We've made it for 7 months!

and it's almost Christmas!  And the holidays in Medusa are looking lovely!  So much to tell you about!

First, it can't wait till the end, so here goes: we're going to have a winter carnival!  We aren't quite sure what one does during these things, so I'm taking suggestions - so far, we are totally interested in snowman building and ice sculptures, as well as crafts and amazing food.  If the weather cooperates, we'd like to have some sledding, and we're trying to get permission (thanks, Mark O.!) to use the Medusa pavilion for skating.  We'd love some help, too, so if any of you are interested in volunteering, or have suggestions for activities, send them on!  We're thinking a weekend in February - one that doesn't run against the Groundhog Day Festival that the Preserve holds.

If you know me, you know a bit about my politics.  And if you follow the news, you've probably noticed that climate change has vanished from headlines, despite the fact that 2010 is shaping up to be another warmest year since we've started keeping records.  So we are going to investigate what this means for the Hilltowns with a Climate Change Conference in 2012, providing a place and time for some discourse among local leaders, scientists and the general public.  Plans are only just shaping up now, but please drop in and chat it you are interested - I'll keep you updated here as plans transpire.

I've sent out some email blasts about bulk ordering specials and there are some more coming for January - but just to clear up a few tangles: my email address is aroggio@nycap.rr.com.  Send all of your requests there, or see me in person.  Once I get your email, I will send out a confirmation email to verify I received your order.  Also, note the pack size - lots of these items coming in packs of 4 or 6 or more, and the price reflects that. You are paying for four 11lb bags of rice, for example, if I list the pack size as 4/11lb.

Along those lines, you should know that we are considering direct shipmemt of some of our biggest selling items.  Although I love UNFI, the reality is that the large supermarkets are getting better prices than us by direct shipping - by acting as their own distributors.  I'm not sure how much, if any, of our products we can do this with, but I am interested in getting better prices for everything, so we're going to give it a try,  As always, if there's something you want me to look into, give me a yell - I'll see what I can do.

We're preparing for a bit of a transition, as our liquor license is finally proceeding, hopefully without any more hitches.  We are expanding our retail space a bit, to make room for beer and wine, and plan to shift around some shelving as well, to make room for more tables.  We are also planning to offer more personal care products and supplements, which is why you might notice more of that temporarily stacked precariously up on shelves, in our typically orderly way.  We've been trying out some 3-in-1 shampoo and body washes, as well as several more lotions and oils.  We have a few lines of vitamins we are considering carrying - Rainbow Light is on my short list because I have sme experience with them - as well as some medicinal and herbal remedies.

We have a lot in stock for the holidays, so let me save you the trip into Greenville or Albany!  We've got everything from ravioli and frozen dinners to a full freezer filled with Morning Fog Farm pork and beef cuts, wild caught salmon and Free Bird chicken.  Lots of ice cream, including the 1/2 gallons of Perry's, by popular request.  We've got Pamela's cheescakes in the freezer, as well as lots of Dancing Deer cookies and brownies.  Lots of fresh stuff coming in on Friday, but currently we have green leaf lettuce, mushrooms avocados, onions and garlic, apples and bananas.  Tons of tomatoes, and green peppers and oranges in on Friday.  Lots of yams in the cooler, as well as a nice selection of nuts and cheeses, including herbed goat cheese and brie.

***  New Update  ***  The amazing Josh, from Albert's Organics, has totally hooked us up - in addition to our usual Hunan Dumplings from MacroVegetarian, we've got Peking Duck scheduled for delivery on Friday!!  Even more incredibly, he got us an amazing price on pineapples and mangoes and oranges - so prepare yourself for Medusa Fruit Cups!  Can you tell it's Christmas in New York??

In other news, we are fully stocked up on all grocery items, from stuffing mixes to potato chips.  And we're ordering more Angie's kettle corn, as well as Miguel's, for all of my gluten-free friends.  Don't forget, too, that we have Immaculate Bakery's gluten-free cookie batter in, too - so someone needs to try it and review it for us!

For the holidays, we still have a few spiral hams left, as well as 1 conventionally raised turkey and 1 organic turkey.  Call me quick if you want one of those!  Jason's become the local diva of gift baskets, which are looking amazingly lovely - chocolate, as well as our own local basket, which Kate Henderson's candles and knits, Lulu's fudge and maple syrup and honey, and an assortment of Wild Thymes products.  We're also catering!  Lots of cookie platters available, or ask for our full catering menu, and we'll supply platters for holidays parties!

We've all been a bit under the weather, and so have a lot of you, so let's hope now that we've passed the winter solstice and the days start to get longer, we'll all be looking forward to a happy and healthy New Year, absent any more colds!  And, yeah, you bet I'm hoping for a Christmas weekend Nor'easter!