Farmers Market in June

The farmers market now has enough vendors and shoppers showing up to be interesting. There still is not a large selection of garden vegetables, but there is signage that catches people's attention.

 In addition to the pork, beef, shrimp, baked goods, and knives that were there a few weeks ago, there were strawberries, lots of them.

There was a lady selling wild flowers for the Nature Conservancy and I had a nice talk with her and another shopper about plants. I discussed health and hospitals with the lady who sells goat milk soap. I have been wondering if Franciscan Alliance will follow up their acquisition of JCH with the purchase of other small hospitals. Consolidation has been a trend in medicine during my life time. My father was a pharmacist trying to run his own drug store when I was a kid, and entry of a small chain into the town we were living in drove him out of business. Then he went to work for a large drug store in St. Paul and wondered why he had not made that move years earlier. Today an independently owned drugstore is a rarity. Doctors with their own practice are becoming less common, and perhaps independent small hospitals will also soon be a thing of the past.

It is always fun to chat with the vendors and others shoppers. I do not buy much (division of labor leaves that to the other member of my household), but I like to look at the prices. When I saw rhubarb for $3 a pound I felt a little richer. I have harvested at least ten pounds of it from my garden to make crisps.

In the afternoon I braved the cold water of LaRue Pool. It only took me about seven minutes to get totally wet--I am not one who just jumps in and gets it over with. I take my time and prolong the suffering. Once in the water I was fine. I was surprised at how many people were there given that it was not that warm today.