<!–
_
Copyright © 2012-13 · All Rights Reserved · ilovemyburg.com. Written content by Katie Mitchell. Photos by Brandy Somers. This material may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, or printed without express written consent. Thank you for respecting our intellectual property.
When I said to the kids, “Let’s go to Ten Thousand Villages today,” Cal’s brain churned behind his glassy blue eyes, and then he said, “I’m not sure we have time for all that.”
haha. I get it. I played along.
“Really? How long do you think it would take to visit ten thousand villages?”
“Oh, probably about twenty years.”
Then Bree-the-math-whiz chimed in: “Cal — that’s five hundred villages a year. That’s more than one a day. Unless the villages are really close together, you’d never visit ten thousand in twenty years.”
“Well, I don’t know how long it will take, but I didn’t pack a suitcase!”
“Me neither!”
Oh, brother. “Kids. Ten Thousand Villages is a store downtown. We’ve been in there before. It’s across from the library. That’s where we’re going. Sheesh!”
We met Brandy, Blake, and Ella there. It’s a little store, but it contains the whole world. I feel rich every time I step in there. Not in an American–capitalist–first-world way, but in an “I’m-connected-to-the-universe” way. That someone on another continent created something by hand that I, halfway around the world in a different culture and social system and economic reality, can also relate to and appreciate is pretty cool. That’s what art does; it transmits humanity. It’s a language everyone understands. Ten Thousand Villages has been cultivating this idea in Harrisonburg for twenty years. Yep — it’s their twentieth anniversary!
The brainchild of Wendy Lederach and Cleta Gingerich, what’s now known as Ten Thousand Villages began as International Impressions in September of 1993. It was located in Town Centre behind the mall, some of you might remember. The store moved to the Shenandoah Farmer’s Market and then the Dayton Farmer’s Market before changing its name to Ten Thousand Villages, and it’s been in its downtown location since 2011. Ten Thousand Villages is a global operation with hundreds of retail locations. They’ve been around for more than sixty years and sell fair trade products from about forty countries. It’s a way for the unemployed or under-employed folks in those nations to make a fair living.
The Harrisonburg location has one executive director, three part-time employees, and several volunteers who work hard to keep overhead low and more money flowing back to the artisans who produce the merchandise sold in the store. They host Community Shopping days where a portion of their sales go directly to a selected charity. The organization has been named one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies by the Ethisphere Institute and Forbes Magazine for the sixth consecutive year, and was voted Best Downtown Shop (twice) and Best Shop That Sells Handcrafted Art (three times) by readers of the DNR! And it’s no surprise… it’s the ULTIMATE gift shop. You can find a gift for anyone in that place, and the money you spend is a gift to others. To test this theory, we asked each of the four kids with us to choose something they themselves would love to receive as a gift, and it took a good hour for everyone to decide on something. Here were their choices:
Cal : chess set
Ella: birdie paddle ball
Blake: picture frame and box made of upcycled computer parts
Bree: this drum, or any of them, really
Personally, I want the recycled Coke can giraffes. And Brandy’s favorite was this cute birdie keychain!
In addition to those awesome finds, the store carries coffee, teas, chocolate, olive oil, dried fruits, international sounds through Putumayo music, children’s clothes and toys made of organic cotton and hand knotted Oriental rugs. The handicrafts include ceramic pottery, kitchenware, planters, textiles like tablecloths and sari throws, musical instruments, games, home décor, large selection of jewelry and personal accessories, natural soaps and shea butter, Alpaca winter wear, paper goods and stationery, and lots more. I mean LOTS.
So, if you have someone to buy a gift for soon (including yourself), write yourself a little note to skip the generic stores and indulge in something unique and authentic that will make a lasting impression on the gift recipient AND the artist who made it. You’ll feel a whole lot richer.
Copyright © 2012-13 · All Rights Reserved · ilovemyburg.com. Written content by Katie Mitchell. Photos by Brandy Somers. This material may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, or printed without express written consent. Thank you for respecting our intellectual property.
