All Play and No Work Would Never Work

I bought organic lavender soap from them. They were dressed way too cool. :)

Kelly, Ms. Neal and I went to the Ithaca Farmer's Market today. It was everything I hoped a farmer's market would be. There were yummy fruits and vegetables and organic soaps and recycled wood necklaces. The atmosphere was so perfect and cozy and I loved talking to the sellers. Everything was very personal.

Happily eating mulberries

I am itching to see what's going on with the Hercules Farmer's Market. We used to hold the Farmer's Market at a place called Market Hall, which has now closed. Like I mentioned a few posts back, I really truly adore the closeness and the sense of community I feel here. Honestly, I feel like these things make a community stronger and make its people- students included- more involved.

The Farmer's Market also had a zero-waste policy. There were no trash cans because almost everything sold there was sold in containers that were recyclable or compostable. Everyone had their reusable water bottles and bags in tow, and the farmer who sold Kelly raspberries asked her to give the container back after, which she happily did.

Kelly and I had fun attacking a mulberry tree, too. We both loved the dark little berries.

After about an hour or two at the Farmer's Market, we picked up Joe, Nick and Genevieve to go to Buttermilk Falls. We swam around in the cold water and climbed over beautifully naturally-sculpted rock structures. I don't even know what to say about this except that my old dream of becoming a park ranger was reignited today.

It was nice to relax and watch a rendition of "As You Like It" by the Ithaca Shakespeare Company after such a packed day. The play took place in the Arboretum of the Cornell Plantations, between a circle of medium-sized trees. The little paths leading to the wooden stage were lined with different rocks. It was so adorable. This place seriously has everything. It amazes me that there is so much to do and so much to learn!

Tomorrow I will be working on a group project for Hotel Management. The assignment is to think about how we can be of service to other people, come up with a plan, and then do it. My group is planning on volunteering either at the local soup kitchen here or at a nearby Goodwill.

We don't have office hours tomorrow. When Mark announced this yesterday, the entire class clapped. I didn't quite understand it. We only have three weeks here- I want every minute I can get to absorb all that Mark and Reneta and our TAs have to offer. Even though I adore exploring the campus and Ithaca to no end, I feel that I am missing out terribly without these office hours. It's strange to me that no one else seems to feel this way.