Those Rainy Days

I am finding some small consolation in that today is even rainier than yesterday, and windier, and way more miserable, so although those who are trying to hold outside activities today are unhappy, I have the pleasure of listening to the drops on the skylight without distress. I paid my dues yesterday.

You can see that I was quite wet in the morning, but once the tarp was up I did just fine, and the rain was light and infrequent yesterday, as it turned out. I waterproofed my boots on Friday, so when I stepped in the fountain accidentally they didn't even leak. I still screeched. The back corner of my booth actually needs to rest inside the fountain, a point on which I was in denial, but it worked okay to extend out the front a little this time, until I figure out a better solution. I will probably bring a concrete block to rest it on, or get a popup, something I have been resisting.

My back ached yesterday, either from standing up too much trying to keep from being bored in my chair (I thought about putting it out in one of the empty spaces) or from the additional lifting of all the booth parts and putting up the tarp. I have the old-fashioned wooden booth still, hanging onto the reasoning that I can lift only one piece at a time, which is still easier than lifting the 40 pounds or so of a pop-up with wet top. It's probably six of one or a half-dozen of another.

The fact is that lifting is a problem for the market vendor. I've worked hard to package all of my wares in 30-pound or less tubs or bags. To balance the greater weight of the booth, and the need to get everything under cover, I left a third of my stuff home. Loading and unloading the trailer is manageable. I might just need to exercise or sit more on the days with more stress, or take ibu like I did, and tough it out. I'm fine today, just the usual Sunday evidence of the wear and tear of aging. It's a hard day, the twelve hours of hurry hurry wait wait.

The rainy days are harder still, but there are some good reasons to be there. Sometimes sales are just as good, and that was true for some yesterday, though mine were abysmal (partly because if I go over to the farmers market, I always get into a long conversation with someone or other). There are fewer things to buy, so a greater chance one of them will be yours. The neighbors are different, new people get a chance to sell, and there is more time for leisurely conversations with customers and friends. Many loyal customers come down in every kind of weather, and so do tourists, because we are a very famous event. I had several appreciative potential customers whose feedback was quite as valuable as money. We do not go down there for dollars alone.

I started writing a little thing on my envelope I called "Elders' Gems" in which I plan to share some of the wisdom I've collected over my long years at Market. The staff will decide whether or not to share it in the newsletter like the cartoons, and I invite others to share their tips also. This is in response to a letter from esteemed market goddess Ayala who suggested that it is time for the Market to work on some kind of elders program. The OCF has been quite successful working out the details of some way to be real about the aging of the population. Since so many of our community do care deeply about our participatory organizations, it makes sense to think and work to accommodate the aging and use our resources to stay open to all ages. It's not about handing things over to the young people and getting out of the way, it's about including everyone the way we claim to. Everyone includes the weaker ones, the ones on the edges, and the ones who started the dang things and still want to play a part.

It's a tricky thing, because inclusiveness means everybody, which involves guiding some to be more cooperative, some to be less selfish, some to be more honest, some to avoid obstructing the rights of others. There are many people now who live in the several blocks where the Market sets up, and our staff has to clean up a lot of trash and noxious substances because some of these people do not seem to be motivated to be courteous of their neighbors, or those of us who rent their homes twice a week. Lots of them are desperately alienated, due to the more extreme national selfishness trend. When I pass by with my fully loaded trailer I get some catcalls and I want to suggest that some of them might try working as hard as I do to keep things together. But some of them have far more hardship than I to overcome, so I also feel lucky to have found ways to allow myself to work.

For the most part our community is very tolerant of the wayward. Lots of us are living on the edges, a few months away from sleeping in our own cars, if we have them. Our concern for the elders is part of the safety net we provide. I remember Carol Jacobs, selling her Burden Cloths into her eighties. Her obit said she was a mathematician with several degrees (it would be interesting to find out how many market vendors do have advanced degrees...95%?), and she found a way to be productive and bring in some income, through the Market.

At present we offer some financial relief for those over 65 (no mandatory HM work task) and I remember Bob Walden being granted a free booth space back in the 80's, but space is so much tighter now that is not going to be a possibility. Still, we need to start talking about it, because that is how we will come up with the ideas that will work. There's plenty of vision available and weaving a wider and stronger safety net is something the market community and the larger community can and must do. Fortunately, this kind of thinking has been part of our bigger picture for many years. I feel a great deal of gratitude for all of the thoughtful staff and members who are willing and able to see other people and want to see needs filled.

The thoughtfulness is demonstrated in myriad ways and the haiku/limerick contest was one of the lighter ones. Creative people love to be asked to create. This year not only the winning haiku got a prize, six runners-up received a token of Market's esteem! You can read Kim's blog about it here. In addition to my prize-winning poem, I wrote another, as well as a group limerick with my neighbors that was a lot of fun. Here is my second one:

sun's path is lower,
the shade has all shifted up
last day coverless?

I hope that wasn't prophetic.

I also want to mention that any of my market member readers who aren't getting the newsletter should be aware of the wonderful grant opportunity offered by Lotte Streisinger, our founder. You can get the details from the office, but the most interesting thing I have discovered about it is that the process of imagining writing the application has been most illuminating for me. Even envisioning how to spend just the modest amount of money involved has spurred me to kick myself into gear regarding my many dreams. Most of them are eminently achievable, with or without the grant. I encourage every member to apply, if only for the exercise in admitting you deserve such a thing and can put it to good use. It got me writing more regularly and bothering to take action does have its rewards. I needed duct tape.


In other news, I got this unique artifact from a free pile this week. It is pretty impractical as an exercise device unless you have a really short frame like it does, but the exceptionally wide seat and the very cool speedometer have possibilities. I just liked the way it looked, so now it is here on my deck with that old high chair I picked up a few weeks ago. When my stuff is carted to the dump, it will be an interesting load.