I just got back from a week at the beach with the kiddos. We go every summer. We look forward to it for months, then love it while we’re there, and then mourn it as we drive away. But, there comes a time in every vacation where I long for the comforts of home… my own bed, my own shower, climate control, my city, my neighborhood, a cup of coffee from Shank’s, a chili dog from Jess’, a stroll through the market, crisp mountain air. And all that feels soooo good, but then… I start to miss the sound of the ocean when I wake up, sticky-salty hair, the kids shrieking and jumping into waves, their little upturned faces grimacing as I put more sunscreen on them, sand in my mouth, between my toes, and everywhere in between. Well, until next summer…
Harrisonburg is a fine place to come home to. And here are lots of things to keep us busy and entertained this week! Enjoy! Summer’s ending soon.
This post’s gonna be short because I’m on vacation and have sand in unspeakable places.
It’s another HUGE week in Harrisonburg. We have Fundfest, Fridays on the Square, and First Friday, including the birth of Brandy’s 57-faced baby, ART LOTTO!! I cannot WAIT to see those portraits. If you have no freaking idea what I’m talking about, you can read about last year’s Art Lotto right here!
Enjoy this week’s happynings, right here!
Copyright © 2012-13 · All Rights Reserved · ilovemyburg.com. Written content by Katie Mitchell. Photos by Brandy Somers. This material may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, or printed without express written consent. Thank you for respecting our intellectual property.
Copyright © 2012-13 · All Rights Reserved · ilovemyburg.com. Written content by Katie Mitchell. Photos by Brandy Somers. This material may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, or printed without express written consent. Thank you for respecting our intellectual property.
The last week or so has presented me with events that fall into the category “It Could Have Been Worse.” First, my cell phone started acting up. Well, wait, FIRST, I thought everyone in my world was ignoring me because I hadn’t gotten any texts or calls all day. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case; it was my lame phone. (I have a three-year-old Samsung slider that AT&T gave me for free when my previous lame phone finally pooped out.) On further investigation, however, it WASN’T my lame phone; it was AT&T’s tower. Aha! So, it could have been worse: I could have had to buy a new phone. Or get new friends.
I have a small TV in my bedroom. I actually watch it more than the big one in the family room because I’m usually in bed before I get a chance to watch any TV at all. A few days ago, the color started wigging out, and now everything I watch is gold and blue. But… the TV’s not dead; it could have been worse.
And the real kicker happened Sunday, when my son was pushing some other kids on a bench-style swing, and he somehow tripped and got tangled up underneath it and gashed his head open. Blood. Lots of blood. I threw my lame phone at some lady who called 911, the ambulance came, and we scooted to the ER. He’s fine. He has staples in his scalp, but he’s fine. It could have been much, much worse. In fact, after I knew Cal was okay, the hospital visit was actually enjoyable. Everything went very quickly, the doctor was excellent, and our nurse was pleasant and funny. She’s worked as an ER nurse at RMH for 37 years. She had to wrap Cal’s head in this big, white, gauzy apparatus, and she told him enthusiastically that he would be King Cal for the day and wear “this cool crown!” And then she laughed and said, “Who am I kidding? You’re gonna look like a Q-tip and there’s nothing I can do about it!” Meanwhile, Michael and the other four kids waited patiently in the lobby and greeted Cal with cheers and hugs and a giant stuffed shark when he emerged through the double doors. Really, it could have been much worse in many ways.
Monday morning I washed the dried blood out of my son’s hair and then met Brandy and her kids for some comfort food. Between my near-disasters and her Art Lotto event quickly approaching and 4287473892 photos to edit, the two of us needed some ding dang comforting!
