Buying Local

Now I have two!

A few weeks ago, after months and months of glorious sunshine and denial, we were hit with the reality of Seattle and rain. I quickly realized that the cheapish rain coat I had purchased a few years before (Outdoor Research coat - local - purchased at REI - also local) wasn't going to make it through another winter. I decided that it was time to treat myself to a nice cycling specific rain coat and reached out to Facebook for some suggestions. I got a bunch of ideas including a glorious Rapha rain coat (on sale) and an admonishment from a friend to buy local........

Buy local?  What?  I had my heart set on this beautiful Rapha (European) coat. And yes, they might carry Rapha at a local shop, but would it be on sale and would they have my size in a sale coat?  And did I want to drive across the city to find out? So, I did what anyone would do in 2013 and went online and spent 2 minutes buying my coat (and then feeling guilty)!  Unfortunately, as usually happens when you buy online, it wasn't quite right. Yes, it's an amazing coat (in fact so amazing that I couldn't convince myself to return it and have happily worn it multiple times), but it wasn't what I was looking for. The Rapha coat is fitted. I need a rain coat that I can stack lots of layers under and wear throughout the winter.

So, I was sitting at work mulling over this dilemma, wondering if I was going to drive around the city looking for the perfect coat and when I should do this. When suddenly I had a brilliant idea. I Googled bike shop and found one about 5 blocks from my work!  I headed out at lunch (on a brilliant 85 degree September day in Seattle), walked past lots of happy lunch eaters and found my new favorite bike shop. They had rain coats, bike lights and helmets (which I also need and could never buy online). They fix bikes during the day if I ever need to drop mine off in the morning. They have a dog. AND, they had just that morning gotten in these insane pink rain coats. I was NOT looking for a pink coat, but really this was impossible to pass up.

Look what it does in the dark, the online one pales in comparison.

So, in the end, my local purchase made me extra happy. I walked in the sun, supported a business owned by cool folk and even found a shop next door where I think I want to buy my new couch (I need one of those too). But, this whole thing got me thinking about buying local.  As many of you know, I live in Seattle, home of Nordstrom, Microsoft, REI and Amazon. And, in fact, I have spent my entire adult life working for one of those four companies. That means every thing I have purchased in the last 20+ years, local or not, has come from money spent by people mostly not buying local. The massages I've gotten, the home remodel I've done, the local meat and veggies I've purchased directly from the farmers in the farmer's market, has come from money spent in places all over the world. In fact, I pretty sure the reason Seattle currently has such a booming economy and lots of thriving local businesses (the reason my new bike shop could recently move to its new larger, prettier location), is because of money people all over the globe have spent supporting those four large businesses.

Not only that, but lately, buying online can mean supporting small local businesses (though maybe not in ones own neighborhood). Etsy allows designers (including a couple friends of mine) to make money through their art. The internet allows small start up businesses (including all my paleo cookbook/nutrition consultant peeps) to have thriving businesses that they would never have if they just opened a local shop.

I'm not saying that I don't agree with my friend. I know lots of small mom and pop businesses have very sadly and regrettably gone under due to behemoths such as Amazon or, even worse, Wal-mart (have never and will never buy anything there). But, I think there is more to the story than that. I think people should buy mindfully and that may include different things. I would never go into a store to try something, then google it and buy it cheaper online. (I'm more likely to research online then go to a store and pay more so I can get it right away.) But, I do  think there are different ways to buy local and I know that large companies are as beneficial and necessary to a local economy as small mom and pop businesses.

Pink coat + dog, if all businesses came with a dog, I'd never buy online.

Getting Buggy

"Ew"

"WTF"

"Why?"

"Oh, lord"

"I'm terrified"

There were the reactions generated by a recent Facebook post of mine, a post detailing an action I was about to take - bug eating. Or more specifically, CRICKET EATING.

