tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60839875833393188752024-03-12T16:20:42.272-07:00Medusa General Storea country store, a place to beAprilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09249641915870855401noreply@blogger.comBlogger84125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083987583339318875.post-42392590366662305422015-02-27T20:47:00.000-08:002015-02-28T06:48:35.142-08:00Embarking on new adventures<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz6SMRyC3hRKCAACEKBxSp8EeSY9e96oA-LgUfhbHPrk2E0JDBFc8DiMFjgWEjd8SF4KHjW_oHlU56bIpnqnbeec3SME2ZH4yonlXxux5FTt3oqnlocqGkpkVMLfpEnuqFSwXVZSg_Yec/s1600/281772_10150243268546260_180294616259_7666973_4060608_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz6SMRyC3hRKCAACEKBxSp8EeSY9e96oA-LgUfhbHPrk2E0JDBFc8DiMFjgWEjd8SF4KHjW_oHlU56bIpnqnbeec3SME2ZH4yonlXxux5FTt3oqnlocqGkpkVMLfpEnuqFSwXVZSg_Yec/s1600/281772_10150243268546260_180294616259_7666973_4060608_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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The open road... We are yearning to get away for a bit. It's so cold and so hard to see the spring from my window next to the woodstove. The only newness I smell is the sleeping baby bundled up in her sling.<br />
<br />
So it seems like the perfect time to hit the road. But we have a little something more than a vacation in mind.<br />
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We want to come back with stories.<br />
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Not just beach stories - we aren't very good tourists, really. (Tourism and large families just doesn't work.) We are heading out to uncover America. We want answers - we want to find out if there are other places, other communities, with firehouses and churches and cool little nature preserves, who have made strides in their struggle to become more resilient. We want to know if rural places just like us can tackle the big problems - like climate change and inequality and dismal economic conditions. While I know there isn't a magic bullet, I am still hopeful that bright, engaged people are making a difference. somewhere<br />
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I want to find those places.<br />
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So we are sending letters out - we wrote to Bill McKibben today, and he wrote back! - to find out if we can raise money and find those places. Then we are going to talk to those people and write about them and bring you back the stories. And take pictures. Hans says we must take lots of pictures. (It would be so much easier for him to just come along and take the pictures, but 6 kids AND a large dog in an RV... well, we just might need to lease the Tardis instead.)<br />
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And then we are going to learn from those places. And make things happen.<br />
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And so here's the kicker. We don't have much money, so we are asking for a little help from friends and fellow travelers (excuse the pun) to help us eat and buy gas. We'll be forging ahead with our 1976 RV, six kids (and maybe a few extras), a big tent and our sleeping bags.<br />
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We have a campaign set up at <a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/determined-to-thrive-a-pilgrimage-to-find-america/x/6898573" target="_blank">Indiegogo</a>, and a Facebook <a href="https://www.facebook.com/determinedtothrive" target="_blank">page</a>. Planning to get a more permanent home on the web soon, too.<br />
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You never know, maybe we'll get back and find that the next best thing would be to open up a general store in Medusa. You just never know.<br />
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Stay well, friends, and I hope our paths cross again soon.<br />
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April</div>
Aprilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09249641915870855401noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083987583339318875.post-3174514054398332742015-01-08T10:22:00.000-08:002015-01-08T10:22:54.529-08:00Clearing the air...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So we closed. As of Dec 31st, we are longer operating the store. I was originally going to just post a note on Facebook, and be done. But I decided, after having some time to breathe, that a blog entry might clear up a few misunderstandings.<br />
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1. We are closing because running a store in our region is a lost cause.<br />
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Wrong. Our store supported a family of 5, and then 7 and 8, for years. It covered many mortgages and debt. Can someone else also do it? Yup. You won't make a ton of money - who, these days, is? - but it will be satisfying and successful.<br />
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We have always said that we had no intention of running the store forever. We had few employees capable of handling the day-to-day operations, which left one of us there, 12 hours or more a day. It meant that Jason literally worked 7 days a week, with a handful of postal holidays off, for years. That's too much.<br />
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Smarter folks might do it differently. Might do it better. Someone on my Facebook page wrote that we "weren't worthy to own the store". But we believed we were responding to a need, and to some degree, we were right.<br />
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2. We are closing because there aren't enough customers.<br />
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It is slower in the winter. I have tried to gently prepare you all for winters for years now - and by preparation, I mean that constant reminder that if you stop shopping here in the winter, we cannot survive. Mostly, folks remembered. But run the numbers - if the folks that live in the surrounding townships were to spend even $20 here every week, instead of Walmart or Stewart's or Hannaford, or Trader Joe's or Honest Weight, you wouldn't hear from me, and your store would thrive throughout the year.<br />
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I have lots of folks come in to remind me that the store was really incredible when Ernie and Ruth Bell ran it - how they remember their family coming here for their groceries once a week. Yet they can't buy more than a pack of cigarettes now. Or regaling me with near-mythical stories of the products that the Bells stacked in here, from floor to ceiling. They forget that we nearly doubled the size of the store. We might not sell glass or tires, but we offered a lot more fresh food than he ever did. And let's be honest, you wouldn't buy tires from me anyway.<br />
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3. We are closing because April (or Jason) pissed off too many customers.<br />
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I have no idea how to respond to this one. We have opinions - wallflowers wouldn't have reopened the store.<br />
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But it also never seems to occur to anyone that we are held to a much higher standard than a cashier at a big anonymous grocery store. We are somehow expected to offer you everything you want, for bargain basement prices, soothe your ego when today's paper offends you, solve your latest health crisis, all while carefully staying on the right side of your politics. And then you should be able to drift back to your life, anonymously. We cannot, always and flawlessly, live up to those expectations.<br />
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4. We are closing because we offer the wrong kind of products.<br />
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This is a favorite of mine. If only we offered product x instead, you would shop here instead. If only the water was priced 10 cents cheaper or we offered brand x instead of brand y, you would shop here. Take a walk in our shoes, just for a few minutes - how could we possibly satisfy everyone's cravings?<br />
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A corollary of this is the nasty messages I have gotten, accusing us of "forgetting" the locals, and that's why we are "being forced to close". Stunning, when you think about it. Often, in the same message is the accusation that I am somehow trying to force you all to eat organic food. Jason and I sold beer, loose tobacco, cigarettes, and gasoline. We ran a Boar's Head deli and sold Freihofer bread. All of these are were the results of direct requests.<br />
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Do you know what else "locals" wanted? Organic and gluten-free breads, fresh vegetables, Bob's Red Mill and organic pasta. They wanted junk food and sweets and Heather Ridge Farm chicken. And even though you would get angry because we were out of hotdog rolls occasionally, I stocked all of those things for you, local or not.<br />
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The problem was a simple one, and I have pointed it out to near-delirium: if you don't make a concerted effort to shop in Medusa regularly, whether or not we necessarily have this week's cheapest grapefruit or your flavor of potato chip, you risk us leaving, and then your choices are forever limited. Shopping local is, from this perspective, purely pragmatic. If you don't want to have to drive all the way to Greenville for gas, or just needed an ice cream sandwich, or really wanted to make a healthy dinner without driving all the way to Albany for the ingredients, then you had to make the effort to keep the store running. Too many of you chose Walmart and Honest Weight for us to want to continue.<br />
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We will forever be grateful for this experience - it was an amazing ride. This isn't goodbye - we love the hill towns and will continue to be involved. But it is the end of the Medusa General Store, at least for now.</div>
Aprilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09249641915870855401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083987583339318875.post-40971358871485656222014-08-22T15:05:00.002-07:002014-08-22T15:05:13.204-07:00What it's like...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Have you ever wondered what it's like to run a store like ours?<br />
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I mean, it's probably pretty easy to figure out the potential shortcomings - there's the long hours. You are, as one customer put it today, married to your business. But I have to think that the Lewis family probably feels that way about running a dairy farm, too.<br />
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You also aren't going to become a millionaire running the place. Sometimes, it can be a whole lot worse than that, too. Sometimes the electric bill will keep you up at night. But that can happen even without a store full of expensive coolers.<br />