We met at Grilled Cheese Mania and my mouth was watering before I got out of the car. Owned by Kathleen Mania-Casey, the truck has been in operation less than a year and has already been ranked by Tripadvisor the BEST restaurant of 108 in Harrisonburg, and voted Best Food Truck 2013 by Harrisonburg residents. I stared at the menu for quite some time while the girl at the window waited patiently, smiling. Choosing was excruciating, because I wanted them all, but I decided on the Larold. My kids got Classic Johnnys, Brandy got the Mama Mania, and Blake got his with tomato. We also got a couple sides of mac & cheese, and Kathleen was gracious enough to let us sample the chili and the tomato soup. Both are excellent. I especially like the tomato soup. Some say its flavor smacks of pizza, but I think it’s about halfway to salsa.
Kathleen’s niece was visiting and helped her aunt serve our food under the tent where we sat. And we each got a pair of official GCM sunglasses, which the kids happily put on so they could all be fully expressed as the maniacs they are.
We gobbled our sandwiches in relative silence. “Simple Comfort Food” is the perfect slogan for Grilled Cheese Mania, because there is something uniquely nostalgic about a grilled cheese sandwich. Every time my mom visits, she wants a grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of tomato soup. And when I sit down and eat it with her, I’m six years old again, not worrying about cell phones or deadlines or scalp infections. You know that scene in the movie Ratatouille when Anton Ego takes the first bite of Remy’s ratatouille and is instantly transported back to his mother’s kitchen? It’s like that. You simply cannot be UN-comfortable when eating a grilled cheese. And Kathleen’s sandwiches beat the heck out of any grilled cheese I’ve eaten or made. Everything on the menu is made from tried and true family recipes using only the freshest ingredients.
Kathleen’s goal is for her customers to be happy. My guess is she means not just happy with their order, happy with their food, but happy altogether. Like a true mom would. When you miss your mom and need a little comfort, know that Grilled Cheese Mania is just down the road. Or, when you just want a really good sandwich.
After a trying week of bizarre events, FINALLY, something couldn’t have been BETTER. Grilled Cheese Mania is located on Rt. 42 south, between the Food Lion shopping center and Tangier Seafood. Go hungry.
Copyright © 2012-13 · All Rights Reserved · ilovemyburg.com. Written content by Katie Mitchell. Photos by Brandy Somers. This material may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, or printed without express written consent. Thank you for respecting our intellectual property.
Every once in a while, I use WordPress’ site stats area to look at the search engine terms viewers have used. There’s no identifying information attached to the terms… I can’t tell who typed what term in that little search box; it’s just a list of things people have Googled and ended up (somehow) at our blog. And it makes me laugh.
Some of them are no brainers:
“beers with sun.” Yeah. No duh.
Some of them border on insulting:
“simple clothing.” Really! Well, I’m sorry I’m not dressed to impress.
Some of them are just strange, like “spoon.” I’m not sure how that word led to us, but we’re glad it did.
And some of them speak to… well, weird fetishes or something:
“chocolate messy eating.”
“dolly parton feet.”
“long legs granny in short shirts.”
Think on those for a while. Oh, and the Happynings are ready! Have a great week, everyone!
The final crop of homegrown fourth-of-July photos by our lovely Brandy Somers! Thanks to the mascots who volunteered their time and sweated their fur and freckles off!
Copyright © 2012-13 · All Rights Reserved · ilovemyburg.com. Written content by Katie Mitchell. Photos by Brandy Somers. This material may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, or printed without express written consent. Thank you for respecting our intellectual property.
Fresh as a steaming plate of Little Grill’s hot cakes, here are this week’s happynings! Have a beautiful week, all!
Here’s another batch of photos Brandy cooked up for your enjoyment! See someone you know? Please let them know we’ve featured him or her!
Copyright © 2012-13 · All Rights Reserved · ilovemyburg.com. Written content by Katie Mitchell. Photos by Brandy Somers. This material may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, or printed without express written consent. Thank you for respecting our intellectual property.
Brandy volunteered for several hot, sweaty hours at this year’s Valley 4th celebration, taking adorable photos of YOU, Harrisonburg! Here’s the first batch of three. Enjoy!