For twenty years I was a vegetarian. For me it was never a moral issue, I actually believe that people were meant to eat meat and that meat protein is a much better and usable source of protein for humans. (As an aside, I do think there are moral implications. I think it's important to eat good meat. And I think it's important to eat happy animals that had a good life.) For me being a vegetarian was primarily for environmental reasons - producing meat (especially the way most meat is produced in this country), takes a lot of energy and wreaks havoc the environment. When I buy meat, I make sure the production of my meat has as little impact on the environment as possible. And I think pasture raised meat actually helps/heals the environment. But, while I can get and afford this type of meat, there are a shit load of people in this world and probably not enough land to generate quality meat for everyone. I worry about these things!

So, a couple years ago I was excited to read an article in the New Yorker about eating insects. Insects are a quality source of protein and producing them has a minuscule impact on the environment. There are places in the world that eat various types of bugs as a regular part of their diet. Of course, the US is not one of those. We all get super squeamish when we think about eating bugs. And you can certainly add me to that list. The article discussed eating meal worms or cockroaches all I could think was EW  - slimy gross garbage eating.  But somehow I wasn't opposed to crickets. Crickets sounded like they might be kind of crunchy and nutty and tasty when fried up.

So, imagine how excited I was when I heard that you can buy bars made of crickets!  There is a company called Chapul and they make bars from cricket flour. There are three flavors, Chaco (peanut butter and chocolate), Aztec (dark chocolate coffee and cayenne) and Thai (coconut, ginger and lime). And guess what, they are DELICIOUS. Really, it's like eating bugs 'lite'. They are so loaded up with chocolate and nuts and other tasty things, that really who would know you were crunching on a bug. I highly recommend them.

And now that I've eaten I few bugs, I'm ready to eat more - maybe even meal worms. I think maybe ground up as flour and made into things might be necessary, but bring on the bugs (though maybe never cockroaches)!

Home Improvement

Or, perhaps this should be titled, 'why I avoid home improvement like the plague'.

Fixing up one's home always seems like such a great idea. Grab a little paint, throw up some pictures, make a fixture tweak here or there and instantly your home is more beautiful, more light, more valuable. You are to feel productive and accomplished and a better person. There are blogs detailing the joys and how tos of this. There are infinite books and websites and stores devoted to this very theme. And maybe this is some people's life, but it just doesn't work for me.

Since I moved into my house the shower rod has been falling apart. The place in the middle where the two parts of the rod connect was broken. With each passing year, the risk of them separating grew exponentially. In the last year or two, duct tape was all that kept my shower curtain off the ground. So, after the success of the kitchen (work I did not do, mind you), I decided to do a little bathroom make-over. All fired up, I ordered a new shower rod (a curved one that magically creates extra space), a new shower head and a new plastic liner.

Part 1, installing the shower head was as a house make over dream, old one off, new one screws in place. Works. Happy. Done. I'm a great person! Why didn't I do this years ago.

Unfortunately, Part 2, the shower rod proved a bit more challenging. It seems to install a shower rod you need a drill. It also seems that you need to take a couple extra trips to the hardware store to 1st get a different shower rod because the first one you bought wasn't expandable and didn't fit and 2nd to get screws because the 2nd rod you bought  that said on the package 'all hardware included' ONLY CAME WITH DRY WALL SCREWS. Then you need to borrow a drill from a friend. THEN when you try to install the shower rod you figure out it is virtually impossible for one person to hold the shower rod and drill over one's head while simultaneously holding (and drilling) a screw. Not to mention you realize you have never actually used a drill before.

What do I do?

SO, you have to invite a friend over and promise him dinner so he can help install your shower rod. (Now a necessity because the old one is off and you can't take a shower). Then as your friend is helping install the shower rod at 7:30 pm on a Sunday evening, you figure out that a. the batteries on the drill are almost dead and b. the screws you were given by the hardware store guy are too long and the 100+ year old wood in your house is too solid - particularly for a dead battery drill.

So, long story not so short, in the end you get the new rod installed - but not on Sunday night and the screws still aren't in the wall all the way and the pretty cups that fit on the end of the rod either a. (one side) don't snap in as the directions say they will or

Unsnapped

b. (other side) doesn't go in at all because you had to flip the rod in another direction so all the hardware is sticking out.

