Done and DONE.

The picnic table is finished.
Er...well, mostly. The construction is complete, but the finishing is not. We completed construction yesterday and celebrated by having a our first BBQ'd meal (very carefully) on the unfinished surface.
This morning we stained every surface--we chose a fairly dark stain hoping that it will weather nicely over the years. Going by the instructions on our stain we're meant to give it a full two days of drying before oiling or sealing. So in a few days we'll apply a coat of poly-urethane and then give it a few more days. So our deadline of OBF is certainly met.

Yeah I'm a llama again!

In an unprecendented return to the frontal lobe, I am now the Environmental Economics Research Assistant at the OEC --it's just a part time internship, but I'll be developing the material for a presentation on the business case for environmental sustainability. "Oh the thinks you can think!"

Silver bells and Cockleshells

So, what seems like just a bit ago, I went outside to take pictures of the garden to update the blog action and see how things were growing and now everything looks completely different. It's been 3 weeks and everything is going crazy in comparison. I took a photo of our first blooming poppy...now there's dozens. So no proper photo updates of the garden today.
We've been picking off the snap peas as they mature, one at a time, not much to really present even as a snack, but they're delicious all the same. Note to self...lots more snap peas next year. Lots. The strawberries are going about the same rate as the peas. We each got one strawberry last weekend :) However, some things are matured and going strong; we finally had the opportunity to snip some of our fresh herbs this week when we made some cannelloni and marinara sauce for our anniversary dinner on mid-summer's eve. The kitchen smelled heavenly.

Everything else out there is just green and beautiful and growing. I'm anxious to see how things go with the squashes...we planted the poppies with the pumpkins and have many rose bushes near the summer squash so I'm hoping that pollination won't be a problem.
As the seasons pass in our yard we've come to realize that the previous occupants left us some lovely and well established plants. This seasons surprises are putting of gorgeous flowers and equally fabulous smells. We have honeysuckle right at our doorstep...just fantastic. The fruit trees are already starting to drop unsuccessful offspring in the backyard and things are beginning to look as they must have when we moved in last July.

...Meanwhile, I'm really enjoying the long days (or at least the idea of them) and waking up with the light. There's something infinitely more exciting about a sunny day waiting outside that makes me forgo extra snoozing. Although, we missed the late sunset on the Solstice, sleeping through it...because we're old and have to get up earlier than everyone else.

We have tried to use the light and warm days well...the picnic table is coming along with one bench complete. The slow going is in part based on having other commitments or demands on our time (like work or eating or sleeping) and also in the fact that the legs of the benches and the table itself are notched so that they fit together, this has required a lot of effort on Joe's part (since our tools are limited). He's been cutting these wedges and then chiseling them out (as is directed by the schematic). It's tough work though.

We spent the better part of Monday figuring our way around the first bench. I think that bench number two will come easier having learned from bench number one. So, just the table proper and some finish sanding, staining and sealing and we'll be ready for outdoor dining! I can't wait. I've just been popping out there to sit on the bench, marvelling at it while enjoying a beer.

We have had opportunity to squeeze in some hikes too... my only complaint on the most recent one was the flies (hence the headdress) this particular hike offered the best view of Mt. Adams that I'd had yet (until the following weekend, when heading to the Yakima Valley), it was well worth dragging the SLR up with us. Hopefully the pictures will turn out.

This weekend, begins a trend where we now have something marked on the calendar for each weekend until the end of August.


...ah summer.

Cat & Mouse

I swear I didn't set this up...

The fruit identity crisis...

Beer and cake in the backyard the other night somehow spurred a conversation about foods and food markets (and I'm almost sure it wasn't me that steered the conversation there :) ) and then to fruit imports. We were discussing how tomatoes are picked before they are ripe in some production areas in Mexico and then stored and artificially ripened via ethylene gas before they arrive in the U.S. (actually I looked into it further today and found a statistic that said 80 percent of fresh tomatoes on the market are ripened with ethylene). Doing some reading today for a paper I'm working on I learned that many bananas are also given this treatment-in fact most bananas around the world are selectively bred to not ripen on their own. On a side note, it is my understanding that the gassing of fruit is done in a closed environment (i.e.: no exposure to humans/animals), however, it should be noted that ethylene is hazardous to humans -depending on amount of exposure (and oxygen levels). But you know, it's okay to use on our food, right?

