eating our way to the end of summer

I was sick and feverish through several beautiful fall days and over a weekend, which is just the pits. But the absolute worst part of it all was missing the farmer's market. When I was somewhat recovered, and had left my family to feed themselves for several days on whatever they could find, I managed to get to the grocery store for fresh produce. I wandered through the vegetable and fruit area and felt so completely uninspired. I've purchased all of this kind of stuff from the farmer's market all summer. Everything looks delicious out in the sunlight, under the umbrellas, and circled round by all kinds of fascinating folks. It didn't look the same in the plastic bins at Kroger's. Nothing looked good. At the farmer's market, it isn't the mundane task of grocery shopping. It is a community experience. It is socializing and drinking coffee and listening to music. It is oohing and aahing over the abundance of vegetables, fruits, of life in general. The market goes on for a few more weeks, thank goodness, because after that we may starve to death.