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And there's the fact that you can never make everyone happy, all of the time. Sometimes I feel like I can't make some of you happy, any of the time. As I mentioned on Facebook, a recent email blast bought me a good bit of hate mail a few weeks back. And some of the remarks in there could make your hair curl. But I'm pretty tough - and you'd be, too.<br />
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But, like a lot in life, the value of running an operation like this hidden and immeasurable.<br />
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I have never known so many people - and had so many people interested in my well-being - ever, in my whole life. It really takes your breathe away.<br />
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We have never been in a position to serve others in the way that we do now. Yup, we sell you stuff. Sometimes it's stuff that we'd rather not sell you. I'd rather not sell gas, for example, but we are back in the gas business, because so many of you need it, and you would rather get it from us. Frankly, I'd rather not sell you cigarettes and tobacco, either.<br />
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But there is so much more in that interaction than selling you stuff.<br />
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I hear how you are feeling. I hear about your grandchildren going off to college. I know about what happened to your son's wife, and if your friend made it through surgery. I hear about birthdays and weddings and births and deaths. For just a few minutes you share you.<br />
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And it makes us better people. Better listeners. Better friends. I know that sounds corny and a little ridiculous. But it is the truth. I get to listen, without judgment, and hear about so many of your lives. It is an honor.<br />
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And that is mostly what it's like to run the store. </div>
Aprilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09249641915870855401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083987583339318875.post-89405752587865986772014-06-06T14:36:00.000-07:002014-06-06T14:36:31.291-07:00About the gas...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So here's the thing...<br />
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We don't have gasoline available right now for a lot of reasons. And I thought perhaps one blog post might get you all up to speed.<br />
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First, it was a slow spring. Let's be honest, the economy isn't great - we are all doing what we can to get by. And when you get a long, cold winter, and a slow start to the summer, it is hard on us all. So we have taken a brief pause from offering gasoline to catch up on bills with our gas company.<br />
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Second, now that I have your attention, I need for folks to realize the economy of gasoline. Regardless of your politics, gasoline is a hard commodity. (And please don't email me and tell me who's responsible; I don't care.) We sell gas because so many of you want it, and have expressed to us how important it is that we have gasoline available for you in the village. But there is an unspoken agreement that you can't just use us for gasoline, especially now that John Ray and Sons keeps us within pennies of other area stores.<br />
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Why?<br />
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Because we don't make much money - pennies, really - on a gallon of gas. So when you drop by to fill up and refuse to buy anything else in the store, well, that means we are really just a public service. And while we do enjoy serving our community, gasoline doesn't keep the doors open, and it doesn't feed our kids.<br />
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Bottom line: if you want gas, you need to buy groceries. Some of you will bristle and be mad at me. Some of you will be put out and never come back. But that is the reality of the situation: we choose to offer you the best possible price on everything that we can, and that means your responsibility is to choose us (sometimes, not always and not for everything) above Price Chopper and Hannaford and Honest Weight and Trader Joe's and all of the other big groceries that are many miles away. It's really very simple.<br />
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And listen, as many of you know, we also have rather special gas. In addition to the regular unleaded, we have been carrying ethanol-free gas, which is a superior product for small engines. We do try pretty hard to get you the products you want.<br />
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So there you have it. We're not holding out on you on purpose: as soon as we catch up on as bills, we will put gas back here. But I can't promise it will always be here - it is totally up to you. When you tell your friends how cool it is that we have ethanol-free gas, remind them that we also have amazing organic bananas and make a mean deli sandwich. Because buying a few groceries makes all the difference.<br />
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Thanks, as always,<br />
April</div>
Aprilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09249641915870855401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083987583339318875.post-79903436978051884182014-05-01T12:55:00.000-07:002014-05-01T12:58:30.073-07:002 Days till MedusaFest 2014!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Fantastic things afoot!<br />
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Medusafest 2014, as you know, is this Saturday, and we have an amazing lineup of speakers, musicians, and vendors for you!<br />
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I wanted to give you a sneak peak at some of the cool folks that will be joining us!</div>
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* Loretta Pyles is one of our favorite people *and* an amazing yogi. She will be offering a yoga class on the front lawn of the church from 11:30 - 12<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Learn some deep breathing, stretching and strengthening that will help you manage stress and have more peace and vitality in your life. All levels are welcome. Wear loose comfortable clothing. No yoga mat required. </span></span>She'll have information about her classes, and lots of wisdom about yoga and meditation in general available!<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">* Susanna Raeven, from <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Raven Crest Botanicals, will be offering a</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">rtisan skin care products, herbal remedies and delicious herbal tea blends - hand crafted and locally grown with organic methods at Raven Crest Farm in Berne, NY. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">* </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Deb Consolver will be having a</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> Spring Inventory Reduction Sale that day. All Tupperware will be discounted 20%-50% . </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">* Our friends from Naturelogues will also be there! </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Naturelogues will be selling framed and matted nature photography as well as note cards. They will also have information available about their natural history presentations. (We join them at Huyck Preserve events and they are amazing!)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">* Medusa's own Kerry Keeny will be offering henna tattooing - and she is an incredible henna artist!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">* </span><span style="color: #222222;">Mountain</span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Winds Farm's Randy Grippin will be in </span>attendance<span style="font-family: inherit;">, selling his famous hilltown m</span></span></span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; line-height: 15.359999656677246px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">aple syrup, maple goodies, eggs and chicken!</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823;"><span style="line-height: 15.359999656677246px;">And many more!! I am inserting a </span><span style="line-height: 15.359999656677246px;">tentative</span><span style="line-height: 15.359999656677246px;"> schedule below - there are also kid's games available on the field behind the firehouse, and the huge church rummage sale going on all day!</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Festival Schedule</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Gates open at 9am.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Small Business fair: 9am - 4pm</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Firehouse kitchen and barbecue: 11am - 4pm, serving hotdogs, hamburgers, salads and the chicken barbecue</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Art Lab: staffed from 10am - 2pm</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Talks</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">* 11am, Robert Nied: Center for Rural Sustainable Communities</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">* 12:30pm, Bill Logan: Local author, and focus of the documentary, Dirt!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Music</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">* 12pm: Medusa Moonshine</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">* 1:15pm: Peckham Hollow</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">* 2:30pm: Ron Torven Band (who will be playing on our porch from 11am on, too)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">* 3:45pm: Bill Pfleging and band</span></div>
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Aprilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09249641915870855401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083987583339318875.post-17511041844820077292014-04-09T15:47:00.001-07:002014-04-09T15:47:47.889-07:00Last independent standing?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Recently, the Altamont Enterprise published a piece on the state of economic vitality in the Hilltowns. We weren't surprised by the topic - Marcello has appeared at Sustainable Hilltowns meetings, and generously suggested he join me at the store for a further conversation. I think I must not have been at my most inspiring...<br />
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Some of my customers thought the article was a bit dark, but I thought it wasn't inaccurate, just hit a bit close to home for a lot of us. (Incidentally, a thank you to Rich Ronconi, who responded a particularly inane letter in the Enterprise, essentially suggesting that the time for general stores has come and gone.)<br />
