My Belated Opening Week at La Mesa’s Farmers Market

Last Friday, I was all set to check out La Mesa’s Farmers Market in its . All week, I had looked forward to the to kick off the weekend. But, as life happens, my grandma fell in her yard that morning and was rushed to the hospital.

Considering that my grandma broke her hip just over a year ago, my family was relieved that this time around, she ended up going home the same night with just a few stitches, a badly bruised face, and a bruised ego to match.

And so, here I am at Friday once again. I made it through the day without receiving any panicked phone calls about some new emergency, and so the Farmers Market was a go.

As I drove up to the La Mesa Civic Center area, I spotted the hallmark canopies of the Farmers Market from a distance. In hopes of avoiding some traffic, I entered and parked in the small lot along University Avenue that I usually use when I frequent the La Mesa Branch Library. Although I had been a little unsure of what the parking situation would be like, there was plenty, as promised.

As my kids and I walked past the post office and police department toward the Farmers Market, I felt glad that I had opted to park a little farther away since there was definitely more congestion in the closer lots.

Then, just as we reached the entrance, I overheard a teenage girl comment to her mother regarding the new location: “I kinda like it, but I kinda don’t.” As I made my inaugural walk through the Farmers Market, I had to agree.

On the “kinda like” side, the energy was much more lively and festive than at the prior location. Perhaps today’s air of excitement and activity was a product of the newness, but whatever the case, it was palpable to me.

As for the “kinda don’t” side, the whole venue felt cramped. Even though I like the fact that more vendors are now available, the walkways are very narrow in some places, especially given the now larger crowds. Today, rather than feeling like my kids and I were taking a relaxing, afternoon stroll—as was usually the case in the prior location—I felt as though we had been transported to some bustling foreign market.

As for our shopping success, my son was all smiles by the time we left. I made our usual stop at Baba Foods to stock up on hummus; and, in celebration of the new location, I splurged and also got a few extras.

I bought a nice stock of avocados to take to my “bruised” grandma since she loves to eat toast with sliced avocado on top. The advertised price was one dollar per avocado, but since the majority of the ones left were on the small side, the vendor let me take “six for two.”

As we walked around, my son also started to beg for a snack, saying that he was starving. Of course, even though we were surrounded by food, finding something for him to eat proved difficult since he’s been an extremely picky eater lately.

In the end, he fell in love with a sample of white cheddar Petaluma goat cheese, and so his snack ended up being a six dollar hunk of cheese. The vendor was kind enough to cut open the package and slice off a piece, and this allowed him to eat as we continued to walk.

The final purchase of the day was from the new arts and crafts section, where my son spotted some glow-in-the-dark plastic keychains with critters preserved in them. I feel bad that these once living creatures have lost their lives to exist as kitschy charms that are the manufactured equivalent of amber. This, however, did not stop me from giving into my sweet son’s request for a spiny spider.

With our hummus, avocados, cheese, and keychain in hand, we made our way back to our car. Back at home, my son asked me if the spider is a toy. I told him that it’s real, but that it’s dead. The poor kid feels conflicted now about the keychain. He kind of likes it still since he thinks the spider looks cool; but then again, he kind of doesn’t because he feels bad the spider had to die.

Despite his mixed feelings, I can tell that in this case, “kinda like” will win out for him, and if he has a chance to go back to the Farmers Market again, he’s going to want the ant keychain next.

As for me, “kinda like” wins out with regard to the new location, too. I’m certain we’ll be back again before we know it. And, by the time we leave, we will no doubt share the company of some variety of plasticized animal.