There’s No Inflation Unless You Eat

My brother in law is a cracker jack financial advisor who has been helping hundreds of fortunate clients manage the recession. The title of his blog this week was “No Inflation Unless You Eat“. Apparently, the Fed omits the price of food when calculating the Core CPI but as Jay points out, “most of us don’t live in a core world.” I can appreciate his issue with the numbers and the underlying increase in food costs but it also caused me to think about all sorts of food and income related issues.

Bloomberg Inflation Chart

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Do You Have the Huevos?

Our eggs were delivered on Thursday. We received 3 dozen precious eggs of varying sizes and colors in unmatching recycled cartons. Actually, our egg lady delivers to one of my company offices and colleagues on their way to my building for a meeting are kind enough to schlep them along. They put them in the fridge and someone always puts a sticky note on my light switch that says DON’T FORGET EGGS.

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Telling Our Stories

“When a community loses its memory, its members no longer know one another. How can they know one another if they have forgotten or never learned one another’s stories? If they do not know one another’s stories, how can they know whether or not to trust one another? People who do not trust one another do not help one another, and moreover, they fear one another.” (Wendell Berry, What Are People For)

 

Wendell Berry: Farmer, Writer, Academic - photo courtesy of thebridgepai.com

 

 

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Tammy’s Top Ten (t3 report) Ways to Save Water

Hy*po*na*tre*mia. As I understand it, the condition arises when too much water inside the body causes tissue to swell. Because our cells maintain a certain sodium content, excess water outside of our cells begins to draw sodium from within the cells in an attempt to re-establish the specific concentration. As more water gathers, the sodium concentration decreases and creates this condition. It occurs from drinking too much water. Actually, that’s not an accurate diagnosis and we are not drinking too much water but in a world where 38,000 children die weekly from unsafe water, we are wasting too much.

flickr.com/creativecommons/darkpatator

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Talking with Our Mouths Full

What a couple of weeks these have been! My middle guy just returned from a school trip. I was at a company meeting for three overnights. Upon returning home, my husband had an evening meeting and there was the annual dinner for our Economic Council. I hope it doesn’t sound like a complaint as we enjoy an abundant life but what do I really miss when our schedule fills up like this? Dinner time!

 

flickr.com/walkadog/3432071719

 

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Where Actions Speak Louder than Words

I think Mark Twain had something to do with that title quote but I’m unable to find a source for the saying “do as I say and not as I do”. The latter is often referred to as a statement in hypocrisy. Yet Dr. Samuel Johnson, a moralist and great contributor to English literature in the 1700s cautioned readers to  tread lightly when charging others with hypocrisy.

flickr.cc.jcoterhals

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Eggplant and the Five Freedoms

Eggplant is in season.  As a family that eats locally and seasonally that means that we must embrace eggplant. And while I really enjoy this dense meaty vegetable, I have a very hard time selling it at my dinner table.  This past week, my curry with eggplant had the guys leaving skid marks in the driveway on their way to In and Out Burger.

The Inspiration

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Tammy’s Top Ten (t3 report) Reasons to Become a Vegetarian

“Our task must be to free ourselves… by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty. Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances of survival for life on earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.” Albert Einstein

 

flickr.com/photos/blatantnews/4013089449/

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If We Could Talk to the Animals

and the houseplants, just imagine it – chatting with a dracaena deremensis in dracaena deremensisese.  Ok, maybe that’s going a bit far but there is some compelling new research that supports becoming more friendly with the animals and the plants.

flickr.com/photos/royalty-free-images/139142408

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Bindweed, Creeping Spurge and Crabgrass

“I can see white flowers blooming on the tops of the evergreens.”

The observation came from my 92 year old Grandmother. Last weekend was my turn to visit her as I attempt to do with some regularity despite the 800 miles between us.  It’s a wonderful bonding experience and I try to accomplish a few chores like cleaning a closet shelf that’s hard for her to reach or stocking up on grocery items. Friday night when my son and I arrived, she greeted us with fresh sweet corn and Colorado’s Palisade peaches.

flickr cc Muffet

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