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It's been a long, cold winter. And we are ready for spring. I responded to the Altamont Enterprise article, and Sustainable Hilltowns will be meeting again on Friday. I thought I'd use this forum to attempt to provoke a few of you into a greater discussion, though.<br />
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This bit, from Marcello's article, really annoyed me:<br />
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"<span style="background-color: white; color: #2b2b2b; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Rocco Ferraro, executive director for the Capital District Regional Planning Commission, said how much of a bargain a customer perceives is at least as important as customer service.</span><br />
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“Is there a critical mass of activity that will serve that area as a destination, not only for the local consumer but for a broader market reach, to enhance their chance of survival?” Ferraro asked rhetorically of rural communities.</div>
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The planning commission is a co-operative board among Albany, Schenectady, Saratoga, and Rensselaer counties that analyzes data and develops regional policy recommendations.</div>
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With rural populations flat or declining, Ferraro said, rural businesses are challenged. The Hilltowns each have populations projected by the commission to increase by less than 200 people by 2050. Rensselaerville is projected to gain just 17 people. Populations in the Hilltowns range from 1,843 in Rensselaerville to about 3,361 in Westerlo."</div>
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First of all, I haven't the slightest clue that that initial question even means. Second, isn't this the agency that ought to be trying to answer questions, not just ask them rhetorically? Seriously, I hope the Enterprise was as stunned by this profound inability to provide insight as I was.<br />
<br />
I think we are trying to find answers. Really, I do. I think Medusa is continually filled with folks who ask some really hard questions - how do we encourage more farming? Should we facilitate the entry of more young farmers, or should we work on the infrastructure and hope providing the right environment will attract them? How do we convince more folks to shop local? Will small communities like ours stick around in a worse economic downturn - should they? And if we think they should, what sorts of community resilience measures should we be putting in to place to help them weather future economic storms?<br />
<br />
Community is what we make it - and even though the Enterprise does point out correctly that there are fewer and fewer of we independents around - you always have the choice to make it better.</div>
</div>
Aprilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09249641915870855401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083987583339318875.post-41261729933539692192014-02-19T15:25:00.000-08:002014-02-19T15:25:22.618-08:00What's trending in Medusa?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I couldn't resist. Sentences that begin with "What's trending..." have annoyed me for several months now, and I have, of late, adopted the if-you-can't-beat-'em-join-'em strategy.<br />
<br />
So here's what's predicted to become unspeakably popular in Medusa over the next few months.<br />
<br />
First, we are following this <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david%20brown/small-business-gets-serio_b_4639875.html" target="_blank">article</a> to the letter. We will be boosting our digital presence. No, I still don't have a conventional website. But, I will continue to bother you ceaselessly on Facebook and here, and through email blasts. Because I am not one of those mom and pop's being left behind while the waves of digital masters overtake us. No way. Not us. <br />
<br />
Also, apparently even though I constantly whine about when people will "get it", by which I mean shopping local and voting with their dollar, and embracing community and all that stuff, you actually *are* doing it. According to aforementioned article (posted by a fellow who undoubtedly has his finger on the pulse on all that is local): "The percentage of online search queries focused on local businesses
continues to accelerate, with an even greater growth in local search via
mobile devices." I read that sentence this way: you are looking for us! Yay! <br />
<br />
There was also some promising news in another <a href="http://smallbizsurvival.com/2014/01/time-for-the-rural-small-business-trends-for-2014.html" target="_blank">piece</a>, constructed by someone who seems to care deeply about we rural small businesses. (And, really, I am as shocked as you are that there is actually someone out there defining the business trends for those of us that are rural and small.) Here's a tidbit I had to share: <b> </b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Trend 3. Brain Gain brings 30-44 year-olds to small towns</b><br />
After decades of the “brain drain” of young people graduating and
leaving small towns, a significant return flow of adults is changing
rural dynamics.</div>
</blockquote>
Now, while I might sound a bit tongue-in-cheek about some of these articles, this "trend" is not only incredibly exciting, but we are witnessing it happening. I don't have the space (or the inclination to ruin the surprise), but there are more amazing projects blossoming in our area than I can count. We have a growing population of talented, creative and highly skilled knowledge workers who are putting down roots in our community, spending countless hours building businesses, and investing emotional energy into transforming themselves into locals. (Maybe we'll even see the metamorphosis of what it means to be "a local".) Frankly, it's incredibly impressive and speaks volumes about our chances of becoming a vibrant economic ecosystem that can withstand the uncertainty of the next few decades.<br />
<br />
<br />
So I'm ending this with a plug. We are helping out with MedusaFest this year - and I would love to see a huge turnout from our small business community. Setup fee is nominal - $10 to the Firehouse, which is both a deal and a great cause - and we could be capitalizing on an unbelievable opportunity. We are shaping the future. We're rural, connected, creative and passionate, and we have the power to create the types of communities that understand the challenges and embrace the possibilities.<br />
<br />
Are you in?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Aprilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09249641915870855401noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083987583339318875.post-89309481305290190132014-01-10T15:53:00.000-08:002014-01-10T15:53:01.630-08:00First rant of a brand new year!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So exciting, you can taste it, right? This year's going to be your best yet. Ours, too.<br />
<br />
But this is that once-a-year reminder that we need *you* in order to have good years. Actually, we need *you* in order to be here at all. Obvious? Maybe. But sometimes you know I can't pass up an opportunity to state the elephant-in-the-living-room obvious. (I feel like that about climate change, too, but that's another blog.)<br />
<br />
Just to recap, we have survived the recent mutation of Bryant's to TOPS, and endured (and not, I'm sorry to admit, without a wee bit of dark words aimed their way) opening of the a Hannaford in Cairo. We sell tobacco and cheap beer and run a whole foods store, which effectively makes us delightfully hard to pigeonhole, but we are not immune to such tremors in our local economic ecosystem.<br />
<br />
Like a convenience store, we sell gas, which I hate, but you don't. And we sell some of the best groceries in a 30 miles radius.<br />
<br />
But here's the thing.<br />
<br />
The reminder, if you will. That last part takes effort on your part, because I know it is easier and often cheaper for you to buy all of your groceries somewhere else. But if you do, this store will not survive. Now the last time I wrote something like that, many people dropped by to remind me that they buy lots of groceries here. (Thank you - we are incredibly grateful!)<br />
<br />
I know that, but it is January, and with several long winter months to come, I am compelled to call the rest of you out.<br />
<br />
I can't have everything you want, whenever you want it. That sort of vision of a store - the ones that sell you everything from cheap January tomatoes to 99cents-a-pound boneless, skinless chicken breast - cannot work for this store. Indeed that vision was created by the large groceries, who have all but swallowed up folks like us over the past decades. I can only provide what I get reasonably, which changes from week to week. I will always have fresh produce, but a whole lot more of it in the spring summer and fall, when I can get some of it locally. I try to always carry the fresh staples - lettuces, carrots, peppers, apples and bananas and the like - but there are lots of items that I sneak in when we can get them at great prices - crimini mushrooms, brussels sprouts, green beans, and pineapple.<br />
<br />
I will always have meats, but most of the time they will be frozen. I won't sell you cheap chicken for two reasons: I will not sell meat that was raised under gruesome conditions, and I work pretty hard to get products like chicken and beef and pork locally. Local producers can *not* sell you chicken (or beef or pork) for grocery store prices and survive. Period.<br />
<br />
I try to always carry all of the other staples - you can get beans and rice and pastas from me always. Jarred sauces and canned items, too. Tons of baking items, snacks and chips, granola and cereals.<br />
<br />
And I will often bring in whatever you ask. (I'll try anything - I love being a buyer!)<br />
<br />
In light of that, I really don't think my request is as ballsy as it may sound at first blush. Buy what I can get. Really. Maybe just try it for a few weeks, or maybe just once a month. But decide that you cook meals based on what is available, not based on what you might have been daydreaming about at lunch two Tuesdays ago. This is exactly how people used to eat - and it may be how we are going to be forced to eat again, should fuel prices start rising again. While I can't say that you would be eating a 100 mile diet (not by a long shot), we are in this together, and as I convince more farmers to grow again, and I'm able to source more and more foodstuffs locally, you will be able to buy them.<br />
<br />
And in the meantime, you'll be keeping your dollars local, and making sure we last another year. It really is a win-win. And even if you have to tolerate my less than clever, not-even-remotely subtle self, I think it is worth it.<br />
<br />
