farmer's market
I am not the best parent.
I am trying to make some amends lately.
Today I got all the kids out the door and to the farmer's market by 11, which is pretty good for me on a sunday morning. I got them sausages and we bought vegetables. I decided I'd buy the week's vegetables: green beans, brussel sprouts, garlic, corn, zucchini, onions, shallots, red peppers. We have enough potatoes already.
Hopefully I use all this stuff. I think I will, though, I have ideas.
I bought some expensive heirloom tomatoes. I am trying to learn about tomatoes, and to appreciate them more. I eat them with mozerella. The heirloom tomato guy explained all the tomatoes to us, and recommended some, and I bought two kinds. then he gave me an extra one of a third kind for free, because I said I liked the interesting shapes, and it was an interesting shape.
I got apples too, from my apple vendor :) just one peck of zestars and some apple cider. It's enough for a small batch of applesauce. I'll get more serious later.
Naomi was having issues - I think because everyone got sausages but her. She wanted a hot dog, but I have a moral objection to paying $3.50 for a hot dog. I told her I'd give her a hot dog when we got home. I think the whole thing upset her on a level, though, and she was very touchy for the rest of the trip. She kept getting upset and shrieking/crying, or hiding under the tables, or whatever. I had to be patient. I was good about it, though. The therapist says that when kids are being terrible you have to rise to the occasion. This is hard to do.
The sausage guy, who was probably like 22, kept calling me "young lady", and it was annoying. Dude, that sort of thing stopped being charming back in the 50s. I am clearly not that young, you cannot have failed to notice the four children who keep shoving each other and then indignantly, and loudly, protesting whenever they themselves are shoved. So quit it. (I actually think he might have been flirting with me, which is astounding.) Also, the guy kept accidentally giving us cheddar polish sausages. Dude, stop making so many cheddar polish sausages, no one wants them. We want the real ones. Why do you even have that lever.
Nae insisted on honey sticks, and then there weren't any, so I just got her a small bear-shaped container of honey.
the brussel sprout/garlic vendor gave us a couple free cumcumbers, which was nice.
I bought a gorgeous bouquet of flowers for $5; I could not help it.
I always feel bad at the farmer's market because there are all these forlorn farmers with tables overflowing with vegetables and I can only buy a very few. I wish I knew who needed it most, because they all have beautiful vegetables.