On Monday, Grandma (my Mom) & I took R to meet the jolly fat man in the red suit. I had honestly gone back and forth about trying to take him or not. First, I wanted it to be good Santa if I was going to go through the trouble of the whole thing. NO FAKE BEARDS! I actually googled Pictures with Santa, or something like that, to try and see if there were parents talking about the good places to go. To my surprise, well, at first, not so much info out there. Eventually I found an oldish post here, of course, and there were some good ideas. So we headed to Walnut Creek’s Broadway Plaza. The Broadway Plaza is a an upscale outdoor shopping area with lots of big name brand stores with posh ones mixed in, so, of course, they would have a nice Santa.

Second, and I’m being totally honest with you internet, I was kinda cheaping out and didn’t want to pay lots of money for a silly picture with Santa. I mean, seriously, how do places justifying charging people so much money for a picture of Santa? It is after-all Christmas. (Oh wait, Christmas is pretty much all about spending too much!)

Third, was R just going to hate Santa? Were we going to spend time driving to Walnut Creek, dealing with the crazy, mad house parking situation that is Christmas time at a hugely popular shopping area just to have him scream and cry and not get a cute picture. (and, yes, I know, crying kids in Santa pictures is actually very cute, & funny)

Well, the list could go on but I’ll just get to the point!

I thought Monday in the early afternoon would be a great time to go. Whoops, I forgot that Monday was the first day of winter break. This was actually prime time to take a kid to see Mr. Claus. So, we walk up to Santa’s house and A) there was a line and B) it started to rain and the line was outside. Not the biggest deal. I was secretly hoping that maybe the parents in front of us would be too afraid their kids might melt in the rain and high tail it for a higher and dryer place. Uh, no such luck.

Ah, so the line! This is where it gets good. Let me tell you, even in upper class Walnut Creek, you meet all sorts of peeps. (I know, there are all sorts of crazies everywhere! & if nothing brings them out otherwise, the holidays sure will!) 2 people in front of us was a little girl, maybe about 4. She will be known as “the Brat”. (I know, I’m mean. And yes, I also know that in approximately 3.5 years I might have “the Brat” in line with me. But for now, my little 4 1/2 month old is a pure angel and I’m just going to revel in that…) When we first got there she was removing flowers from Santa’s house’s window boxes. Running around and splat, fell. I did feel bad for her, no one likes to see a wee one take a spill on cement, & in public no less. A few cries from her and she was fine. It was a minor spill, after-all. (Instant karma?! Bad, I know…) This little girl was testing her boundries. Her mom kept telling her not to do this and not to do that. She got tantrumy about not getting to hold the baby in line in front of them. (The baby was probably all of 1 month old. & a stranger.) Later she did it about R too. Her mom was counting down left and right and after several of those, and a few melt downs they were outta there. No Santa for you today missy. And I secretly smiled as they walked away.

Meanwhile, the line had not moved since we got there. At. All.

The lady in front of us was seemed nice. Her daughter was cute. Much quieter than “the Brat” and she seemed perfectly well mannered and sweet, & she was. My Mom started to chat with her mom and as my Mom starts going on about how cool it is to be a grandma and this and that, somehow age comes up. And, I’ll admit, after working for several years in the skin care biz I’m getting pretty good about having an idea about age. (well, ok, not great but better than I used to be.) Silently I was kicking my Mom under the imaginary table, “Shut up. Don’t go there.” She didn’t get it, obviously, and then next thing we know we find out this mom of the (almost) 4 year old is only 8 years younger than my mom! (& her story was the same as lots of peeps; collage, career, then was ready but no man, etc. etc… I  understand we all live different lifes and take different paths but like she said, she doubts she’ll even get to meet her future grandkids and I think that is just sad… I can also say that I am quite glad that I don’t have a 4 year old sibling!)

Meanwhile, so things were going s l o w l y in line for us.

