Has this not been an exceptionally beautiful, verdant spring?

The weather was so unpredictable during the winter months, with a number of winter warm days (many of us were weeding and preparing garden beds during those weird, warm days in February and March) during which plants that should not have been blooming went ahead and bloomed and trees leafed out. The up and down warm and severe cold followed in late winter and early spring; I have never before seen oaks, usually one of the latest trees to leaf out, lose their early leaves to a freeze. Those sad, burned looking leaves made me sad. Thankfully, and somewhat surprisingly, the damaged red oak and the hickory have put forth new leaves. The forsythia was not particularly stunning this year and a number of plants took a hit from the 26 degree night we had weeks ago.

The robin, who built a nest on the straw piles just outside my garden entrance, flew away every single time I or the dog walked by. I realize that she must distract me from the nest each time she flies; but I must go to and from the garden many times during her nesting season. Though I’ve tried to keep my trips to a minimum, the not very warm weather and her frequent absence from the nest is probably the cause of only one of the four eggs hatching.

Over this past week, the single fledgling has progressed so rapidly from “naked” and vulnerable to all feathered out (and still vulnerable). I made an offering of a small pile of earth worms beside the nest as penance for my disturbing behavior. I didn’t know if the fledgling was in the “regurgitated” or “small piece” or whole worm diet stage. And I have no way of knowing whether mother robin accepted the gift or if the worms crawled off the straw bale or burrowed into it. Is the robin required to only present as food worms she has gathered herself? Things move pretty quickly for the young bird; for a few days, the fledgling moved out of the nest and huddled up against the straw bales. And this morning (Wednesday), the young robin was gone. My final gift to the single mother was to pitch those old, unhatched eggs.

The carpenter bees are buzzing about and attacking the eaves and I noticed the first cottonwood flowers in the dog water bowl. Spring is nearly in full swing.

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND! We have a full vendor line-up (see below) at the Fayette County Farmers Market. We welcome the Jamboree Jammers, a two-three piece acoustic bluegrass band. Also joining us as our “community guest,” is Unbound; Unbound is an outdoor pop-up bookstore based out of Mount Sterling. The women-owned business is built on the mission of encouraging others to live in adventure, but also find it at home in a book. You can find them at the upcoming market to discuss their mission, plans, and grab the perfect read to take home. And the Children’s Activity at the info booth with Mrs. Debra will be the crafting of a butterfly while learning how butterflies are helpful as well as beautiful.

The Market is open Saturday morning from 8:30 to noon. It is located in the municipal parking lot on the corner of South Main and East East streets in Washington Court House. SNAP EBT food benefit cards and credit/debit cards are accepted. Those using the SNAP EBT card for food purchases receive matching dollar “Produce Perks” tokens ($1 for $1) good only for fruits, vegetables, and food producing plants. So,”buy one, get one” for up to $25 every market day. Five dollar coupons will be available again for Fayette County Farm Bureau members at each Saturday market; these can be spent at both the Wednesday and Saturday markets.

The following list contains the names and products of the vendors that expect to set up this Saturday. Other vendors may participate as well.

DSC Produce Farm (Darren Cox): Pickled baby beets back (limited quantities). Hot chunky salsa and ten other flavors. Sampling pineapple salsa.

Edlynns Attic (Robin Dement): Homemade peanut butter carrot dog biscuits, apple and oat dog pretzels, yarn, loveys, baking mixes, handmade glycerin soap, popsicle cozies, and baby knits.

Engeti (Alana Walters): pies, cakes, cinnamon rolls, yeast rolls, bread, cookies, poptarts, and some plants.

Fiddle Dee Pet Sets (Ellie Wait): Over the collar bandanas and scrunchie bandanas for dogs and for humans, headbands and scrunchies to match the dogs.

Greens & Greenery (Katrina Bush): Rhubarb, potted vegetable and perennial plants, raw unpasteurized honey, strawberry/honey jam, sourdough crackers. Buckeye tree seedlings.

Grounded Few (Christina Fox): Candles, wax melts, bracelets, keychains, stickers and wall décor.

Hostetter Kitchen (Melody Martin): white bread, butter rolls, iced cinnamon buns, zucchini and banana (tea) breads, granola, muffins, strawberry and rhubarb pies, whoopie pies, cheese and herb breads, cakes, buckeyes, baby beads.

Jim’s Premium Ground Beef (Jim Hobbs): Premium ground beef in assorted packages (patties, bulk tubes).

Julie G’s Cookies (Julie Greenslade): Chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, ginger, snickerdoodle, pineapple, sugar, peanut butter, peanut butter jumbos, peanut butter fudge, macadamia nut, lemon bars, and funfetti cookies.

Red Hot Baking Co (Alondra Ridenour): Dessert brownies – Oreo and peanut butter, brown butter chocolate chip cookies,white macadamia nut cookies, cranberry white chocolate cookies,decorated sugar cookies, chocolate dipped pretzel rods.

Rural Beans Roastery LLC (Kameron Rinehart): Assorted freshly roasted coffee (beans and ground).

The Jam Man (David Persinger): Apple butter, peach flamingo, ginger pear, hot pepper jelly, hot.hot.hot. pepper jelly, rhubarb, strawberry rhubarb, blueberry, peach, strawberry, blackberry, cherry, triple berry, red raspberry, grape, seedless blackberry, seedless red raspberry, strawberry jalapeno, red raspberry jalapeno, peach habanero, pineapple habanero, No added sugar: strawberry, triple berry. Texas sheet cakes, with or without pecans.

The Pie Lady and S. Plymouth Raw Honey (Julie & Dennis Mosny): cinni mini’s, Buns Bars, Banana cake and cinnamon rolls. Strawberry rhubarb, rhubarb, strawberry, apple, peach and cherry pies. Also, daylilies, shasta daisy and phlox.

Wood Designs by DW (Debbie Welch): One of a kind handcrafted wood items— birdhouses, signs, tables, gnomes. Crocheted items including kitchen towels, pot scrubs, pot holders, baby booties, and afghans. Will take custom and special orders.

Your Other Mother’s Kitchen (Don & Sara Creamer): bread, other baked goods, sewing crafts.

Bridge View Gardens (Hunter & Lorelle Rohrer): Fresh produce: fresh cut lettuce, radishes, spring onions, bedding and vegetable transplants, potted herbs and succulents.

Cozy Baby Blessings (Nancy Cutter): Handmade baby essentials including crochet baby blankets and hats, flannel burp cloths, teethers and pacifier clips. Also crochet dishcloths and pot scrubbers, beaded pens, key chains and wax melts.

Mobile Vendors – KK’s Grubb Hubb and Waffle Barn & R SPOT (espresso based drinks including lattes, cappuccino, and Americanos)

Katrina Bush is a vendor with the Fayette County Farmers Market.