Best wishes for a happy new year!<br />
April<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Aprilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09249641915870855401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083987583339318875.post-52895484450509472562013-12-04T14:01:00.000-08:002013-12-04T14:01:10.094-08:00The power of anonymity <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I discovered something the other day. Call it an epiphany.<br />
<br />
I love playing with ideas - Jason does as well - and our store is a bit of conversation that we ceaselessly toss about and dissect, always looking for the sides that we might have missed. Why didn't this work? What can we do to improve this? How can we attract these people? What else should bring in? What about that "retail experience"? Are we really in the business of disappointing people? (I.e., you don't have bulgar?)<br />
<br />
But something dawned on me. I remember going to big grocery stores with my kids, years ago. We had a blast, and I could never understand why so many parents left their kids home. But we rarely ran into the same person twice - even the cashiers were often different. I went to the same one, every week, yet it felt like the butcher never remembered me. The guy who weighed out salmon was pleasant, but distant. It was the opposite of our store, in fact - shopping at the larger groceries was a completely anonymous experience.<br />
<br />
It's different in Medusa - and I know that's got to be strange for some of you, even as we approach year five. I sell tobacco and beer. I even sell condoms. (For the record, I don't think I have ever sold a pack of condoms. Maybe I should offer the colorful, studded ones.) I considered assuring you that I don't remember a thing about what you purchased five minutes after you leave the building. (That's the truth - blame it on the Lyme Disease.) Honestly, though, why would you care if I did?<br />
<br />
Because there is something incredibly powerful about being anonymous, isn't there? It speaks to the current American experience - it is why we build cookie cutter developments that are fully auto-dependent. It explains why our small local churches are losing parishioners, and why the firehouses struggle to recruit new members. It is delightfully easy to be an individual without any ties to a world greater than Facebook. It makes New York City work - but that sense of community-less-ness is also why there are so many former City refugees gracing our villages.<br />
<br />
What sort of places are we creating? This is important, I think - if we really want to create places that matter, places that breathe creativity and inspire beauty, then we can't be anonymous. There is no room for nameless individuals in our struggle to build (and re-build) our communities - only active participants. If we are serious, and I think more than a handful of us are, about the vision of self-reliant, sustainable communities - the kinds that have lots of weird little stores like ours - then you have to be willing to be a bit more vulnerable - a bit less anonymous.<br />
<br />
And, in the long run, isn't it cooler that I know what kind of beer you like best anyway?<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Aprilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09249641915870855401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083987583339318875.post-47865454383434944062013-11-11T21:27:00.000-08:002013-11-11T21:27:10.963-08:00Small Business Saturday on Nov 30th!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 11pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Small Business Saturday is back! Take a refreshing break from anonymous online purchasing or overcrowded mall hopping and spend a few hours with your neighbors instead. On November 30th, from 11:30 till 2:30, we’re celebrating Small Business Saturday by welcoming some our favorite fellow small businesses to Medusa!</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQGqmegCz6lIzheAr5ABb-Zi_DFLBN55QOg1wcnCHsGvREKwTA3oM5mVxsgAPQaXVCPvCN3OOzN86ciXNgCeEpLtrYzFRUIL9IjAt8UyH0br9DKUspeDhzPAliNbsbnLy3lSfKlhLckMg/s1600/Digital_Banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQGqmegCz6lIzheAr5ABb-Zi_DFLBN55QOg1wcnCHsGvREKwTA3oM5mVxsgAPQaXVCPvCN3OOzN86ciXNgCeEpLtrYzFRUIL9IjAt8UyH0br9DKUspeDhzPAliNbsbnLy3lSfKlhLckMg/s1600/Digital_Banner.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="line-height: 1.4; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This year’s theme is Healthy Living. Among those sharing in the festivities are Westerlo physician Myria Emeny, licensed Hilltown massage therapist Crystal Keyes (who will be offering chair massage sessions), and yoga instructor Loretta Pyles. We are also joined by several herbalists and all-natural body care vendors, including Kerry Keeny, of Perfectly Posh, and Rachel Ginther from Lady Liberty Farm. Several farm businesses will be joining us as well. So now’s your chance! Stock up on this winter’s meats, gift that special someone a massage or a semester of yoga, or buy a gift basket brimming with our own local Wild Thymes chutneys. Whatever your tastes this holiday season, there’s a little something for everyone in Medusa on the 30th!</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 11pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Small Business Saturday is a national event, run in part by American Express. Shopping local, and keeping your dollars in your community is a concept that far exceeds the boundaries of AMEX, however. Research suggests your money should be on us if we’re hoping to dig our way out of this recession. From the website of the American Small Business Alliance (</span><a href="http://www.amiba.net/resources/localhero#source2" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.amiba.net/resources/localhero#source2</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">), small independents build community - creating neighborhood scale enterprises that encourage cohesive relationships. Economically, each dollar you spend at a small independent is three times more likely money to your local economy than one spent at a chain. Our size means we are more people scaled, which means we help shape the unique, quirky and cool character of our community, while leaving a much smaller footprint on our environment. We small independents create jobs, opportunities, wealth and health to a far greater degree than our chain counterparts. And we’re in it for the long haul!</span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 11pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you have any questions regarding this event, give April a call at the store at 239 6980 or drop her an email at april.roggio@gmail.com. Looking forward to seeing you on the 30th!</span></span></div>
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Aprilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09249641915870855401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083987583339318875.post-92135698935866712742013-10-24T22:22:00.000-07:002013-10-24T22:22:10.058-07:00Creating a culture<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I had the great opportunity to chat with a fellow from the <a href="http://www.amiba.net/" target="_blank">American Independent Business Alliance </a>last week. While we didn't really share much that either of us didn't already know - sometimes hearing from a fellow traveler is refreshing; sometimes, like this time, it is also inspiring. The fact that these folks, and their counterparts at <a href="http://bealocalist.org/" target="_blank">BALLE (Business Alliance for Local Living Economies)</a> are out there, disseminating research, offering resources, tirelessly acting as cheerleaders of small independents, is of value beyond words.<br />
<br />
And I wasn't letting him leave until he answered some of our most pressing questions.<br />
<br />
What I wanted to know from him is this: why does it seem like there is an unbreachable chasm between those who get it, and those who do not? And how do we press for the epiphany? <br />
<br />
Before you decide I am offending you, odds are that if you are bothering to read this blog, you are one of the ones who make an effort to stop here instead of Hannaford to get your staples, or drop in before work for an egg sandwich, or show up on a sunny Saturday for groceries while you're at your upstate home. You spend a few minutes bantering with me at the register; perhaps you throw a few friendly jabs in about the President's healthcare plan, just because you like to poke at a liberal now and then. I am honored to serve you; and so when I refer to those who don't get it, I am not talking about you. <br />
<br />
Mostly I wonder about those folks who live fairly close, but can't quite make the effort to spend their dollars here. Where do they go for a cup of coffee? Or a loaf of really good organic bread? And how come I can't seem to reach them?<br />
<br />
Joe has done a lot of grassroots organizing, and is now communicating with lots of small business folk on a regional and national level, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2aWLPPmu_Y" target="_blank">so he's got some nuggets of wisdom to share</a>. In a nutshell, it's about nurturing a localist culture - developing the collective mindset that this place is worth caring about, worth protecting and nurturing. And I think that requires folks to be brave enough to imagine truly great places, the kinds of places that are resilient and sustainable. Places where we want to raise children, and places where our children would want to raise theirs. When you believe that it's possible to imagine those places, then it isn't so much of a stretch that you'd buy groceries at the independent grocer down the road and bypass WalMart.<br />
<br />
And while most conversations, in real life and on social media sites, seem to revolve around how I can get folks to shop for groceries in Medusa, there is a much broader conversation to be had - how do we nurture the larger ecosystem of independent businesses necessary to recreate functioning whole communities, especially in rural areas like ours?<br />
<br />
Perhaps it's about getting a farmer training program off the ground? Or developing a land trust so that young farmers have access to our abundant, and woefully underutilized, land? Perhaps it is figuring out which products are low hanging fruit, when it comes to import substitution - we can do more than produce fabulous honey and maple syrup, I think. Perhaps we can spend more time lobbying our local governments to focus on village beautification - remind everyone that we should be creating spaces that matter, places that are beautiful. (<a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/james_howard_kunstler_dissects_suburbia.html" target="_blank">James Howard Kunstler has spoken eloquently and passionately about this.</a>) Perhaps we can figure out ways to create economies outside of traditional exchange - <a href="http://www.shareable.net/" target="_blank">Shareable</a> has been doing this sort of work for a while now, and we are joining with our first Repair Cafe starting in November.<br />
