DECEMBER 5, 2027

I LIKE THIS SHOT OF ERIC AND ME CLOWNING AROUND AT THE OLD MARKET

I had a good day at the Farmers Market yesterday, selling eggs, sunchokes and nursery plants. I set up as usual at my stall in the Brickworks building. It's OK to set up in Sunshine Alley or across Nichols in the old moped lot in the Summer, but I like the cozy feel of the barn when the cold winds begin to blow.  A really good band set up on the rooftop above the gallery. I think they're from Bellingham. One of those new junk marimba bands, it sounded like. Anyway, I had to go outside to check them out, and watch the kids dancing in the alley.

We've been experimenting with faster ways to get into the Market, unload, and get out. Space was tight from the start, twenty years ago, and has been getting tighter every year as more of the island's food comes through Brickworks. The little railway that takes loads in and out of the trucks and wagons: my idea. I'm hoping someday it will run in a loop around downtown Friday Harbor, picking up shoppers and dropping off produce. But for a while longer we'll have to rely on the fleet of pedicabs. High school kids need work, too, I guess. I keep trying to convince the Town Council that even a peddled vehicle works better on steel rails, but they reply that money is too tight for "non-essential infrastructure improvements". Sheesh!

The nursery business is still rolling along. I've been able to do a lot of my own propagation, so I'm not so dependent on mainland nurseries for starts as I used to be. It feels good to help people fill their space with fruits, berries, nuts and flowers. I realise it took some hunger and fear to make some of the changes, but we've made it this far, and all the little trees are getting bigger and more productive.