Just wanted to share with you all one of my friend’s work.  She does the most fun and creative hand-painted wood work.  You can see her products on her etsy site at: http://www.etsy.com/shop/urastarhouse

She does custom families, wedding cake toppers, decorative folk and more.  She lives, works and plays right here in Asheville.  It’s so wonderful to see artists being able to work from home, use their creative talents and enjoy life.  I strongly recommend supporting her and her growing business!

What has happened to our sense of community?  Our sense of neighbor helping neighbor?  For hundreds and thousands of years, that is how our societies worked.  And it worked well.  If our neighbor needed help harvesting their crops, the people in his/her community didn’t think twice about lending a hand.  Young and old turned out to pitch in.  If a barn needed raising, if someone was ill, if someone was in need, those closest to you came to your aid.  Why?  Because by helping your loved ones, by assisting your neighbors, you also helped yourself, you strengthened your community.

Over the past 50-100 years, that mindset has gone by the wayside.  It’s become all about looking out for number one.  It’s all about ME.  We’ve distanced ourselves, physically and emotionally from those around us, even our own families.  Where there used to be the family homestead, now families are spread so far and wide from each other that if they see each other once a year, it’s a miracle.  Sure, there is the internet, skype, text messaging, telephones, but that human, face to face touch is much too often pushed aside.  We don’t have time to sit down together and visit.  Instead we pop off a quick text message and feel like we’ve done our duty of keeping in touch.  There’s no more welcome wagon welcoming new people into our neighborhoods.  Someone new moves in next door and we barely greet them or introduce ourselves.  Don’t want to get too close.  We wouldn’t bother with asking to borrow a cup of sugar from the lady next door.  Just hop in the car and run to the store.  Much easier than walking a few steps over.  There’s something wrong with that picture.

We do not know what is going in the lives of our neighbors, and even more sadly, we barely know what is happening in the lives of our parents or siblings or children who live hundreds of miles away.  Oh, we talk to them now and then, but do we really know the whole story?  We don’t know who needs what.  And today, the question is, even if we did know that our family or neighbor needed some help with something, would we actually help them?  Or would that interfere with our lives too much and so we would simply ignore the need?

What worked for generation upon generation in the past could still work today if we would just get back to those basic things of caring for and about our community.  Of looking out for one another.  Of taking the time to ask our friends and family members what is really going on in their lives, actually listening to their answers and then responding.  Because the world has gotten so big and so immediate, we see this huge, massive picture of all the ills in the world, and I think sometimes we just give up and think  there is nothing we can do.  It’s too much.  But it’s not.  Not if we start at the home.  Start with the small circle.  Your family, your neighbors, your community.  As we start there and help them get stronger, then we all get stronger.  We feel empowered.  It starts with that first ripple in the pond and can then branch out from there.  We need to embrace those around us, lend a willing and helping hand, reach out to those in need.  Only then can our community grow and thrive.  One day, one person, one family at a time.  We must put the unity back in our lives and our communities.  We have to return to the basics.

A big welcome to our newest advertisers on our site: Tallgary’s College St Pub, Integrated Landscaping of Asheville, Reruns Consignment Store and Roots + Wings School of Art! Happy to have you here and part of our wonderful WNC community.

My office space in our house is not just buzzing as it is tax season and that is my other business, but now it is cheeping and peeping, too, with the sounds of Spring. Monday we got 15 baby chicks ( variety of breeds) and 2 ducklings (mallards)! Had to stop by Tractor Supply to get feed and waterers and they happened to have ducklings, and well, I just couldn’t resist. Then Meghan, Frankie and I drove out to Leicester to Double G Ranch to get our baby chicks. If you have never been out there, to the farm, that is, you really should go. What an incredibly place and Valerie and Lance are the best! They have goats, chickens, ducks, guinea hens, pigs and a beautiful setting for their farm. They are having farm days throughout the spring, summer, and fall so keep an eye on their website for those dates and take the time to go out and visit! They also sell their farm products at the West Asheville Farmer’s Market which will be opening at the end of April. We are so fortunate to live in an area that supports and promotes our local growers. Thank you to all our area farmers and bakers who share their wonders with us.

We let the ducklings swim around in our upstairs bathtub last night and they were so cute. The kids were absolutely entranced, watching the ducks’ little webbed feet take so naturally to the water, watching them swish their tails and dive beneath the water. Too much fun. Our chicken coop has now been completely cleaned out and reinforced. Of course, it will be several weeks before the babies can go outside to stay, but everything is ready for them.