<br />
I know I certainly don't have the answers - and it often feels like we're groping in the dark. But I don't think we have a thing to lose by heading in this direction. And, you never know, these efforts, *your* efforts might just that push we need to truly start to engage our community, businesses and residents alike.<br />
<br />
Are you ready?<br />
<br /></div>
Aprilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09249641915870855401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083987583339318875.post-66470117771831923572013-08-11T19:43:00.000-07:002013-08-11T19:43:26.274-07:00These August days...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
...are the scariest. Because it's now when things start to slow down. Folks take holidays away, start redirecting energies towards school starting again. Even though it's still summer, those first yellowish leaves of the locust trees start to hint at a change in the weather. <br />
<br />
When it's cold, it's easy to understand the long, slow season. But August days always begin with warm weather and promise.<br />
<br />
Complicating this seasonal slowdown, lots of you tell me that times are getting tougher, and we feel it, too. So I thought I would remind everyone that we are trying to do our best on several fronts.<br />
<br />
First - we get these great deals through lots of our vendors, especially United Natural, but from others, too. I want to pass them on to all of you. While we have grand plans about how to make that happen (the circulars were great but too expensive, in store fliers are time consuming, and a front sales board is still in the works), the best thing you can do is to ask. Bother me! Constantly. If you need something, I will do my best to find it, and at the best possible price. Often we can do 20% of cost for case orders, which usually works out to a few dollars, a worthwhile investment into really good quality food at a price that is competitive with a lot of our much bigger peers. (And without having to drive to Albany.)<br />
<br />
Second, yes, we are still trying to find a buyer for the store. Some folks seem hurt by this news. Truth is, the store has been on the market for a year now, with Coldwell Banker. We recently decided to get the sign up. Our plan was always to get the store open and running successfully - and that has been accomplished. We'd like to pass the torch. Barring finding someone who would work out as a buyer, we are willing to be creative, which may involve leasing the store, or closing for a portion of the year. Fact is, our family is stretched pretty thin when one of us (usually Jason) is working seven days a week, usually 12 hour days. Don't be hurt, or angry. Sometimes it feels like I gave my husband to Medusa; and these days, I (and our kids) need him back more often.<br />
<br />
Lastly, you've probably noticed that I've been taking a break from Facebook and blogging. I'm back, hopefully with babies that are sleeping a little more at night. Hoping to pass on lots of great stuff, here and through Facebook as well as through our email blasts. Feedback always gets you better information, and I love hearing from you.<br />
<br />
Looking forward to seeing you soon...April</div>
Aprilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09249641915870855401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083987583339318875.post-70056249571069993532013-04-23T11:11:00.000-07:002013-04-23T11:11:00.903-07:00Festivals, gatherings, fairs, OH MY!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So much coming up, folks! I'm going to try to give you a thorough (giggle) summary of what's to come.<br />
<br />
Next Saturday, April 27th, is the <a href="http://albany.kidsoutandabout.com/content/huyck-preserve-annual-bird-festival" target="_blank">Huyck Preserve's Bird Festival</a>, from 1 - 5pm. Lots of activities and crafts related to birding, including a talk by local wildlife rehabilitator Kelly Martin. We'll be up there with snacks and beverages. Later that evening we are celebrating <a href="http://www.good.is/neighboring" target="_blank">Neighborday</a> in Medusa - drop by for a drink or a snack and hang out on the porch for a while. Maybe we can brainstorm more beefed up neighborliness here in Medusa!<br />
<br />
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The following Saturday is MedusaFest! May 4th promises tons of great activities, and we'll be there as well, with snacks, beverages and tons of fantastic products! The Store is also holding a yard sale that day, with everything from commercial overstocks to toys. On May 5th, starting at 3pm, Sustainable Hilltowns is hosting a talk at Conkling Hall in Rensselaerville: Restorative Pasture Management. This exciting discussion will be led by Morgan Hartman and Gary Kleppel, both experts on holistic management of pasture lands. Farmers, property owners, and interested residents are encouraged to attend. <br />
<br />
Several save-the-date activities as well: on Sunday, June 2nd, from 3 to 7pm, the Town of Rensselaerville is hosting a town-wide picnic. We'll be there with a table, as well lots of other local businesses - a great opportunity to meet your local officials and check out the myriad of amazing businesses and organizations in our township. On Saturday, June 8, from 11- 3pm, by popular demand, we're having another health fair! We're welcoming local physician Dr. Myria Emeny, nurse practitioner Joanne Cross and massage therapist Sarah Smigel, as well as lots of local vendors hawking such wares as herbal remedies and all natural cosmetics.<br />
<br />
Can you believe all that his happening right here in our little corner of the universe? So grateful - for the sunshine, finally, and for such great company! See you soon!<br />
</div>
Aprilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09249641915870855401noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083987583339318875.post-40166600303250683732013-03-22T20:19:00.000-07:002013-03-22T20:19:07.154-07:00Spring... where are you?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I know spring is around the corner. Can feel it. Want to know how?<br />
<br />
Because winter blues have reached critical levels. Between illnesses and losses, perceived grievances and petty arguments, we simply can't take anymore "winter" without imploding. You know I'm right.<br />
<br />
So in the spirit of welcoming spring, with her warmer temperatures and lazy, almost-ice cream afternoons, I thought I'd share a bit about what we're planning. (And of course you can still stop by and complain that it is still winter outside- I am still whining about it, too.)<br />
<br />
Easter is next weekend. Although I haven't gotten a ton of interest in Easter egg hunting, I personally think it is about the most fun thing possible this time of year, so we'll be hiding eggs around the village. It is my expectation that there aren't too many of you that an resist a search for colorful plastic eggs with CANDY inside. <br />
<br />
Sometime in April and May, we will be organizing two different events. Gary Kleppel, a professor at UAlbany and a Knox sheep farmer will be doing a talk on intensive grazing, which will hopefully lead to a discussion of land use on the hill, especially in the town of Rensselaerville. (We'd also like to convince a few other knowledgeable locals to join Gary and make it a panel presentation.) His research, incidentally, focuses on the same sort of ideas that are the subject of this talk:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" mozallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="http://embed.ted.com/talks/allan_savory_how_to_green_the_world_s_deserts_and_reverse_climate_change.html" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
We're also going to be showing two short TED films about the alternatives to conventional education - really cool, thought-provoking pieces that we're hoping to use as a springboard into a spring and summer filled with MAKE magazine inspired, tech-craft workshops. (Among the ideas that have made the short list are squishy circuits and giant spin art.) Yes, these are scary times in modern schooling. Let's create something different...<br />
<br />
We will, of course, be hosting Music on the porch, every Saturday, all summer long. It's free, folks. And sometimes it's really good. And even when it isn't, we have a fantastic time. I have a long list of musician volunteers - if you somehow missed the call, drop me a line. I still have a few spots open.<br />
<br />
And... MedusaFest is coming up in May - and there's a town-wide picnic at the town building on June 2nd! <br />
<br />
So, really, I know it's winter. It's been cold and miserable, and I don't have a baby that sleeps through the night. You don't always like my politics (for which I will never apologize) and we (you included) occasionally step on toes. It's still the year of the snake. And there is, without a doubt, greatness lurking. You wouldn't want to miss this, would you?</div>
Aprilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09249641915870855401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083987583339318875.post-65028168733101759532013-02-01T21:10:00.000-08:002013-02-01T21:10:58.889-08:00No one makes anything anymore, Or why you should care deeply<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Years ago a longtime mentor of mine lamented that he didn't produce anything. As an academic, his brilliance is carefully cataloged in journals and scholarly tomes. I told him I was making cheese and bread and joked a bit about using my degree; I am, after all, something he "produced", in a way. Since then he has taken up photography and done more long distance biking. Capturing beautiful moments on paper seems more like making something these days, I guess. And doing it from the saddle of a bicycle gives life a heady depth that sitting on dissertation committees sometimes lacks.<br />
<br />
A friend, another academic of sorts, recently made a similar remark, pointing out that the work coming out of his fine arts field was esoteric, and perhaps a bit pointless. Heavy on the commentary, a bit light on the contribution. No one makes anything anymore, he told me. A universal problem of our civilization, he called it. (Kinda makes you grin, doesn't it? I mean as bad as things are, doesn't that seem like a problem you could solve? It is also one of those challenges that doesn't cross your mind if you are walking 20 miles for water or waiting in a refugee camp for food. Lucky, we are.)<br />
<br />