Copyright © 2012-13 · All Rights Reserved · ilovemyburg.com. Written content by Katie Mitchell. Photos by Brandy Somers. This material may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, or printed without express written consent. Thank you for respecting our intellectual property.
Brandy’s pre-river breakfast.
Copyright © 2012-13 · All Rights Reserved · ilovemyburg.com. Written content by Katie Mitchell. Photos by Brandy Somers. This material may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, or printed without express written consent. Thank you for respecting our intellectual property.
some colorful shots from our day…
Copyright © 2012-13 · All Rights Reserved · ilovemyburg.com. Written content by Katie Mitchell. Photos by Brandy Somers. This material may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, or printed without express written consent. Thank you for respecting our intellectual property.
I forget exactly when the tradition started. Brandy and I always go canoeing every summer when school lets out. Just us — no one else — so we can freely express all our pent up frustrations in an all-out whine-fest that no one else has to listen to. And if we happen to fling a “colorful” word here or there, it echoes through the trees and disappears under the roar of the river. We leave ten months of irritations in our wake. It’s cathartic. I bet the river holds thousands of secrets.
This year we had to multitask on our canoe day because everyone’s schedule was crazy. Brandy and I, plus like seventeen other people in our lives, both have June birthdays, so we decided to go canoeing in the morning and out to dinner with friends and loved ones in the evening.
What could possibly go wrong?
The day’s agenda forced us to get up early. I dropped my kids at the sitter and drove to New Market to meet Brandy. There we got into one car and headed to Downriver Canoe Company in Bentonville. (Wait. That’s not in Harrisonburg! No. But the river is everywhere at the same time, all the time. It transcends space and time, and who are we to question quantum physics? So there.)
Once there, cooler in tow, phones and Triscuits in waterproof bags, sunscreen sufficiently slathered, we got fitted for our life vests (a.k.a., canoe seat cushions) and delivered by a friendly employee upriver.
We began our 7-mile, 4-hour float back down. {Lots and lots of whiney conversation permanently deleted by the river. You’ll have to use your imagination.} After a couple hours of venting, and after we made it past this (tiny) section of rapids that makes Brandy nervous, we pulled over on the bank to stretch and have a snack. Then Brandy told me about a game she and our friend Todd invented called PBR Baseball. You fill a can with water and pitch it to your friend who hits it with a stick or a log or a tree branch. Okay, I thought. Why not? So I found myself a hefty stick and walked out to home plate in the swiftly flowing waters. The first can Brandy tossed I sliced clear in half. Then I had a few misses. Then she threw a perfect pitch and the can met my bat with a crack and I slaughtered that thing! Unfortunately, the can flew straight at Brandy and konked her on the head. In my slow-motion memory, the only defensive maneuver I saw her make was to tighten her grip on the iPhone, which captured this shot, just before impact:
Horrified, I clumsily ran to her (on slippery river rocks, through swiftly flowing waters) while she yelled, “What just happened?!” and pointed at her head. Thankfully, she wasn’t bleeding. Just a small goose egg and what we’ve since deemed the PBR Concussion.
We cleaned up our trash, got back in the canoe, and continued our trek. The guide who dropped us off had told us about a bald eagle’s nest. We looked and looked and never saw the nest, but we saw the eagle, gracefully soaring, as one would expect, til he landed way up in the tippy top of a tree. It was a majestic moment, and I apologize to all the living creatures who had to hear me sing “God Bless America.”
We stopped again and saw this unusual butterfly.
It seemed aggravated that we were there. It was clearly feeding on some little buggers that burrowed tiny holes in the sand. And quite frankly, it didn’t look like your typical Virginia butterfly. We decided it must be an invader from afar, named it the Global Death Butterfly, and got back in the canoe.
We came to a fork in the river that led to a shady, tree-lined area. We both were like, “Oooooo, it looks cute in there!” and we paddled in. It was a bit narrow and we sort of drifted into a large tree, and like some scene from Middle Earth or something, about twenty spiders rained down on Brandy’s PBR concussion head. Then there was squealing and jumping and stomping and more phone clutching and near boat flipping. And we got the heck out of there and back to the serenity of the wide open river.