Finally we get close to Santa’s front door. On the sign next by the door they have a note handwritten that they are out of USB ports, which this being the 21st century is actually a pretty cool. But that’s when all hell broke loose. “Old Mama” in front us just started flipping out. “She drove all the way down here,” & blah blah blah. She doesn’t want to pay the same price if she’s not getting her USB, she wants to speak to a manager, “this is ridiculous.” I’ll save you all the whole, entire long drawn out drama of “old mama” (I know, again, I am horrible!) and conclude with this: Santa, yes, THE Santa Claus got up and came over and tried to calm “old mama” down. So you know it’s gone from bad to worse when Santa has to come and mediate. And honestly overheard, “I’m just the Santa but …” Ugh, I just couldn’t believe that all this craziness was going down with the seemingly nice lady. Just put your cute little girl on Santa’s lap, have her smile, take a picture and shut up. I mean, seriously lady, it’s Christmas, don’t be so cheap and have some respect. She had mentioned while chatting about “what could be taking so long?” Umm, people like you are holding up the line. People like you are making this a stressful situation.  Ugh!

Well, this is a lot of negativeness on my part I suppose. So, I guess I’m no better… But there were some seriously cute kids in line. Well behaved kids, whom hopefully Santa brought them exactly what they asked for. Kids who probably looked freakin ridiculously cute posed with Mr. Claus. The Santa Claus and I had a little chat while the staff was trying to finish putting out the fire that “old mama” had started. He said exactly what I had been thinking, which was, it’s Christmas time. This is not what the season is about. This is not what taking a picture with Santa should be. After a few more minutes I got out of Santa’s chair and let the real magic happen.

We ended up getting a few great shots. And while I was unsure if the trip to Santa would be worth it, it most certainly was. This is, after-all, R’s first Christmas. His only first Christmas and I  sure am glad he got to meet Santa. I know that this is just the first year of many of … The Santa Claus Experience.

Merry Christmas from my family to yours!!

No matter how you celebrate it, have a splendid holiday season. So many traditions……..its’ hard to say it correctly anymore, just spread the love during this time of year.

Thank you so much for being a part of the world I live in!

Keith

P.S. the market IS CLOSED this Sunday and will reopen on Jan. 3, 2010

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Now playing: Oscar & Mario Reynolds – Women & Children (Mujeres Y Ninos)
via FoxyTunes

Did you make it to the market last week? Many of you did. While it rained and misted, it was still a pleasant day. Thankfully, it was not as cold as it could have been. Besides, Rain is good for the complexion right?

We are wrapping up another year. Wow, what a roller coaster ride it has been. The economy, jobs lost or cut back, homes lost, friends lost. Doesn’t seem to be too much to cheer about, eh? Look at it this way, we persevered and stuck together. We helped each other in times of need. There are a lot of folks in need this year.

One example of this is the Lemon Lady. She started a one woman war on hunger in Contra Costa County by simply picking ripe fruit from back yard trees and getting to where it would do the most good. She expanded to the local Farmers’ Markets’, including ours, to make the most of the unsold produce at the end of the market day. Her notoriety and a generous dose of publicity got people off their duffs and now donations are up at the food banks and pantries. Even with more food reaching these agencies there is never enough to meet the need this time of year and in this economy it is even worse.

Next time you go shopping take a hand basket as well as you cart and fill the hand-basket with non-perishables. Then drop those off at a collection point or your local food bank. It won’t cost you much more and the good it will do is immeasurable.

If that doesn’t suit you because you are a “hands-on” person. It can be the homeless, helping returning Vets, shelters and food kitchens. Take a few hours out of your holiday, grab the kids and or spouse and head to a food pantry and help sort or pass out food for baskets or find a kitchen to help prepare or serve meals to those less fortunate. If you are reading this then you are doing better than a lot of people this year. Give back a little. A little good Karma never hurt anyone. I included a few resources to get you in touch with the people that need your assistance even if all you can give is your time.

