The Santa Fe Farmers' Market opened today for the season! I love going to the market on Saturday mornings in the summer. For a desert, there is quite a bit of agriculture around here. I wasn't expecting much today, it being so early in the season, except some lettuce, eggs and maybe some crafts but I walked away with tomatoes, green onions, Mexican oregano, carrots, mountain mushrooms, lamb stew meat, fresh goat milk and a small cake of honey-blueberry goat cheese. There are quite a few characters there. One booth sells plants, small crafts and sage sticks and proudly displays a sign, "Temporarily out of free lobster." I guess it's their trademark. Then there's this really cute old lady with the smallest spectacles I've ever seen who sells colorful, handmade fuzzy hats. Another booth sells hats, scarves and jackets made out of dog hair that's been spun into yarn. It's actually a very soft yarn, but very expensive. Speaking of yarn, one of my favorite booths is a lady who sells beautifully colored, hand-spun, hand-dyed yarn. It's also a bit expensive but the colors are some of the most brilliant I've seen and I like working with the uneven texture of the yarn. There's also honey, eggs, fresh flowers and potted plants, handmade soaps, jellies and herb mixtures. There's usually a few musical groups playing for tips. Today there were only two groups, one playing bluegrass and the other playing Peruvian pipes and other instruments I couldn't immediately identify. Last year there was a group four or five girls playing Bach string pieces quite well. Everyone is usually in a great mood and you usually see at least one person you know. It's just great strolling through the booths in the morning sun, sipping good strong coffee, hearing the strains of music floating in the air and seeing the amazing variety of nourishment this desert has to offer.