Δαφνη Ευτυχια Αρθουρος

very good quote, indeed. i've been buying organic produce and hitting the farmer's markets myself, lately. the higher prices used to deter me until i realized that in the quantities i buy, i barely notice it. red bell peppers $1.29/lb., organic red bell peppers $1.99/lb.; i buy one small organic pepper and it costs me 60 cents. would it really have been worth it to get the less flavorful, possibly chemical-laden non-organic pepper and save a dime?

(yes, i realize those dimes can be important when you don't have a good income. last year, those dimes were important.)

i do as much of my shopping as possible from locally-owned stores; Pacifica isn't a tourist spot, and people mostly pass through on their way to someplace with more cachet, so we don't really get much business from out of town. i love where i live, and i'd like it to remain a nice little blue-collar enclave largely free of chain stores. (although we did get Starbucks, a couple of years ago, our local cafes are still doing pretty well.) i pay $4/night for movie rentals from a place that's been in business 20 years, open every day, including major holidays -- but the owner knows every customer by name, no card needed, and remembers what each and every one of us likes to watch. yeah, it costs more, but i can afford it at the moment.

it's a community worth supporting. places like this will be a thing of the past soon enough. i want to enjoy it while it lasts.