Snap-beans, snap-dragons, snap-summer!

I'll admit it. B and I go to the farmer's market sometimes. And I like it.

I like picking out fresh food from places nearby. I love the boxes that berries come stacked in. I like the surprise of what's new at the market (even though I'm pretty sure my beloved berries are on their way out - boo-hiss!).

B and I have made some delicious green bean dinners and I've consumed approximately three pints of blueberries in just a few weeks.

Summer makes me remember my Grandpa Ed's garden. He shared a plot in a community garden in the middle of his block. He grew corn, green beans, zucchini and other veggies. My Grandma Mary Lu, if I'm recalling correctly, grew flowers. I remember kneeling to look at colorful snap dragons.

And I remember roses. My grandpa and grandma grew roses next to their backdoor. The roses were pink, red, yellow and peach. They bloomed like crazy - wide, happy, open roses - and smelled so good, like how roses are supposed to smell.

My grandpa and grandma shared the goodies from their garden like crazy. We'd get a paper sack of green beans when we visited. And neighbors and friends would get roses in vases with my grandpa's address labels stuck on them (so you could return the vase after the roses were done). Today B brought home some blueberries from Michigan his boss shared with everyone at work.

This summertime notion of sharing and passing along what you have is a pretty nice one. Anyone want to help me snap some beans?