We were maybe half a mile from the end when we stopped for another break. By now it was pretty hot and it felt good to submerge myself into the cool water. That is, until I realized we’d stopped in some kind of mayfly breeding ground. When I stood up, I was dotted from my hips to my neck in little bitty baby bugs. I felt bad squishing them in the process of getting them off of me, but ew.
And so we finally arrived at the end. We parked the canoe on the river bank (they come down and get it for you), and walked back up to the car. We learned a few things. 1) The river is like a big eraser, and we all need that from time to time. 2) Stand farther away from the pitcher when playing PBR Baseball. Helmets are also advised. 3) Don’t wander into a narrow area just because it looks “cute.” Raccoons are cute, too, but they will mess you up, girl. 4) Bald eagles and Global Death Butterflies really exist. We saw both.
By the way, we made it to dinner on time.
Thank you, River, for squishy mud between our toes, for exotic animals and mild injuries, for a much-needed emotional massage, and for your timeless voice that silences everything else. See you again soon.
Copyright © 2012-13 · All Rights Reserved · ilovemyburg.com. Written content by Katie Mitchell. Photos by Brandy Somers. This material may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, or printed without express written consent. Thank you for respecting our intellectual property.
It’s July. And the only thing hotter than July is August. It’s so hot in August there aren’t even any holidays. Too dang hot to celebrate.
Just came off of the fourth of July festivities downtown, and what fun I had with the kiddos. They made it all the way through the fireworks and then konked out immediately. We didn’t even mind the rain (twice) because it was SO DANG HOT.
If you don’t already have big plans this weekend, may I suggest the Red Wing Roots Music Festival? It’s a HUGE festival of really awesome musicians put together by our own Jeremiah Jenkins and I’m sure tens of other hardworking volunteers. And there’s lots going on throughout the upcoming week, too. You can find all the details, here, at our Harrisonburg Happynings page. Check it out!
xoxoxo! have a super week!
A few days ago I told a friend how much I love my dishwasher. Not because it’s fancy, or super-quiet, or even new. As far as dishwashers go, it’s pretty ordinary. But it washes my dishes. I HATE washing dishes. And every time I empty the dishwasher, I thank whomever it was who invented that miraculous thing.
The dishwasher is just one of many modern conveniences we perhaps take for granted. Power tools are another. Recently Michael and I were assembling a loft bed for my son, and we must have drilled at least a hundred holes. I said, “Remember back in the day when people had to drill holes with that hand crank drill thing?” Of course, there are still people who appreciate the craft of old-school wood working… taking their time, using their hands and primitive tools, and savoring the hard-earned end result. I love meeting people who do things the “old-fashioned way,” because I’m more likely to pack my dishwasher to the gills and turn the knob, hit the button on the Keurig, and sit down for some online shopping. Oh, instant gratification. You’ve made us all so damn impatient.
If you can stand it, patience and perseverance usually do pay off.
Recently, Troy and Jennica Lucas invited Brandy and me to their home for coffee. If you know them, you know they’re bona fide coffee roasters. So we knew there’d be no Sanka involved. Unlike most friends who invite you for a cup of automatic drip-pot coffee, the Lucases painstakingly craft theirs from the raw bean all the way to your cup. Also unlike any of my friends EVER, they served us from their very own coffee truck.
It started as a hobby in 2002, Troy and Jennica roasting their own beans in hopes of finding a good cup of coffee. It was then that the idea of starting their own roasting company began. But baby Quinn arrived in 2003, and the idea had to remain a hobby for the time being.
