Sterling, Mass. Farmers Market

We just got back from the Sterling, Mass. farmers' market. Very nice! There was a young man there with guitar, performing for the crowd. He did mellow, relaxing James Taylor-type tunes; it complemented the farmers' market very well. My son had ice cream from one vendor and a cookie from another. I sampled some marinated goat cheese from Crystal Brook Farm (of Sterling) and wonderful baguettes at another booth. I seriously wanted to buy both of them, but I found out the hard way that there are no ATMs from my bank between my home and this market. (Note to self for next time!) There were wonderfully woolly alpacas in a pen, several booths with vegetables and blueberries, one with fresh coffee, and a face painter too! The atmosphere was warm, busy and friendly. A very enjoyable experience.

I had visited there to help out with the table of the ALOHA homeschoolers' co-op. Located in Central Mass., ALOHA is a secular homeschooling co-op that we belong to, and we were helping to just get the word out about the group in the hopes of getting new families to join.

Sterling Farmers' Market takes place every Friday from June to September, from 3:00 pm to 6:30 pm., right in the center of town.

A useful new product....made by me!

It seems like all my spare time lately is spent trying new ways to create my newest items....journals! Specifically, wire-bound books. The variety of covers and styles and art I can put on them is vast. Noa Gifts has some of my kitty journals, and I'm working hard to get a larger selection together, not only for Noa and my other stores, but for my local art event that's happening in Worcester on September 20: it's called stART on the Street. I'm so happy to have bought the binding system to begin making journals. I've been selling my cards and magnets and other art-y items for years, but this product has got that high "usefulness factor" that makes me excited to be able to provide it. Maybe it's because I ALWAYS have a big journal in my backpack, a tiny journal in my fanny pack, one for my child (till he's old enough to write his own journal) and one for me. Oh, and one for my gardening notes, and one for my business notes....and so on....and so on..... Come see me and all the other enterprising artists & performers at stART!

Seeking the Good

I will likely be starting a new blog soon, inspired by some truly angry and bitter rantings by a close family member. My desire in starting the blog is to be able to share (and learn from others) regarding my choice to move TOWARD "The Good." That is to leave behind the petty, the angry, the dysfunctional, the short-sighted, the selfish, and move toward living a life that respects the truth, seeks wisdom and beauty, embraces the positive, and so on.

Obviously I am too busy to have the two blogs that I already have, and one might question the wisdom of starting yet another one. However, these things are important to say and discuss. And today on my Facebook page I saw a perfect example of seeking "The Good." Read this passage by Barbara Scofidio, owner of Noa Gifts (Groton & W. Concord, MA). Here's her quote:

"So, when we were building the addition, we had to cut some trees, including black walnuts. We knew they could be used for furniture so we advertised them on craigslist and the nicest man, Buzz, bought them. Yesterday, two years later, he brought us this amazing bowl he made from our trees as a gift. It has 600 pieces of wood (black walnut, cedar and cherry) from our yard and measures over 16"!

I love it. Thanks, Barbara!

Blushing Bee Naturals - Holden, Mass.

Driving down Main Street in Holden, Massachusetts, I used to see a tiny storefront shop called Blushing Bee Naturals. I kept meaning to go in there, but there didn't appear to be any parking so I usually kept going.

Good news! They've relocated to 787B Main Street, next door to the Sheep Shack, Pet Barn and The Bagel Inn. Plenty of parking made it easy for me to stop in there the other day, and I'm glad I did. I got to chat with the extremely cheerful and positive owner, Kathy Leal, who helped me pick out an exfoliating facial cleanser that I am thoroughly enjoying. It has natural ingredients, it smells good, it works...who could ask for more?

The store is bright and cheerful and just packed with natural soaps, cleansers, accessories and other gifts. One in particular stuck out in my mind--a very reasonably-priced little group of square scented candles, stacked one above the other, all connected by a single wick. I wish I could remember the price, but with their little square dish I am pretty sure it was around $11 or so (don't quote me!). They had funny greeting cards and jewelry there, too.

My 6-year old son was with me, and after he finished organizing the beeswax soap display and looking all around at the colorful, wonderful-smelling merchandise, he became bored and prevailed upon me to leave. But I will definitely go back again (without him) so I can take my time and really look around.

Kathy says she does not have a web site and that they get their business by word-of-mouth, and since I'm sitting here blogging about the cheerful & helpful customer service and their wide range of yummy products--I can see her point. :-)

Leominster, MA - Main Street still quite alive

I saw a great story today in the Telegram & Gazette, about the city of Leominster having five new businesses open up this week--three of them right on Main Street! Click here to read the story.

Very encouraging!

I've actually gone to Leominster to shop before. It's not a quick drive for me, but there's a store downtown called Allen's which, the last time I went, carried a pretty decent collection of "Fresh Produce" clothing, which I love. Worth the trip if I can come home with one or two of those amazing, colorful, wearable garments.

Carrick McCullough - 9 year old environmental educator

Hooray for 9-year old Carrick McCullough and his family! They're fellow homeschoolers who we met through some local homeschooling classes we signed up for. And now they're preparing to hit the road in their veggie-oil powered VW beetle, in an effort to educate folks across the country about more sustainable living. He was in the local paper just yesterday, and the day before that he appeared on ABC's "Bonnie Hunt Show."

To read all about the trip, find links to Carrick's YouTube videos & to donate and support their trip, see their web site called www.ourrenewablenation.org

Chinese drywall poses potential risks

Here is the story that goes with the above headline:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090411/ap_on_bi_ge/chinese_drywall

I am SO sick of reading headlines about Chinese things being harmful to us. When are people going to realize that CHEAP is not the be-all and end-all of everything! And what must it be like to live in China where so many hazardous ingredients seem to be put into so many products? Are there no health and safety standards?

I used to wonder what it would be like to live in such a place, but then again....here in this country you can also find people who oppose health and safety regulations, and the money that such precautions cost.

As consumers, we can't afford to let our guard down. Not for a minute.