Also, that evening we spied the oh so funny Jelly Belly energizing "Sport Beans" first ingredient sugar, second ingredient corn syrup...and natural fruit flavor. ah ha! ah ha!

I can see Mount St. Helens from my roof...

...and other things about this week.

For one, it has been positively fabulous weather, so as expected we've spent as much of it in the sun as possible, even going so far as chasing it up the side of our house and hanging out on the roof for a beer this past Monday.

However, most of our outside time was spent on the ground, working on the picnic table, hanging out in the garden and out on the gorge a bit. I had a field assignment for one of my classes and had to document a mass wasting event (i.e.: rockfall, mudslides etc.) what better excuse to take leave of the bike wheels this past weekend and go for a hike. It was especially exciting because we got to use our new forest pass and I got to see Eagle Creek without ice for the first time. It was a little different feeling some school pressure while hiking...I started rating rockfalls and trying to decide which one was cool enough to be photographed and featured as the required picture for my field report...nerd...I know, I know. I got over it eventually.

Otherwise, we've been sanding...a lot. I spent the majority of the weekend with the belt sander, the facial equivalent of a jock strap and the door that will be the table top for our soon to be picnic table. Joe started things off by useing a scraper to get the bulk of the paint off and then I took over--this worked extremly well onthe back side of the door. We seem to have a knack for making things more difficult for ourselves. The plans we have used as a base says something to the effect of...buy some 2x4's and bolt them together like so. But noooooo, we have to be "creative" let's get a door and some 2x6's and really fuck with ourselves, eh?! Actually, it has been very cool, but as always, has been a greater drain on time than we expected. We figured that sanding the door was going to be a challenge; the back side of the door (which will be the underside of the table top) went quite smoothly and without major error. The front (and more interesting) side of the door made up for that apparent ease by having another layer of some waxy substance that caused me to go through twice as many sanding belts. We also made the final cuts on the door and began to cut up the 2x6's for the benches. It's harder work than anticipated, but I'm just really looking forward to being able to bring dinner outside and not have to eat it off my lap. Also, it'll be nice to have when people come over, so hopefully it'll be ready before the next big group gathering (cross your fingers for OBF). I'll certainly have some more time on my hands as the quarter is ending. But here's a look at this weeks 'progress.'

We did have a bit of biking on Tuesday, checking out the local rose garden which is in full bloom and is positively intoxicating. After stopping to, er...smell the roses, we made some wide loops in the residential areas around it, just getting to know the neighborhood a bit more and admiring other peoples gardens etc.

And there were some sublime moments, like this one. We finally found a place to hang the hammock we acquired in Thailand. I have a feeling I'll be hanging out here quite a bit this coming summer...that is until the apples start dropping. For now it's a great place to spy on the goldfish and enjoy a book.

DIY revisted

While in Seattle over Cinco de Mayo we were finally able to gift our finished wine rack. It actually turned out quite well (I used some plastic wood to fill in the major scratch I gave it), the stain took to the wood nicely and the sanding, cutting, drilling and er...screwing we had done since my last post all went swimmingly. We spent two more afternoons drilling, sanding and staining and then let everything sit and dry in the shed for a few days. That just left screwing in the dowels, which took very little time and then some spot finishes and tying on a birthday bow. We finished just in time for Pat's birthday.

Now on to the summer 2007 project-to build a picnic table....

We started with a schematic from popular mechanics and then based on their construction changed it slightly to accommodate our imagined table. We took a trip to the rebuilding center which has the most enjoyable hodgepodge of building materials I have ever seen. When you approach the building from the parking lot you are met by a room that is half filled with doors...before we even made it to the scrap lumber Joe was envisioning a door table top. So we hung out with the doors for awhile trying to find one that struck us. The problem with trying to build a table out of a door (besides the fact that it's purpose is to be a DOOR), is all the design elements and differing types, closet doors, 1-panel doors, 2-panel doors, square panel doors (just imagine putting your plate on that type of surface). We did find a single panel door that might have done well, but the integrity of the main panel was questionable and there was no way it was going to fit in the trunk of the car. So we abandoned the doors to check out the lumber and eventually went home empty handed.

