Goat Soap

In wandering my new neighborhood to see what surprises it holds I made it down to the Farmer's Market last weekend. The Dallas Farmer's Market is very large and can be quite confusing because up until recently there were stands set up in the sheds that basically provided produce and products imported from the same far off lands as the local Wal-Mart. Luckily for those of us that are interested in buying locally made products, produce & meat they have changed things around a bit this year. Now all the local farmers are located in one shed and if one or more of their products is locally grown or made by them they have a sign up that says " I grew this _________. So no more guessing as to whether they actually grew those tomatoes or stopped by the local Wal-Mart on the way to the Farmer's Market bought them on sale and then marked them up, nice trick. There was not a lot of local produce available at this time of year, it being very late summer and all, but we did find some locally grown cucumbers, tomatoes and okra, all which tasted amazing compared to the local grocery fare. I also came across a nice lady sitting behind a stand full of soap. I seem to always be fussing about soap as I have kind of sensitive skin that is prone to becoming itchy and red if exposed to any unkind detergents. This lady is one of the owner's of French Cross Ranch in Hubbard, Texas. They raise three breeds of dairy goats: Tottenburg goats, the oldest registered breed of any animal in the world, LaMancha goats, which is an ear less or gopher goat (scary!) and French Alpine goats that originated in the Alps. From these dairy goats they make goat's milk soap. No weird additives from China, just soap the way people used to make it. I was intrigued since I am particularly fond of warm spice scents and she had some cinnamon oatmeal soap for sale. So I bought a few bars and started using it this week. Amazingly enough it is the most wonderful soap I have ever used. No dry skin or itchiness, no weird chemically produced fragrance, no worries that it was made from Chinese battery acid. It made me feel good to buy a locally made product directly from the producer. She got a fair price for her work, I could ask all the questions I wanted about it and it kept my money in the local area; what a concept. So anyway, if you live in these parts go see her at the Farmer's Market or give the Ranch a call (903) 641-2003, I am sure she would be glad to take your order or send you an order form.

We Moved

After three and a half years the great suburban experiment has come to an end. Mark and I moved out of our home in Frisco, Texas and moved into a loft in a section of Dallas known as Deep Ellum. Deep Ellum is a bit north of downtown and is known for being a bit weird, very artsy and full of historic buildings.

The building we moved into is a former cotton gin manufacturing company and was built in 1914. Our loft is a corner unit with an unobstructed full view of the Dallas skyline and as an added bonus we have a 12 x 24 foot bridge that serves as our private patio.
So what do I say but that I am in love with my new home. The people that live in the building are the nicest people that I have met since moving to Dallas and yet they are the people most would look at and think what a bunch of wierdos. My next door neighbor drives a Harley and while we were moving in She and her friend actually helped us move a very large and heavy piece of furniture up to our place. She told me if we ever needed anything at all to just bang on the door. A lady down the hall introduced herself and brought us a couple of bottles of wine as a moving in gift, she wanted nothing in return. Everyone I have run into so far has a big smile and a Hi when you pass by. This is nothing like the Dallas I am used to. Most in Dallas always seem to be so consumed with their lives they don't even have time to notice those that pass by them. Ear to the cell phone, hand on the wheel and eager to tell you how busy they are, kind of like saying I am so busy that I really don't have time for you. I guess the people who are a little more interesting, a little less busy, and a bit more artistic have found a haven in Deep Ellum. I am glad that I finally found out where they are hiding.