It seems much of our world feels this way. Here in Medusa, we have been discussing alternatives to education, especially those alternatives that have wide democratic stripes. Having control over your own learning feels like a prerequisite for really making anything of import; it also feels like the only way we're going to unleash the creativity we're going to need to make it through the next several decades. We have grand dreams (and when I say "we" I might occasionally just mean me, since the rest of my ragtag bunch of idealists tend to be a bit more realistic in our five year plans) of bringing the coolness of <a href="http://makezine.com/" target="_blank">Make Magazine</a> to Medusa. Make! is the ultimate in DIY learning - supporting a beautiful technological anarchy that has been blossoming as we become more and more disillusioned with what "education" has become. <br />
<br />
I find it so thrilling that we are blessed to be living at a point in history when we are both embracing the local (with Slow Food and tiny home ecovillages and the like) while living at the pinnacle of technological progress. We have such incredible opportunities laid out before us. I think Medusa is the perfect place to locate one of MIT's <a href="http://fab.cba.mit.edu/" target="_blank">FabLabs</a>, for example. They could be used in the design and construction of solar panels, or any number of products that support renewable energy. Or we could use the web to implement a local version of a <a href="http://www.shareable.net/" target="_blank">sharing economy</a>, and support the transition to a world that embraces community and collaboration. (And if you are a member of the Tea Party, don't bother sending me emails: that is not code for communism.) Really, I think the possibilities are limitless.<br />
<br />
We're hosting a meeting - and I am crazy enough to think that the process of gathering amazing people together is as much making something as anything else in the arts and sciences - and I think you should be there. We are all about building prosperous, self reliant communities; let's start with the one we know best. This time, we'll probably touch on sustainable farming and renewable energy, buy local business campaigns and the emerging sharing economy. Some of it might focus on how to connect with other local groups. But either way, we're making something worth checking out. <br />
<br />
Are we solving a great universal problem? I'm not sure - and who am I to say? But I know we just might be solving some small problems, right here at home, and lately that seems to be where we should all start.<br />
<br />
Friday. February 8th at 6pm.<br />
(And if you need bribery, Chris and Samantha just might bring cookies and farm fresh milk again.)<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Aprilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09249641915870855401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083987583339318875.post-31014126566824000572013-01-09T20:06:00.001-08:002013-01-09T20:06:24.940-08:00Enter the new...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So we're looking for someone...<br />
<br />
As always, we have plans. Lots of them never come to fruition, because the plans always, always outnumber us. But we are facing the huge need to get the back cooler room done, and somehow configure an attic office to reduce the mess out front. We have signs that are halfway through the design stage, and shelving that needs to go up.<br />
<br />
And we need at least one reliable, part time person who wants to be a partner in this endeavor called MGS. We are looking for someone, who, frankly, really likes people. And who thinks that eating good is a pretty damn fine idea, but who isn't above selling loose tobacco and cheap beer. We need a person who can offer ideas, help with buying and researching, but who isn't afraid to get dirty. Because mostly what we do is clean. <br />
<br />
If you think that making cheese for retail just might be a good idea, if you aren't afraid of getting up early or being here late, and if you actually think making great bread from flours we might someday mill here in Rensselaerville is not just crazy talk, then maybe you should come chat with us.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Aprilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09249641915870855401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083987583339318875.post-67214305525043807452013-01-04T18:56:00.000-08:002013-01-04T18:56:26.255-08:00Oh, January.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
If there's ever a time you'd like to make the switch to buying local, I can guarantee that January is when your behavior will have the most bang for the buck, at least in our community. In the spring and summer months, lots of folks are lured here by our fishing streams, by our crisp, clean air, by the undeniable attractiveness of hiking our trials or biking our roads or staring blissfully at our amazing ancient mountains.<br />
<br />
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<br />
But, January. January is often cold. And snowy. (Though not as much lately.) January is when everyone is trying to catch up from holiday bills and December fiscal battles with their accountants. No one wants to drive in January; no one is much up for more frivolity, having gotten partied out for the holidays. Everyone hibernates and January is so slow.<br />
<br />
Luckily, for my local farmers and processors, it is also the time when they can breathe a little, with crops buried snugly under snow till sunshine and longer days return, and we can plan. Or cook up schemes. This January, February and March, we are planning on doing just that.<br />
<br />
Our amazing gallery opening (and if you missed Hans' work, the photographs are still blessing the front of the store, and are for sale!) and talk by Otter Hook's Chris Kemnah, inspired a lot of interest in such things as crop mobs and local economic development. We want us all to do better. We want Walmart to, frankly, not do so well.<br />
<br />
And we're not alone. An interesting <a href="http://thetyee.ca/News/2012/12/05/Local-Business-Relationships/" target="_blank">article</a> from the Tyee out of British Columbia caught my attention: local enterprises that work together. Isn't that a beautiful idea? And so simple. One of my goals for the year is to work towards some sort of sustainable chamber of commerce on the hill. Lots of enterprises, working together, for the betterment of each other, and our community, hopefully with future generations in mind, is bound to create something special.<br />
<br />
Another way of doing better is to get serious about creating some sort of local currency - it will keep our dollars in our community, or, in some cases, keep them from become dollars at all, as they remain exchanges through individuals. A cool recent <a href="http://www.resilience.org/stories/2013-01-04/complementary-currencies" target="_blank">article</a> from Resilience also noted that we can set up electronic systems for money exchange - so even though I may be sentimentally attached to the original version of the Ithaca dollar - there are actually better ways of exchanging goods and services.<br />
<br />
You know me - I don't want to have to beg folks to start growing winter greens for me, or bring me more local meats, or eggs (staring at Tim!); I don't want to keep hounding you all to do something about finding my local value-added processors a place to make their amazing jams or fudge or pickled products. Frankly, my kids (and my poor husband!) would be thrilled if I would ratchet it down a notch or two. But I think this stuff is vital to our long term sustainability - both the store, and much more importantly, this community. And I can't do it alone. Honestly, I wouldn't want to do it alone.<br />
<br />
So take this as a gentle reminder - there's lots afoot this time of year, even though it seems like folks are hibernating. We are deliberating on things that will set in motion our progress for years to come. (Okay, that last bit might be a bit over the top, but you never know.) One thing's for sure: you don't want to miss this!</div>
Aprilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09249641915870855401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083987583339318875.post-77242637042708069092012-12-14T22:03:00.001-08:002012-12-14T22:08:10.458-08:00Up for the challenge?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Someone recently referred to me as "dogmatic". And since we weren't having the friendliest conversation, I have to assume he wasn't thinking of me with admiration. If he meant that I was acting based on rigid principles, I am guilty as charged.<br />
<br />
Guilty.<br />
<br />
Because I live based on certain principles, despite existing in a world that is relativist by nature, and surrounded by lots of folks who've been too browbeaten to think they deserve to have unchallengable assumptions, I probably seem a bit hard headed. That's true, too.<br />
<br />
We all have our rough edges, I guess.<br />
<br />
The conversation that ignited this insignificant but briefly fiery exchange stemmed from my suggestion that he support the store through shopping here for groceries. <br />
<br />
Really. That was all.<br />
<br />
I didn't demand to see his Democratic Party card; didn't expect that he would want to join our ongoing conversations about localism and sustainability. Didn't make fun of what he drives, or how far every week. (I do that sometimes; I'm sorry.) Just suggested that his family grocery needs could be met by the closest local store.<br />
<br />
It occurred to me that I am probably dogmatic in other ways, too.<br />
<br />
I have a few principles about the nature of our economy, namely the parts of it that are unsustainable, that I probably share those forcefully. And I usually act as though they are un-challenge-able. So it goes with some things. <br />
<br />
But, come on, folks - do I really need to say this - we're all friends, right?<br />
<br />
You must challenge me anyway. Really. We can't do better - I can't be better - unless you decide I am sometimes completely nuts and speak up. Maybe it's the whole issue of selling organics - maybe you hate the fact that I sell tobacco. (I hate it, too.) Maybe you think we should sell more local products. (I do, too.) I know there's probably a long list. (Charlie Steele might actually post his grievances, starting with my foolish recitations about the science of climate change!)<br />
<br />
We are the ones who are making discourse possible. So don't just unsubscribe, metaphorically or literally, if you don't like what I have to say. Call me on it - I love to talk. It's up to us to reinvigorate the sorts of discourse that used to take place in community. <br />
<br />
Because, as we say at the front tables all the time, we might even save the world.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Aprilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09249641915870855401noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083987583339318875.post-47386528063906741492012-11-16T19:34:00.001-08:002012-11-16T19:38:58.872-08:00Walking our way to a better future<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
I love walking. It didn't start with Medusa - and even though Reggie Duncan is an inspiration, his walking isn't really the root of my own compulsion to walk. I've been taking the slow road for a long time.<br />
