oh what a beautiful morning

This morning, I woke up fully rested in my own bed with my cats playing their 'push the other cat off the bed' game. Jr and the drummer left for their jobs. Jack and I got up and ate a bowl of cereal--he had Wheaties and I had Cocoa Dynobites. We talked for a few minutes and he left for work.

And I was in the house alone, except for the cats. It was just like the years that I spent, raising children, caring for our home, and learning the joy of the gardens. I petted the cats, went out to find the dog and give her some lovin' and beggin' strips (she thinks they're bacon strips--get it? beggin/bacon?) and then I got my purse and my green shopping bag and headed to the park where the local farmers' market is set up on Saturdays until the snow flies. The weather was a perfect fall morning--an earlier rain with some distant thunder had washed everything clean and there was no breeze, just sunlight and calm.

I drove into the park and immediately felt at home. It is the park of my childhood, the park of my teens, and now, the park of my grammahood. At the top of the hill, I noticed the soccer games with kids of all ages in their brightly colored jerseys chasing the ball. At my left, I spotted the weekly dog training class, the excited dogs and the inexperienced owners. Next, I saw the bride and groom posing for pictures in the gazebo. And in front of me on the left, I watched the playground--the little children playing, throwing the mulch because there is no sand to throw, and the parents telling their children to stop throwing mulch, and the nearby couples snuggled in their sleeping bags and blankets, so young, so into each other, so completely unaware of anyone but their someone. And across the road in the pavillion was a family setting up for a family reunion.

The farmers' market was exceptionally crowded today or perhaps I arrived later than usual, but I think there were more shoppers because it is harvest time for so many gifts from the garden and orchard. I saw these adorable tiny little eggplants and some ginormous zuchini squash that, for a moment, caused me to wonder if they wouldn't have been perfect for a game of street hockey? I saw boxes of crisp apples and ripening pears and tomatoes, the end of the season corn on the cob, and the honey man from Grantsville. The bakers from the breadshop were in their usual place with all of their baskets of aromatic loaves. And the perennial girl was there with the perennials that she chose to share with others on this beautiful fall day. I immediately found the stand with the raspberries and bought two cases to wash and mash and make into jam. Next I found beautiful, large bartlett pears that are even now, ripening. And I found the most luscious peaches--lemon elbertas with smooth fuzzy skin and that perfect peach color--a blend of yellow, peach (of course) and deepening into a plum-red.

After moving all of that fruit into the back of my adorable little car, I walked back through the market, discovering the corn on the cob and paying only $3 for 15 ears from the peach and pear man. I stopped to visit with the perennial girl, who is always informative and friendly--a kindred spirit, I suppose.

I headed back to my adorable car and as I opened the door and sat down, I was overcome by the intensity of the mix of scents. The mixture of raspberries and pears and those juicy peaches was what I think heaven must smell like. It was warm and delicious and calming and I sat for a few moments just breathing in and out with my eyes closed. My mouth was watering and my mind begged for just one bite of that sweet juicy fruit.

I love this bounteous time of year in the gardens.