hodgepodge conglomerate

A few things... I've been wanting to write about several topics, but nothing seemed to materialize into a full-blown post, so better than lose all the ideas, here's a little rundown:

-New Year's. Eh, it's come and gone without much ado, and of course, I missed the whole resolution-posting thing. I did some local informal polling, no one seems to be resolving to do anything this year. Perhaps all the cute news stories about making attainable goals with 12-step plans and accountability and stuff actually seemed too daunting to the average resolutioner... so my theory is that people just threw resolutions out the window. I haven't come up with anything solid either. I am, of course, trying to cut back on the industrial-sized quantities of sweets and crap I've been shoveling down my gullet over the holidays and shape it up for some spring weddings we have coming. There...vague, huh?

-There is also the matter of shaping up our diet, and I'm talking about local foods here. I received this wonderful book as a present this year, and I usually have trouble finishing books, but this one I'm engrossed in. I WANT to be her (hm... writing NY bestsellers and having job mobility... a start.) But of course, it has me thinking about the principles of buying local rather than just throwing in that bloody package of ground beef --- $2.49 advertised special!-- at your local chain grocery. Where did that come from anyway...? Her point obviously, is that food SHOULDN'T be cheap-- we in America spend, per person, less on food than nearly any other nation. We should get to know the people providing our food, thus boosting our LOCAL economies, not dumping our dollars to some corporation, just to buy the cheapest packaged lettuce we can find. A part of the book I love (but am daunted at trying) is realizing that food isn't MEANT to be in season all year round. Strawberries in January? Really... from where? her family enjoys things in season-- root veggies in the winter, tomatoes in late summer... and learn to preserve what they can. It's a way of appreciating what you have WHEN you can have it, and learning that the local stuff -- either grown in your backyard or bought from a farmer's market- is so superior to the stuff they put on a 12-hour planeride packed with preservatives.

-So that got us thinking about our meat. We're considering buying a portion of beef from a farm just West of us. It's expensive and definitely more than we can eat... so we're considering seeing what's involved to split the order between a few families. While I don't love the idea of what goes into preparing the beef I eat, I feel better knowing that the steer had a good life on a farm in our area-- munching grass and being cared for day and night by a real local family who is invested personally in each of the steers and the quality of the product they provide to their customers.

So that's the healthy and local eating news of the day.

-On another front, I also went back to work for a half-day on Friday and even though it was just four hours... I am NOT looking forward to 5-day workweeks with no vacation in sight. Endless trainings, meetings, and of course... the stress-inducing employee drama... I was just so ready to keep relaxing in bliss planning which batch of soap to make next... I wonder how much Housewives make these days.

TUDORS. Totally watching it and engrossed completely. Want immediately to don an exquisite dress with corset and write lusty notes, stamped with custom wax-seal. Even though I revile everytime I see Anne Boleyn's snotty little snub nose... seriously... who cast her?

Today. Weeel, seeing how it's already after 10, and I've only accomplished eating my local egg frittata... probably some flailing attempts at cleaning up and maybe making a batch of new soap.

And totally more Tudors...