Clone Wars vs Added Value Farm

That's how the family divided today. On the way to the Pavilion we saw a friend who told us that he loved the Clone Wars but it was all fighting so I decided me and the young one would sit it out. Anyway I had been hoping to get to the Waterfront Museum, seems like forever by now.

We went home from the Pavilion via that path that goes along just inside the boundary of the park from the circle (ok, square) to around 10th Avenue. Its lovely lovely lovely, and very accommodating to the tricycler. Once when I was walking it, a red-tailed hawk flew over my head very low, so low that it almost caught my cowlick up in its tail wind. I'm always surprised by how pale those birds are. I also saw one fly over the intersection of 11th and Windsor Place, so it seems to know the meaning of that street name better than any other entity I've ever seen pass along it.

Then in the godawful minivan to the museum, my daughter asleep within minutes, and I realize that I can just go to the farm in Redhook and let her sleep in the car with the door open while I visit the market. Of course I feel like an asshole driving into the place in the ignormous vehicle while graceful bikers glide in and out. At least someone gets to live like that. As for leaving the child in the car, all I can say in my defesne is that I would have left her in the wheelbarrow but I didn't have one.

At the farm I bought collard greens, leeks, lettuce, beets and 2 tomatoes. Some of the produce was cultivated in New Jersey as the very sweet man named something like Ian explained to me. It was a little busy so I had to wait awhile to buy my stuff but the Ian guy thanked me for my patience and gave me a wedge of cantaloupe, which I managed to drop on the ground right away. I will definitely go back there because that sort of kindness is something I don't take for granted in the least. He even asked my name. Even though I barely spoke to him, just enough to say that I had recently landed here on earth and was having trouble with gravity, I found him thoroughly inspiring, and I needed to be inspired.

Before I left I had to take a moment to enjoy the quiet. If you are a mother or father of many children you will understand what I mean by quiet. I could hear crickets chirping while I stood there on the edge of a massive bed from where I could see a beautiful section of eggplants in all stages of growth, no doubt perked up from all of the rain that fell last night. It was about time. I went to the park this morning to celebrate, taking showers under the trees by shaking the branches, and then showering again when I got home. The shower is a very good place to hide.

So I chopped up my collard greens which are simmering now, and it required great bravery since I sawed into my left thumb yesterday cutting cabbage. The collards were beautiful and hefty, too bad Anikan wasn't around with his light saber to help me out. Well, he is a Skywalker, not a greenschopper.

The Added Value Farmer's Market, directly across from Ikea so just follow sign for "Ikea Plaza", or take the shuttle, is open Saturdays from 9 - 3. As for the movie, my son said it was awesome, but father and daughter's reactions were lukewarm.