Springtime in Chico

Only February, and it's SPRINGTIME in Chico! This corner of Vallombrosa and Mangrove (across from Chipotle) is absolutely my all-time favorite "bloomin' spot" at this time of year. After my mom and I visited the Farmer's Market this morning (wonderful, fresh produce!), we swung over to see whether the blossoms were out. You betcha! Next time you're cruising downtown, swing by and check it out. The blossoms only last a few weeks, so don't miss 'em!

Fair Trade Chico!

On Valentine's Day Chico, CA officially became a "Fair Trade" town! A hard-working group of folks celebrated their accomplishment at the "Hands" near the municipal building. What is Fair Trade? According to one web site, "At its most fundamental level, Fair Trade is the practice of insuring that farmers and workers receive a fair and stable price for their products and labor." (Click here for a more complete definition of "Fair Trade.")

The first fair trade town in the U.S. was Media, PA (25 minutes west of Philadelphia), which acquired the status in 2006. Their web site states, "If buying a Fair Trade chocolate bar here means that somewhere children are going to school instead of working in the fields, we're taking a small step towards a better world with every bite. In a nutshell, that's what it means to be a Fair Trade town!" Sounds good to me. (Click here to view video.)

Local businesses like Bidwell Perk, Grilla Bites, and Chico Natural Foods (click here for complete list) have pledged to put "People before Profits" and have committed to offer at least two fair trade product lines in their businesses. I'd love to see more local businesses follow suit.

In a related topic, I just watched "The Real Dirt on Farmer John" via a Netflix DVD. Pretty interesting documentary about an individual (and rather eccentric) farmer but also about the plight of the farming industry in general over the past few decades. Obviously, this subject should be a concern to anyone who eats!

I Heart my Crockpot!

For "Heart" Day I thought I'd share one of the things I love most in my household (other than BK, Beautiful Kitty, that is; click here for recent photos): my crockpot (aka "slow cooker" to use contemporary jargon). A few years ago I was in Jackson Hole, WY, visiting niece Jenny (THAT adventurous trip is a whole 'nuther story!), browsing through a local bookstore and happened upon a cookbook called NOT Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook. Well, with an intriguing title like that, you just know I had to pick it up. (I didn't even know my mother owned a slow cooker cookbook!) What an enlightening experience! Did you know you can make tapioca or bread pudding in a crockpot? How about apple butter? Yep! Not just for beef stew any more, baby. Never one to run out and buy the latest gadget (besides, didn't want to lug it home on the plane), I waited two whole days until I got home to Chico to run out and buy a cool new "slow cooker." Got one with a timer, so it can be automatically set to turn to "warm" after a pre-set period of time. I've since made all kinds of fun things, the hands-down friends & family favorite being Fresh Raspberry Bread Pudding (p. 437 in "Not Your Mother's"). I've often substituted strawberries or used a combination. Amazing!

Another great book I discovered was the Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker cookbook, with over 200 recipes. Of course, there are also many web sites with good recipes too. The Vegan Heart Doc shares his favorites along with heart health info. Wellsphere is another site with heart-healthy crockpot recipes. With the advent of the "Slow Food" movement (not to mention the slowing economy), there seems to be a resurgence in home cooking, thank goodness! So you might want to dig around in the back of that cupboard and pull out and dust off that avocado-green crockpot from the 70s (I passed my heirloom crockpot on to my son) and try it. Just a little "slow cooked" food for thought!

Hawkeye & Friend

The other morning as I was working on my laptop at home, I found myself gazing out my back window (shades of daydreaming in high school French class!) at the ornamental crane perched on my fence. I wondered whether the rotating wind-powered wings served to keep birds away from the fruit trees and grapevines lining my yard. Not two minutes later, another fluttering motion caught my eye, and I watched as this gorgeous hawk landed a few feet away from the "scary" crane. Guess that answered my question! There's a drainage canal behind my house, and the hawk appeared to be shopping for lunch. (Fortunately the fence blocked THAT view!) The hawk politely maintained his (her?) pose while I scrambled to get my camera and snapped this photo.

Can anyone tell me what kind of hawk this is?

