15 minutes? No problem!

As I've stated in a previous post, while living in the city, I was used to the conveniences of Walmart, Target and grocery stores being close by.  Since moving here, I've become accustomed to driving 10 minutes to the grocery store, 20 - 25 min to the Walmart, and I almost never go to Target (much to MY chagrin, but much to my bank account's happiness) because it's in the next state over.  15 min to meet someone to pick something up? No problem.  20 minutes to get to the t-ball field? Sure!  Time has taken on new meaning.

No longer can I walk into our grocery store and peruse the wine selection at my leisure.  No, to get a bottle of wine, I must either to go a winery or find a "state store".  Needless to say, I've not bought a bottle of wine since we moved in August.  Not to say I haven't had wine since being here.  I belong to a book club, so you KNOW there's going to be wine a-flowing there! Good times!

I've been searching for a dresser for our daughter, so I've been searching the Facebook garage sale pages and learning about some of the before unknown antique stores around here.  I went with a friend of mine to a little shop she knew of in a neighboring city and this place was quite literally a hole in the wall in an industrial area.  I don't know how she found it to begin with!  Another friend suggested a couple of stores in a little town not far from here that I have yet to explore.  Needless to say, I'm excited to explore, distance and time be darned (within reason)!

Since I've broached the topic, there's this fantastic antique store in Portland, OR called Monticello.  I have gone to this store every trip since our son was a baby - there's always something new and they have this great book section and cafe.  I can easily spend a couple of hours browsing there.

I've not always been a fan of antiquing, as it were.  Those stores used to give me a major case of the heebie-jeebies with all their old, other people's things.  The dust, the claustrophobic cacophony of "stuff" that was usually very unorganized - my head would spin and I would practically beg to get out of the store.  That was until my husband needed to start doing prop shopping for his graduate work as a theatre designer.  We lived in Detroit (yes, IN Detroit) and there was this fantastic place called the Eastern Market.  If you're ever in Detroit on a Saturday, especially in nice weather, be sure to find your way there (even in this trying economy, I hope it still runs!).  There are vendors outside, there are 3 huge buildings full of vendors and all this is surrounded by older buildings housing a butcher, a wine shop, greasy spoons and THE antique store.  Room after room of  mostly organized "stuff".  It's a prop picker's dream.  You never know what treasures you'll find  hidden in an antique store.  That's half the fun!

Fracking Mess

Many of you, if not all of you, have heard me talking about "fracking" and the effect it's having on our state, and now our very own neighborhood.  If you don't know what fracking is, drop me a note and I'll tell you.  The latest in the great debacle is our local school board is considering leasing school property for fracking purposes.  Yes, this means that, even if they have a "non-surface" agreement (no drill pads can be placed on school property), a drill pad could be placed within mere yards/feet of our son's school (on a neighboring leased property).  Doesn't that sound delightful?  Wouldn't you like to study/play next to a massive drill pad, along with a containment pond, truck loads of fracking brine water, along with the thousands of tankers bringing the fracking materials and all the noise and chemicals they put off?  Yes, fracking has come to our area and it's here.  I get that - there's no getting around it.  But just because "it's already here", does that mean that you have to put it right next to our kids' school?!  Don't sign the lease(s) and that puts the closest possible pads about 1 - 1 1/2 miles away!  Is that great?  No.  But, it's a whole heck of a lot better than right next to the slides!  All this to the tune of $185,000 up front and 18% royalties.  I'm sorry, our children's health is worth a hell of a lot more than that!  One of the board members even has kids that go to our school!  Sir: I know you love your children, but if you want to poison your kids - then do it on your land.  You have no right to poison mine!

Parents around here are sick about this.  It really feels like people are signing leases willy-nilly, without thinking about the effects it will take on our lands, air, water and ourselves.  I know the economy sucks, believe me.  Would I like $185,000? You bet.  Would I risk our lives for it?  No.  I'm sorry.

Someone, who I know is anti-fracking, asked me this: You grew up in Northern Virginia and you want to move back there.  The crime rate  there was/is certainly higher than where we are and what it could potentially be here once the fracking people start coming in.  The air pollution there warrants O-zone warning days.  Why are you so bent out of shape about this?  I'll tell you: 1) Here, I have an expectation of safety (I'm still vigilant, because that's my nature, but I've tried to relax a bit) and I like that expectation.  And 2) because the chemicals are different, and the effects would be concentrated right over our little town and right next to our son's school.  Tributaries aren't contaminated by fracking brine in NoVa.  I can't tell you any more than that.  It's a gut feeling thing.  A protective mother thing.  It's just something that, right now, I can't explain.

The Benefits of Facebook Sale Pages

I have been on Facebook since 2007.  However, it wasn't until I moved to this small town that these fantastic "garage sale" pages were out there!  I'm now a member of 7 of them!  It's like a garage sale all day, everyday - I highly recommend seeing if they exist in your area.  I've sold several items through these pages, and I've gotten some great deals as well (I got my son a t-ball helmet for $5!).  I also found out about this great kids and teens sale event, through these pages, that I was able to purchase two tables and sell whatever I wanted to sell - I made some good money today and met some great people.  I can't wait to do it again!  

Buying and selling through these pages has also helped me learn my way around the various towns, cities and counties in the area (everything is so far apart!).  I'm starting to learn the major points of reference for the various places, so I'm starting to communicate like a local! :o)  Still working on the road numbers though.  Here, people (i.e. the locals) use the road's state number rather than the road name.  For example: if a road is 204 and Beverly Road, the locals call it 204.  I'm used to roads being called by their actual name, so this numbers thing is also something I'm learning about.  I'll get it sooner or later.

First time for everything!

So, this is my first time blogging!  Not sure what all I'll put on here, but probably will chronicle our lives as a new  small town family.  We moved here in August with our then 5 1/2 year old son and our 2 week old daughter.  Our son started kindergarten a week and a half later.  The closest Walmarts are 15 - 25 minutes away, Target is almost 40 minutes away (in another state), there are no fast food restaurants in our town (probably a good thing), and I am a stay-at-home mom for the very first time.

I've always worked.  Why am I not working now?  There's also no child care in town and the closest ones are far below acceptable par.  I'm still searching though!  I love our kids and I AM enjoying being home with our daughter and watching her change and learn every day, but I also miss the intellectual stimulation of daily adult interaction as well as the social aspects of working.  I DO enjoy finding the mommy groups or hanging out with the other SAHMs of this town, but I would also enjoy bringing in a little more cash flow into the household (looking into some part-time work from home possibilities too!).

So, there you have it!  I don't know how often I'll post, but I'll let you know when I do!

Beth