This time of year (when we have January-March off from market) we usually go to town once a week. To Florence, that is. Florence is on the coast, which makes trips there so enjoyable- with the fresh ocean air and early blooming flowers. Usually we end up going to Mapleton (3 miles from our house) a few times a week to mail out packages for our online etsy store. During market season (April-December) we usually go to Florence once a week and Eugene (where market is) once a week. Florence is about a 15-20 minute drive from here, Eugene is an hour.

                 

What makes it possible for us to go to town so rarely is that we stock up on essential groceries in bulk (beans, grains, nuts, meat from a local farm, etc.) We also have the winter squash, dried fruit and canned goods we put up this summer. Filling the pantry like this makes it so we don’t have to go to town so often, which is great. It’s great because we can focus at home and save a lot of time by not going to town so much. It also saves money on gas, which is great for our pocketbook and the environment.

When we make our weekly trip to Florence, there is one place that I look forward to going more than any other. Any guesses?! (The picture already gave it away.) 

…..The LIBRARY!! I absolutely love going to the library. It’s so peaceful and quiet. I love books and I love to read before I go to bed at night. It helps relax me before I fall asleep. This week I got some books on medicinal herbs, which I have been wanting to learn more about. One that I’m especially excited about is a guide to identifying medicinal plants in the Pacific West. Sweet! I’ve already been learning lots of cool things about Nettles that I didn’t know- like it’s good for treating headaches. We harvest it every Spring and I know many things it’s good for, but now I’m learning so much more and expanding my absolute love for Nettles!

My second favorite place to go is the Real Food Co-op because I love food (as all of you already know by now.) I love to smell the fresh produce and get some more of our favorite raw aged goat cheddar cheese and goat’s milk yogurt (we don’t have any milk from our own goats this time of year.) This is where we order our items in bulk as well. They get a lot of produce from local farms and have many things available to order in bulk from local farms too. Plus, the walls are painted yellow which always makes me feel cheery when I go in (and probably hungry too.)

We took our weekly town trip this past Monday and I got these pictures of Jeff outside of our beloved library.

Something about this time of year just inspires a love for books. What kind of books are you in the mood for this week? Delving into a good Adventure? Perhaps a Biography on an inspiring person? Something to make you laugh?  An Informational book on a new area of interest?

Oh, the shelves are packed with gem after gem!

Happy Reading!