This blog is dedicated to Greg Wilcox who died on April 27,2005. A while back Greg emailed me and asked me if it would be alright to use the Gregsgrains logo that I had started for my web site also. I told what him what my father always told me. And, that is, ‘there is always room for one more’. Soon after this, he graciously sent me a bag of his kefir grains. So I sent him a bag of my grains. They are made with oatmeal and some other ingredients. We both shared a radical way to eat, made more radical by sharing our outlooks. When I told him that I was writing a book about ‘how to eat on less than a dollar a day’ he was enthusiastic about this. I followed all the information on the Yahoo group and learned a lot about kefir. I liked his idealism and his passion to want to change things for the better in the world. Lately I have been outraged by companies selling creams to prevent wrinkles and tanning lotions and nonsense like this. I would even venture to say that the whole cosmetics industry is a total waste. When just letting the natural oils from under our skin come to the surface-these oils are the best lotion for the skin. I think he would have agreed with me. In that, allowing a lot of useless industries to disappear, would shrink the economy to the point where we would not have any leftover tax money to give away to countries that hate us anyhow. I agreed with Greg on most issues. Where Greg and I differed, I believe that whomever is going to save the planet, they would do it by making money with environmental innovations. Another thing we might have not have agreed on was, I thought obtaining raw milk was too difficult a task to expect the average person to be able to do. My philosophy is making or buying a cup of yogurt and throwing a quarter cup of raw oatmeal is more something that the average guy can comprehend and follow. Anyhow its strange but I had been thinking about Greg lately and his whole ability to give grains away. And I was getting ready to write him about inviting him up to Pittsburgh to stay in a primitive basement apartment that I had built at a duplex house that I own and rent. I thought he might get involved in the ‘free ride’ government sponsored project that recycles old bikes here in Pittsburgh and take in the City culture. I was going to let him stay in that basement apartment and maybe open up his knack for giving things away by offering the apartment to other would be travelers for free or by bartering for things like kefir grains and other simple ideas. I also was hoping to talk to him about making a documentary with hand held video cameras about maximizing living space in cities by turning areas like attics and basements into living spaces. So his desire to give things away has infected me. Simplicity was what he was after maybe he taught us all something. I wanted him to bring up another batch of grains because mine were starting to shrivel up. He told me that the grain grains that I sent him went into his kefir and they made the mix into a 15 course meal. And upon consuming, he did not have to eat for the rest of the day…. So I raise my cup of yogurt to you Greg and I say bring on the revolution. Everybody wants to die for something I’m going to miss you….

The other Greg, anybody from the kefir site can contact me at www.gregsgrains.com