Once unleashed, you cannot hold her back. She rushes with the strength of a cascading stream, ignoring the obstacles. Others join her and soon there is not just one raging maniac, but a herd, an avalanche of energetic movers and shakers. It all happens so fast! That's her key feature: she never once stops. She keeps on going. Fast.
This, to me, is spring.
We were up pretty early. The two older kids are coming over for a farmette morning and Ed and I have a few things to take care of before they arrive. It's cold outside -- the water dish for the animals is frozen solid. No matter. I pour the usual warm water into it, feed the hungry beasts...
... and quickly fix a breakfast for Ed and me.
And immediately after, we go downtown to the first outdoor Farmers Market of the year. We have lots of farmette eggs which we typically trade with Farmer John for cheese. We hope to see him there.
I often skip this first market. Many vendors don't show up for it either. Unless you grow hoop-house or greenhouse produce, you're not going to have much to sell. There are, of course, the year-round producers: the bakers, the mushroom growers, the honey merchants. The cheese guys. But to me, the market is very much produce centered and so I hold back until there is a great abundance of veggies. Asparagus, for example! Maybe in a couple of weeks?
But today, Ed wanted to go and so here we are, on the Square, expecting little, but feeling great delight in what we do find today: familiar friends, some I've known not for years, but decades now -- flower grower David, cheese farmer John, spinach farmer Bill, Jamie the mushroom guy.
New people too, like the guys with a flashing sign: Mr. Dye's key lime pies! We had to try it!
It feels unreal to be at the market again. Could it be true? Have we stepped into full blown spring?
The kids are certainly energetic! And hungry. For farmette play time, book time, lunch time.
Finished off with market maple syrup suckers.
It's later, in the afternoon, when I walk back along the driveway, that I notice the explosion of Syberian Squill out front. And I remember how two or three days ago I was taking a picture of just one blue flower. This is how spring works: from one, we move to a thousand!
And it just gets better and better going forward!
Every single day of this season is so pungent and potent and bursting with something new for us.
Dinner? I cook a green soup. It seems so fitting: green onions, asparagus, peas. With basil and parsley pesto.
Such an enchanting season this is! How good it would be if all us northerners could enjoy it..
With love.