HOLT INTRODUCES FARM TO SCHOOL BILL TO FIGHT CHILDHOOD OBESITY, SUPPORT
LOCAL FARMERS
(Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Rep. Rush Holt (NJ-12) has introduced legislation
that would create a Farm to School grant program to fight childhood obesity
and support local farmers. The Child Nutrition Act is up for reauthorization
this year, and Holt – a member of the House Committee on Education and Labor
- is working to improve how food is sourced for the 31 million children that
eat at school five days a week, 180 days a year.

“Farm to school programs exemplify the best use of federal school lunch
dollars,” Holt said. “This is a rare opportunity for a win-win solution- a
program to ensure our children get the best quality food at school, help
foster local farm job growth, and create local economic growth.”

Video of Holt talking about the legislation with school nutrition experts
can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bs52sHtZRkU.

The Farm to School Improvements Act (H.R. 4710) would establish a
competitive grant and technical assistance program to increase the use of
local foods from small and medium sized farms in schools. The grant funds
also would improve the relationships between schools and local food
providers. The legislation would provide $10 million in mandatory funding
each year for the duration of the program and require that grant recipients
provide a local match to ensure serious commitment to the project.

Farm to School programs have shown that locally and regionally produced food
can be provided efficiently from nearby producers if there is a good
distribution system.  The grants authorized by this legislation would
provide communities the seed money they need to develop robust,
economically-sustainable programs linking agricultural producers with
schools.

“This seed funding could not come at a better time as the interest and need
for Farm to School programs is at an all time high,” said Marion Kalb,
co-Director of the National Farm to School Network. “HR 4710 will create
competitive, one-time grants that can be used to develop vendor
relationships with nearby farmers, plan seasonal menus and promotional
materials, start a school garden, or develop hands-on nutrition education.”

Farm to School programs can:

*    Strengthen children’s and communities’ knowledge about, and
attitudes toward, agriculture, food, nutrition and the environment.
*    Increase children’s participation in the school meals program and
consumption of fruits and vegetables, improving childhood nutrition,
reducing hunger, and preventing obesity and obesity-related diseases.
*    Benefit school food budgets, after start-up, if planning and menu
choices are made consistent with seasonal availability of fresh and
minimally processed whole foods.
*    Support economic development across numerous sectors and promote job
creation.
*    Increase market opportunities for farmers, fishers, ranchers, food
processors and food manufacturers.
*    Decrease the distance between producers and consumers of fresh
agricultural products, thus promoting food security while reducing emissions
of greenhouse gases and reliance on oil.

“In these challenging fiscal times, every dollar we spend must not only meet
immediate needs but also make lasting improvements for the future,” Holt
added. “Because school food programs currently provide more than half the
daily calories for many children, it is vital that these calories are
healthy ones.  Farm to school programs increase the availability of fresh
and locally grown food that improve our children’s daily nutrition and can
lead to permanent improvements in their diets and productivity and can
reduce future health care costs associated with obesity by billions of
dollars.”

We need to be conscious this time of year of how deeply commercialization of this season has prevaded our society and we need to try to steer away from some of it and make the holidays more of what they should be. A time for being together, for sharing and for loving. And that does not have to mean breaking the bank or hurting our planet. Here are some ideas that I hope help us all.

Keep it simple. One thoughtful gift means much more than a pile of wrapped packages of unwanted gifts. Draw names or share the cost of a gift with a relative or friend.

Make your own gifts: knit, sew, paint, crochet, bake or make recycled art.

Look for gifts that are: durable; not overly packaged; reusable; energy efficient; recyclable; and not made from tropical woos like teak, rosewood or mahogany.

Look for gifts that are made of natural components, like sustainable harvested woods, natural fiber, or glass.

When choosing toys for children, choose items that won’t impact their health.

Purchase gifts from local vendors or that were locally made.

Give a membership or donate in the name of friend to an organization they feel strongly about.

Give a gift certificate of your time for babysitting, housecleaning, meal preparation, pet sitting.

Help someone start a garden. Give them seed and tools. Help plant, weed and water.

Plant a tree in someone’s name.

Create a recipe book from your favorite collection.

Create a photo book or make a calendar for the coming year using your own photos.