<br />
I like to joke with folks that our carbon footprint has diminished substantially, even though we just purchased an aged conversion van. We are only about a mile from the store and we've been getting there most days via foot. Sometimes my kids bike - and Perin rides in a stroller and the babies ride on me - but we are always blessed with the satisfying sameness of the majestic Catskill range.<br />
<br />
It strikes me that this is not only a metaphor for life - we are struggling on this path one step at a time - but it is also enormously practical. It is meditative, and deeply healthful, and doesn't emit a damn thing.<br />
<br />
Why not make this one of our first calls to action? And it's a call that nearly anyone can answer. Walk or bike. To Medusa. I know some of you aren't close, but lots of you are - I have a friend who visits us from Altamont via bike. And another from Glenmont. We have an event coming up - of course you know, since I've been beating you up on every social media site imaginable, reminding you. Small Business Saturday is on the 24th, right after Thanksgiving and horrendous black Friday. Bike or walk here for Small Business Saturday, as a celebration of your commitment to spend less, and spend local.<br />
<br />
We are celebrating, I think, something as special as Thanksgiving itself on Saturday, the 24th. If we are planning to make progress towards building the types of self-reliant communities that can weather real and proverbial storms, it is pretty crucial that folks support we small independents.<br />
<br />
That day you'll have the opportunity to chat with some of your local farmers and artisans, all of whom are your neighbors. They, too, are taking the slow road, but are producing quality and beauty of unimaginable value - from home spun wool to sweetly tended chickens, from homegrown and kitchen canned produce to fresh baked breads, these neighbors of yours are on the forefront of a passionate movement to re-provision their community with the best foods and products in life.<br />
<br />
You should walk down to Medusa for another reason, as well. In our infamous "back building" we're hosting a street art workshop on the 24th. Here in Medusa, we just started a local chapter of 350.org and are anxious to make some street art that exhibits our passion for localism, for building self-reliant communities, and for stopping the near-ceaseless assault on the planet. You bring some blank t-shirts and catchy slogans and we'll supply the paint and the cardboard. And then spread the message to the world, one homemade road sign at a time.<br />
<br />
How could this not catch on? And if you meet me at my house, we can walk down together.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Aprilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09249641915870855401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083987583339318875.post-61942844011698703992012-11-03T20:03:00.001-07:002012-11-03T20:03:07.148-07:00Gas shortages and community building<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="tpl-content">So we're all a little worried.
There are still some of you we haven't heard from - those friends of the store
and of Medusa who make their primary homes in the city or on Long
Island. And tonight, as I try to type quietly so as not to
wake the sleeping babies lying next to me, I continue to worry.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="tpl-content">This morning an old childhood friend (we wish you lived
closer, Dan Ryan!) posted on Facebook that Kingston was running out of gas.
Honestly, I thought that was a little strange, but didn't think much of it.
At the store today, a friend, one of those who works during the week in New
York, chatted with me a bit about our decision to sell the store - and we
laughed a little about how there isn't a better place to create a home than
here. Medusa is as safe as life gets, I think. We are also blessed
with more than our fair share of brilliant, creative, amazing people. My
family doesn't have any plans to leave, I told him. And I was glad he'd
made it out of the city and back to Medusa, because, after all, we have plenty
of gasoline. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="tpl-content">But later, we started having more folks calling to
inquire whether we had gas - frankly, as we do run out every so often, this
wasn't immediately worrisome. But then news started trickling in that
local stations - Greenville,
for example - were beginning to run out of gas. How can this be - with
all of our technology, we must have modelled the supply chain problems that
could occur after facing a crisis like a hurricane hitting the upper East
Coast, right? And why isn't there more on the web about the gas shortages
that are spreading this far north? Could this affect our deliveries -
could we have food shortages because of our reliance on diesel-fuel-driven
truck transportation, we wondered?</span><br />
<br />
<span class="tpl-content">Even more concerning, now a google search turns up
articles that suggest that the hospitals in the city are closing and moving
patients. That the emergency rooms are facing complete chaos,
understaffed and running on generators. Apparently attempts by the
governors of NY and NJ to provide gasoline to folks backfired completely, and
they rescinded plans, at least in NY, to provide places where residents could
get gas.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="tpl-content">I am starting to feel like I've watched one too many
Walking Dead episodes, honestly. And I think some of you are probably
reading and waiting for the punch line, but there is none, this time. The
fact that, thanks to a hurricane hitting Manhattan, climate change and peak oil
are phrases that have suddenly come back into vogue is little consolation as I
wonder what I would do if I had a sick or injured child and no where to go for
help.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="tpl-content">But if there is a silver lining, and I am one of those
annoying, Pollyanna-esque types, I think that we may be witnessing one of the
brightest moments ever in our struggle to turn our ship towards greater
sustainability. And, as I discussed with a friend today, if that term is
not clear enough - let's figure out exactly what we should call it. We
need to develop a plan, right here and right now, about how we become energy
independent. We need to take Carol's lead, up at Heather Ridge,
and start implementing energy alternatives. We need to start getting more
local food - all year round - on shelves here at our store - and folks must
begin acknowledging that they need to participate in supporting that.
Mostly, I think, we need to work much harder to develop the sort of community
that can weather storms - either literally in the form of Irene, or more
indirectly, as we experience the effects of supply chain problems that can
ripple outward for months. A strong, cohesive community is capable, I
think, of facing any challenge, no matter how insurmountable it may at first
appear.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="tpl-content">So I am inviting you to take the first step with
me. And I'm not even sure how, exactly. But even if we start by putting
up a big bulletin board at the store where you can post your ideas about how
we, as deciding members of this community, can move towards becoming more
resilient, more prepared, more immune to these types of crises, that would be
better than simply watching and waiting. We must make a point of finding
each other more often, talking, figuring out what the way forward looks like -
we need to stop waiting for someone else to do it.</span><br />
<span class="tpl-content"> </span><br />
<span class="tpl-content">It’s time we all make the decision to participate,
because, from my vantage point, it seems like we no longer have much of a
choice.</span></div>
</div>
Aprilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09249641915870855401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083987583339318875.post-38239062173792094562012-10-02T13:26:00.001-07:002012-10-02T13:26:21.614-07:00State of the Store<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It would be impossible to tell each and every one of you this in person, so consider this blog a sort of heart-to-heart with each of you.<br />
<br />
We have decided to try to sell the store. Now, this isn't a tragic, we're-about-to-close confessional. It has been some time in coming, and we have no plans to close. To repeat that: we have no plans to close any time soon. This remains a successful business, a joy to run, and we are grateful to have had this amazing opporunity.<br />
<br />
But we have had a long year. Between employee issues, a state audit, and increasingly expsensive products, we were exhausted. But after being turned down by two different banks, after verbal commitments from both that they would kick in extra funding for capital improvement projects, we think we are ready for our next adventure. Plus, as you know, we have a growing young family, with *two* unbelievable new babies. <br />
<br />
I don't want to use this as a place to rant about those of you who still, after three years, continue to drive to Albany for your groceries. Water under the bridge, as they say. But I would be remiss to not personally thank those of you - and you know who you are - who patronize this store, day after day, week after week. Even when I don't have exactly what you wanted (or even close to what you wanted!), you forgive and return, somehow understanding that we cannot possibly carry everything you want, but we try incredibly hard to please everyone. You are the folks who understand what it takes to keep this place open, and we thank you.<br />
<br />
We aren't giving up - and we will not sell the store to just anyone - and we continue to have tons of plans for this winter. But consider this heart-to-heart a bit of fair warning about the state of MGS.<br />
<br />
<br />
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Aprilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09249641915870855401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083987583339318875.post-56237529800589327652012-08-15T08:18:00.000-07:002012-08-15T08:18:00.131-07:00Transparency<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Transparency is what makes small towns work, I think. You can't talk about your neighbor without her eventually finding out. You can't buy a new car or a new grill, or get a new husband, without the town talking about it. Lots of folks find this aspect of small towns intrusive, aggravating, and they'll go to exhaustive ends to prevent the natural ecosystem of the town from finding out what they're up to. They don't seem to understand that that just makes them all the more interesting. And all the more worthy of discussion.<br />
