Car Free in Raleigh

Just picked up a “chicken tractor,” aka a movable coop and run, courtesy of a chicken-lovin’ friend. Pictures forthcoming.
Now we just need a couple laying hens, and we will be ready to enjoy some “city fresh” eggs!

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Forgot to mention that we did our preliminary bike shopping and determined that I want a “comfort bike” and Mark wants a “road bike.”
New prices: $350 and $620, respectively.
Scouring the used market and trying to determine if we can pick up a secondhand bike that’s in decent shape ($100 - $150) and still make our […]

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We ventured out this morning to do some final Christmas shopping before the mad weekend rush begins.  Our initial plan was to trek up to Triangle Town Center, then come back home after lunch, just in time for Malachy’s nap.
Instead, we ended up having Malachy’s picture taken… then bought frames at A.C. Moore… then hiked […]

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Confession time.
In addition to not owning a car, we also don’t have a television. We sold it about three years ago and never looked back.  We have more free time and are able to limit our (and our son’s) exposure to advertising.
Side note: By “advertising,” I don’t just mean commercials. I mean the more insidious […]

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Tonight, I had the urge to make my Incredibly Good Brownies™. Unfortunately, I created the recipe long before we had a toddler with food allergies. I’ve yet to create a Malachy-safe version.
So, tonight looked like it would be the night. I melted the “futter” (fake butter - Earth Balance brand). I mixed in the cocoa […]

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As we walked back from a nearby store (1.5 miles away) a few days ago, Mark and I talked about the stranger parts of The Typical American Lifestyle.When we owned a car, I frequently did paradoxical things like driving 2 - 3 miles to walk at a local greenway…. for exercise. Or driving 1 mile […]

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Does anyone know a place in downtown Raleigh where I can get vegan “parmesan” sprinkles? I asked Capitol City Grocery to carry them, so we’ll see if anything comes of it. In the meantime, anywhere closer than Wade Ave Whole Foods?
(We’re not vegan, but my toddler is allergic to milk and eggs, so we use […]

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(Mark came up with the idea.)
And for you who wish you could be car-free, here’s a license plate frame.

(You can buy either here. Not to mention lots of other weird stuff, which may or may not fit your lifestyle.)

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So, we had planned to head out to Lowe’s this morning to get a heater. But when we woke up, it somehow registered that today is one of the few of what we Catholics know as “Holy Days of Obligation” (read: “Get your heiny in church or else!” days).
(The Feast of the Immaculate Conception of […]

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Today, we packed up our Radio Flyer wagon and headed down to Food Lion to get some groceries.
My first mistake was choosing this trip as the time to shop for a month, rather than a week. Yes, theoretically, it is cheaper. But seriously, do you know how much food it takes to eat for a […]

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