Giving Thanks

I know "Thanksgiving" is officially over, but I ran across this article online today, 10 Reasons to be Thankful, and thought to myself, "What a great time to be reading something positive!" My next thought, of course, was to share it in my blog. It's good to take a few moments in our daily lives (especially these days) to contemplate the many things we really do have to be grateful for. As is quite obvious to anyone who has read my past blog entries, I'm so grateful to be living in a place like Chico. (See "Stepford Chico?") Friends and I were just discussing that at a busy, sunny Chico Farmer's Market last Saturday. I'm also very thankful for the family I was lucky enough to be born into (see lovely photo of Mom and Dad above, taken in '05 at that very same Farmer's Market) and for the great friends and clients I've met in the 26 years I've lived here (as well as longtime friends from earlier times). What are the top three on your list of 10 Reasons?

Klean Kanteen

Another wonderful locally-owned Chico company, Klean Kanteen, is thriving even in this challenging economy. I'm still using several Klean Kanteens I purchased several years ago and recently became a "fan" of the company on Facebook, just because I think it's such a great product--and a healthier, more ecological alternative to the Personal Hydration Plastic Bottle Syndrome. (Did you know 8 out of 10 of those bottles end up in the landfill, even though they are recyclable?)

My dear friend Robin emailed to say she had just been thinking about looking for just such a thing when she saw the link on my Facebook page. So I dutifully pulled up the Klean Kanteen web site to email to her and noticed they have now branched out to meet the needs of BOTH ends of the generational spectrum, with the new 12 oz. "Sippy" as well as wine carafes for the 21+ crowd. All now offered in a rainbow of colors. (P.S. They make great gifts!)

Snow Goose Festival

Well the wonderful 10th annual SNOW GOOSE FESTIVAL is nearly upon us, with field trips, speakers, workshops, exhibits and the increasingly-popular "Gathering of Wings" banquet with both silent and live auctions and raffle. The featured speaker is Ed Harper, photographer, expert birder, and world traveler. This festival is just one of the things that makes living in Butte County so great.

It takes a lot of folks to put on a major event like this. Check out the list of sponsors who have donated time and/or funds to make this outstanding event happen.

During past festivals I've gone on field trips to the Sutter Buttes (which, as you may know, is an "by invitation only" place, so this is a rare opportunity) and the Black Butte Lake area and have attended many lectures and slideshows. It's a great event attended by folks from all over the planet. Check out the schedule and sign up for a field trip or workshop!

New School Offers Hope

This evening I attended a fundraising dinner for the newly-opened Rose Scott K-12 Learning Community, a school for students with ADHD and autism. Founder and Director/Lead Teacher Cindy Carlson was on hand to talk about the school and the role it plays in helping children who don't "fit the mold." According to their brochure, the school emphasizes the arts, music (which the kids LOVE), science, social studies, math, language, physical exercise, peace studies, compassionate communication, service learning, sustainability and preparedness for life success. Sounds like a curriculum to which ALL of our schools should aspire! I truly admire Cindy and her staff of volunteers for dedicating themselves to offering hope to children (and their parents) who may find the "regular" classroom setting a frustrating, esteem-sapping place.

Note: the school could use help in a number of areas--funds, supplies and volunteer hours (just two per week). They are currently looking for a drum set for their music room. Please contact Cindy at 354-3101 or rosescott4adhd@gmail.com if you can help. Thanks!

Starling Air Dance

One of the more amazing things I've ever witnessed! I shot a brief video of this Starling Air Dance (as I'm calling it) on Thanksgiving in Healdsburg. Wonder who does the choreography?

Any of you ever seen such a graceful display of aeroballet?

(That's STARLING, Tasha, NOT "SKYRAT"!) ; )

Polar Bear Swim

If you missed it this year, mark your calendar for next year's Annual New Year's Day Polar Bear Swim at One Mile in Bidwell Park. It's a blast! I took along my handy little Flip Videocam this year; CLICK HERE to check out the fun video (complete with pre- and post-swim interviews of the brave swimmers!). In the 26 years I've lived in Chico, I can honestly say I've never once been tempted to take the plunge. But it sure is fun to watch (as evidenced by the throngs of cheering, towel-bearing fans waiting on the other side of the pool). Hmmmm... maybe 2010? Which reminds me, do you think we'll be saying "Two Thousand Ten" or shorten it to the simpler "Twenty-Ten"?