This started out as a review of the last 12 months. Well, we were all there right? Lets’ look forward to the future, 2010 will be a year of promise. Okay, maybe a little too optimistic as I tend to be. It’ll be as good as we make it and given what we have to work with………. we’ll have to work pretty hard.

What’s’ good at the market this week? Everything, seriously, its’ all great this time of year. The Tangerines and Satsuma are as sweet as candy, the other citrus…..sweet and juicy. Chard, greens, sweet potatoes, cauliflower and the list goes on. This is the time for veggie trays and dip. Get it all in one stop. Making a stew or soup? Holding Ranch grass fed beef, J & M Ibarra Organics for the veggies…..done. Hit Lone Oak Ranch for you Citrus needs and Tapley/Carrins for your pomegranate juice.

The rain last week really thinned out the market, but we should be back to full strength this week. Remember to stock up this Sunday because the market will be closed on the 27th. We will re-open January 3, 2010. Gifts, great food, its’ all here and all that is missing is you. Did you purchase a gift at the farmers market? Get it gift wrapped at the free gift wrapping station located near the Information table. Did I mention its’ FREE?

I will have packets of Gift Certificates for sale at the market booth. They come ready to give in a variety of dollar amounts. Stop by and see. Sorry Cash only on these, no checks.

Contact information to help out, these are a few sources but is not all inclusive. Do your own research and volunteer where it feels right.

Salvation Army (925) 676-6180
www.salvationarmyconcordca.org/volunteering.html

Food Bank of Contra Costa And Solano – (925) 676-7543 http://www.foodbankccs.org/

The Monument Crisis Center
www.monumentcrisiscenter.org.

Shelter, Inc. of Contra Costa County Contact: (925) 957-7561 www.shelterincofccc.org

Winter Nights Family Shelter- Walnut Creek Contact: Gwen Watson, (925) 930-9965

Sister Marietta Fahey-SHF, USA

Sister Marietta Fahey-SHF, USA Educator

Personality and Human Relationships (PRH)

Walnut Creek, California
925-935-6151
mfahey@prh-usa.org

PROFILE:

I have worked with adults and children in faith education, directed retreats for groups and accompanied individuals who desired to integrate their faith and ordinary life.

When I met PRH I recognized it was the tool I was searching for, a tool to help folks (and myself!) accelerate growth toward wholeness.

I have been a PRH educator since 1983. I am a continuing education provider for MFTs and LCSWs – approved by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (#3748) (2006)

PERSONAL MESSAGE:

Come if you want to grow in self knowledge and skills for living fully, freely, responsibly all you are created to be.

In an environment of simplicity, natural beauty and reverence explore your inner landscape.

DISCOVER YOUR INNER RESOURCES!

Golden Gate Bridge at Night

Golden Gate Bridge at Night

Mount Diablo, California

Mount Diablo, California

This is a do-it-yourself guide of how to setup Google Apps for your domain. This is a Tutorial of how to enable Google apps to work on your domain name. What will be covered is only how to setup EMAIL.

First of all what is Google Apps? If you have seen colleagues or people at their office using gmail for their business email with their logo and under their domain name then you have seen Google Apps. With Google Apps, you are able to setup your business email eg. yourname@yourdomain.com to work with Gmail. Email Messaging and services have not been easier than this for business owners. For advanced configurations and setup, you will need a specialist and support services and we offer this very affordably at Boundary Cross.

What is the benefit of moving email to Google? Most small businesses are using the free email service for AOL, Comcast, Hotmail, Yahoo, RoadRunner, etc… and this does not portray a professional image.

Lets Get right to it.

Step 1:
GoTo www.google.com/a and sign up for an account
If you already have a Gmail email you can use this account as the primary account to setup all the settings, or you can sign up for a new Gmail account
Step 2:
Setup Domain Details.
Your Name, Your Organization, how many users, etc…

Step 3:
Setup the Primary Master account

Step 4:
Setup What applications you want
For most of you your just going to want to setup Email and Calendar

Step 5:
The most difficult part is the Changes to DNS you will have to make.
These next steps below are copied directly from Google. They maybe a little different depending on what domain host you use.

