One Morning Out and About
Most Saturdays I head out to the closest farmers market in my city, and if I’m not too loaded down on the way back, I’ll wander around a bit instead of taking a beeline back home. This was a more circuitous route I took a few weeks ago.
It’s pretty common for people to put stuff out with a FREE sign hoping to find someone to take their unneeded stuff off their hands. This chair is an example. (I didn’t carry it home.)
At the market I saw something I’d never seen before and haven’t seen since – one of those painted sheets of plywood with holes cut in it so people can stick their heads through for a photo opportunity.
Coming back I went past the old water tower where peregrine falcons roost. I didn’t see them this time around, but kids and/or parents had drawn in chalk on a curved wall near the base of the tower.
Getting closer to home, I walked by a brick path through a park that’s been around for a century. Recently some funding came through to rebuild the path, which had gone into a bit of disrepair due to erosion and use over the years.
One neat thing is that a small bridge had been built to span a low lying area which becomes swampy in the spring, presumably to accommodate toads or other little wildlife.
On the last few blocks, I came across some new spots among tree roots made by kids to accommodate fairies or other toys. They’re in the same area as some of these collections..
These were within a couple of blocks of each other. I’ve never seen kids playing there, but they must be connected. Whether each was created by a series of friends, or whether one kid had made all of them, I don’t know.
Finally, a couple of blocks from home I encountered some enterprising girls setting up a stand to sell muffins they had made. I didn’t really want one, but how could I say no?
You can’t say no to kids selling muffins.
There were like three of those girls and they looked tough.
Did you ever hear the story of the Girl Scouts who set up a cookie stand outside a strip mall pot dispensary? Genius. They did gangbusters but I think they were driven off because the whole area was adults-only, somehow? Even though there was also a Target or a Kohl’s or something?
Though I do not partake of the herb I was outraged on their behalf. They saw a need and they provided relief. What could be more American?
I’ll always say no to old chairs. Learned that the hard way in school where most of the furnishings were well used furniture.
Cause you never know who’s hitching a ride on that chair.