Musing

I'm treated to some spontaneous people watching right now. Bloomington decided to en masse enjoy pancakes at Coffeehouse this morning and I'm squashed up next to the coffee roaster surveying the scene of post and pre-church families, sleepy undergrads, a writing group and about ten tables of older couples each sharing a newspaper over coffee. Big bellies, big hair, loud laughs...Standing room only! who would have thought? I recognize some people from helping Andy at the Bloomington market and am feeling pretty good that instead of struggling with the stress and sadness of the end of the season, and an impending move away from Illinois and my friends, the farm, the cafe, dogbeach, on and on, I'm sitting here content with the fact that this normal little town is going to continue to be in my life. Nothing but normal Normal. And pancakes.

So a newsflash: I'm going to work another season on Henry's Farm! We're done in two weeks and then I will buy the car of my childhood dreams, a Dodge neon from one of Matt's friends, and drive across the great West for a winter spent writing in Washington (and surfing in Hawai'i). As a kid I knew I would grow up and get a Neon, isn't that strange? We would drive by a dealership or see one from the window of our boxy nissan and oh, I would expound on how cool they looked, how much I wanted one, etc. etc. While this particular car isn't the rocking turquoise with purple lines on it that my fifth grade self had envisioned, the florescent triangle pattern on the seats more than fulfills the early materialistic lusts of my 90s youth. Now I only need to become a writer, move to Mackinac Island and marry Chris O'Donnell for all my childhood dreams to come true.

So back to the farm. I'll be upgraded to "Farmhand Val" and will live in the trailer with one intern (Henry's downsizing a bit) who will be... A WOMAN! It will be such a different season without all these dudes, though Matt can certainly fart and belch and blow enough disgusting snot rockets out of his nose to make up for Mustard and Brian's absence. I also am looking forward to having someone at the trailer again-- it is lonely out there in those woods! I cook a lot less, write a lot more, and have started watching Twin Peaks again, which kind of spooks me when I get to the Bob parts and there's no one else in the house save my two coward cats. But I'm proud to say I don't fast-forward through them! Ah, the things from which one can derive strength...

Escape time. I have to go buy rain pants since mine ripped a not-so-ladylike hole in the crotch during the constant rain Thursday. Peace, Bisous, and SWEET POTATOES!