A Visit to the Farmer's Market

Wednesday and Saturday mornings are very special to me.  As I have written in the past, these are the days that the Farmer's Market is open in our little strip mall parking lot.  It has done my soul good to see the booths all bustling and crowded this summer.  If it were up to me,  I would bring a lawn chair and enjoy watching the transactions of the morning.

One can learn a great deal by listening to others as they choose their purchases.  There are elderly women, who still like to can, choosing just the right cucumbers for pickles.   Some folks are seasoned veterans at picking the perfect peppers.  When the sweet corn comes in, the place is very busy with people wanting to taste the delights of summer.  From apples, eggplant and tomatoes to broom corn, fresh flowers and herbs and jellies, there really is something for everyone.  It is one of my happy places.


For the longest time I have wanted to attempt to capture the Market on film.  This past Saturday, I finally remembered the camera.  It was not one of the busier days, but then the season is winding down for some of the vendors.  Most gardens are about done.

This is one side of the area.  Armello's brings fresh Italian bread, pizza shells and rolls from Vandergrift about  45 minutes away.  The baker told me he is up at 3 am so that the bread is fresh for the Market.  And it is.  I've had their bread and pizza shells.  They are so good.  The fresh fragrance when the bag is opened is....well, uh, I guess beyond words.

These folks have quite a variety of wares; from vivid yellow flowers to honey and jams and watermelon.  They even had maple syrup.

The Hooks Family.  This is where I buy most of the veggies that I don't grow myself.  

Mr. Hooks is in the center of the picture in the "Maine" sweatshirt.  He has been very helpful answering my many gardening questions and is delightful to talk with.  His sweetcorn is the best by far.

Mussers Fruit Farm.  My "Apple Guy".  It seems they have every kind of apple, old and newer varieties.  They had pears several weeks ago that were amazing!  Mrs. Musser had blueberries for sale for the first time this spring.  These folks know each variety of their apple's best qualities.  The Mussers know which of their apples are good for sauce, baking or eating fresh.  He is a wealth of apple wisdom.  Since I am on this no sugar diet, I wasn't sure if my normal Cortland apples would be the best for my applesauce this year.  When I asked him about canning sauce with no sugar, he recommended Ida Reds. The result was perfect.  It is nice and thick with a great flavor.  I headed back for another bushel a week later.  For his other apple choices, he says the Cortlands are still his pick for a drying apple.  Empires are his favorite eating apple.  I've seen folks buy quite a bit of their grapes, too.  I can't wait for the cider!  It's pure, unfooled around with, nothing added--or taken away--cider.

There are not many weeks left until just the Mussers will be at the Market.  They will be there until Christmas with apples and cider.  At that point, I wait until the late spring to see the delights of the Market.

O DIVINE REDEEMER,
Great was thy goodness
   in undertaking my redemption,
   in consenting to be made sin for me,
   in conquering all my foes;
   Great was thy strength
   in enduring the extremities of divine wrath,
   in taking away the load of my iniquities;
Great was thy love
   in manifesting thyself alive,
   in showing thy sacred wounds,
      that every fear might vanish, and every doubt be removed;
Great was thy mercy
   in ascending to heaven
   in being crowned and enthroned
      there to intercede for me,
      there to succour me in temptation,
      there to open the eternal book,
      there to receive me finally to thyself;...
Great was thy grace
   in commanding me to come hand in had with thee to the Father,
      to be knit to him eternally,
      to discover in him my rest,
      to find in him my peace,
      to behold his glory,
      to honour him who is alone worthy;...
When thou art absent all sorrows are here,
When thou art present all blessings are mine.

--A selection from Victory, from the book, The Valley of Vision.



 

9/11 and God

For your reading pleasure:  A Shocking Day That Neither Shocked nor Surprised God.

Childhood Memories -- A Craft From the Past

Of course, there is the usual grass cutting, garden weeding and tomato canning, but I've been busy reliving my childhood...

A few months ago, I had delivered a meal to a friend and their puppy promptly chewed two of my old, but loved potholders.  My niece had made some for me a long time ago.  I always loved making these as a kid and when I needed replacements the store bought ones just didn't cut it.  They just don't seem to stand up to the heat from the oven like these good ole ones do.

When I was telling my husband about my dilemma of trying to find decent potholders, he went online and found a kit with the whole works.  Frame, directions, helpful metal weaving tools and enough bright cotton loops to make two potholders.  This is the beginning of the first one that I made.

This is potholder #1!

This project brought back many memories from my childhood.  I loved weaving these--creating patterns with the colors--then, I remembered how difficult they can be to remove from the frame.  That brought back memories, too...the ones when I would get frustrated and yell and want to pitch the whole thing....yeah, those wonderful memories.  I did have to fight with this one getting it off the frame.  The second was a great deal easier.  I had left it on the frame for a couple of days knowing that I wanted time to put up a good fight.  Well, it seems that letting it sit for those two days helped a ton.  No fighting!  Lesson learned.

It was interesting for me to remember my frustrations as a kid and, thankfully, see that I'm no longer so easily frustrated and how God has grown me.

There is one problem, it is not all that big of a problem, really.  There have been quite a few admirers of my new potholders.  I may need to find a larger bag of loops to make some for gifts!  This is potholder #2.

P.S.  I realize that today is the 11th anniversary of the attacks on America on 9/11.  It remains a day of reflection and remembrance.  I cannot forget the horror of that day and how we have all been changed by such an attack.  God, however, was not asleep.  He is sovereign.

"My Father,
Enlarge my heart, warm my affections, open my lips,
   supply words that proclaim 'Love lustres at Calvary'.
There grace removes my burdens and heaps them on the Son,
   made a transgressor, a curse, and sin for me;
There the sword of thy justice smote the man, thy fellow;
There thy infinite attributes were magnified,
   and infinite atonement was made;
There infinite punishment was due,
   and infinite punishment was endured.
Christ was all anguish that I might be all joy
      cast off that I might be brought in,
      trodden down as an enemy
         that I might be welcomed as a friend,
      surrendered to hell's worst
         that I might attain heaven's best,
      stripped that I might be clothed,
      wounded that I might be healed,
      athirst that I might drink,
      tormented that I might be comforted,
      made a shame that I might inherit glory,
      entered darkness that I might have eternal light,
My Saviour wept that all tears might be wiped from my eyes,
      groaned that I might have endless song,
      endured all pain that I might have unfading health,
      bore a thorned crown that I might have a glory-diadem,
      bowed his head that I might uplift mine,
      experienced reproach that I might receive welcome,
      closed his eyes in death that I might gaze on unclouded brightness,
      expired that I might for ever live.

An excerpt from "Love Lustres At Calvary" from The Valley of Vision. (This selection is the favorite of my friend, Bill, who would, at any given opportunity, read from The Valley of Vision during Worship.)


Here is a a selection from "Valley of Vision" a CD of songs inspired by the book, Valley of Visions.  This song is based on this selection.  It is called "How Deep".