Don't Call Me 'Granola'

Because it might just be true these days...

Once I got laid off, the home-maker in me has just let loose! When I was working for the Census (35+hrs/wk on top of 15 graduate credits this semester) I didn't have time for cleaning, laundry, or even grocery shopping! I'm disappointed to have such a suddenly tight budget and no income, but I'm excited to have some time again. Time to read. Time to study. Time to love. Time to think. Time to grieve. Time to learn. Time to work out. Time to sew. Time to play guitar. Time to blog ;)

I also had time to watch Food Inc last week. I know everyone has heard nothing but good things about it, but I just can't resist the urge to plug it here. It's shocking, fascinating, entertaining and convicting. It makes us all want to know where our food comes from, I hope.



This documentary has me changing the way I eat, and what I eat. Since watching it over a week ago, I haven't bought any mass-produced, store-bought meat. Mostly I've gone vegetarian, unless I can come across local meat or at least free-range, natural-diet meat (Target carries some - and it's on sale and they offer FREE coupons). I have several reasons for this, and don't mind sharing with anyone that asks. I'm not morally opposed to eating meat, just the way that the we go about it. The average American consumes 200 lbs of meat a year. What are we doing to ourselves? To our planet? If any of us thinks that we aren't contributing to starvation in another country, we have been turning a blind eye.

My friend wrote a (not-sure-why-it-was) controversial blog recently, and he linked to the New Monasticism site (and there's a house right here in the triangle!) I got really interested in this idea of living off the land. I mean, back in Honduras, I did laundry on the pila - by hand! Now I have machines for everything from drying clothes to mixing eggs. The least we can do is eat the produce that's in season - not the tomatoes flown across the hemisphere and ripened with chemicals because they have no business being in our local supermarkets. So I've joined Crop Mob. I want to meet the people who produce food and other needed items in my community; they are farmers and have every reason to be in business, only most of us have no idea they're even there. They raise cows, pigs and chickens. They make soap, candles and lotions. They sew aprons and potholders. They grow zucchini, rosemary, potatoes and sunflowers. They harvest rice. We should know them.

Yes, I'm on a limited budget. But you'd be surprised how cheap it is to live when you put thought into your purchases. There's something wrong with this picture when we pay more for a few grapes than for a box of Twinkies. I hope that enough people will become informed and take action; I really believe we can make this fallen, broken, beautiful, future Kingdom, chosen world a better place - for God's glory.