1. Sign in to your domain hosting company’s website using the username and password associated with your domain.

2. Navigate to an MX record maintenance page. MX records are special DNS (Domain Name Service) records, and are often located under sections titled “DNS Management,” “Mail Server Configuration,” or “Name Server Management.” You may need to turn on advanced settings to allow editing of these MX records.

3. Delete any existing MX records before entering new MX records.

4. For each MX record, enter information according to the entries in the following table.You may not be allowed to enter the priority values exactly as they appear in the table below; in that case, simply ensure that the server addresses are prioritized in the same order as they appear in the table. (i.e. The priority ranking [1, 3, 3, 5, 5, 5, 5] should work just as well as [1, 5, 5, 10, 10, 10, 10] so long as you keep the addresses in the right order.) If you’re asked to specify the type of each record you’re adding, enter “MX”.

MX records often require the specific format of DNS records, including a trailing dot (”.”) at the end of any full-qualified domain names (e.g. “server.example.com.”)

Set any TTL values to the maximum allowed.
MX Server address     Priority
ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM.     1
ALT2.ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM.     5
ASPMX3.GOOGLEMAIL.COM.     10
ASPMX5.GOOGLEMAIL.COM.     10

If you need help with this, schedule an Appointment with us for a free consultation.

Don’t forget to get your Christmas Tamale order in with Allstar Tamales.  Mustn’t forget the Tamales for Christmas Eve.

Cheers!

Keith

As of this post the weather forecast is kind of sketchy. With any luck Saturday will be the rain day and Sunday will be clear. In any case the Walnut Creek Farmers’ will be there. The first wet day is always the worst for me, after that its’ easy. Break in the raingear, adjust to a slightly different set-up and stay as dry as possible.

I am always pleased to see the rainy day faces, with their rain slickers, umbrellas, kids trying out their first pair of rain boots by hitting every puddle and parents chasing them. Rainy days are fun after you get past the fact that we as adults seem to have lost the wonder of a rainy day. The smell of fresh washed air, the dramatic skies and just the difference from what we are used to. I love to see Mt. Diablo after a rain storm. Its’ either dusted with snow or covered as was the case earlier this week or seeing it dappled by the clouds and sunshine.

Here’s’ what to expect this Sunday at the market.

The usual cast of veggie growers will be there as will the great breads, fish, meats and of course a hot cup of coffee.

Those I know won’t’ be there:

Winters Chestnuts are done for the season.

Calvin Acres Walnuts and Pecans will return on the 20th.

Cabrillo Farms Artichokes and Brussels sprouts out due to crop shortage, maybe for the 20th.

Devoto Gardens Apples and Flowers will not return until late April or May.

Anna’ Flowers is week to week, weather depending.

Whitehall Candles will return on the 20th.

Lively Linens & Lavender will return Jan. 17, 2010

Kim’s’ Orchids will return on the 20th.

The weather may prompt some last minute cancelations. I will update as needed.

2 weeks until Christmas……… Jams and jellies from Cottage Kitchen make a great gift, Gift Certificates from the market can’t miss, knife sharpening from The Critical Edge, how about a year’s supply of soap from Delta Moon Soaps, a bottle of the best olive oil in the state from Barianni Olive Oil, blended and flavored oils from Bistro Blends or a candle gift pack from Whitehall Candle. There will be gift wrapping services at the market, weather permitting, for your convenience.

See you at the Market, Rain Or Shine

Put Google’s web-based communication, collaboration and security apps to work for your company or school. Boundary Cross Online Solutions LLC. is here to help you to setup Google Apps for just $ 99.00 with our Bronze Package. With our affordable Google Apps Setup and Support fixed-price packages, small & medium companies can get up and run with Google Apps quickly and easily. Take advantage of our team’s expertise to ensure a smooth transition to this flexible on-demand platform.

