R's produce bags

On Sunday our local paper ran an op-ed piece on yours truly featuring my reusable produce bags. Here's the link: http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2010/03/27/1082770/unsung-heroes-rosemary-cleaves.html

Unsung Heroes: Rosemary Cleaves bags our appreciation


Rosemary Cleaves was fed up with the ubiquitous plastic produce bags found in just about every market, large and small.

So, she set out to build a better bag — one that’s lightweight, washable and sturdy enough to hold a healthy serving of rutabagas or lemons or melons. Using the type of netting similar to what bridal veils are made of, she stitched up a prototype and — voilà! — an environmentally friendly, reusable produce bag was born.

That qualifies Rosemary — a retired portfolio manager who lives on the Nipomo Mesa — as an entrepreneur, to be sure.

But here’s what also makes her an unsung hero in our book: She decided to market the bags and donate the proceeds to charity.

She chose Womenade, a local, grassroots charity that serves as a support group for families in need — whether it’s providing diapers and baby clothes to a new mom or helping an out-of-work family pay dental bills.

Right now, Rosemary’s bags are available for sale, at $1.50 each, at JJ’s Market on the Mesa. Rosemary hopes to expand sales to other local markets in the future.

We hope she does — the reusable bags are a logical next step for shoppers who want more environmentally friendly products.

While plastic produce bags are recyclable, market managers suspect many of them wind up in the garbage. That’s one of the reasons that Gordie Foy, owner of JJ’s, liked the idea of offering the reusable bags.

“We try to do as much as we can to keep things out of the landfills,” said Foy, who says the bags have been selling even better than he anticipated.

Rosemary makes all the bags herself — she estimates that it takes her a couple of minutes to make a single bag. That’s impressive enough, yet that’s not all that’s on her volunteer résumé.

She continues to serve as president of a nonprofit organization, A Hand Up, that she helped found in Hartford, Conn. She worked there in the insurance industry for many years, and wanted to do something to help the large homeless population in Hartford.

A Hand Up supplies basic necessities — furniture, pots and pans, bedding and towels, dishes and silverware — to homeless families that succeed in finding a place to live, but often lack the essentials to outfit their bare living quarters.

Rosemary coordinates deliveries and other activities long distance, through e-mails, phone calls and twice-a-year trips to Hartford.

She’s found plenty to do in SLO County as well. In addition to her participation in Womenade, she volunteers at the St. Barnabas’ Thrift Shop; serves on the St. Barnabas Church vestry, or board of directors; volunteers at the Clark Center as an usher; and she teaches tai chi at Cypress Ridge Fitness.

Yet she shrugs off praise.

“I think those of us that do these types of things do it because we see a need and try to fill it,” she wrote us in an e-mail.

Reluctant hero, yes, but a hero just the same.

Rosemary not only sees a need for change — whether it’s to stop polluting the environment with plastic bags or to outfit the apartments of needy families to prevent them from slipping back into homelessness — she also does something about it.

We’re proud to recognize Rosemary Cleaves as our unsung hero for March.

Editor's note: This is another in a series of monthly Editorials celebrating the unsung heroes in our community.

By highlighting individuals who unselfishly apply their energy and skills to lighten the burden of others, we hope, first, to offer these community heroes the appreciation they deserve; second, to let those who could use the help know of available resources; and, third, to inspire others who are able to help in whatever way possible.

Read more: http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2010/03/27/1082770/unsung-heroes-rosemary-cleaves.html#ixzz0jhUPrQl0

Shell Creek Road

On Sunday T and I took a drive to Shell Creek Road in Santa Margarita or is it in Shandon - who knows. We've been hearing about the wildflowers on that road for the last couple of years but have never gotten organized to drive out there. It is a really beautiful drive and the wild flowers are beautiful. In another week they say they will be even more impressive when more lupines and California poppies join the fields.

produce bags

Our local market, JJs Market, has started to carry and sell my produce bags. I sold them to the market at $1 a piece and they're charging $1.50 a piece with all profits going to the SLO County Womenade group. It's been about a week, and they are beginning to catch on. One of the editors of the local paper saw them at the market and asked to do an article about them in this Sunday's paper. So I did an interview with them and the photographer took pictures. It will be interesting to see what they actually write up and what impact it has. Who know, I may have to pursue larger manufacturing and marketing if they catch on. Stay tuned!

Here's to the ladies who lunch

Today my friends D and K and I went to lunch at the Grill at the pro shop. We're trying to make it a weekly thing to support the guy who runs the Grill and to have a chance to catch up with each other. It reminded me of the song:
Elaine Stritch - Ladies Who Lunch Lyrics

Here's to the ladies who lunch--
Everybody laugh.
Lounging in their caftans
And planning a brunch
On their own behalf.
Off to the gym,
Then to a fitting,
Claiming they're fat.
And looking grim,
'Cause they've been sitting
Choosing a hat.
Does anyone still wear a hat?
I'll drink to that.

