j: If I were a tree, I’d be this one, gnarled, mossy, reaching, impossibly graceful and haunting. It’s located on a trail in Tomales Bay. It deserved a better photographer.

jb: Despite my desire to go to the farmer’s market every week, I’ve only managed to go twice this year – again. I have great reasons for wanting to go to the farmer’s market: to buy locally grown produce (which I do at the grocery store, at least), teach my son where food actually comes from and meet the people who grow it, to name a few. But to be really honest, what I love most is the treasures, excitement, inspirations and corresponding delusions that I find there. For example, at the egg stand, I realize I’ve always wanted to raise chickens in the backyard so we can have fresh eggs daily! At the honey stand, I decide we need to raise bees in the backyard, so we can make honey, honeycomb, beautiful beeswax candles and those amazing honey-sticks that my son loves! And let’s not forget the delicious, sun-ripened, pesticide-free fruits and vegetables! That’s where I decide to grow apricots, apples, oranges, limes, kale, tomatoes, lettuce, carrots, our own salad, no wait an orchard, oh I’ve got it now — all-our-own-food!! YES!!

All of which is great, until I remember I don’t have THAT back yard. And, even if I did figure out a way to make beehive/chicken coop combination and turn the swimming pool into a fruit orchard & vegetable garden – the reality is there’s barely enough time for my current responsibilities and I’m not willing to sacrifice time for items on my “things I want to do someday” list, to make honey-sticks that only cost 25 cents at the farmer’s market. (Which, presumably, is much less than raising bees in your yard.) So, I go back to enjoying the farmer’s market in the moment, temporarily delusion-free and vowing to return weekly.

But this week, I took my son to the farmer’s market. We had a marvelous time exploring the treasures and even discussing my crazy ideas together (which he is so on board with!) In fact, he took this week’s picture. So now you know what the farmers market looks like if you’re only 48 inches tall.