At 7:30 this morning, our power went out. It’s amazing how quiet it gets when there’s no electricity… I sometimes wonder what that constant hum is doing to us. Anyway, I was a little nervous because we’re having company today and I had a little cooking and baking to do. I calmed myself by realizing that we have plenty of alcohol, if the power stays off we could just sit by the fire and drink. Hahaha.
And before I even had a mimosa, I was picturing us and all the neighbors (who were also without power) gathered in the street, holding hands and singing, just like in Whoville. I’m not even kidding… that thought came before alcohol. I mean, I’d just woken up, what do you take me for?
Please excuse me, I must go watch Elf now. Hope you have a happy day!
The other day, I wrote a post about A Day Without a Bag, the Heal the Bay-sponsored event in Los Angeles taking place on Thursday, December 18th. In support of the idea, I suggested we participate from afar. (Plus I have some readers in Los Angeles.)
Looks like it’s going to be easy here in Corvallis/Albany… I don’t know about you guys, but I’m pretty much going to work and going straight home every day that we have ice on the road. However, there might be a stop at the grocery store on the way home or something, so I’ll have my reusable bags in the car.
Here’s another idea for reducing plastic bag waste that goes into landfills… do you get your newspaper in a plastic bag? Did you know you could return those for re-use? If you get a paper from the GT or the DH, your newspaper carrier is an independent contractor who is responsible for purchasing their own supplies. You can leave a note for your carrier, or speak to them if you see them, and see if they will take the bags back for re-use, thus cutting down on their expense. Many people save them up and leave a stash for the carrier every once in a while. The other option is to bring them to the GT office in Corvallis, where they will be offered to carriers who want to take them. (I am not sure if the DH will accept the bags in the office, but you could check with them.)
Remember to leave a comment tomorrow if you participate by not using a bag. I’ll be giving away two cotton market bags!
Heal the Bay down in Los Angeles county is coordinating their second annual Day Without a Bag event on December 18th. The event itself is only for LA county, but I decided to pilfer the idea and let you all know about it too. Can you go one full day without using a disposable bag? I’m sure many people have canvas bags or totes or other means of carrying purchases. I know I do. I leave them at home all the time, or in the car, despite my best intentions.
There are so many good reasons to reduce our use of plastic. But here’s one very graphic reason I can give you:
This is a sea lion in Newport, Oregon and that’s a plastic bag stuck around its neck. Tissue and muscle (I think?) have now grown around the bag and there is no way for it to be removed without causing more damage or death.
This photo was taken some time ago. I know the sea lion was being monitored when I took the photo (there was a sign on the dock), but I don’t know what’s happened to him since then.
So, December 18th… who’s in? I’m going to put up a post on the 18th inviting comments… tell me how you participated, and you’ll be entered in a drawing for a hand-made, cotton market bag. I have two made right now, and if I can get a few more done between now and the end of the year, I’ll give those up, too.
Here’s one of the bags I have made. The other one is purple.
Only people who are NOT in the LA area are eligible, please. You guys already have a neat event and a whole mess of places to pick up a free bag. But your comments are welcome, of course!
For the last three days, I thought our ISP web host had totally killed our site. Some migration failure on their part & they were none too quick with a response, either.
Good times.
I was looking through Jeff’s photos today because I needed an underwater shot for a work-related blog. I was struck by this image and asked him if I could post it here. He said he fell in love with shooting in black and white on this particular trip to Mexico, and this shot right here… this one inspires me.
See more of Jeff’s work at 130Down Photography, and check out his blog (about diving and motorcycles).
Several weeks ago we headed up to Portland for a weekend. I’d gotten tickets to see David Sedaris at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, and since it had been a while since Mr. Wolf had gotten solid time away from work, we decided to make it a nice long weekend away from home.
We stayed at the Hotel deLuxe which is just outside of downtown and close to everything — we could either walk or take public transportation everywhere, so we parked the car and didn’t move it all weekend. The hotel itself was gorgeous (Mama Wolf would love it — it’s decorated in an “old Hollywood” style), the staff was friendly, and this was our view, looking towards downtown:
I would definitely stay there again.
A reader, April, left a comment on my recent post (Trying to) Buy Local. I started to reply in the comments section, but then decided it was a really good springboard for discussion. April writes:
I like Fake Plastic Fish’ take on what local means and that sometimes it’s not about geography at all. Sigh. I get a real kick out of seeing the “Buy Local!†campaign that is being printed in the GT. The Corvallis newspaper is owned by a conglomeration based in the Midwest that is in turn owned by a bunch of banks headed by the Deutsche Bank. Yup… our “local†paper is owned by the Germans! Gotta love it. Nothing wrong with the “buy local†message but it takes some real thought and soul-searching to discover what it really means to you as an individual. The GT appears to be brandishing the slogan as something politically correct to print to make their advertisers happy. Sigh.