Still waiting for the solution to this mess.

But, you can now take a shower and the new shower head is nice and your elbows no longer hit the shower curtain, so it's a winnish. But, of course, now you remember why you didn't do this years ago!

Daisy's Big Adventure

*** WARNING this blog may contain way too many ridiculously cute animal photos. Proceed with caution.

Feels/looks like home.

I think it is safe to say that of the two kids, Otto is the adventurer of the family. From his homeless beginnings on an Indian reservation in Eastern WA, to his hiking adventures through the Rockies last year Otto has seen it all (or close)!  Daisy, however, doesn't get out much. I rescued her from PAWS (85th and Greenwood) drove her to the old MLK house where she stayed put until 2005. Then she drove straight to Beacon Hill where she has spent every night since. She's a homebody, really.

Usually when I go out of town for the weekend, I stick a bunch of food in bowl, tell her to try not to eat it all in the first hour, and head out, leaving her by herself for x number of days. If I go for longer, I'll have someone stop by every day or two to give her some food and some love (It's usually fine, except one time when raccoons broke into the house and terrified the poor thing - I didn't see her for days when I got back). Anyhow, now Daisy has a thyroid condition that requires pills twice a day. So, when I headed up to Hood Canal for three days, I thought maybe I would see what bringing her looked like. (I tried the same thing in July, but she caught wind of it and disappeared so completely I had to leave her at home at the last minute.).

We loaded up the car with cat food, cat litter and a cat, and headed out for the big adventure. And aside from the car trip and the first few terrifying hours at the cabin, I think she kind of liked it. In a little extra adventure, I carried her to the end of the yard to look at the canal a couple times. It's a little strange to think that Daisy has NEVER seen a large body of water. She found it a little terrifying and scratched herself out of my arms and ran quickly back to the cabin both times. Anyhow, some pictures of the weekend and Daisy's wild adventure!

Daisy loved the car ride!

The car trip was better than I thought it would be. I took the ferry on the way up and opened the box so she could see out. She stayed in the box and it all worked out. On the way home, I drove around. Again, I opened the box. She stayed in and/or peer out for about 60 miles when she decided to come on out and see what was going on. I think where she really wanted to be was by my feet. Since that wasn't an option, I became the crazy cat lady I am not even verging on being and held her in my lap for 20 miles or so.

Hiding in the bedroom in the first couple hours.

Exploring

Exploring x 2 

Hmm, maybe not so bad.

Mostly to torture my mom, I placed Daisy on various tables whenever possible. My mom was not impressed or amused.

An exciting trip out to the car port.

And back.

Windows with good views. 

Cosy places to sleep. I could live like this.

 In other exciting weekend news!

We picked black berries on the side of the road (Daisy did not join).

We looked really cute. 

We went to a farmer's market with very few farmers.

We ran into some Seahawks fans at the Belfair fun walk (Humane society fundraiser).

AND, we lay on our bed and watched the sun set.

Things that rock about my kitchen

As you can see I seem to be in a bit of a blog slump. Summer fun. High school reunions. 5 year blog anniversaries (!!). None of these seem to be inspiring a blog post. So, I have had this sitting in the wings for a while and I thought I would entertain you all (or at least my mom), with the things I most like about my kitchen. As you read you may notice a theme. Basically, the best thing about my kitchen is that there is a home for everything!  As my long time readers know, I am not a neat and tidy person. So it is nice to have a space that reduces the amount of crap I have to look at. Crap reduction, the perfect reason for a kitchen remodel!

1. Lots and lots of cupboards. In the new space everything fits in a cupboard or drawer, so I don't have shit hanging out the counters. This makes me oh so happy!  (That one thing hanging on the counter is my new crock for sauerkraut. I'll let you know in a couple weeks how it works).

2. Pantry!  My pantry, only 4 inches deep, took this tiny worthless spot of wall (there is a chimney behind it making the wall stick out about a foot) and turned it into an awesome storage space. All my extra crap goes in here. Plus daily supplements, bottles of wine, stuff I need but never use.