But a couple of weeks ago we went back determined (and with a bag of rope) and found a door which also did not fit in the trunk of the car, but looked very stylish riding on the roof, with every piece of rope we own tying it down. I imagine it was a source of great amusement to lookers on as we tied the door to the roof and then shimmied into our seats via the front windows. But we now have a very heavy and very cool door. Recently we went out to a local lumber yard and purchased some 2x6's for the benches and table supports (Douglas Fir)...which did fit in the trunk. And, we also bought some 'ginormous' bolts and screws which promise to hold the whole thing together.

Since it has been so nice we pulled out the door and I tried my patience sanding it for a little while. After a bit of rough sanding I realized out little sander was not going to get the job done anytime this decade and later that day I was helpfully reminded of the dangers of lead in paint by Andy, which means we need to add a respirator and a belt sander to our supply list. Luckily Joe has two respirators for work and his mom has two belt sanders. So we'll have to put off working on the table until we can make a trip up to Seattle to acquire the sander. Though, going to Seattle will afford us the opportunity to stop in at the Environmental Home Center to get some environmentally friendly stain and sealer to use on the table as well.

Weekends away!

I must start by saying we have had just gorgeous weather for the past week or so...sandal weather. My feet are free, once again, for the season. It has been a bit of time since my last update and I'd like to say it's because I'm so overwhelmingly busy, but that can't be right...although I'm beginning to understand how other couples in our cohort have every weekend until 2009 booked, as we've spent the last month's weekends either out of town or 'busy.'

Our first weekend out of town was to Washington for a biking loop that took a group of nine of us by bike (and two in our super support vehicle) from north of Seattle to the northern part of the peninsula and back around by way of Whidbey Island (partially by ferries-3 to be exact). We spent a lovely and relaxing Cinco de Mayo sipping margaritas by the fire and soaking our sore muscles in the hot tub after our first day of riding. The Peninsula offered beautiful terrain, tainted perhaps only by the uphills, which had me staring at the asphalt, so as to not watch the peak of the hill not getting any closer. The second day we had some rain and more hills. By the time we were entering recognizable territory I was feeling emotionally and physically drained. So I stopped. I had clocked 86 miles over two days. Some of our group went on about 10 more miles, I however, had a beer. It's fun to watch the miles accumulate but my bike computer also keeps track of statistics besides distance which can be both helpful and damning; my average speed for the entire trip was 14.6 mph (no doubt severely skewed by the high speed of 37.8 mph -on our longest downhill and the 3.5 mph I achieved while walking my bike up two of the more severe hills). All in all it was both challenging and fun with the low points being (1) realizing I was always the furthest behind, (2) my right knee hurting through half of day 1 and all of day 2; and the high points being (1) hanging out with my friends (er...watching them streak by me), (2) riding 86 miles in one go.

This past weekend we popped out to Chicago to be at the wedding of two of our good friends from DC. It was a bit of a whirlwind tour with my memory being dominated by our time on public transportation (or trying to find it...it's underground you see...). Actually, we were feeling pretty happy about our use of public transportation this weekend. We walked out our front door and about a mile to the light rail and between two trains arrived at the airport in about 45 minutes. Upon arriving in Chicago we hopped the "ell" and made many attempts to arrive at the station we had predetermined to be the one closest to the hostel we were staying at, but by some awful design of rail construction work were forced to make other plans, forgoing the transfer between trains in favor of a taxi (and instead of stopping at the hostel first, going straight to the dual bachelor and bachelorette party in downtown). The hostel we stayed at was about a mile from the wedding spot which was on the periphery of the Lincoln Park Zoo (where we spent most of the following day). I won't go into great detail about how we spent our time (meerkats and marmosets, oh my), but I will note that we were pathetically "Pacific Northwesters" when we set out for a light breakfast and coffee the next day. We bypassed two major coffee chains looking for something local. Some 7 or 8 blocks past the second one I mentioned that there may not be as strong of coffee tradition here...but we did, eventually, find a nice local cafe, which also served coffee.

