If this little bee does his job well, we may have lemons!!!

Everywhere we turn there are blossoms and bees! It is amazing to walk out our back door and smell. We can walk down the street and smell jasmine, roses, and orange blossoms all around our neighborhood. Roses are quite the thing here and I had no idea there were so many different kinds and that they would grow so large!! The plants are huge but the actual roses are like none I have ever seen. Spring has come and it is fun seeing everything in full bloom. I was out running errands and once again filling the cupboards with food and was amazed to see all the color in the gardens. My outings are longer now that the rainy season has passed and the blooms are all around. I find I spend much more time walking even through the parking lots at the grocer just to examine the flowerbeds. The neighbors are as well. It is common to see neighbors walking around our beds to see or smell a flower. It has been a great way to meet our neighbors as well. I traveled to the Farmers Market Saturday and found I had arrived in a whole new world. Now, I have been frequenting the Farmers Markets elsewhere for years and even here during the winter months so to find this was not just surprising but truely paradise! These are times when I am most at peace. I entered through the archway of a two story arbor and truely had my breath taken away! The arbor was covered with all sorts of vining plants including the most beautiful vining roses I had ever seen. The vendors were all set up and people were calmly wandering, carrying all there beautiful purchases. The smells were amazing! Mix with the smell of roses, the scent of many many bouquets, the fresh, warm smell of bread and pastries, the earthy breath of produce and the sweet sensation of strawberries, along with the thickness of coffee and you have arrived at my paradise! There were pleasures for all the senses! The artists filled the space with watercolor paintings, organic loaves of bread, colorful jams, potted perrenials, sweet and sticky golden honey, and the soft music which filled the air from down the way as a local band played. I believe it was one of the most romantic places in town that day. We have come to find that Farmers Markets are one of the favorite social gatherings for young and old here. You can find one nearby almost every evening of the week. They come in all sizes and change a bit depending on the venue but they are filled with families, teens, the elderly, etc. Last night our family met up after school and work at one just down the street. The band was great and they even had games and rides for the young. We were happy to find my favorite produce vendor was there with all his usuals but this week he also carried with him the most beautiful strawberries you can imagine! The smallest berries he had were the size of a golf ball and the children laughed at just how big some of them were. The children had chosen fruit smoothies from a local shop and we sat down with these and a box of strawberries to listen to the music and enjoy comparing stories from our day. What a beautiful setting, under the palm trees with the warmth of the sun and the sweet taste of berries. The evening was complete as the children laughed through some of their daily events. It is good to know I do not have to wait a whole week before there is another setting just as this yet in another space with other vendors, new music, more fresh produce and the laughter of two teens reliving their day at school!