3. These beautiful tucked away drawers hold a. a much bigger junk drawer that can actually be opened and closed without a lot of tucking and manipulating b. the cuisinart and crock pot - so they don't live on the counter  and c. ?? the bottom drawer contains things so rarely used I don't even know what's there. Light bulbs I think. Maybe some linens.

4. Pantry x 2! Veggies in a drawer, which is awesome when you buy not so ripe avocados.

5. Baby drawers I thought I would never use, but it turns out they're perfect for sponges, plastic bags and bottles of kitchen cleansers.

6. Freezer!! The freezer in the new fridge is huge. All my meat. All my raw animal food. It all fits. Plus I have ice!

7. This is silly, but i love the grid in the sink. You can wash dishes and leave them there to dry. You can wash veggies and put them in the sink and know they aren't lying in all the dirt you just washed off them. You can own a stainless steel sink and not scratching it every two seconds.

8. Dishwasher. I had a dishwasher before but it was small and I never used it. Now I am actually using my dishwasher and it makes life so much easier!

9. This should really be #1, the compost container built into the counter is so cool - probably worth the price of the kitchen on it's own.

10. Spice rack drawer. I was hemming and hawing about what to do about spices - build something special? Buy something special?  Instead I took and idea from my friend Chris and used the drawer closest to the stove for spices. I still have way too much stuff in baggies, but it's so much easier to find everything than it was before.

11. Refrigerator. Just because it looks cool in its cabinet coat.

12. New plates and bowls. Before the remodel I owned two plates that could go in the dishwasher. (I owned more plates, but they had to be hand washed). To get in with the dishwasher program, I went to my favorite place, Posh in Chicago, and ordered this super basic restaurant china. It rocks, and looks so pretty on the black counter.

13. And finally, this RC was a present from my mom. Kitchen warmer!

A Weekend with a Champion - a story in pictures.

This weekend Penny's parents were out of town and Otto, Daisy and I got to host a blue ribbon winning bitch (see Dog Show). And what fun we had!

 Hi!  I'm Penny, My mom and dad are out of town and I'm a little concerned. Please be extra nice to me!  I'll do my best to look extra cute to help with the process.

I'd say this photo kind of sums of the weekend. Penny was a blur of motion and Otto was a little concerned by what was going on!

The weekend involved lots of events that never happen when the world is just Otto, Daisy and me. Here is an exciting trip to the dog park. It was about 100 degrees.

After the dog park we panted a lot. Well, Penny panted and drooled and panted and drooled. Otto and I wondered how the heck it was possible to pant so much!

Other fun weekend events

Meals were extra exciting as four eyes watched my every move and made sure I was performing properly (I think I see a tongue sticking out of Otto's mouth)

Penny pulled out every last one of Otto's toys. Otto has a full box of toys that he never (EVER) touches. It was nice to have them get some use. Here the green bone and zebra striped squeaky bone get their play debut!

We played!  Saturday morning the dogs were outside and I heard some strange noises. I went out side and found Otto playing!  As soon as he saw me he abruptly stopped. So I went inside and when it started up again I snuck pictures through the window!

We hiked!  We hiked 8.2 miles.

Mornings were extra fun. Everyone decided that they needed to join me on the bed (Penny actually slept with me - Otto doesn't) Penny decided that mornings on the bed needed to involve bone chewing, hmmmm.)

We went through the car wash, Penny wasn't too sure about that.

And finally, you're probably wondering what Daisy thought about all of this. Well, Daisy wasn't really pro Penny. She spent her weekend either sitting on this table (where i put her food). hissing or sleeping in the dirty clothes bin.

At one point she became super brave (or something) and decided she needed to venture out with the dogs. Penny rewarded her with her bravery by asking her to play. It didn't go over very well. (You'll notice that I decided to make sure I captured the event on film rather than making sure Daisy avoided the conflict).

That was the fun. Penny, come back any time!