Thank you for commenting, April! Before I respond, I should probably disclose that my husband works for the GT (not in advertising though), and so maybe it will sound like I’m defending them. I might be, a little, but I also do think quite a lot about these kinds of issues. I worked for a large daily newspaper in California for several years and it’s a funny industry… it kind of stays with you, even when your career takes you elsewhere.
I see a couple of topics that could be addressed here. One is the newspaper’s role in our community along with its message of “buy local”, and the other is what “local” means, which goes beyond the newspaper itself and is, as April rightly points out, something that individuals have to define for themselves.
I agree that it can be — at times — difficult to distinguish a sincere “buy local” message from one that feels like pandering to advertisers and readers. On the other hand, I think the GT truly wants to give their readers the info we’re asking for, and there’s no doubt that there is increased interest in buying local across a spectrum of goods and services. We need a middle ground so that it doesn’t seem to be a joke or just the latest bandwagon that will be abandoned for the next batch of buzzwords. I believe there are, at least, individuals at the GT who are sincere in this message.
I don’t see the ownership of the GT by Lee Enterprises to be problematic. The paper has been produced here since the early 1900s, growing out of a combination of two papers that go back even further than that. The GT operates here in town, is printed next door in Albany, and provides jobs & contracts to members of the community here in the mid-valley.
There are several, dare I say most, local merchants who we could point to and say they aren’t strictly “local” in terms of the goods they sell. Red Horse Coffee — one of our favorite places — sources their coffee from a company in Washington which, in turn, sources coffee from all around the world (of course). But Robin and John at Red Horse are our neighbors in the community, and so are the people running the daily operations at the GT, DH and LE.
A larger corporation behind a newspaper is pretty common — I’m not sure how many independent newspapers are still in existence today, but I wouldn’t guess the number to be very high.
So, I’m interested… any readers out there want to comment and step through some of your thought processes when you’re looking to “buy local”? And what do you think of the GT’s advertising campaign?
When do I have to concede that it’s officially winter? I don’t want to. *sulks*
Clouds over a graveyard in Philomath (re-run photo from the blog’s prior life)
Okay, so, in my last entry, I ranted a little about the hours that some Corvallis (and Albany) merchants keep, and how they’re not terribly convenient for those of us with full time jobs. Judging from the comments and e-mails I got, I am not alone in these feelings.
That post got linked over at [...]
Okay, so, in my last entry, I ranted a little about the hours that some Corvallis (and Albany) merchants keep, and how they’re not terribly convenient for those of us with full time jobs. Judging from the comments and e-mails I got, I am not alone in these feelings.
That post got linked over at the GT’s Green City blog with invitations for response. I think my frustration with the local merchants got a little convoluted — partly my fault due to the comment I left over there, but the comment about “no local strawberries in December” threw me a bit. I don’t want local strawberries in December… and I think good food is one of the easier things to source locally around here, actually. I did appreciate the feedback, though, especially the comment from Christa, who reminded me that garden centers can be a great location to find gifts.
Anyway, instead of a complaint and nothing more, I decided to start a list of merchants around the valley who are open past 6pm during the week. I’ll try to focus on non-chain shops. It’ll have to be a work in progress because not everyone has a website and that means phone calls and blaaaaah. Eventually, I’ll move the list to a page of its own.
Here’s a start, off the top of my head:
The Book Bin — open until 9pm Monday-Thursday, 10pm on Friday
Grass Roots Books & Music — only open until 6pm Monday-Thursday, but open until 7pm on Friday
Peak Sports — only open until 6pm Monday-Thursday, but open until 8pm on Friday (visit the site for extended holiday shopping hours)
Animal Crackers Pet Supply — open until 7pm Monday-Friday
WineStyles — open until 8pm Monday-Thursday, 9:30pm on Friday
Tom’s Garden Center — during the dates of November 16-December 25th, open until 7pm
Well, that’s all I can find for now… a lot of places don’t have websites, and those that do aren’t open any later than 6pm during the week. If anyone knows of a place I can add to this, leave a comment!
Editing 11/25: How could I have forgotten the local yarn shop? Shame on me. Fiber Nooks & Crannys is open until 8pm on Thursdays. Except on Thanksgiving, natch.
Craftgawker
Etsy Mini