And here's to the girls who play smart--
Aren't they a gas?
Rushing to their classes
In optical art,
Wishing it would pass.
Another long exhausting day,
Another thousand dollars,
A matinee, a Pinter play,
Perhaps a piece of Mahler's.
I'll drink to that.
And one for Mahler!

And here's to the girls who play wife--
Aren't they too much?
Keeping house but clutching
A copy of LIFE,
Just to keep in touch.
The ones who follow the rules,
And meet themselves at the schools,
Too busy to know that they're fools.
Aren't they a gem?
I'll drink to them!
Let's all drink to them!

And here's to the girls who just watch--
Aren't they the best?
When they get depressed,
It's a bottle of Scotch,
Plus a little jest.
Another chance to disapprove,
Another brilliant zinger,
Another reason not to move,
Another vodka stinger.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!
I'll drink to that.

So here's to the girls on the go--
Everybody tries.
Look into their eyes,
And you'll see what they know:
Everybody dies.
A toast to that invincible bunch,
The dinosaurs surviving the crunch.
Let's hear it for the ladies who lunch--
Everybody rise!
Rise!
Rise! Rise! Rise! Rise! Rise! Rise! Rise!
Rise!

On a beautiful day like today....

The last few days the weather has been spectacular. This afternoon after all the exercising and housecleaning tasks were completed T and I took off for a beautiful drive around our "greater" area. It almost felt like we had the top down but our car doesn't have a top to put down. We headed off to Lake Lopez and passed many baby animals along the way: baby goats, lambs, horses, llamas, ponies and wildflowers galore! All the wineries we passed had full lots at their tasting rooms. From Lake Lopez we headed north towards San Luis along Orcutt Road and took in the very green mountains and hillsides dotted with contented California cows eating the luscious new grass. The wineries in this area were also packed. On the way back from San Luis we took Edna Valley Road and enjoyed the windy road with a new vista at every turn. What a beautiful day!

A "normal" rainy season

Since we've been here Central California has been short of water and in drought conditions the last 2 years. It's interesting to read the different indicators used to publicize the drought. They usually publish pictures of ever lower reservoir levels and quote the % full rate. Sometimes it gets quite confusing as one day they'll report the levels are at an optimistically high level to go with their "yay! we've had rain" and the next day they'll publish pessimistic numbers and rant that we shouldn't get too comfy as we are still below normal in rain fall and that reservoir levels are lower in some cases than last year! Yesterday they reported all reservoirs were between 50% and 102% of average and that it was good news! Today they reported that actually things were better last year at this time when we were in the middle of the drought with half as much rain!

Lake March 2010 March 2009
Lopez Lake, Arroyo Grande 61% 60.4%
Whale Rock Reservoir, Cayucos 54.4% 63%
Lake San Antonio, Bradley 51% 54%
Lake Nacimiento, Paso Robles 57% 55%
Salinas Reservoir, Santa Margarita 102.3% 73%

Paint swatches

On my walk today I came upon this house that is considering some new paint colors for the house. It's a most interesting way to decide on what color you want on the outside of the house. I hope they make up their minds soon!

Motorized wheel chairs

Since moving to AG I've noticed a large number of people riding these motorized wheelchairs. I see the ads on TV constantly from companies claiming that medicare will often pay for it and if a customer gets turned down, the wheelchair company will help get it covered etc. Well all I can say is I think it must work. There have been an increasing number of these about town, up and down the sidewalks, in the grocery stores, around the village - almost everywhere. This morning I watched a man riding his motorized chair right down the middle of the road with the front wheel lined up with the center line. He was totally oblivious to the traffic around him. Very scary!

Tax time

I have really bad memories of tax time. From the days when my father started preparing to prepare to "do his taxes". It felt like a huge black cloud settled over him and his house. All the pertinent papers would be pulled out and spread in piles on almost every flat surface in the house. As tax day got closer his mood got darker and I tried to stay away. He always prepared his own return and was meticulous,researching all possible deductions. When he could no longer do his own taxes for some reason it fell to me to prepare his taxes. It is no wonder with these dark memories of the experience, that I hired an accountant to take it over. For years we had hired an accountant to prepare our return for us because of these dark memories.

In truth, I think the gathering of data process is nearly as bad as the actually preparation process now that all these software applications are available. You have to gather all the same data and put them on a form that someone at the accountant's office just inputs into one of these applications. Geez, you can't win for losing. I'm still going with the accountant. It gets rid of some of the angst!