Market Day

Monday is market day... a very large market here in this otherwise sleepy little town.  NOT sleepy on Monday.  Wide awake and visited by many, many folks from all over the place.  Just a bit over a mile from our place, down a quiet country road that passes by our Sunshine Village, it makes a great walk in the fall sunshine.  We don't leave early like in the busier season after all the Snowbirds get here.  Today there are 4 of us.  Two of us are pushing or dragging, which ever suits our fancy, our market carts.  These handy gadgets sort of fold together when empty and roll along on two wheels.  Later, after much shopping, and they have cargo, they open out and roll along on all four wheels, much like a stroller. So off we go, trudging down the road enjoying the day and each other's company. The journey seems shorter if we can talk and laugh together. We decide to take a short cut across a grassy field alongside a vegetable garden.  It takes us over to a state road that we cross right into the market place, after getting across the street, which can be a bit tricky.
The veggie rows are on the other side of the market so we travel through the covered vending sheds looking at all the things people are selling.  There are MANY vendors here even this early in the season.
I find a little clip-on-your-belt or waistband cell phone holder to buy.  I left mine at home!  Onward we go, someone stops to buy a small crockpot from folks selling kitchen things.
The veggie rows are real busy today as always.  Such a selection of everything from homemade cheese to collard greens.  The prices are unbeatable!  Many items are a dollar a bunch or basket or bundle.  I buy a large bag, heavy too, of big navel oranges which we are invited to have a yummy sample of, for only $2.
Nice big red-ripe tomatoes, corn on the cob, baskets of pears, bananas, grapes, bunches of radishes and you name it.  We all pick out our favorites for this week and talk about what we will try next week.
 I am not often out without my camera. My little one that fits so nicely into a pocket, is without it's charging cord as I forgot that too. My good camera was too big to pack along. Thus, I am not able today to take pictures of this vegetarian paradise. :(    I will remedy that soon, I'll confiscate Dennis' camera!!
After we get all our veggies for the week and load our carts up we do a little more looking about as we head back to the trail home.  Crossing the grassy field is a bit more difficult with these heavy laden carts!
Thank goodness for Cheryl who is pushing my cart now !
The noonday sun is VERY warm beating down upon us.  As we trudge along, I think about the women of the Bible days, in their sandals and mantles over their heads to ward off the sun's rays. I always picture those roads as dusty and dry and envision the women with heavy water jugs atop their heads. Or the disciples going from place to place following Jesus.  My feet are HOT in my Reeboks and I am thinking of a swim in the pool. I scrounge around in the cart for my light weight plastic water bottle. The water is quite warm.  It is a long way home.
We finally arrive and divide up our purchases.  Dennis is home now for lunch, which I left for him in case I wasn't back in time.  He enjoys the radishes with his sandwich and soup.  I have a salad I'd made earlier, so thankful to sit down and eat something cool.   I find I am too tired to go swimming !  Now that is BAD, huh? Could it be that I am just a bit out of shape??  I park on the porch couch and think about what I'll tell you all about our adventure today.