Suddenly, the outdoors has more colour and sound. That otherwise gray and quiet place has suddenly come alive and the one word that clears the air :-) is 'spring.' பறவைகளின் கூச்சல் கூட இனிமையா இருக்கு...இத்தனை நாளாய் எங்கிருந்தாய்-னு பாடத் தூண்டும் குருவிகளின் கூ கூ?! "பூ பூக்கும் ஓசை, அதை கேட்கத்தான் ஆசை!" அப்படி-னு கஜோல் பாடினா மாதிரி பாட வேண்டாம்...இங்கு இலைகள் கூட மொட்டிலிருந்து அரும்பும் காட்சி தனிமையில் ரசிக்க சூப்பர்-ஆ இருக்கு.
Last weekend I visited the Raleigh Farmers' Market along with Prasad, Rekha and Padhu. Fruits and vegetables were piled up by the box loads. There were many Asians and some Americans, busy stocking up on the fortnight's supplies. நம்ம ஊர்-ல சந்தை போனதில்லை ... இங்கு பார்த்து ரசித்த சில காட்சிகளுக்காக இந்த blog! Some of the sellers represent family owned and operated small businesses, selling home-grown produce and hand-made goods. There were bakers with fresh loaves of baguettes and other breads of the long, short, oblong, knotted, round shapes waiting to be bagged in crisp paper bags with pale floral prints. Sparrows were briskly and boldly hopping around their passive human friends, looking sharply for all crumbs they can get amid the coarse gravel. Confectioners came with a variety of pastries (the highlights were a plum something and the apricot walnut scones). You could see labels as enticing and sincere as 'searing salsa.'
We stopped at many stalls interested and curious and at times even eager ...(hey
some of the samples cannot be missed!). One couple was selling fresh roasted pecans glazed with caramel, pumpkin butter and some spice. This was a real treat. There were women selling knit monkey caps, mittens and sweaters for all ages. A stall proudly proclaimed 'State plants of North Carolina' and I saw many plastic pots of the somewhat expensive shrub like and verdant
boxwood. Not far away from the boxwood man was an Italian herbs and spice seller with packaged spices for most of your cooking needs. I also met one old German family with two of their men aged about 75 years selling
whirligigs that they hand made.
At the farmers' market, spring wears a new look and anyone can revel in its experience quietly. Simply stand around gazing with no specific aim. You'll slowly see them lazy whirligigs... gravitate to the samples from the pastry maker....and
may be even photograph that black cat sitting picture perfectly content on his master's laptop.