Contact Us or Book an appointment with us online today to get Free phone consultation or On-Site consultation within these East Bay locales – Oakland, Alameda, San Leandro, Hayward, Emeryville, Berkeley and other areas in the San Francisco Bay Area

Collaborative Email, Calendar, Docs & Spreadsheets

We are your local Google Apps Setup Solution Provider. At Boundary Cross, we help small businesses in evaluating and adopting Google products and services.

We’ve found that many customers don’t have the time to fully evaluate and deploy Google Apps, and others just prefer the expertise of a local firm or trusted partner when making IT decisions. We are a solution provider who can help you get the most out of Google Apps. We offer services related to deployment, migration, training, systems integration, ongoing support and more.

Give your Employees/Users Email Services with Gmail (7 GB+) (25 GB with Google Apps Premier Edition), Google Calendar and Google Talk accounts with your own custom domain (e.g. MyCompany.com), helping them to stay connected and work together more effectively. When Google Apps Setup, your employees can share files and collaborate in real-time with each other.

We provide Google Apps Setup services and Google Apps Support Services in San Francisco, Oakland, Alameda, San Leandro, Hayward, Emeryville and Walnut Creek

Contact Us today or Book an Appointment Online.

W H A T : Smuin Ballet’s Holiday Favorite
W H E N : November 27 – December 27
W H E R E : Walnut Creek, Mountain View, Carmel, San Francisco

M O R E : View from the Bay VIDEO

Santa’s Sweets!

Meet Santa and the Smuin dancers while enjoying sweets with the family! Post-matinee reception at select venues:

• Saturday, December 5: Sunset Center, Carmel
• Saturday, December 12: Mountain View Center for the Arts
• Sunday, December 20: Yerba Buena Performing Arts Center, San Francisco

Remember to bring your camera to capture your child’s special moments with Santa and Smuin dancers!

Toys for Tots:

• Friday, November 27, 8pm: The Lesher Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek
• Friday, December 11, 8pm: Mountain View Performing Arts Center
• Friday, December 4, 8pm: Sunset Center, Carmel
• Wednesday, December 16, 8pm: Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco

Please drop off any new, unwrapped toy in the Toys for Tots bin at any of the above shows. You will receive a special two-for-one priced ticket for Elite and Premium seats. This offer is good for walk-up only.

Lets’ hear your ideas!

So, as we continue to examine the market with a view towards a Lafayette, Orinda, Walnut Creek and surrounding area real estate forecast, we still need to look first at the big picture. As one of the early comedic geniuses, Stan Laurel, once said, “What a fine mess you’ve got us in.”

By late 2008, the mortgage crisis had began to shift from subprime loans to the prime loans typically reserved for some of the best qualified borrowers and Credit Suisse is now predicting that there will be more than 6M new foreclosures by the end of 2012. Many of these are expected to be at the upper end of the market, driven principally by the unemployment/under-employment problem.

Looking at California, before we eventually delve deeper into our local markets, we are seeing a reduction of inventory at the lower price points. Even the statewide range of $300-500K is down to about 3 months of available inventory. Much of this has been driven by the $8,000 Federal tax credit for first time buyers and probably has just simply shifted the demand curve forward for many of these buyers. The California $1M+ market segment, principally dominated by buyers well beyond their first time purchase, now stands at about 16 months of inventory. This only tells part of the story because “shadow inventory” lurks behind the scenes… homes in serious default that have not reached foreclosure yet, and in some cases Notices of Default have yet to be filed. The latest stats show that loan defaults are significantly outpacing foreclosure liquidation, so the shadow inventory continues to build. On a national basis, the market overhang created by this situation was at about 7 million homes as of November 2009, and new defaults are running at about 300,000 per month! If we look at San Francisco data from the Case-Shiller Index, we’ll find that when shadow inventory is included, the actual inventory is about 279% of what is publicly listed for sale.

Studies have shown that most market bubbles eventually return to the historical trend line. Based upon this theory, real estate economists generally believe that prices need to decline another 5-10%, on average, to reach trend line. Some market bubbles have seen prices cross over below the trend line, so that risk is present in the market.