Everything made from scratch takes a little longer, and in 2007, Lucas Roasting Company was born, and since then this family of four has been working hard to turn their caffeine dream into reality. Now six years later, they roast and sell several varieties of coffee, from Brazilian to Nicaraguan to Indonesian and more, plus flavored blends, online and at various locations throughout the valley. They even have a Halfway to Heaven blend — the Steel Wheels signature blend — which will be offered to hordes of concert-goers at the Red Wing Roots Music Festival coming up July 12 – 14!! And served straight from their new coffee truck. :)
The day we were there, Troy and Jennica showed us the new truck and their roasting facility and told us their inspiring story while their two kids — Kade and Quinn — played with our four. I’ve never, ever been inside a coffee bean roasting room, and let me tell you — it smells GREAT in there. There were sacks upon sacks of raw coffee beans and this big Deidrich roaster… bags and scales and everything in between, and it wasn’t until we entered that room that I realized just how hard these people have worked to achieve their goals. Here’s this family, living in a little community, running a business from their home. Troy calls it a “small family business,” and maybe it is when compared with large, national or global businesses. But the “small family business” is the one that has more to lose. More invested. More blood, sweat, and tears. And therefore, requires more bravery. Maybe I’m getting a little away from the story here, but standing in the roasting room was humbling and inspiring, and really brought to my full attention the devotion and sacrifice required to do what they — this family of four — have done.
And they’re just regular people (ha ha). At one point, Troy was making us a couple cups of coffee using the Clever Dripper… a one-cup-at-a-time brewing system that produces a great cup of coffee with none of the Keurig trash… and as he explained the process, I could hear Jennica addressing one of the children: “What’s wrong with your face? …Pull up your hair… You look dirty but I don’t see any wounds…” A family business indeed.
After Brandy and I got our coffee fix, Troy and Jennica had all the kids line up outside the truck and place their orders, which ranged from Italian root beer and grape sodas to a delicious caramel Java Blender.
Over coffee I got a bit more of their story. Troy came here in 1997 with the Brethren Volunteer Service to work on a project at Brethren Woods in Keezletown. He’s also worked for Habitat for Humanity, the Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community, and the JMU coffee shop, Taylor Down Under. At some point he injured his back and ended up at a chiropractor where Jennica worked. After a couple months of her healing touch they were engaged, and not long thereafter they tied the knot. Jennica’s from New Hampshire (in fact, she and Troy lived there for a bit before returning to the valley), and she currently works for the Park View Federal Credit Union.
And little by little, with the same patience required to brew a great cup of coffee, they have built their life together, a lovely family, and their business. It’s taken eleven years to go from a coffee hobby to a mobile full-service coffee company… but it’s better to gain strength by climbing a long, sometimes steep hill than to be a flash in the pan. They’re a committed bunch. They know how to go the distance, where others who need instant gratification might tire out. It’s the same concept as instant coffee: sure it’s fast, but it’s just not satisfying.
Copyright © 2012-13 · All Rights Reserved · ilovemyburg.com. Written content by Katie Mitchell. Photos by Brandy Somers. This material may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, or printed without express written consent. Thank you for respecting our intellectual property.
In life, there are busy days and slow days, hectic weeks and low-key weeks.
Get ready for a crazy, non-stop, action-packed week! Not only is it a holiday week — Fourth of July — but it’s also First Friday in Harrisonburg, Fridays on the Square, and Tour De Burg! I feel like I should just pitch a tent in the parking deck and live in the heart of it all. Maybe I can use an extension cord to plug in my mini fridge. I’d be all set.
To the parking authority, I will NOT be pitching a tent in the parking deck. :)
Have a great week!! Good luck fitting it all in! Here are the happynings!
Copyright © 2012-13 · All Rights Reserved · ilovemyburg.com. Written content by Katie Mitchell. Photos by Brandy Somers. This material may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, or printed without express written consent. Thank you for respecting our intellectual property.
These photos are better than baby portraits.
Copyright © 2012-13 · All Rights Reserved · ilovemyburg.com. Written content by Katie Mitchell. Photos by Brandy Somers. This material may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, or printed without express written consent. Thank you for respecting our intellectual property.
i love my burg. 