mudskating at the market

Upon arriving at the Coventry Farmers' Market for Scott's first time as a bakery vendor on this very wet morning, the last thing we wanted to see was deep mud gullies, a van spinning its tires, and hay being scattered furiously about to help everyone traverse the field of ankle-deep muck. Oh well, we were there and had lots of yummy things that Scott and Jesse worked hard to bake yesterday and this morning, so we might as well make the best of it!

(Edited to add: You guys know Scott's a baker, right? Yeah. We have a licensed wholesale bakery in the basement of our house. The glass stuff is for the fun of it; I just talk about it more here.)

The rain had slowed to only a drizzle and the hay made all the difference in navigating the field. Die-hard fans of the farmers' market came anyway -- certainly not as many people as would have been there on a sunny day, but enough to still keep things hopping. The stuck van made its way out with three hooting and hollering people weighing down the back bumper for traction. When the coffee vendor's coffeemaker broke, I fetched a bunch of Boxes o' Joe from Dunkin Donuts, which Jesse offered to the chilly vendors in need of caffeine. Leah went into the historic Nathan Hale homestead for some warm cider and allowed herself to be mesmerized by the fire's flames.

It was 4H day at the market, so there were goats and sheep and bunnies parading around with their humans, as well as the usual dogs of all shapes and sizes. We loved the free samples of wood-fired pizza and did an enjoyable lot of swapping with other vendors.

We met new yarnie friends , other bakers in their own small businesses, and folks from our town. The conversations continued to flow as the rain stopped and the ground firmed up. People helped each other, shared freely, made the most of a less than optimal situation, and had a darn good time along the way.

When the visitors to the market had gone home and the vendors' booths were dismantled, out came the crock pots, casseroles, and desserts for a vendor potluck, a festive market community celebration. We felt privileged to be a part of it all. Man, if we can have that much fun at the farmers' market on a washout of a day, it's going to be a blast in the sunshine!