As some of you know, I sell eggs. They sell out like hot cakes. I barely have enough “inventory” at the end of the week to keep my customers happy. I’ve quickly learned that eggs are a good business to be in in this economy: They’re an essential, like butter or sugar or salt. People need them. You can’t cut back on eggs like you can Pringles or Diet Orange Crush.
I’ve also noticed that bartering is big in this town. It’s as if cash is now worth less here. Customers sometimes ask to trade this or that in exchange for eggs. I always politely decline. What can I say, I’m like Donald Trump — a shrewd SOB without the comb-over! My brain processes nothing but cold, hard cash! At $3 per dozen!
But there is one person in town I barter with. Her name is Chin and she’s an herbalist. Chin grows all sorts of herbs on her property, harvests them, brings them inside her laboratory (kitchen) and makes cosmetic products out of them — face cream, lotions, body wash, belly butter for pregnant mamas with rapidly expanding bellies. Unlike Lancome, Dior, Revlon, Cover Girl, etc, etc, her stuff is 100 percent natural so you never feel like you’re slathering fragrant chemicals all over your face. I’m addicted to it, and have ditched my old Dior potions for it (which I can no longer afford anyway). I’m pretty sure Chin’s stuff isn’t making me any younger, but none of that other stuff was either….as evidenced by my ever increasing furrowed brow. But her stuff feels just so damn pure going on.
Eggs for purity — a fair trade.
Tags: soothing herbals
Hey, a girl’s gotta have her standards. I don’t blame you for being choosy. And trying to make a buck or two. I also don’t blame you for not wanting to clog up your skin with all sorts of crap. We could all use a Chin, I think… to trade us a bit of purity.
yay for the link to Chin!! I’m a Chin lover too, and was just thinking this morning, I need some more face wash and divine cream…and I really need to come up with something I can barter…wonder if she’d take homemade scented playdo, or free nursing advice…I’m guessing she wants my cold hard cash. And I’m happy to give it to her. This morning I was also thinking of the day when I will get my (your) juicy broilers, I reallly can’t wait for that day.
We love Chin’s products too! Her healing salve is a must- have for burns, bug bites and any kind of infection. Chin was kind enough to give me a jar of the salve years ago when she noticed a burn on my forearm that was not healing. (I had been using Neosporin on it and it was NOT helping.) By the end of the day I noticed a remarkable change and by the end of the week my burn was completely healed. We were fortunate to have her teach some classes here about the medicinal herbs that she grows and the handcrafted, all- natural products she makes from them. She is the real deal!