Life is never better for me than when my kids are having wholesome, this-is-what-I-envisioned-motherhood-to-be-like fun. As seems to be the theme this summer, I continue to look for ways to have cheap fun outside with the kids, and farmers’ markets provide some of the best. It’s an adventure to go to a new one and see what kind of good times we can find there, so off we go! Back to the market!
On Wednesday afternoons, you can kill some time with your kiddos if you live locally and take the trip into Woodstock, VT for their farmers’ market that runs from 4-7. It is not my favorite; there isn’t as much visual stimulation for the kids or effortless ways to keep them occupied, but there is some great, free fun at your fingertips if you’re game. We generally always are and love any excuse to go to beautiful Woodstock.
One of my favorite parts of going to farmers’ markets is the walk in. The images and sensory assault are a goldmine for photography. I love getting a sense for all the goings on and feeling the energy: is it packed with kids playing tag, with moms buying local produce for their families, with teenagers looking for something to do, with dogs being pulled in wagons?
He had me at hello.
Thank God I had family with me because I would have just abandoned my kids to photograph this dog. Who would blame me, though? Probably my husband, but look at that smile! How could I resist?
As I said, this isn’t my favorite farmer’s market, just because it is truly more of a market than a source of entertainment. However, my kids can always find a way to keep themselves busy and happy.
And there is live music, which always gets Jax and Em’s toes’ tapping. Especially in the form of Em’s first crush: high school boys that she was practically mooning over. She waved to them over and over and couldn’t tear herself away. It reminded me of Davey Jones or David Cassidy fever! Jax liked them because they gave him an excuse to run.
They were actually pretty good, but I didn’t find out their name. If any local readers know who those kids are, please be so kind as to share it with us so I can spread the love! Look at Em waving to them like a groupie. I should have gotten their autograph.
My only other complaint about this particular farmers’ market is the lack of ready-to-eat food. Good thing I came prepared! The Woodstock Green is one of our favorite spots to pull up a wrought iron bench and enjoy a meal while people- and truck-watching, so adding a little festivity to the mix only made the time pass more quickly.
Okay, so I love the dog and this bench.
And actually, I have a strange confession. My friends up here know this about me, but it’s a weird idiosyncracy of mine. My name is Becky and I always cut up my kids’ fruit. Always. The problem is that now they don’t know how to eat a peach like a peach or an apple like an apple. I bring a little knife with me when I bring fruit and skin it and cut it up into slices. I guess I did it when they were super little and never graduated. So I’m trying to branch out, save myself some time and energy, and de-weird-ify my kids. I started with peeling their fruit, still cutting up most of it, but then giving them the core to gnaw on like a bone. Then I realized that was even weirder than never letting them eat the fruit the way God intended, so I finally relaxed and just let them eat the damn thing.
Seriously, what is wrong with me? Besides the fact that I was making my kids compulsive, how did I not forsee how adorable they would be eating sticky, drippy fruit on a summer’s day?
I suppose now I have to learn to take the sticker off the fruit before I give it to them, but ah, well…live and learn!
The evening ended with my kids shadowing some slightly older kids and their game of tag. They wouldn’t give Jax the time of day but he just can’t take a hint. He ran five feet behind them and smiled from ear to ear. You would have thought he was one of the captains in capture-the-flag, and I don’t even think those older kids knew he was there. Em cheered him on, nonetheless, and they went home satisfied from their dinner and a wonderful adventure.
I may not head back to that particular farmers’ market on a weekly basis, but I love having a treat like that in my back pocket for the rest of the summer. There in case I need it, which I will! And maybe Em can get those boys’ names this time!