From the eyes of the undergrad...and other musings from this week

I must preface this by saying that in my academic work it has been some years since I have sat a proper exam. In the latter years of my undergrad degree and throughout my masters I generally had term paper requirements or essay exams. So, I haven't seen a scantron in about 6 or 7 years. As a result, I've been sweating the thought of the 4 exams that I will have to take in my 200 level Physical Geography course this term.
My fears were completely unfounded. This morning I sat in my seat going over my notes as the undergraduates filed in around me, I heard various comments and questions to the tune of: "did you study for this?" and "I feel pretty ready for this, I got about an hour in last night." Someone in my immediate radius was giving off a familiar and illicit smell so strong I thought I might be subject to a contact high...and then, a student sat down next to me and asked if the test was today. I couldn't help but smile. I studied a bit on Tuesday (collecting my notes etc.) and then for about 6 hours on and off last night and as I was falling asleep subjected Joe to various facts and lists...mumbling into my pillow about 4 factors affecting variable insolation and so on. Anyone who called to wish Joe a happy birthday yesterday also got a healthy dose of information about the atmosphere...I was a bit much. So, sitting there this morning, I figured I was either grossly over prepared or right on target.

I finished the test in 10 minutes.
So, there must be indeed, something to be said for my extra years of education and study "practice" ...perhaps.

I also had opportunity to bounce around research ideas and thoughts with some of the department's graduate students today, which was exceptionally rewarding and quite daunting. I feel a bit torn in two. As though I'm smiling and crying at the same time. I definitely have my work cut out for me.

In other news, the temperature and precipitation here has finally allowed us to put some seeds and seedlings in the ground, so we've transformed the front yard into a couple of odd looking dirt plots that will hopefully look less like a pet cemetery once green shoots start showing themselves.

We planted a few varieties of squash, tomatoes, lettuces and spinach and then also some bell and jalapeno peppers. I'm not sure how the peppers will do, we had great success with them on the east coast, but I'm concerned with how they'll fare here. We also seeded various flowers around the yard, and put in some herb seedlings and strawberry starts (which, if my experience in the NW is properly recalled, will take over the rest of the backyard before the summer is out). The snap peas and poppies I planted back in February are going strong, which is encouraging; hopefully we'll have some luck with the rest. In the meantime, I'm resisting the urge to pluck up one of the heads of garlic to see what's going on under the soil...watching and waiting for the stalks to show signs that the growing period is done.

...and from the tulip festival, up in Mount Vernon a couple of weeks ago. Beautiful, but a bit cold. We were lucky enough to be passengers on this trip and as a result, had a very relaxed and fabulous time.

So it goes...

1922-2007

Pretending it's warm

At this point I'm just hoping it will eventually break 60 degrees here...someday. Otherwise we've been outside in long underwear, weeding, sanding dowels for our wine rack project and most recently, utilizing some of the chicken wire that has been precariously perched against the inside of our fence between our yard and our neighbors (since she hasn't moved it in 9 months, we figured it was up for grabs). We cut a length of about 10 feet and then set it back at it's neutral position. We used the wire to set up a very, very basic composting bin. It's not pretty but we're hoping that we might actually see some compost eventually. Also, after a trip up north we acquired a large cardboard box which fit perfectly inside the wire structure (gracias to the Mt. Vernon homestead), which we just put in this past week (but it not pictured). We're hoping that the cardboard will help the compost pile retain some heat. Our modest pile will never get to the temperatures that it needs to be to produce compost quickly; however, pretty much everything we've read says that you can't really, fuck up biological decomposition-- eventually it will be compost. So maybe for next years garden. In the meantime I'm looking for a local source of compost and sandy loam to spread over our vegetable growing area. On the upside of things, our changing work scheduling has made it so we've forgotten to put the garbage bin out now 3 weeks running and it still isn't even halfway full. :)The trees in the backyard are blooming and with all of this cold windy weather it looks a bit like snow from all the blossoms falling to the ground. The pear tree in the front yard has peaked and now looks a bit dirty in comparison. But here it is in full bloom, right before it rained last week.

...further notes from the bookstore

As of this morning we are no longer allowed to have MP3 players on the floor while the store is closed. Apparently listening to music is "multi-tasking" and we are "not very efficient multi-taskers." So no shutting the world out for the first two hours of my day until the store meets shelving productivity standards.
Right.
Somebody get me out of here.

...and today's stupid customer question is: "Where is your non-fiction section?"

DIY gurus? er....perhaps not

Flushed with our past success in building bookshelves, a wine rack and other household items we decided to embark on the first of many woodworking projects we've been wanting to do outside when the weather got nice. So yesterday we took advantage of the sunshine and got out the materials we had purchased back in January or February when we conceived the idea of building a wall wine rack for Joe's dad for his upcoming birthday. It's not meant to hold a lot, but it's based on a design that my Dad did for himself about 15 years ago and that we liked.

