I think it would be great to have a garden, but I'm busy, and a little bit lazy, so it probably wouldn't work out for me. I also don't like to be hot, and since most gardening happens in the summer, well, you get the idea. Enter: Farmer's Market. Or in the case of Lynchburg, the Community Market. Lynchburg's Community Market is reportedly the oldest operating market in the U.S. I decided to go on Saturday. Fresh veggies sounded good, and there is something great about buying produce that was grown pretty close to where you live, and you know the only truck it has been on is one with Farm Use tags. I had also looked them up online and found a bakery that operated out of the permanent indoor market....need I say more?
I circled the streets and parking lots for several minutes before finally finding somewhere to park. Thankfully, Marianna was asleep, so this just helped her "get her nap out" as certain members of my family say :). Kiley had opted for a morning of shopping with her dad. He was taking a kid to get school clothes thanks to donations. I saw lots of people coming out with loaves of bread, bags of vegetables, and fresh flowers. I parked, unloaded the baby, unloaded the stroller, loaded the baby, nearly forgot my reusable shopping bag (that would have been a major faux pas), and started towards the outdoor part of the market.
I was a little worried that Marianna would want to be held instead of wanting to stay in the stroller, but I found that she was completely captivated by all the people. I think she almost forgot who was pushing her around...almost.
I bought some potatoes from one stall (not as good as Pappa's), some grape tomatoes and a giant purple onion (with what I would have called a tail, but Greg called an "onion wiener"...you see what I'm dealing with here?) from another stall, and some zucchini and a yellow squash from another. I'm an equal opportunity shopper, you know? Then I went inside to the bakery...YUM!!!! Fresh everything. challa, chocolate brioche, tarts, pies, multigrain bread, baguettes shaped like giant fish...I really wanted the apple tart but the nice lady in front of me bought both of them. The peach tart looked great too, so I bought one. Sorry Marianna, you haven't graduated to peach tarts yet. Soon enough....It will go straight to your thighs anyway...
I took Marianna and my peach tart to a table back outside right in front of the giant fountain which had a huge-lipped fish spewing water from its tail. Kiley would be so jealous. Nearby, there was a group of women who must have met earlier with their kids to partake in the market. This is what I learned from sitting a few feet away from them.
1. You must own and use a McClaren stroller to go the market.
2. You must have a minimum of two blond, exceptionally dressed, blissful children.
3. The clothes you wear shall be designer, but casual. Preferably a dress.
4. Makeup is NOT optional.
5. Husbands are allowed, but they must be appropriately dressed (khaki shorts and a polo), willing to one-up each other while keeping one eye on the well-dressed kids so they don't end up in the fountain with the fish.
6. You must bring healthy snacks for your children...preferably carrot sticks and water.
7. Even if you have five (yes, five) stair-step children, your body and your mental capacity should not have changed so significantly that it is noticeable to bystanders.
Okay, so the market was great. I'll go back. However, I will steer my unapproved stroller, my non one-upping husband, and my not so designer-dressed kids to another spot in order to enjoy my peach (or hopefully apple) tart. Maybe I need to just plant a garden.
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