Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Eat Local, Tour Local Farms

Howdy ya'll! I thought I would take a minute to reiterate a point that has been brought up quietly for years now. It is time to shout it from the rooftops, "Stop giving money to giant corporations (in this case food companies)who guzzle gas and energy during harvesting, production, processing, and distributing of food and goods! Shop locally already!"!!!!
According to all the newspapers, and television personalities, and stock market reports, we are in for hard times ahead of us so no time like the present to support the community in which you reside.
Don't run to the 7-eleven or CVS, or Target or Walmart for a quick snack or lunch. Head over to that locally owned deli or mini mart, like Austin's own Royal Blue Grocery, up the street instead. Have a conversation with the person behind the counter. Introduce yourself, you might meet the owner or another neighbor from your community.
Don't hit the drive-thru Starbucks for an unhealthy, coffee drink delivered by computer operated espresso machine and pushy retailer who must upsell 70% of all transactions during their work day. Be honest, are you really in that much of a hurry? If you live in Austin, TX, you should head over to Little City or Rio Ritas, or Hideout Coffee House and Theatre, OR Progress Coffee. All locally owned and operated, and intending to help support the community in which they are located. Make sure you stop in to Progress Coffee on November 20th. It is their 4 year anniversary, and they are offering everything for free to say thanks to their patrons and to give back to the people in need. 100% of the day's proceeds will be donated to the Capital Area Food Bank and to Bread of the World. Wow. Talk about Progress.
Instead of shuffling into the same old warehouse of a grocery store, complete with fluorescent lighting, strategically placed food stuffs, and robotic cashiers, shop fresh in the great out of doors. Find the Farmer's Market happening in your area. They usually occur Saturday mornings, but Austin has a few markets open on Wednesday as well. They are growing in popularity and demand. You are able to buy everything the Food Pyramid claims you must consume for optimal health. Even better, you are eating seasonally as well, which means during the summer you eat watery, light, colorful and hydrating foods and hearty, warming, heavier stuff in the winter. By buying strait from farmers, you are supporting a healthy earth, healthy community, and healthy mind and body. Good for you!

On the note of local farms, a local bike shop, Bicycle Sport Shop is organizing a Local Farms Bicycle Tour in conjunction with Edible Austin and Urban Roots. Click on the links to find out the details and get registered!

Now go outside, it's a BEAUTIFUL DAY, and ride your bike. Burn some calories instead of gasoline and have a wonderful week!

Love,
Maureen

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Cute Commute Calendar Availble for Purchase!

$15 ya'll.
Available locally: Mellow Johnny's (pick one up when you are at the swap meet on Sat!), Jack and Adams, Pure Austin, Whole Foods (?), Whole Earth Provisions (?), Progress Coffee.

Available online, free shipping: bikeaustin@gmail.com

Strong Austin Cyclists, including ME!

Support the future austin cycling web community. Buy the Cute Commute Calendar and tell your friends!

xoxo, Miss April

Oh Heavenly Day!


GOBAMA!

What a day! What a country! What a world!

"If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer." -President Elect, Barack Obama

From npr.com:
'"We have witnessed a nonviolent revolution, a revolution of ideas," Rep. John Lewis of Georgia told NPR. Lewis shared the stage with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. the day the civil rights leader delivered his "I Have a Dream Speech" and said he was thinking of King as Obama's strong showing became apparent.'



Change!
We have started making it, no time like the current to gather momentum, grab the baton, and carry on down the track. Our active role in this historic event is not over now that it is November 5th. We need to volunteer locally, stay educated on politics and proposed changes.
The apathetic, the repressed, those angry and fed up with the system, etc. made their voices heard yesterday. Didn't it feel good? I am FINALLY PROUD to say I am an American! I am proud of my neighbors like I have never been before! I want to run in the streets and hug everyone! I am going to start by opening up to my neighbors, those less fortunate or less educated than myself. I want to share my love and my strength with those who have lost their own. I want to help breathe new life into the moral fiber that holds our country together. I request every other American do the same!


"The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year, or even one term, but America — I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you: We as a people will get there.

There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as president, and we know that government can't solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And, above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it's been done in America for 221 years — block by block, brick by brick, callused hand by callused hand.

What began 21 months ago in the depths of winter must not end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek — it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you.

So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers. In this country, we rise or fall as one nation — as one people.

Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House — a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress." - President Elect, Barack Obama