I'm not sure we fully understood the amount of work we were taking on, but just figuring out and drawing the measurements took a couple of beers, a calculator and at least an hour. Then we got to the cutting, I took on the chop saw and the dowels (that is, er...also, ear plugs and safety glasses-sexy sexy) and Joe the skill saw and the body of the rack. Joe also used the jigsaw to create some nice curves in the outside corners. So chopping and sawing done we were ready to drill holes. I have to say I am somewhat enamored with the drill bit that lets you bore a 1 1/2 inch hole through a piece of wood. That is, at least I was enamored. It's a tough fucker to operate and I think I might have killed the project with a huge gouge that I took out of the side of the board. But the shavings are cool.

We sanded some of the dowels and the inside of the drill holes (try not to picture it) and then called it a day. We'll see what kind of sanding it'll take to take the gouge down from heinous to noticeable and then decide how to press on from there. But that's next weekend stuff.

I also spent some time on the side of the house digging up our pumpkin mounds and mixing the clay dirt with some topsoil so that there would be better drainage and so seedlings could actually push through the earth instead of flounder. I also planted some poppies to bring in the bees, so we can actually have pumpkins. And...we'll see how it goes, but we put in some sugar snap peas in the front yard near the cast iron decorative supports on the house (and the railing) to see if we can get them to climb and grow there. The plum tree in the front of our house is in full bloom now, but this is what it looked like just a few days ago: It's just gorgeous and I'm excited for the fruit, we were only just able to sample some last year in July before the season ended, so we should be rolling in the plums this year (according to our neighbors who also have a plum tree, they make excellent crisps).
Though the forecast called for rain on Saturday morning, we ventured out with Andy on a short bike ride. Joe switched on the cog set and wheels for my bike, so I got the super racing wheels and an added boost of confidence. We left from our house and did a loop to the northwest, stopping for a train and a bit of de-layering (as the sun was shining). I felt much better on the bike this weekend and even managed to keep up with the boys. We went 15 miles and kept a good speed pretty much the whole time. I also biked to and from yoga this week, a habit that I plan to continue-unless it's raining, wet stuck on clothing yoga seems highly unappealing.

At least biking and this wine rack project will keep us busy while we anxiously await the better part of spring so we can plant more veggies, herbs and flowers.

Ethanol vs. Tortillas

I was listening to NPR this morning and they were interviewing the executive director of Shell Oil company about the use of ethanol and it's possible effects on world food supplies. It was a broad sort of interview and they only touched on this aspect very briefly, but it sparked my interest. We have a rotting surplus of corn in this country. So I don't really see how world food SUPPLY would differ. Shell is arguing that ethanol producers should use non food based agents that contain cellulose so that the supply and demand curves on food products do not shift dramatically.

The executive director also noted that the price of corn has doubled since Bush's announcement concerning ethanol and that it concerns them that basic foods could become unattainable, i.e.: tortillas. What is not being addressed is the problem of allocation and distribution.

As Micheal Pollan discusses in his most recent book, corn is a major part of every human diet, it comes from animal products (cows, chickens, pigs, turkeys and farmed fish (via feed), sweetened products (via corn syrup and it's high fructose version, processed foods (via corn flour and leavening, distribution.lethicin etc.), corn products (i.e.: chips, tortillas), beer (adjunct) and just corn itself. It's also in a ton of nonfood items from disposable diapers to cleansers. The price of corn is now so low that in the US the government gives subsidies to farmers who grow it ($19 billion in US taxpayer dollars each year), and the majority of it sits in grain elevators. So we feed industry and animals corn and we produce more than we can consume in the U.S. There seems to be a problem when we're sitting on all of this corn not to mention feeding it to animals when millions of people are already starving; all of this prior to more corn going to ethanol production.

eh?

...are you there spring?

Garlic! Our winter crop is looking awesome from this side of the soil...we'll see what's beneath soon enough; if things go well we're going to have about 50 heads of garlic. Vampire warding braids shall be given to all :)

We've also noticed a lot of these pretty purple flowers poking up too, whether wild or from previous tenants, they were lovely to see as a first sign of potential spring.

