What I Learned at the Farmer's Market

We are very fortunate to live within walking distance of our local farmer's market, so nearly every Saturday I throw the peanut in the stroller and we head up there.  Some weeks it is very crowded, but other weeks not so much and I must say that I prefer the less crowded weeks.  Believe or not it is much easier to people watch and meet new friends with fewer people, doesn't make sense, I know.

So, while at the farmer's market we meander and check out the different vendors selling their wares.  It's pretty much the same every week, sometimes they move which totally throws me off.  I have some favorites that I always stop by to visit, which now seems to feel like visiting with a friends because of the frequency of our visits. One of our favorites is the flavored olive oil and vinegar place.  They have a shop nearby too which I visit while walking with the peanut.  It's a healthy obsession, no restraining orders yet.

So, last week while at the market, I walked by my friend selling her olive oil and stopped to visit.  The conversation began when she noticed my daughters teeth that have come in and asked how she has been handling teething.  Fine, I said, she's not been too crabby.  Because, of course, all children who are teething are crabby, right?  It's the generic explanation for crabbiness in the stroller set.  There was a customer there who I quickly got to know because she was so friendly and I loved what she had to say about the subject.  She said that the next time she was crabby at work she was going to explain that it was because she was teething.  Hah!

We started chatting about being mommies.  Each of us with a daughter at a very different stage of their lives and with very different personalities.  It was so much fun to hear the differing perspectives on what it means to be a mom.  But what it all boiled down to was protecting our little ones, now matter how it looked.

What a great morning!

So, what did I learn at the farmer's market?  Some of what I learned is pretty standard like you can get fresh, organic, locally grown produce.  Duh!  How about you can actually make a living selling horseradish?  What about how fabulous dehydrated onions are?  These are all things I have learned, but more importantly I have learned  that my daughter has the ability to make perfect strangers into friends!