Some recent signs of stabilization in home prices may be due to factors that are misleading people to reach the wrong conclusions about what is really happening on a short-term basis… ultra-low interest rates, the $8K first-time buyer credit, an increasing number of higher priced homes sold in foreclosure (raising average price calculations), a temporary reduction in the introduction of new foreclosures in the market due to government pressure, and MASSIVE Federal support for the market via FHA loans.

The August 2009 Deutsche Bank report stated:
While subprime and Option ARMs are currently the worst cohorts with underwater borrowers, we project that the next phase of the housing decline will have a far greater impact on prime borrowers (conforming and jumbo) … By Q1 2011, we estimate that 41% of prime conforming borrowers and 46% of prime jumbo borrowers will be underwater, a significant increase over the percentage of these borrowers in Q1 2009. The impact of this is significant given that these markets have the largest share of the total mortgage market outstanding.

T2 Partners believes that US home prices will fall further and reach bottom in mid-2010, but that there won’t be a quick rebound due to the enormous amount of unsold inventory coupled with tepid economic growth for many years ahead.
Wrapping us this not-so-encouraging chapter, we must take these macro factors into serious consideration as we seek to forecast local market such as Lafayette, Orinda and Walnut Creek real estate. We are not immune from the national and statewide issues. It was a wonderful ride up, but it’s important to acknowledge the present market reality and make our future decisions based upon fact and not fantasy. With that said, we have seen where micro markets can and sometimes do behave differently than national average. We’ll see.

Next chapter… a look at the local performance numbers for Lafayette, Orinda and Walnut Creek real estate.

Hurray its’ Friday! For most Friday means the end of the week, for me its’ the middle.  I work on the market all week-long, talking to farmers, answering phone calls, planning the markets’ layout ect. Friday it shifts into high gear! Few people understand the amount of work that goes into a weekly Farmers’ Market and it is not a one person show either. Sunset Magazine has called the Walnut Creek Market the best in the East bay.   The success of our markets is a team effort. Without everyone in the organization pulling towards the common goal it just would not work.  CCCFM has been described as the “farmers’ markets with a soul”.  I/we are very proud of that.  From the Board Of Directors to the Executive Director all the way to the young Market Assistants, everyone takes pride in serving the community.  Our reward is seeing you every week with a smile on your face and a big bag of fresh produce on your arm. Knowing you are getting the best there is to feed yourself and your family

Whats’ at the Market this week?  Oh the usual, the best of everything!  Apples are the best this time of year, crisp and sweet. Sweet potatoes, root vegetables and everything you need to make a perfect seasonal stew, casserole, soup or other kind of comfort food. Crafts for gift giving, knife sharpening, jams & jellies and, most everything you would need.  New crop walnuts and almonds! Great Music and it looks like the rain will hold off until monday.

Ever heard a nut joke? True Story. We once had a farmer from Brentwood who was famous for his peaches and his almonds.  He would always call almonds,  “amonds” and I always just chalked it up to accent or farmer slang.  He and I were talking one Sunday and I finally asked him why he called them “amonds”.  Kinda sorry I did. During the course of a 45 minute dissertation he told the me complete history of almonds along with the growing stages.  You see he said,  “they start out as a seed, grow into a tree, bloom, then produce this wonderful nut called an almond.  Then the farmer has to harvest them and to do that you have to “shake the *L* out of them and then they become AMONDS.”  *sigh*  You got the short version………………I got the 45 minute version.  Have a great weekend and I’ll see you Sunday at the Walnut Creek Certified Farmers’ Market.

Do you get the Lettuce Leaf  Newsletter? You should.  Great information, even better recipes.  Click here to sign-up.  The Lettuce Leaf is the official newsletter of CCCFM.