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Even young folks, who've grown up in small towns, graduated from local high schools, still seem to find it surprising when their actions become the topic of town-ish chatter. Why? To a great degree causing a bit of a local stir was the point, after all.<br />
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So here's a nugget to chew on: we think we have secured third year funding. Not from the bank that promised us our original line of credit, but we aren't holding any grudges. And it was not without the help of a generous benefactor who has come to our aid in the past. We owe lots to his willingness to step forward (again!).<br />
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But, folks, this is the last year we can hack this without turning a profit. We have literally taken a vow of poverty to run the store. It has been a labor of love: love for this community, for the ghosts of the Bell's, for the beautiful place that is Medusa. <br />
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There is little that we ask of you, but what we ask is critical. Keep shopping here. Spread the word to your friends. Be clear about what's at stake here. (I still struggle with the mentality shared by folks that say they are our friends, but simply can't bring themselves to actually purchase anything in our store. Being "supportive" means spending money; it's pretty simple.) Keep providing feedback - we want things to be better. Also don't be offended if we don't take all of your criticism to heart - there are lots of divergent views out there, after all.<br />
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Mostly, keep the faith. This year has been a struggle for lots of us, we understand. But we still believe that together we have created something really amazing here, and together we will build a beautiful future.<br />
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Aprilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09249641915870855401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083987583339318875.post-59716757325771646152012-07-13T13:33:00.001-07:002012-07-13T13:33:49.968-07:00Moving again...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Thanks to everyone to reached out - we have a new house to rent, and apparently we'll all be having a new neighbor, as Sal sold his house on Willsey Road, too. Can't wait to meet her - and really can't wait to get my brood settled into somewhere semi-permanent. <br />
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(It occurs to me that this blog would be so much more interesting with pictures, so I am vowing to make that happen more regularly. Or if someone has some amazing Medusa pics, send them to me to post.) <br />
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My babes and I have actually managed to spend quite a bit of time at the store lately, and I would like to renew my insistence that we have some of the most interesting people in the world, living right here in our little foot-of-the-mighty-Catskills burb. Conversations are never light, and I think, just might have more than a few world-saving kernels.<br />
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The latest? How do we become a sustainable community without the overwhelming problem that tends to facilitate action? How do we become a Sustainable Brooklyn (or South Bronx) or Bellingham, without being big enough to matter or problematic enough for anyone to care? Should we even care? Why, after all, should we make our molehill address the problems of the mountain?<br />
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I guess there are no "have to's". But how about we focus on figuring out how to talk to each other again? We're actually getting pretty good at that here in Medusa. Even though I find the Tea Party movement a bit hard to take, the participants regularly entertain us with their theories, conspiracy or otherwise. And I happen to love hearing about the dreams of my neighbors, many of which seem to touch on how to become more independent and self-sufficient.<br />
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So what if that's the hook: We become sustainable by learning how to rise about the increasing polarization of our communities? How about here in Medusa, we plain folk decide that we are going to talk more, communicate more wisely and make the world a better place, one life-changing conversation at a time?<br />
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<br /></div>Aprilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09249641915870855401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083987583339318875.post-4228956167826810332012-06-08T09:37:00.001-07:002012-06-08T09:37:26.429-07:00Summer in Medusa<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
What a spring! We in Medusa have vowed. There will be no more hospital visits. No more illness. No more injuries. No more firemen in jail. We're paid up for a while - at least for the summer.<br />
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I've personally decided that life is pretty amazing despite the angst and upset of the last months. I'm counting my blessings, so to speak. The Medusa Council, filled with bubbly realists and hard nosed optimists, have constructed a full agenda for the summer. We have a lot going on, folks, and we'd love to see you join us.<br />
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There will be music on the porch every Saturday. Except if it's seriously rainy and nasty, we'll be raising a ruckus with a good old-fashioned hootenanny. Robert is our Medusa troubadour, a wild eyed long time friend of the Medusa family, who often drags along several neighbors for accompaniment, or joyfully conscripts his audience. He'll play anything you want. Last time he played a special song for our new babies, which, in typical Robert style, he calls the fire twins. So far, he'll be playing June 9th and 23rd, July 7th and 21st , and August 4th and 18th.<br />
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We've also been planning for several other bands - Lumen Chichester's group will be back - LuChi and BRB, Locked and Loaded. Playing an eclectic mix of new and classic rock, they are a fabulous addition to Medusa's venue. We're hoping Just a Bunch of Guys and Gals will return from Knox, and that we can get Peckham Hollow here again, too.<br />
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We're also hosting Mad Medusa Art nights - a crazy, Seattle-ish brand of community art making, just to prove we're just as imaginative on this coast. We provide materials and tables and maybe a teensy bit of inspiration - you make amazing art. Open to all ages. So far, we planning for June 29th, July 27th, and during our end-of-summer Gathering. We have some cool folks coming to help out - if you are interested in volunteering, give me a shout or email me at april.roggio@gmail.com.<br />
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By popular demand - and that's the only reason, honestly, because I'm not sure if these events are quite our thing - we are hosting a cruise-in. We're going to serve food and drink, and find a band. It's scheduled for Tuesday evening July 10th. Please spread the word!!<br />
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And - this time by popular demand and because we just had such a blast at our pre-Irene blowout last year - we're having another end of summer festival. Rumor has it that the Firehouse dislikes our decision to call it a festival, so we are happily renaming it our *end-of-summer Gathering*. It's very community-centered and feels like it embraces our localism flavor. We're planning to showcase local farmers and artisans again, make art, eat food and listen to great local music. Great kid fun planned, too! The great Gathering is tentatively planned for Saturday, August 25th - if you'd like to participate, give me a shout. <br />
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We started a little late in the season, but we wanted to do some hamlet beautification, in a shameless rip-off of neighboring Preston Hollow. The plan is for some hanging flowers on poles, to be replaced with other seasonal decorations. I would really like to do something about that ugly bridge, too. If anyone has any ideas for hamlet beautification - maybe some community art projects? - let me know.<br />
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Lastly, my thanks to everyone who has been there for us over the past two months - between a tough late pregnancy and then unexpected twins, we have been running ragged. We could not have done it without you.<br />
<br /></div>Aprilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09249641915870855401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083987583339318875.post-3689939794470715222012-01-20T08:50:00.000-08:002012-01-20T08:50:07.419-08:00Life with little ones<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I thought I would post a recipes from Mollie Katzen's Honest Pretzels. My kids and I found this one the other day and are having a blast with it... Lots of healthy, fun stuff to make and eat together!<br />
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Here's her Gingerbread French Toast recipe:<br />
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Ingredients<br />
2 eggs<br />
1/2 cup milk<br />
1 teaspoon cinnamon<br />
1 teaspoon ginger<br />
1/4 teaspoon allspice<br />
3 or 4 slices Italian or sourdough bread (or try it with the amazing Rudi's bread we've been stocking in the freezer!) You could also use challah bread, which would be decadent; the folks at <a href="http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/" target="_blank">artisan bread in five minutes a day</a> have a fantastic challah bread recipe (which I make for the store when I'm not so pregnant!)<br />
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Optional toppings:<br />
* Real maple syrup (we get ours from Randy Grippin's Mountain Winds Farm in Berne - it is, without question, the best maple syrup I've ever had!)<br />
* Applesauce<br />
* Sliced peaches or strawberries<br />
* Powdered sugar<br />
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Mix eggs, milk, and the spices together, whisking until the batter is all one color. Dip each slice of bread into the batter, then then stack them on a plate. Heat up a skillet on medium heat. Place the wet bread onto the buttered skillet and cook till it is browned; flip the bread over and cook the other side.<br />
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Serve hot, either plan or with one of the toppings.<br />
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Drop by on Sunday, too - we have an impromptu gathering of coffee lovers who join us in the afternoon and we often make them some special treats. And <drum roll=""> we have a cupcake maker, with which, as you know, all things are possible!</drum><br />
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<br /></div>Aprilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09249641915870855401noreply@blogger.com0