There was no Independence Day parade today. The length of the self-quarantine/lockdown made planning a parade impossible. Maybe there will be a parade at another time. Or maybe not.Who knows? So I didn't get up early to take a quietly peaceful walk to the start of the parade route. Instead, I gathered my clothing and was ready to begin laundry when I noticed on Facebook that there would be fresh peas at the farmers market at Tom Thompson's farm today.
Fresh... peas... fresh... peas... fresh... peas...
How best to celebrate independence day during the strangest of times than with fresh peas? Laundry can wait. I walked over to the farm, feeling excited and happy about peas. And other produce, of course.
It is a sweet and peaceful place, that farm. I got a taste test of a pickle that was truly delicious. I'm not usually all that crazy about pickles. The vinegar taste can overpower the cucumber taste, and vinegar isn't really one of my favorite things. This pickle was not like that at all. I could taste the cucumber and the vinegar was more subtle and more like an enhancement of flavor, which was very appealing.
The boss of the farm appeared to be a rooster who was busily running around, near humans but not close enough to be underfoot. I was told that he bites. Jaws in rooster form. What an image. But he didn't bite. He just crowed with plenty of roosterish enthusiasm before returning to the fenced in area and the many hens. If I were more anthropomorphic than I am, I would say that the Rooster Boss was the star of the show, admired by his many lady friends. Oh, I did say it. And who knows? Maybe they do. It seemed pretty obvious that the gender imbalance in the chicken population at the Thompson farm favored the rooster. He could have as many girlfriends as he wanted. And he probably did. Roosters are not monogamous. But that doesn't mean that he could have amorous relations with all hens. Some will avoid him, while others will gleefully mate with him.
Oh, I don't know if hens are gleeful. And I really don't know the details of the love lives of chickens. It's fun to imagine chicken romance, however.
Well, anyway, back to the theme of this story and of many of the stories that I've been sharing since the lockdown began. Life in these strange times. I was fashionably attired in shorts, a tee-shirt, a straw hat and a face mask with lots of beads. It's a lot of bling. Since the face mask seems to be our newest accessory, it may as well be fashionable. Because of the glittery appearance of my face mask, my picture was taken. I checked it out and pronounced it to be very photogenic.
Oh, and the other thing about the face mask is that I have thus far been unable to hide my identity while sporting any of my face masks. Just when I think that I've gone incognito, I hear...
"Hi, Alice!"
And I heard plenty of that while I enjoyed my time at the farmers market. After I acquired peas, red lead lettuce, and peach jam, it was time to go home and do... laundry.
And other produce, of course.
4 comments:
Who needs a parade when you can get fresh peas! I love fresh fruits and vegetables plus supporting local small businesses is the best. I made pickles the other day!
Of course, we all love a parade but a walk to the farmers market to get some peas was just as great if not so much better......and to see the rooster who was the STAR of the day not to mention the blog was well pretty awesome- I'd invite the rooster to do some Yoga with me as well! (I'd get pecked and it would be Roga, not Yoga but it may be fun! despite the tons of bandages, I'd be adorning now...LOL!
Love your story and opening photo of the tractor and was it, farmers, around it?
I would prefer fresh peas to a parade, any day. Independence is all about local food and supporting your local farmer. I've only had fresh local peas one time this year; guess it's that kind of year. It was a strange 4th for me, and many of us, but I do have to admit that I enjoyed both the Capital 4th and the Macy's show on TV this year, because it was - different. Different but good. And I didn't mind seeing fireworks on TV.
maybe they were fermented rather than pickled? We don't use vinegar - only salt. And spices (dill and garlic). I've never liked the taste of vinegar either.
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