I Talk Up Healthy Food

Up before 6, I headed up to Monticello for the Heritage Harvest Festival. Last year, just a grateful attendee, this year I had a booth on behalf of the Weston A. Price Foundation. With only a few 30 second breaks from 8:45 to 5:15, I handed out brochures and talked nutrition with anyone who was willing to reach out and take one.

My favorite brochures ran out at 2pm (the simple line, "Would you like a brochure?" proved quite effective among such a receptive audience), and I was grateful for a second volunteer for the last several hours. The weather was chilly enough that I had been shivering since 7:30 when I arrived to set up (despite a sweater: I envied all with wraps and jackets), and my voice was growing lower. My lower legs, too, developed pins and needles. Though my enthusiasm remained high, physically I was glad to share the burden, and two people in the booth meant more people stayed to talk longer.

As long as it was just me, I think people felt like they shouldn't talk long, lest they monopolize the conversation.

I was, frankly, surprised at the number of people who wanted bumper stickers. Perhaps it was only ten, but the fact that ten people were willing to put a "Keep the government out of my kitchen" or "The Raw Milk Revolution with not be pasteurized" sticker on the back of a vehicle—well, I was surprised. Maybe I value my vehicular anonymity too much to share my agricultural opinions with the world.

So I returned home, ready to eat and sit under blankets until delightfully warm.