Fall and Farmer's Markets

On Saturday I suffered the pain of a mammogram. For some people it doesn't hurt and for some, like me, it's excruciating. The attitude of the technician was as if I was being a petulant child and causing a ruckus because the plate had "barely touched" me. I most assuredly was not and the fact that my breast and arm are still sore can be attributed to that. I'd like to clamp that woman's breast as hard as mine were and see if she didn't squeal in pain. Meh.
Anyways, on the way home I stopped by the Farmer's Market at Trout Lake park. It's a combo of bakery items, olives, jewellery, pottery, cutting boards, cheese, meats, vegetables and fruits. There are some repeats along the veggie lines but some variety from one to the other. I still find it pretty hard to pay $2 for four carrots though. Everything is supposed to be organic, from the beef to the beets.

I don't get to the market often but I like to get items I can't normally get, or in the case of tomatoes, something with tastes. Whether hothouse grown or not, tomatoes these days have no flavor. They're red globes of water so I definitely buy organic. I have a cherry tomato plant growing at the front of the yard and it's getting quite a few fruits now, somewhat late due to the cool year. But I also bought some cherry tomatoes at the market, with dark red and green streaks. They are very tasty.

I bought a smoked turkey haunch (something I can't get usually), some crimini mushrooms, a variety of Italian squashes and zucchini, and a pair of earrings with lampworked beads. The market is in a parking lot with many people talking, musicians playing, dogs barking and a few people on their cell phones. I was one, talking to my friend about the evening, while I looked at the jewellery, when this woman beside me burst out, "Oh for heaven's sake!"

I looked up and she said, "I came here to get away from cell phones," and stormed off. Well, lady, I came here to get away from judgmental people. Yeesh, what business was it of hers. I wasn't driving (thank god) and there was enough ambient noise for everyone. There certainly was no sign that said, only barefoot hippies in homespun with no technology allowed. It didn't ruin my day.

When I got home I took notice of the changing leaves. That fall chill is already in the air. The apple tree in the back yard is dropping its apples. We never eat them because they're a 100-year-old variety that tends to be soft and mushy. My landlady takes them to the deer on Galliano Island. The pear tree, also 100 years old, developed rust a couple of years ago and now produces fewer, blighted pears. The plum tree has already seen its season come and go. The strawberries are on another burst and producing more fruit. Daisies, echinacea and gladiolas are getting ready to bloom. In some areas they already have. My neighbor has these huge, head-sized dahlias in amazing colors.

So fall is not yet here but the leaves are turning a bit, and others are just going brown. If we continue to get some more sun, like this last week, it will extend the growing period. I'm hoping for this because it's been such a wet and cold year. The longer we can hold back the wintry weather, the better. Though like I said, that chill is already in the air in the mornings. And fall has not officially arrived quite yet.

Sunny Weekend Events

I love the warm weather. My body hurts way less and it's just great. My neighbor, who is renovating his home back to what it would have looked like in 1910 when it was built is now working on the outside. He said he's discovered where the bumblebees are living; in the holes drilled at the base and five feet up on his house, originally used for ventilation. As we stood there talking we observed the little bumblers going in and out and also into a break in the wood that overhangs my door (the bottom of the upstairs living room--I'm on ground level). He doesn't want his painters being stung but they're bees and there's a great shortage of them this year so he has a dilemma. Still, it's really nice to know we're housing bees and that they've made their hives in our houses. Symbiosis. Unfortunately, the wasps sometimes do the same and they're not quite as friendly.

I went to the Farmers Market at Trout Lake (thanks to Andrew for reminding me). It's early still in the season so it was mostly leafy greens, chard, lettuce, tomatoes, radishes, cucumbers, rhubarb, red peppers, honey, goat cheese (oooh baby, gouda and peppered, yummy yum yum), and some baked goods. I bought oyster mushrooms, the weird looking morels which I don't think I've ever had, radishes, tomatoes, goat cheese (could you tell). And it was hot out. It's loverly.

There's so much happening this weekend. There is some sort of performance festival happening in east Van, in the living rooms of peoples houses: performances, burlesque, spoken word, music. Rhea's on her way over and we're about to check it out. Tomorrow is the heritage house tour (my neighbor plans to be on it next year) so I'm hoping to go wander through heritage houses of different vintages.

And my friend Sam is having a garden party, the wear white or frocks, eat delicacies and strawberries in cream, kinda thing. I'll go to that later. He has a tiny tiny hovel and therefore quite a good sized yard. My only problem is that I need to do some work this weekend too, alas.