I receive a stunning amount of spam daily. It has gotten to the point where the writing on my delete button is wearing away. Poetic justice. Today, however, I received a spmail from “Dymphna Birdsong” selling--what else--prescription antidepressants! Hey, it made me laugh and isn’t that what advertising is all about?

Heading in to work this morning, I was listening to a report on WBFO about the inevitability of appointment of a financial control board for the City of Buffalo. I was struck by the juxtaposition of that story with the next one, which was about the current situation in Iraq. The similarities were chilling. Two places where the people who have been running things for years are the ones who caused the problems or, at least, failed to deal with them effectively. Two places where the people who created the problems are complaining that they are not being invited to continue to run things. Two places in need of a regime change.

Today is opening day of the downtown farmers’ market, of which I am a huge fan. It is not as upscale as the Union Square version but it is more than serviceable. With the market downtown on Tuesday and Thursday and on Bidwell Parkway on Saturday, our produce needs are met. I will not buy fruits or vegetables at the grocery store again until late fall. Although I am content, here is my wish list:

1. I wish that the State of New York actively encouraged family farming. We could learn a lot from Vermont. Suburban sprawl is amazingly a persistent problem in Western New York, even in the face of a steadily decreasing population. There are things happening but we really need more. A lot more.;
2. I wish that we could buy free range eggs at our market; and
3. I wish we could buy hand spun yarn at our market.

I think I will contact the people who run these markets to see what can be done about this. But first I have to buy some fresh asparagus!