Saturday, September 4, 2010

It's heartening to see people at the market on an unseasonably nasty Saturday. I guess it means they care.

When my alarm went off at 5:30, I looked out the window at a street full of puddles being dappled by raindrops, and I biked to the train station downtown in a mean-spirited, chilly drizzle. Dawn did not bring with it any break in the early morning's temper tantrum, and Matt and I set up in the spit of the clouds.

I was unsure what to expect. I knew, of course, that everyone would see decent business- it's Labor Day weekend, and as for Rittman- we've established some pretty die-hard regulars. Still, the weather being what is was made me wonder. Just how many fans do we have?

Our answers began showing up, as usual, before 8. By market's official open, we had our usual line, and it grew and sustained a 10-20 member queue for a couple of hours, at least. I started the morning back-stocking our display and had my head in a bushel of apples when Matt nudged my attention to the crowd. I'd only half expected that sort of attention on such an ugly day. Flattering, and amazing, that people will stand 20 minutes in a soggy line for our peaches.

Sometimes he asks me "are you having fun yet?" with a sarcasm in his voice implying the question "why on earth are you here when you could be doing anything else," but today Matt kept quiet, stocking and restocking with a focused clip meant in part, I'm sure, to keep from noticing the weather. Questioned or not, though, I can definitely say that even when it sucks it's good. It's not relaxing and it's not easy and the hours are early, and sometimes the people or the weather are really sour...but like our dedicated customers (crazy as they may have seemed this morning), I show up every week- twice a week- because I love it.

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