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Now playing: Dana Lyons – Cows With Guns
via FoxyTunes

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Now playing: The Youngbloods – Get Together
via FoxyTunes

Welcome our Guest Contributor, Grace Boda

What ARE they?? They’re chestnut burrs….each filled with a small handful of fresh chestnuts, ripe for winter roasting.

Locally grown chestnuts are a rare treat. While American Chestnut trees once dominated the landscape in many parts of our country, they were hit hard by a blight in the early 1900s and by 1940 were virtually eliminated. Today, they survive only in small clumps of living stumps that grow small shoots, surviving just long enough to produce a few seeds before dying. As a result, domestic chestnuts have all but disappeared. Currently 90% of all chestnuts sold in the US are imported from far away places like Italy, China, and Korea.

We’re fortunate in the Bay Area to have Winters Chestnuts, one of the few remaining chestnut farms in the United States growing an Asian and European hybrid variety of these unusual nuts and restoring the chestnut to domestic soils. The farm is less than 50 miles from central Contra Costa County so all you local-vores can enjoy this nostalgic winter treat in good conscience!

Come meet Aimee Eng and her father Weylin at the Walnut Creek market and learn all about this interesting food. You’ll be able to handle the spiny burrs, trade recipes with the Engs, and get lots of ideas for fun and delicious family holiday activities with chestnuts.

Winters Chestnuts will be at the Walnut Creek Farmers’ Market until their crop sells out, likely through mid-December, so don’t delay! Share the lore of the American Chestnut and enjoy a traditional treat in a way that respects our planet’s resources.

Greetings All,
Did everyone get enough this past Thanksgiving weekend?  Enough food, drink, friends, family and driving?  Seems that what the holidays have become.  It was nice to get together with extended family who lives locally but we only see once a year.  Busy lifestyles. My family is scattered over the country from New York to California so we seldom get together but stay in touch via email and Skype. The digital age has made the world so small but it has also made face to face get together’s harder to manage.

So we begin the uncontrolled slide in to the holiday season.  Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Whacky Wednesday and so on.  I have noticed the commercials on the TV change noticeably during the holidays, liquor companies and Car makers come on big and the low-end warehouse doors fling open the offer the Chia Pet and other variants.  I stopped the Christmas thing some 30 years ago and have discouraged gifting for the sake of gifting.  I would prefer a nice get together over lunch and catch up on events to a gift someone agonized over or worse didn’t………

Don’t get me wrong, I do give gifts to special people.  As you may have read in prior posts I believe the best gift comes from the heart. I give gifts of myself, things I made or things someone else has made.  Kinda old-fashioned I suppose. My particular talent is photography and those close to me get pieces of my work when gifts are needed or I get items made by other talented folks.  There are insanely talented artisans around here and I am very fortunate to know many.  I have never felt a gift from these crafts people was  not appreciated.  The holidays are stressful enough without adding the need to combat crowds of stressed out shoppers at the mall.  If you want to see the holiday spirit in all its’ ugliness, go to a shopping mall.

Strike a blow for simplicity! Buy from an Artisan at your local art fair, Farmers’ Market (hint) or other venue you may find.  You will never be disappointed nor will the recipient of your gift.

Moving on.

Are you getting your food from local growers?  Why the hell not?  For all the reasons listed above and many more you should get it at the Farmers’ Market.  Cleaner, tastier, fresher and the list goes on.  I know I sound like a zealot but it is better from a farmers’ Market.  Lord knows there are enough of them around these days, everyday except Monday.  I personally think there are too many, but every community wants their own.  Even in the winter with all its’ rain and cold the farmers’ market is still the place to be.

Buy Fresh & Buy Local!

See you at the Market, Rain Or Shine

Keith

Now playing: John Lee Hooker – Boom Boom

Now playing: Black Sabbath – Jack the Stripper/Fairies Wear Boots
Now playing: Amon Amarth – An Ancient Sign of Coming Storm

Now playing: Mott the Hoople – All the Young Dudes
via FoxyTunes

Golden Gate Bridge at Night

San francisco Legion of Honor Museum.

