This weekend I made my first trip to the big farmers market in our city. Last year I made buying local, early on Saturday mornings (followed up by an afternoon nap) into a summer ritual- I would roll out of bed, put on a hat, grab coffee and wake up on the way to the market while Jesse drove.

I’ve been excited to make that part of my summer again this year and while a big part of me loves sleeping in on Saturday morning (so luxurious!) there’s nothing that will get me out of bed like the prospect of patting goats on the head while buying some incredible cheese. The market is packed by 9:30 am and fiddle music is carried thought the crowd by the din of hundreds of conversations going on at once, in a Manitoba mix of French, English and low German, for good measure.

This time out I remembered my market bags, and came home with them packed full of fresh bread, kale, spinach, strawberries, beautiful tiny carrots and some of the most tender and skinny asparagus stalks I’ve ever looked forward to eating. Wandering around all the amazing food got me excited about planning some decadent meals this week. In the past weeks I’ve let meal planning slide and it has resulted in dinners that have left a lot to be desired. Which is code for eating pizza at 10:30 pm. Now I have spaghetti with lemon and olive oil, a blue cheese and potato tart, and leek bruschetta to look forward to- I can’t wait!

Walking around the market was one of the first ‘crowd’ experiences I’ve had this summer, and I’m getting used to the new attention that my three quarter sleeve draws. I think that I’m finally starting to understand what people mean by how Canadians are polite- while I notice people staring while I’m not looking at them, the moment I turn they look away! It’s an endearing trait that makes me smile. I’ve been asked about my tattoos a few times, but in a very sweet way and many times it’s by tattooed people.

Mostly I’m aware that I stand out much more than I did last year and I’m still getting used to the feeling of being “that tattooed girl”- but I love the art and I feel much so more confident, positive and like myself. I don’t know if it’s being a little older, that I enjoy fresh veggies a little too much, or that I’m just getting used to standing out from the crowd, but whatever it is? I’m in love.

ps – Happy Canada Day + 4th of July, I hope you’ve had a restful long weekend! And as always, if you’d like to see these photos in detail visit them on my flickr stream