Appreciation

Monica: There's a wonderful little farmer's market in Albion on Sundays that we try to get to when we can. The vendors are all local (as opposed to driving in from other parts of the county or other counties altogether.) There are only a handful of stalls, but one in particular has a great selection of produce: lemon cucumbers, heirloom tomatoes, various greens, carrots, and grilling onions. This past Sunday, we picked up a bag of shelling peas. When I split one open and popped the peas in my mouth, I was surprised by their sweetness. It was almost like eating candy. The peas never made it to the pot.

Evelyn: One of the things I have carried with me from place to place is a handful of artistic artifacts left by my stepdad's mom, Jeannie. I was in her life only through Sam's dad, Bill, and only through the last days of her life as she came to the end of her battle with cancer. What I knew about Jeannie was that she was quiet, eclectic, and loved entwining nature within her artwork. Her choice of color is so deeply appealing to me that I have kept some of her pieces - small but playful - and found ways to integrate them into my life. This one hangs off a door in my new space. The colors like the ocean just a few miles away.