I watched The Academy Awards [hereafter referred to as The Oscars] like many people. It was my last hurrah to cable. Yep, I finally got rid of it. We’ll still have internet but I’ve stopped paying for the TV and phone which we never use.

Anyway, this is about the Oscars and the celebration of movies. Wait, is that what they were celebrating? I wish I thought to count the number of times they said the words “big screen” because I think there was a not so casual subliminal message going there. Either that or they were playing a different drinking game than everyone else in America.

I agree that watching movies on the Big Screen is something to be celebrated. I know that there are some movies that just need to be seen on a big screen. Of course, I watch shows and movies on Netflix all the time but we also go to the movies and by going to the movies I do mean the Big Screen.

You see we have a really Big Screen in our neighborhood. TheByrd Theatre, Richmond’s Landmark Movie Palace is right around the corner from our house and this is, for better or worse, what the kidlets are learning to appreciate as a movie going experience. It is true that the seats are less than comfortable but we cut them some slack as they are original to the theater which was built in 1928. The screen at The Byrd is very large, the curtain is red velvet and they use real butter on the popcorn!! Oh, and did I mention that tickets are only $1.99. It’s true that you need to wait a few weeks to see a show, but that’s okay with me. We saw “Hugo” Saturday night as a family and it cost us $8 – we leave the pennies in the jar. How many families can go see a movie on the Big Screen without using a credit card? Yeah, The Byrd is strictly a cash establishment but there is an ATM in the lobby now which is very helpful. But wait there's more....On Saturday nights there's an extra treat when they play the Mighty Wurlitzer! Yep, it still works and they play it every week. This, my friends, is not an experience that you’ll find at the multiplex no matter how much you pay for your ticket.

I realize that no one makes theaters like this anymore and that we are extremely lucky. It's one of the reasons we chose to live in our neighborhood. In fact, I'm not even sure this is what they had in mind during the Oscars when they kept referring to movies on the Big Screen. I think they meant going to a theater that would charge between $8 and $12 to see a movie on opening weekend. Personally, I think I'm getting a better deal even without the drink holders or extra leg room.

Spring Break is over and after I dropped Comfort and Joy at school I walked to the store. Yes, it's a lovely day in Richmond today. The sun is shining. Birds are singing. Pollen is flying through the air. Well, you can't have everything - this is Richmond in the springtime.

We love the fact that our neighborhood is built for walking. After dinner walks. After rest time walks. After church walks. Where-ever walks. And today it was a 'to the grocery store' walk.

But being me I had to do some multi-tasking. I grabbed my iPod so that I could listen to the soundtrack for my book, found a grocery list for the dinner I'm making for friends tonight, and walked the 5-6 blocks to the grocery.

Of course, I can't do this when it's time to do a major stocking up trip but I used to do the weekly shopping like this when the girls were in the stroller. I'd go 2-3 times a week and I found that $30 worth of groceries was what would fit in the storage compartment under the jogging stroller.

Now that they're walking I take them less but we still make some trips together. My trip today consisted of one very heavy reusable bag. It would have been lighter but I bought a quart of milk from the local creamery that was on closeout for $.50 and these come in glass bottles. So even though my total was only $17.10 my bag felt heavier.

Now I'm off to begin the dinner preparations, opening the windows and enjoying the wonderful weather while I can. Definitely a Cool Idea!

Have you filled out your U.S. Census form and mailed it back yet? If not, take a few minutes to do it this week before you a) forget or b) lose the form.

Yep, that's usually my modus operandi. I open important documents and then put them someplace so Comfort and Joy can't 'help' me with them then I have to move them for some reason or I forget what I did with them.

This time instead of just looking at it for another week or two I filled it out and walked it to the mailbox. I'm sure you've already done the same thing. Right? If not, take the 10 minutes and do it now. It's a Cool Idea and you help your community get the services that it needs.

I've talked about this before and I'll talk about it again, I'm sure. Here's why.

1. Buying locally gives us a face to put with our purchases. I know who makes the ice cream in my neighborhood and she's a wonderful woman. Not only does she make great and unique flavors but she's part of the neighborhood. 
2. Plus, She's not trucking in her product from across the country and wasting fuel and increasing her carbon footprint. She makes the ice cream right here. Sure, there's a Ben and Jerry's in my neighborhood, too and it's hard to pass up some days but it's not the same anymore.
3. A drive through the neighborhood also showed that an increasing number of stores are now sitting vacant. I'm not great at math but that can't be good for the city's tax revenue. If businesses aren't open they aren't paying taxes or collecting sales tax and someone is going to lose - either by losing services or by paying higher taxes. Buying locally helps keep these businesses open and keeps tax revenue local, too.
4. You know where they came from. This can be especially comforting when it comes to food products. Buying your fruits and vegetables from the Farmer's Market or through a CSA is one way to make sure that you are eating food that hasn't been waxed or coated to make it hardy for transport or that has been mishandled in some way. You still need to clean foods properly but a reputable grower that is listed in localharvest.org will have their growing information and will answer any questions you might have. This is Earth Day Month - Go Green and Stay There.
5. Be a role model for your children. Teach them that being part of your community is important. Show them that knowing the people in the neighborhood is fun. We walked up to the Crayon Store [which actually has nothing to do with crayons but happens to have a place for kids to draw while adults shop], stopped by Amy's shop on the way back, ducked into the Mirror Store [it has a fun house style mirror out front], and then went into the Homer Store [so called because the owner used to have a dog by this name]. This is the way Comfort navigates our neighborhood. She feels a connection to our neighborhood and to the people who live and work here. What more could we want.