Nancy Conner, ABR - Olympia/Thurston County WA

It was so nice to get back down to the Olympia Farmer's Market this past weekend - in the sunshine no less! It was opening weekend, so lots of people showed up eager to see what was ready at the various booths.

The spring weather has not exactly cooperated well to give farmers an early start, but there was some yummy fruit to choose from at a couple of booths. Also potatoes, salad makings, and then meat, seafood, cheese to choose from too.

Also lots of plants, both flower and veggie variety, for those of us itching to get out in our yards and gardens and get planting!

The bakery booths were, as always, temptingly full of delectable breads, muffins, cookies, scones, etc etc. We sampled a cinnamony crisp and a mixed berry scone that made sensational walking breakfast treats!

And the many non-food booths are also up and running since weather doesn't impact their seasons. Lots of jewelry, clothing, decorative items for the home and yard, soaps and lotions, hand made stationery and cards - the list goes on and on - and provides an awesome place to get a special and unique gift for someone (or treat for yourself!).

My little granddaughter ( not quite 20 months old) already has Farmer's Market down- she got a luscious apple to munch and then walked and walked and walked all around saying hi to many of the people she passed! The live music really entertained her, too - so we had toddler tears when it was time to leave - definitely back next weekend though!

WOO HOO - one of my most favorite of all favorites is returning this coming Thursday (April 2nd) - the Olympia Farmer's Market (www.olympiafarmersmarket.com) will be open again to provide yummy local produce, meat, eggs, cheese, salsa, bakery goods, crafts galore, flowers and plants - I can't wait to go see what all is there these beginning weeks!!

Hours are 10 AM to 3 PM Thursday thru Sunday, and the market is a wonderful place to see friends, stroll thru the booths (undercover to keep you dry even), eat lunch or snack on goodies, listen to music and generally say a little thank you that spring must be back if the market is open!

I will keep a weekly market watch blog updated with photos and details of what is fresh and ready each week - so check back often!

If you have any toddlers in your family, check out the Gym Jam program offered through Lacey Parks Department! I got to go visit last week while my granddaughter (19 months old) enjoyed activities, play time with other kids her age & provided grandma with lots of "photo opportunities"!

Gym jam is well organized to keep the kids moving between play time on the mats, slide, crawl thru tunnel, riding toys, "bus" to go inside and regular learning activities. They sang and acted out songs like "Itsy Bitsy Spider" (remember that one??) and "If You're Happy and You Know it ..."; they chased bubbles and popped them gleefully; they shook a parachute and bounced balls off it; listened to stories; and finished up by eating some snacks - by then they were hungry from all the fun!

What a great way for these little cuties to run off some energy, learn some fun stuff while also learning to play well together - and a wonderful time for moms, dads and grandparents to get acquainted and enjoy watching the toddlers Jam in the Gym!!

I suspect there are some very good naps taken Tuesdays and Thursdays!

Maybe it is because I grew up in the flatlands of the midwest, but I absolutely love living in the midst of hills & mountains. The glorious looming presence of Mt. Rainier is so spectacular that it can make me smile when I am driving somewhere and all of a sudden - there it is! Looking close enough to almost touch and covered with a snowy blanket even during the summer, it is just a beauty. I also love that locals speak of days when "the mountain is out"! This means it is a clear enough day for Mt. Rainier to have emerged from the clouds that totally obscure it much of the time - so a day when the mountain is "out" is automatically reasonably nice weather, not raining & maybe even sunny! Of course, it is entirely possible to visit our area multiple times (my aunt and uncle did) and never, ever see the mountain "out". I'm pretty sure my relatives thought I made up the whole thing and that there was no mountain!

I also love the backdrop of the Black Hills looming over the westside of Olympia as you drive from the east toward downtown. Much lower in elevation, they still often have a sprinkling of snow on wintry days even when the snow has turned to rain down here in the lowlands.

The Olympics are usually nicely snow-coated, too, so that they show up as a rugged looking range of white peaks to the north of downtown. They are an exquisite sight out across the waters of Budd Bay!