By Matt Nicholson

A friend once told me to eat at the mom-and-pop restaurants every chance you get.

You will either get a good meal or a good story, and sometimes, if you are lucky, you will get both. As always, though, before I finish this thought, let me share some of my week.

Recently, I had a chance to sit down and record Episode 19 of the Seymour Moments podcast with Jo Boehlke from the Seymour Area Farmers Market. Like often happens when I chat with someone new, I learned several things.

For example, did you know that Mr. Fleetwood, who is in his 88th year, started his asparagus crop when he was 85? Harvesting in the first years will hurt production later and harvesting in the second year is still frowned upon, but by Year 3, you have plants that are ready to produce.

How about the month of July is the best month for fresh produce at the market?

Last but not least, how about the fact that the vendors at the market are performing better with just being open Wednesday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon than they did when they could vend six days a week?

This week was another week full of various conversations about housing. Whether it was at a READI grant workshop with our regional partner counties of Jennings and Bartholomew or with a developer looking at various possibilities in our area, I can’t help but feel the future is bright.

On the apartment side, we have seen development in the area of 55 and older first. Shortly after that project was in the application phase, another group started working on workforce housing, which has now been approved.

Then within a year of that approval, a third company has started the process for market value housing. I can’t help but think that this is a good example of development spurring on future development. Sprinkle in a few subdivisions added to what is already available and we have hundreds of units coming on board over the next several years.

The last thing before I get back to that random thought that started the column is a shoutout to Water Pollution Control. Thank you to Cory and Joey for allowing me to slow down the process this week and spend some time out of the office learning about the tasks you perform for our ratepayers.

Over the years, we have had some great meals from various mom-and-pop restaurants around the country. We have also had our fair share of great stories, as well. What we have rarely regretted, though, was taking a chance on those local places.

I could bore you with all of the details, like that 67 cents of every dollar spent locally stays local. I could tell you that when you shop local, you are supporting someone’s ball team, someone’s piano lessons or just simply paying the bills for your neighbors and friends.

That really isn’t what is on my mind today, though.

I am really thinking about taking that chance on the unknown, throwing caution to the wind and supporting someone else’s dream, even if just for one meal.

Careful, though, because as you get comfortable taking those little chances, you will find yourself venturing farther and farther looking for the next opportunity.

If it is a milkshake or even an octodog, maybe you will find a new regular place to dine while at home and potentially find yourself later this year headed down the road to someplace you have never been.

Feel free to share your favorite local places as well as those down the road for others to find.

I hope you will remember the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson: “All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make, the better.”