Local-ness

I'm sure that everyone has noticed that, in my part of the world at least, it is cold and dark so early.  Last night, add rainy, too.  I often don't know what to do with myself on winter evenings.  I've used up much of my energy, don't want to watch tv, and it's too chilly to just sit around reading.

So, last night I ventured out to Packhouse, which is a casual local restaurant very close to home.  It's the kind of place that has few cars parked in front but there are people inside, which makes me think that there are some local walkers.

The attraction for me is the quinoa "meatballs."  And the excellent broccoli and brussels sprouts.  And then there is the big chalk board of draft beers, none of which I've heard of before, which makes it fun to choose something I'd like.  For meat eaters there are various kinds of meatballs, and there are various sauces or gravies.  The meatballs can go on a sandwich or with sides like mashed potatoes or spaghetti or salads.

When I moved to my neighborhood, I hoped that the downtown area would shift to the sort of place that it is now becoming.  Downtown housing, local businesses, a compact retail space for groceries and other shopping.  I live in the periphery of a small downtown city, across the river from a big city.  I like this.  Sometimes I might fuss about lack of street parking or the relatively small parking lot of the big grocery store, but I like this.