Trip to Farmers Market

A beautiful sunny Saturday and a great way to get out of the house for awhile and go exploring. On Wednesdays and Saturdays, Norman has the Farmers Market up at the County Fairgrounds. The problem is it is only open until noon on Wednesdays and till 12:30 on Saturdays. If I work late at night, it leaves me little time to get up there. I was bound and determined I was going to get there today because I needed some tomato starts before it gets too late to start planting them. I managed to get there about noon and wandered through just a few of the booths. Some were set up outside in the parking lot and then there is a huge building filled with vendors. I parked the car up by the livestock barn and walked to the market area. As I did, I heard the loudspeaker from the barn saying "one of the things I look at when ..........." Oh dear, keep walking! I know that I am a sucker when it comes to animals, no matter what kind they are. I was on a mission and the vegetables came first!

Many of the vendors outside had vegetables from different states and some from outside of the United States. I wanted to find locally grown products so I kept searching. It didn't take me long, just inside the building and the first booth to the left was a local vendor with a table filled with a nice assortment of beautiful plants. Being the first time gardener that I am, I asked for some advice not only on the actual planting but which varieties to purchase. Next week, I will probably be going back and grab some of their patio tomatoes as well.

They also had a lilac bush and since it was close to closing time, they not only discounted my tomato plants but the lilac bush as well. She said that the lilac plant was already two years old and should produce some blooms later on for me this year. I am so anxious to see some beautiful fragrant lilacs growing in my yard.

After putting my purchases into my car, of course I had to go check out what was going on in the livestock barn. They were having a goat show! Since I've been reading up on goats, what a wonderful opportunity to get up close and personal with some. I got a chance to visit with some of the gals that were showing their goats. It was lunch time for the kids and it was fun to watch, the nannies so patient with their babies, as they nursed. I swear, they were fast little critters, took them no time at all to totally empty mama out!

I came home and got some more of the weeds pulled and the ground raked so that I could start turning some earth. I guess there are some advantages to having a yard full of weeds, underneath there isn't any grass! So I was able to get my beautiful lilac and tomatoes planted with ease.

My little climbing rose bush out front had a profusion of red/pink/white peppermint blooms this year. I was so afraid that when the workmen were here earlier this year and they helped me clear all the ivy out of the flower beds around the front of the house, that they had killed the rose bush because someone cut it way way back. Of all the things that I've planted, that has done so well. I did transplant some jonquils a couple of years ago into the front beds but the ivy overtook them and it wasn't until all the ivy was removed that they began to flourish. I do need some other plants in there since those jonquils only bloom for such a short period of time and the beds look naked!

Think I'll head to bed and have dreams of beautiful fragrant lilac blossoms and fresh red tomatoes!