Alnitak, Alnilam, Mintaka

When I was a child, I longed for a white Christmas. I felt so cheated living in the Bay Area. I also longed to be poor so that I could make everyone dolls and quilts out of rags and they would be grateful for these gifts from my heart. I've grown out of my sad, sad poverty fantasies, but I really would like to see snow. However, closer attention to seasonal changes has allowed me to appreciate the Bay Area winter. I love how low the Sun hangs in the sky at around 3 p.m. and I especially love nights like tonight. The wind was blowing all day, leaving the sky especially clear and bright, and the air especially cold. So, tonight, while wallking the dogs, it felt like I had the neighborhood to myself. People were warm inside their homes. It was silent, except for one BART train and a far off siren. I could see and recognize Orion and Mars. I wished for such nice moments this winter for everyone, near and far, and then I went home before the New Year's Eve gunfire began.
Happy New Year.

Of Humane Kindness

Aren't they beautiful? When I first saw them, I thought that I had gone back in time to when I was a little girl and there were milkmen who left milk bottles in bumpy metal boxes on the front porch. That was the early 60's and only a handful of people on my block were still getting their bottled milk from the milkman. Everyone had already found the supermarket more convenient. Still, the bottles were and are pretty. Better than that, they get returned to the dairy and sterilized and reused. But best of all is how this milk tastes. It really is noticeably better than any other milk I've had. It tastes sweet and creamy, and did I mention it comes in a beautiful bottle? Thanks to my friend N for telling me about the Strauss Creamery.
Speaking of friends, thank you, PJ, for giving me several ideas for first blog entries. Thanks to you, I'm about to start my second month (not consecutive) of local eating. After reading The Omnivore's Dilemma this Summer, I realized that I needed to change some of my eating habits. The first change was pretty easy--no more high fructose corn syrup. That was easy, it turns out, because I don't buy too many prepackaged foods. Then came the hard part. After reading about how animals were treated, even at many organic farms...well, once you know you can't not know. So, on my search for humanely treated animals, I came across localvore sites and thought I should just go all the way and try to eat as locally as possible. The thing I expected to be hardest, protein, was surprisingly easy. There are several local farms and ranches that raise beef and chickens. Dairy products were a little harder, but not impossible, thanks to places like Strauss. But there are many foods that can't be found in the San Francisco Bay Area. So, decisions had to be made. What did I not want to live without for a month? For me, the answers were flour, sugar and tea. Clearly, I'm not too hardcore about this. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the month. I learned a lot about local farms. I was surprised by the foods I missed the most. I missed chocolate, but I expected to. But the first thing I ate on October 1 was oatmeal and the second was a banana. I found that I made some changes that I've stuck too, but I also found that I kind of liked the discipline of local eating.
So, I'm back to trying it again but January should be harder than September. It was easier when tomatoes were in abundance. Doing this gives me lots to write about, too: the economic feasibility of eating locally, food finds, the time involved in shopping.
So the New Year begins with my first blog and healthier, more ethical eating. I hope to share both with whoever happens along.