For Children

Box of dress up clothes

Makings for hand puppets

Homemade bird feeder kit.

Teach a child knitting or some other favorite craft of yours. (This will last a lifetime!)

Write and illustrate a story with the child as the main character.

Create a photo album of the year with photos of the child doing fun things.

1. Turn off lights, computers, printers, monitors and other electronic devices, unplugging them from the wall when leaving your office or home for the holiday.

2. To reduce waste, only buy what you need or expect to consume, especially foods for snacks or meals.

3. When shopping, choose products that do not have unnecessary or complicated mixed material packaging which can make recycling difficult.

4. Use decorations that can be reused or go for the natural look with popcorn, pine cones, evergreen branches, holly and leftover ribbons.

5. For your lighting needs, try LED lighting. LED lamps are rated for 50,000 hours of use or more while standard incandescent lights typically only last for 2,000 hours.

6. When choosing your Christmas tree, why not go for a potted tree that can then be planted outside after the holidays? If you can’t do this, remember to recycle your tree after Christmas.

7. Reuse or make your own wrapping paper from newspapers, fabric scraps, magazines, reusable tins or paper bags. Try making gift tags from old Christmas cards. Save boxes, tissue and paper for other special ocassions throughout the year.

8. As you share the holidays with family and friends, be sure to use a digital camera for those special moments, and send the photos you love by email.

9. Instead of sending out paper holiday newsletters or greeting cards, send electronic ecards. If mailing is your only option, use 100% recycled greeting cards.

10. Buy local: The ingredients for the average U.S. meal have traveled 1,200 miles by the time they reach the plate. All of this travel requires petroleum for transport and for refrigeration. Buying locally grown food is better for the environment, and it usually tastes much better too. Choosing food that isn’t flown in from a tropical climate also saves energy and has a lower impact on climate change. When you shop at farmers’ markets, you directly support small family farmers, and choosing organic food reduces the use of toxic pesticides.

There is another new restaurant in Asheville that you must check out! It’s Old Fairview Southern Kitchen and WOW! They really know how to do southern comfort food with a flair. We went there last night, all 13 of us! Joe, myself, the kids, Joe’s mother, sisters and brother, and my mother. The staff was warm and welcoming; the atmosphere was cozy and quaint; the live music was fantastic; and the food was absolutely delicious! Fried green tomatoes, fritters, homemade cheddar chiptole biscuits, chicken and dumplings, venison meatloaf, and much more. All cooked to perfection and served with a bright smile. They are open Monday-Saturday for lunch and dinner and have live music almost every night. Located at 831 Old Fairview Rd., just on the other side of Home Depot. They have our rave reviews, from our whole family!

I don’t know about you, but this excites me no end! Yep, they’ve caught my taste buds, hook, line and sinker!

The cafe is now open for dinner on Fridays and Saturdays from 3-8pm. The evening menu includes Caribbean spice chicken, grilled flank steak au poivre, shepherd’s pie, and fish and chips. Prices range from $8.50-$15.50.

1185 Charlotte Hwy, next to the Eblen Short Stop on 74A.

On Sunday, we headed out to Edneyville to pick apples at our favorite apple pickin’ place, Justus Orchards. We just love the setting, the atmosphere and the warm welcome we always receive from the owners.

Although hail damage was evident from the severe thunderstorm we had the week before, there were more than enough beautiful apples to be picked. And pick we did; three bushels full of those glorious, sweet orbs. We always pick a large variety, as I like to mix the different types together in my asundry apple concoctions. Adds more flavor, in my opinion.

And so, the apple madness has begun at our dining room table and in our kitchen. For the past three days, and probably for the next four days, apples have been being peeled, sliced and canned, in one form or another. We have done, at this writing, two batches of crockpot apple butter, two batches of stove top applesauce, a batch of ‘apple pie filling in a jar’, and right now, there is a batch of applesauce slow cooking in the crockpot. And, we’ve only worked through half of the apples. Oh, but I tell you, the smell of apples simmering away, mixed with cinnamon and nutmeg; there’s not much that can top that heavenly, autumal aroma!

Joe and I were just sitting on the front porch, in our respective rocking chairs, discussing our lack of storage for all these jars. With all the apples being put up, as well as all the jars of peaches, pickles and grape juice we’ve done over the summer, we need more space. So, Joe is going to build a special canning shelf for the corner of the dining room. Yippee!