I am anxious to get more seeds in the ground, as this will be our first 'yard garden' instead of container garden. We've got big plans and probably more seeds than the yard can feasibly take. But we'll see how it goes. Our biggest plot of potential planting ground is were our gas pipeline used to be. (You know, the one that was leaking when we first moved in?) So we're hesitant to plant anything we want to eat there- so we're going to try for some jack 'o lanterns and wildflowers and see how it goes. It's too bad too, because not only is it the biggest spot, it's the sunniest. Perhaps next year we can make a giant container and fill it with dirt--sigh, it just seems to defeat the purpose (or my 'yard garden' spirit).

Quasi enjoyed some more time outside as we collected an organized the debris from the apple tree pruning that Joe did last week (while it was hailing). C'mon spring, any time now. We also burnt off the Christmas tree that someone dumped in our yard back in January. Grinch style. If only I had a shot of that, Joe shoving the dead tree foot by foot into our outdoor fireplace... "you're a mean one, Mr. Grinch."

We also got a bike ride in over the weekend and the sexiness of my cold weather biking gear is more than enough to be begging for warmer weather. It was great to get on a lighter, faster bike and although I think 25 miles was a bit much for the inaugural 'back in the saddle again' ride, it was fun (if not entirely grueling and painful). Yoga this week was a good reminder that I haven't entirely recovered, as my quads screamed through the lunges.

amazing what you find when...

Well, since we've added a new bike to the household (pictures forthcoming - if it stops snowing outside) we needed to make room in our little shed out back.

When we first moved in we didn't really pay much attention to the inventory of 'left items' but just found a place for our tools and bikes and other outdoor gear that had usually been housed in a linen closet or the bedroom of our previous apartment residences.
Upon a surface inspection of the storage area during the summer, we found some undesirables laying about and so slowly got rid of the multiple artificial fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides that had been left by the previous renters/owners.
So this past weekend, we wanted to shuffle things around and hang our mountain bikes and clean up a bit, a twenty minute job turned into three hours of interesting work. Half of the shelving in the shed is given over to cans of paint, some of which look like they were used on the house and others of dubious origin, so they should probably stay, and we don't really need the space, so I just shoved them all to the same side of the shelves and went about other things. Random things.
I think I pulled about 50 nails out that looked like someone threw them at the wall and pounded them in where they made dents. This item here, however, takes the cake. I found this on the shelf covered in sawdust-

er...yeah. It's like a metaphor for the people who used to live here.

In any event we hung the bikes and spent a rainy day inside the shed and under the covered patio embarrassing Quasi (and ourselves I suppose).
He hasn't quite got the walking part down, it's more of a crawl and sniff and jowl things and roll around and then crawl some more. But I get a big kick out of it.

Snow and Ice

Ah, nothing like a snowy day to sit by the fire and read a book or five. Just enough snow to be pleasant and enjoyable. - also a couple of weeks ago so any unpleasantness of being disrupted by snow has been replaced with the unpleasantness of being at work.

I have found, over the past few years that being on vacation during this period of cold weather has been really quite fabulous. Not being in a position to flee the country this season, I expected to curl up and read the cold days away. Not so.

So, just some photos of what I'm giving up a warm cozy reading spot for on my days off :)

"Ice Hiking" out on the Gorge

In the money...

So the metro area has begun work on a new initiative to make cold days less miserable for the homeless population by offering day centers and public restroom access. However, on the law enforcement side they are attempting to keep the sidewalks and "high traffic" areas free of squatters by enforcing a no sitting/laying/squatting on the sidewalk or you'll be fined, up to $250.00 rule. Giving out fines to homeless people. Right.

Irony?

On my way home from work today the person (of jobless or homeless or whatever status) who stood in the cold real estate of the I-5 North exit ramp today was holding a sign that had been fashioned from a jobdango.com advert. I got a kick out of that.

Industrializing of Organic Foods

"Is what whole foods did for the "branding" of organic good for local/regional farms or did it co-opt them?"

So I wrote a lovely response to a totally different question (below), thinking about how the interaction between Whole Foods and local farms has been for the farms...

