Farmer's Market Day

So, last night, I decided that I was getting way too negative about things that were ALREADY very negative, and I knew that I was going to cleanse my brain and my soul and hit the Keene Valley farmer's market this morning.

Colden and I left right after breakfast, and I was surprised and pleased to see a huge, long line of tents set up at Marcy Field when we arrived.

My first stop was my friend Annie Destito, who makes wonderful lampwork glass beads, pendants, and jewelry making components. I snagged two of her latest creations:

They look like ruffled glass bead caps! All I could think about was making some killer beaded rope, threading the ends through the top of the glass caps, and then making strands and strands and strands of fringe. Aaaaah!

And of course, I have the *perfect* beads in mind for the projects, now I just need to find the time to actually do it...

I also splurged on something for Colden. Ever since he was a baby and I started selling my work at the farmer's markets, I've waited for the day when he would be big enough to ride around on one of these handmade wooden hobby horses.

Today, I decided, was the day I would get him one.

He was so thrilled! He was a little unsure of how to use it, at first, but once I showed him how to grab on to the handles and run with it, he was hooked. Since we got back home, he's had it out for a run in the spiral path (the "spin", he calls it) in the tall grass out back six times.

I was even more thrilled when he told me that his favorite toy was no longer the iPad: it's his hobby horse!

Of course, being the farmer's market, I had to stock up on other, edible things. I grabbed three jars of my friend Andrea's homemade jam in tart cherry, peach, and wild blueberry. All organic, all homemade by Andrea, in her kitchen. And it's without a doubt the best jam that I have ever put in my mouth.

I stopped at the Fledgling Crow stand and grabbed beets, carrots, zucchini, summer squash, and sugar snap peas. A couple more stops to get rainbow chard, peaches, and strawberries, and our shopping list for the week was complete.

Since we've decided to stop the Essex Farm experiment (for now), I'm focusing on buying less and using more of what we have. We're already pretty darn self-sufficient with those gardens. So this week, I'll be cooking what we have and not making any additional trips to the grocery store. (Unless I need some more potatoes because my mouth is still killing me where I got jabbed by that crazy oral surgeon.)

I also made sure to stock up on my favorite locally-made headache-busting aromatherapy oil. I gave away two of my extra bottles, and the one I have left is nearly finished. It's really the only thing that helps relieve the pain when I get a good ol' migraine that has me sensitive to light and smell and leaves me nauseous and incapacitated in bed for a whole day. 

We saw my friend Robin, who makes amazing fused glass bowls, cheese platters, and home decor items, and Colden picked out a beautiful glass bowl as a thank-you gift for someone special.

Last but not least, I treated myself to a beautiful copper and crystal bead chain, handmade by my good friend Heather. I know, I  know, I could make it myself. But Heather does such beautiful work, and she has such an amazing sense of color, and I love her and I love her work, so I figured it would be a nice treat for myself. And it matched my shirt perfectly, so, there you go.

As I was shopping this morning, I was amazed at how good I felt. This was so much better and so uplifting. I spent way more money than I should have, but the way I see it is that every single dollar I spent today went towards supporting small businesses, craftspeople, artists, and local, organic farms. And in return, I got items that were all made with loving care and joy, food that was grown without toxic pesticides and chemicals, and I got to spend time chatting with people I love. I can't imagine a better way to spend my money!

So, that was my soul-cleansing ritual this morning. I've still got to finish cleaning up the kitchen, do the dishes, get that huge bag of rhubarb cleaned, chopped, and ready to freeze, clean up the dining room, make some dinner for all of us, and try to squeeze in a little more work on my Battle of the Beadsmith piece. Nine days left - eeeeeeks!