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As a “farmer at heart” I’m a believer in organic food. It dovetails nicely with my dislike of big drug companies as well.  Frankly, between the pharmaceutical companies and the big so called food producers, they’re shoving far too many drugs into us.  I for one would like it to stop, which is why I’m growing more of my own food, why I’m a rabid supporter of urban local agriculture and why I’m thrilled with a new concept I stumbled across recently called Organic Acres.

Organic acres is actually an MLM concept, but don’t let that scare you away- particularly not if you’d like to be able to control your own personal supply of organic farm produce that will be better and hopefully even cheaper than what you can buy from a local grocery store.  Even better, you will, in essense be the farmer.  My Organic Acres is a concept that is in pre-launch right now and while I would urge you to register, it won’t cost you a penny until after they launch and by that time you will have had lots of time to look at what they have to say and decide for yourself if it’s what you are interested in.

I’m Canadian and right now the only food distribution will be in the US ( I’m assuming that I’m not going to be able to ship my own lettuce across the border and so I’ll be donating most of my crop to a local food bank or shelter, just so that I can be in on this from the beginning.

Have you every noticed how many people in the video stores – for example seem to have trouble selecting a movie without a cell phone glued to the side of their head and constant feedback from the lucky person on the other end of the phone?  Independence and self-reliance are two characteristics that very much seem to have gone the way of the dodo.

But they’re very valuable qualities to have and I’ve always believed that one way to help cultivate those characteristics in yourself and later in your kids is through the pursuit of individual hobbies.  Anything from model building to model trains to sewing, gardening or growing bonsai trees.  Every one of these past times – and a few hundred others ,  will help people learn to spend more time -or should I say, “more happy time” in their own company. It’s entirely possible for a family to have  fun together and still have their own interests.

In spite of being such a busy place this really can be a very lonely world and if your kids can grow up knowing that they don’t need to be surrounded by other people to keep them entertained and from whose company they can extract their own sense of self worth, then encouraging their interest in puzzles, crosswords or building back yard birdfeeders will be an excellent investment of every one’s time.

Walking through the neighborhood last weekend I stumbled across something I hadn’t seen in a long time, a girl who could not have been more than 5 was sitting at a chair and table at the sidewalk in front of her house with a  lemonade stand.

It wasn’t five cents anymore although I was willing to invest 50 just because she looked so excited to make a sale.   It was pink lemonade and a little bit too sweet, but I’m not writing to give a food review.  What really caught my attention was in this day and age when parents are completely freaked out about molesters and kidnappers, this little girl was sitting – apparently alone- in front of her house, engaging strangers in conversation.   It’s not something that you see very often these days.  It crossed my mind that her parents must be mad to let her do this and then I looked around.

Mom was outside, she was around the side of the house with an uninterrupted view although our junior entrepreneur couldn’t see her.  There was a teenage boy sitting on a chair on the other side of the house, watching.  A neighbor across the street was on her front porch, apparently doing nothing, but as I turned I could see that she was watching me like a hawk.  And an older woman working in her garden next door had a clear field of view.  And every one of them was keeping an eye on this little girl while she started to develop her own sense of independence and self reliance.

I never realized that I lived in such a great neighborhood.

Take Care of your Animals with the Emergency First Aid for Pets

Any pet owner knows that the family dog, cat, or other pet is more than just an animal—it’s a part of the family. Unfortunately, just like any other member of your family, your pet can be injured, so it is important to have an emergency first aid for pets kit around. These kits contain everything you’d need to treat a normal accident or handle an emergency situation. A kit like this is especially important if you’re taking your pet on a trip or out camping in the wilderness and don’t know where the nearest vet is located. You can use the items in the emergency kit to temporarily treat the injury until a vet can be found. This kit contains antibiotic ointment, string relief pads, a cold pack, hydrogen peroxide spray, various sizes of bandages, gloves, antiseptic towels, eyewash, a pair of metal scissors, a pair of tweezers, and a first aid guide. It all fits into a very convenient carrying case that fits easily in your trunk, backpack, or even in your emergency kit.