But now I think what you're really asking is if making organic more mainstream and available from a large conglomerate has hurt local farmers? I would say yes. (Although I think the growing number of CSA's is combating it, as well as the increase in farmers markets and attendance). The mainstreaming of organic has created (dare I say it) the bastard child industrial organic; so Whole Foods making large quantities of organic produce and other products available created a demand spike and these large farms move in to create the supply. Even traditionally industrial produce companies are coming out with organic lines, i.e.: Chiquita, Dole, del Monte. The story is the same with any industrial agriculture- get big or get out. I think that Whole Foods compromises it's vision when it tries to be like other grocers and have 'seasonless' supply (berries, peppers, bananas; in Jan.), organic tv dinners and other various organic processed foods. I would say my organic coming of age was in the arms of Whole Foods, at first I was dazzled by the organic goodies and fresh produce, but looking back just because it's labeled organic doesn't mean it's good for you or the Earth. (but I wouldn't say Whole Foods is the culprit, just one of the many forces that are driving this continuing industrialization of agriculture)

Plus, in my experience volunteering at a small organic farm a few miles from our apartment in DC, even the large scale certification of organic has hurt small farms. The process of becoming USDA certified and maintaining certification is so costly and intensive that it wasn't worth it for this farm to become certified, so they changed their description from Organic to 'Eco-ganic.' The USDA certified practices are better suited to large farms; the owner of the farm picked up a tomato and explained that in order to be compliant she would have to be able to track when it was planted, harvested and which field it came from. This farm was run by herself and her husband with a smattering of help from their kids, grandkids and volunteers, there's no way they could have that kind of precision.
And you'll notice that grocers carrying organic produce carry certified organics.

---the other answer--
On face, I would say Whole Foods local produce initiative has been okay for the farmers it serves. Although farmers markets and attendance at markets is high, having a guaranteed buyer (like a big name grocery store) is good. From what I know about how Whole Foods does it, they allow individual stores to connect with the local farmers, so it's not the corporate office calling the shots. And as far as I can tell, it goes from the farmer to the store, so no middle-man, which means more money to the farmer. Also, Whole Foods charges a premium on their organic foods (as was noted by Scott) so, it stands to reason that the farmer is also receiving a better price for their goods. I do not get the feeling they've become part of the industrial food chain by selling to a large grocer. They do not (seem) exist to sell to Whole Foods. I would consider them "specialty suppliers." Kind of like locally sourcing someone to bake bread (i.e.: Grand Central w/Market of Choice) or even cleaning services. Although some of them in their effort to sell to Whole Foods have created local cooperatives under one name to sell as a group and I can't say what effect that has had.

However, that being said, Whole Foods has almost 200 stores in the US and is traded publicly, so they have to have growth/increased sales...and a good image, so I'm sure it's not picture perfect. Plus it's juxtaposed against the fact that they also carry big name industrial organics (i.e.: Cascadia Farm, Earthbound Farms, Chiquita-organics, etc.); additionally they have their own line of products (the 365 stuff) and who knows where that comes from.
Furthermore, the term local can be stretched, local to Whole Foods is within 200 miles (which is awesome if you consider that the average meal in the US travels about 3000 mi.) but not to my standard of local (you say 200 miles I think about the fact that Oregon is 300 miles of the I-5 corridor), my standard of local holds a much smaller radius. I can't wait to have a CSA next season.

Down to Earth?

I read an interview in yesterday's Wall Street Journal with the CEO of Whole Foods where he talked about the mission and 'branding' of organic, local and sustainable foods and it's spread to other grocers/retailers. It was pretty interesting; the highlight being his coming paycut for 2007; he has offered to reduce his salary from $365,000 per year to $1.00. Quite a statement. I imagine he will still have boatloads of stock options etc etc (his compensation for the moment is noted by the AFL-CIO as 1.6m so I doubt he'll be hurting) but I like the message all the same. Especially when compared with other retail grocers.

Notes from the Bookstore

...if one more person comes in asking for "Osama Obama's" new book I think I might die from laughing.

Empowered?

I voted in this election, which is something I have not done in awhile, due to disenchantment, 'statelessness' (Wa. disowned me, and I refused Va.) and...well no, that's about it.

I think it feels more empowering when what/who you voted for wins...

I'll let you know when the full results are in.

Question of the week.

Customer: "It's this book about genes and it has a greenish kind of cover."
Me: "Do you remember anything else about the book?"
Customer: "Not really, can't you find it? It was on Amazon."
Me: "Well I've done a search on 'genes' and 'genetic' and each returned over 300 results, most of which are not in stock."
Customer: "Well can you get on Amazon's website? I can get it from them."
Me: "Er...no, no I can't access competitors websites, sorry."