April 9, 2020 - Thursday; SIP Journals: Farmer's Market Protocal

Lilies in the slant of the afternoon.

Went to the Farmer's Market today.  My turn to get out and about. And an opportunity to support the farmers who continue to grow fresh food for us, the stuff I'd prefer not to order online. If possible.

A grey-skied day this morning; a subdued, quiet focused mood. No music. No gabby gatherings of friends. No one lingering at the little round cafe tables with coffee and a spot of lunch. But still, busy enough. Just.

The market management (AIM)  has it down. The aisles between the rows of vendors had been widened considerably, so there was plenty of space for folks to maintain the requested 6-foot margins around themselves. There were marks on the pavement to indicate adequate spacing while waiting in lines or walking around.  We wait our turn, scoping out what's available - asparagus, artichokes, avocados, apples.  (Isn't alliteration fun?).  Then you tell the vendor your choices, they collect it, bag it and hand it to you or place on a package pick-up table. Often you pay a separate person, so the person handling the food isn't handling the cards or the cash. It all feels very clean and contained. Certainly under more control than many grocery stores, where someone could paw over the piles of oranges or mishandle a bunch of grapes and no one would know. And I liked  being outside, not in the constricting, narrow little aisles of the local stores.

I'm impressed. It's not the lively scene of the Time Before Covid (TBC) but for being out in society, it feels safe enough. And this is true - we enter grocery stores, public spaces as if they are DMZs, as potentials intersections with an enemy. I'm sure we'll get back to something that resembles normal at some point, but until we have robust testing and  medical protection, our actions will always be proscribed and constrained while out in public. Wonder if that will mean a richer interior life, steeped in contemplation and a deeper appreciation for the gifts of being alive? Will it mean more and more of our social and commercial interactions will take place online?

Also, there's a vendor with veggie-starts. Think I'll have to come back next week with the garden in mind.

Tree -- or Rabbit? Now that is a question.