry Soda (a locally created company). The best deal in the place though is Donna Leahy, the Chef and twice published cookbook author. Not only does she often make my most favorite sandwich (The Roman-salami, pesto, brie, greens and tomatoes), she'll advise you on wine pairings and discuss all things food. And when you run out of food things to discuss, ask her about the dogs. While I know Donna sources many of her produce items locally, this is the one store I never read a label to see where an item originates...I am shopping locally, I can walk there from my house! Donna can ship and also writes a great newsletter. Visit her website to check out what's happening this month!

{ Fall Departs Rapidly }

This picture was taken just three weeks ago at Farmington Gardens in Beaverton, OR. As I look outside all I see is gray sky and fading colors. Don't get me wrong, I actually love winter here in the Pacific NW. I love our short days and long nights. I love the gray and rain. To me, it's womb like and a natural way to sleep longer and slow down. But as I look at this pumpkin, with long shadows of the Autumn sun, it signifies the end of a long, productive growing season. I embrace the coming winter but will look back on this first Autumn of our locavore year with great fondness.

{ How You Can Save The Economy }

If you read my blog regularly you know that I was not in favor of the bail out of big business congress put together a few weeks ago. I haven't changed my position. I still feel that if left alone our market economy will sort itself out and that no matter how big a company, we are a nation of hard working people who are capable of filling the voids left by industry failures. It will hurt in the short come but be better in the long run. I say this knowing that my very income is dependent on a thriving economy...no revenue for my clients means no income for me...but I have faith in the ideology of the fair market economy.

Today as I watch the market plummet yet again I still haven't waivered in my opinion and here's why: this country was built on small businesses...I mean really really small. You bought eggs from your neighbor who bought bread from you, etc. etc. The industrial revolution happened and gradually over more than a century we have been lured away from the true market economy. While we are all saving our pennies and hoping that our jobs are safe, I honestly believe that we all have the power to save this economy...one little transaction at a time. Shop with people or companies you know and like. Support your neighbors and neighborhood businesses. Make an extra effort, especially at Christmas, to make every purchase MATTER. My holiday spending budget has always been small but this year every gift I give has been purchased at stores that I want to have survive this economy. Quit wandering the malls or shopping at the box stores because you get more for less. Instead, THINK about the businesses you love and shop there...every little bit matters. The actual gifts that I am giving are small memento gifts, picked very thoughtfully to convey an emotion or a memory a private joke, and most are practical. I'm giving in other ways too. I am giving donations (and some are not large) to charities that matter to me or to my loved ones. If you can't spare monetary donations, give your time to charities instead. Your local food banks are busier now then ever. Show up and help out. An hour a month is greatly appreciated and it's an hour more than they would have had without you.
Like I said, with a little thought and a commitment to philosophy you hold the power to shape the economy...it really is that simple...but then again, the best ideas always are the most simple.

{ Paper Chaos }

Someone said to me recently, "You must be so organized!" I laughed because seriously, I'm only organized with client stuff...not my own. I was the kid who stayed up until midnight to finish a project that I had weeks to prepare. My sister was the "git er done" girl in our house, not me. She was forever saying, "just do it now and get it over with." This morning it is after 8:00 a.m. and I'm still wandering around in my pajamas, my office is in chaos and I'm completely unfocused. I hate days like these. The procrastination I am used to but the unfocused I am not...and I hate it.

In an hour I am going to my only offsite client for the day and then I am coming straight home and sorting through this paper chaos in my office...must get this under control!! But first, another cup of tea and maybe a piece of toast...

{ Historical Change }

Well it seems I have lived to see the first non-white guy elected President! While I am pleased from a grown up perspective for all that this means, it was the intensity of the conversations I've had with my niece (age 17) and others of her age group that lets me see how huge this change is to the future of this country. You see, for 22 months no young person I know referenced the race of the President Elect - even the young people of color. Instead, they continually spoke of his energy, his vision, his inclusiveness and their sense of empowerment. That is hard to ignore. Regardless of how you voted yesterday (and thank you for voting!), the paradigm is shifting and that is an historical change I am happy to be witness to in my lifetime.
Now that this election is settled, get back to work! We have budgets to maintain and an economy to fix! ;0

{ An Election Day Thought }

So this is way off topic for my usual blog items but last night I began to ponder the election that is happening today from a very different perspective than politics... a very personal perspective. I've never really taken time to comprehend or grasp the personal sacrifice that our political leaders make in order to serve the country. (And let's not kid ourselves, they do serve because I wouldn't want to do their jobs, would you?) Last night, in a blurb on the national news I heard that Barack Obama grandmother had lost her battle with cancer. That was followed up with a clip of him at a rally announcing her passing. I stood transfixed for several minutes after that moment aired. Having lost my own mother to cancer not quite three years ago the hours and days after her passing are still very vivid to me and I cannot imagine mere hours after hearing the news from my Dad having to get up and give a speech. It was all I could do to pack a suitcase, call and email my clients and get on a plane. But because we have the expectation that our leaders will put our needs first, Barack Obama did get up and make a speech and if John McCain had been in that situation, he would have too. If it had been any of us who had gotten that call would we have said, "oh, well, I need to get to work". I think not. Life changes in that moment and people, be they customers, colleagues or friends, simply say "we understand". But our leaders do not have that option. The country must come first. And regardless of which candidate wins today I can only marvel at the level of commitment these people have to process and vision that they hold. So the least we can do as Americans is get out and vote.

{ Preparing for Winter }

This weekend we picked up what may be our last CSA "Endless Summer" box for the season. Our fabulous farmers http://www.island.wsu.edu/4h/data/csa.html will still harvest until they can harvest no longer, but we are needing to bring food production weekends to a close and tend to other preparations for the long dark Winter. This first year of eating local has been a good trial run. We now understand that we need to expand our own growing, can and freeze almost triple what we have now and most importantly, we'll need to build in a lot more time for these endeavors. Our food budget (like most every one's) is doubled from last January's projection. We've got our chickens for the winter and we'll take our last 1/4 of beef next month which will be plenty to see us through until June. Because we aren't fully stocked for 5 months of no food production, come early to mid Spring we'll need to make some decisions about grocery store buying and where we compromise - local vs. organic. This year we go into that decision knowing that with better planning, next year we'll hopefully not have to choose.

For the Seattle based readers of this blog I want to tell you about a local food event at Seattle Art Museum being hosted by Taste on November 23rd. Visit Taste SAM's blog for details about this lovely event. http://tastesamblog.wordpress.com/