| "Shop locally" is a maxim that we would do well to | | | | locally, even in a medium-sized city, is at the local |
| heed if we want our local communities to thrive. | | | | farmers market. Again, this requires some |
| In a time when we can order what we want | | | | planning and effort but is well worth both. Most |
| while we sit in our dens and have it delivered | | | | localities have a market that opens for business |
| within two days, straight to our doors, it takes a | | | | at least once a week, especially during warmer |
| real commitment to choose to shop at the stores | | | | weather. Here you may find not only vegetables |
| and businesses run by our friends and neighbors. | | | | but eggs and cheese, flowers and plants, and |
| As the mom-and-pop stores have been squeezed | | | | sometimes even a slaughtered pig or cow. If you |
| out by chains and national businesses and | | | | become a regular you will know exactly from |
| corporations, small to medium sized towns have | | | | whom you are buying the food that you eat. Jim |
| lost some of the flavor of the history of their | | | | Johnson, a beef farmer from Irvington, Alabama |
| communities. When I was a youngster in Cushing, | | | | has an interesting motto. Jim says, "you are what |
| Oklahoma, Mr. Josh would put a sign on the door | | | | you eat eats." He makes a good point - locally |
| to his hardware store for two weeks in the | | | | raised foods are less likely to contain chemicals |
| middle of summer. The sign simply said, "Vacation. | | | | that you can't pronounce. |
| Back in two weeks." We all knew what it meant. | | | | If you really want to do it right, plan on stocking |
| Mr. Josh had taken his lovely wife of over 30 | | | | up while you're at the farmers market so that |
| years off to their cabin on the lake where he | | | | you can freeze or can local fresh foods to last |
| would fish and she would read, and they would | | | | through the winter months. You will feed your |
| neither answer the phone nor leave the cabin until | | | | family without preservatives or unknown additives |
| their vacation time was up. If you needed a | | | | while supporting the economy that finances local |
| hammer, you could either wait two weeks or | | | | hospitals, fire departments, schools, libraries, and |
| drive to Drumright. The upside of that was that | | | | police departments. You will also have the joy of |
| Mr. Josh took a personal interest in each | | | | knowing your neighbors better and meeting folks |
| customer and was willing to work with them | | | | that you might otherwise have missed. |
| every way that he could to see that they were | | | | Yes, shopping locally can be a little more work, |
| satisfied. That doesn't seem to happen so often | | | | take a little more time, require a little more |
| now. | | | | planning, and even cost a bit more. I think when |
| One place that the average person can still shop | | | | you shop locally you will find it worth the effort. |
