A Good Deed Well Done.

Phelan - blogger of A Homesteading Neophyte - has reached her goal in donations. She can keep her house! The donation button has been removed, so please ignore my shameless begging below. :) I can't describe the feeling of community I have right now, and I can't imagine how Phelan is feeling! Perhaps this is the very reason I am so obsessed with local, organic farming. Yes, it's more nutritious; yes, it's more sustainable; but it also creates a feeling of closeness to your fellow beings. A desire to reach out and help, no matter how little you might be able to contribute. To paraphrase the Dalai Lama, "A drop is only a drop, but little by little we will fill the bucket." Or something like that. Give me a break, I can't find it online!! But you get the gist. ;)

Shamelessly Begging.

I am an internet wanderer; Stumble is my bestest friend. Clicking through websites and blogs, I can discover and learn all sorts of nifty stuff. Today, my habit led me to a new blog: A Homesteading Neophyte. And this Homesteader is in trouble. Don't get me wrong, I'm not usually one to give anonymous strangers money over the internet. Too risky, I say! Too likely to be a scam! Here's why I think everyone should pitch in here, though: Her readers suggested the tip jar, so she's not phishing. Her posts are useful, so it would be a terrible waste of intellectual resources if she had to discontinue her blog. And, finally, she's living the dream. Out on the farm, working with animals, harvesting vegetables. Who doesn't want to support that?

No, wait, I have one more: Times are tough. Everyone's suffering, and things are probably only going to get tougher from here. With the internet, we can support those that have a similar goal, a familiar dream, no matter where they live. Why not utilize that resource?

Okay, I'm done. :) Don't feel guilty if you can't contribute - that's the beauty of the internet. It's anonymous!

I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date!

Ahhh, I love Alice in Wonderland. It's so... unintentionally creepy. I'll always think of the PC game Alice whenever I remember this beloved children's story. But I digress.

Last week, I spent the weekend in Lawrence. So... I cheated on the Dark Days Challenge. :( I'm not proud of it, but boy was it tasty. (I'm also horribly late, which is where the rabbit reference entered.) You see, we have this wonderful little place on Vermont St. called Local Burger, and it's exactly what it sounds like: Delicious local meats and cheeses (the veggies are, of course, only local when in season). I had a beef burger from Baldwin City, Kansas, with goat-milk feta cheese from Harrisburg, Missouri, on top. Scrumptious!! I will always recommend this restaurant to visitors passing through Kansas. It's definitely one of the best burgers in Lawrence, possibly in the whole state. And you don't even have to feel guilty about enjoying a nice dinner out. :)

Basil-rific!

On a whim, I decided to plant some basil last week. I had been perusing the produce section of my grocery store when I happened upon living basil from right here in the Midwest! Grown in a little town just over the border (Kansas territory - if you ever visit this area, make sure to ask about the rivalry between the two states. It's the stuff of legend.), it is 100% local. It has the potential to be even more local, too, since I could plant it right here in my apartment! Hopefully it will, if not thrive, at least not die over the winter. With a little luck, I'll have fresh basil at my fingertips whenever I need it. It's doing well so far - the stems are stiff, the leaves aren't falling off, and it's still as green as ever. I'm taking it as a good sign that my plant will live. Please, pray for my poor little basil plant, that it may survive the short, cold months to come and see the spring sunlight! And if anyone has any suggestions, let me know - I'm new to gardening and it's quite possible that this experiment will end in Plant Manslaughter. (Plantslaughter? I should suggest it to my attorney friends.)