Hi gang,

There have been a lot of songs have been written about Monday, all bad.  I am no fan myself.  Mondays are a recovery day after a marathon Market day where I leisurely wander from room to room in my robe (sorry for the visual) and try to remember why I am in that room to begin with.  Well, today I did not have that luxury, I had to hit the ground running.  Short week with Thanksgiving on Thursday and a lot to be done by Wednesday afternoon so I can take a few days off in the mountains.  First off, an interview with CC times reporter on how to green up your holiday gift giving at the market.  What are green gifts?  Think Reuse and Recycle.  I saw a sign at Masa Organics, Rice and Nuts, “Nothing says I love you like a 20 pound bag of brown rice”. You know, there is a new way of thinking regarding gifts.  Gifts from the heart bought or made with great care and thought show you care.  While talking to this nice reporter, she asked me if I thought the market was a good place to buy gifts and yes I do!  You can buy a reuseable market bag stuff it will market bucks and tell your loved ones “I care about You and the enviroment” Give the gift of reusable, renewable and good for you and the earth gift.  Ahhhh, a tree huggers holiday season. No, not at all.  Even the hard-core Hummer driver will become an earth worshipper soon.  We have to.  Does your gift recipient need to see a famous label for the gift to “valuable”?  Buy you gifts at the Farmers’ Market bring them to the market table and I will certify that they were purchased near Tiffany, Nordstrom, Macys, or any other high-end retail you choose. (Nieman-Marcus will have to wait)  The gift you get at the market will have come from a local source, a local person that cares about the quality and you.

Yeah this sound like a sales pitch and I guess it is in a way.  In this economy with money and resources short you have to give gifts that matter and make sense.  You have to ask yourself when you buy something these days, Is this good for my kids, the earth, me, the person I am buying it for, will it be used or recycled when it does get used, will it benefit my community and will it make the world a better place live?  Thats’ a lot to consider!  Because there’s a lot at stake.  If you can consider even one or two of the above questions, the gift will mean more to the recipient than you will ever know.

You can even buy earth friendly in local stores too. See the latest issue of the Walnut Creek Magazine for shopping tips and suggestions.  www.walnutcreekmagazine.com

Here are a few places I intend to shop for holiday gifts,

Bariani Olive Oil, its’ the new hostess gift, a bottle of wine is so last century.

Deltamoon Soap Works, what can I say, cleanliness is next to ( fill in your favorite) and this is the best soap I have ever used.

Whitehall Candle, I burn these candles for the mood altering scents and the earth friendly process they are made with.

Various farms and farmers for Dried Fruits, Nuts, Honey and even fresh fruit.

What Do all these have in common?  They can all be found at the………….wait for it……………The Walnut Creek Farmers’ Market!

In the past few years I have given gifts of my photos to close friends and felt a little strange about it.  I thought they might not like it or its’ “not them” or they don’t like my work but when I go to their homes and I see it has been framed and its’ hanging proudly on their wall, I don’t care if I never sell another piece of my work.

Give of yourself, whether you make it, buy it, donate it, or volunteer it……….its’ the gift that’ll be remembered for a long time after the holidays are gone.

Buy Local!  Buy Sustainable!

Practice Compassion!

Until next time,
see you at the market!

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Now playing: Monsters of Folk – Baby Boomer

Now playing: Elvis Presley – Viva las Vegas

Now playing: Asleep at the Wheel – My Baby Thinks She’s a Train

Now playing: The Chambers Brothers – Time Has Come Today

Now playing: The Beatles – While My Guitar Gently Weeps

Here are some lovely items I picked up at the Diablo Valley Farmers’ Market today; Happy Boy Farms Delicata squash and salad mix with edible flowers, Hamada Farms Cara Cara oranges, Red Rio grapefruit, Satsuma oranges, Meyer lemon and more. I’m not sure what causes the interesting pattern on the grapefruit. This market is every Saturday year round at the Shadelands in Walnut Creek. Parking is super easy and the market is large and pleasant under the trees.