There are times when time passes with rapid speed. Days fly by, hours slip from our grasp. When this pace goes on for weeks on end, sometimes it takes an effort to take a grasp on life again. Thus the pleasures of living in a small town. Such places can provide unique opportunities to slow down a bit. To feel like perhaps that there is not a need to keep letting time pass us by, but to instead feel it pass through us.
There are so many similarities I find between the small town I live in now and the one I visited my grandparents in as a young child. Granted, the distance between the two is more than 1000 miles. And the population of my grandparents’ rural villa far surpasses where I now reside. But, there is something about the tempo that I cannot help but find accessible… if I take time to listen.
The best place for me to begin slowing down and listening is my garden. This is the third year we have grown a large garden in our backyard and each year it looks different. This year, we have focused on a variety of herbs, tomatoes, and cabbages. This morning I went out to explore what might potentially fit into a scramble of eggs and potatoes. I was please to find an ample amount of chard…
And some garlic scapes to experiment with…
And began to seriously wonder what we are going to do with all this tarragon…
And realized that the tarragon has been growing as fast as the ducks. 
And that perhaps all that tarragon would go well with all that duck….
But not today.
After the egg scramble and a little house cleaning, we were off to the Annual Rhubarb Festival at the Eddy County Museum.
Yes, Rhubarb Festival, where the tangy sour stalks of this green leafy plant are honored and transformed into a variety of delectable dishes.
Such a wonderful variety of baked goods and also slush, and soda, and ice cream too.
I admit, I made some rather beastly noises when I first tasted the ice cream. 
My husband was lucky that I let him taste a tiny bite before I cleared it off the plate. Because nothing makes me stop and enjoy the moment much more than homemade ice cream. And considering that I recently discovered many of my digestive ills were related to a gluten-intolerance (and most of the rhubarb dishes were baked goods) I am eternally grateful to a fellow gluten-free friend who made a contribution of a gluten-free rhubarb, strawberry, and raspberry pizza. Simply amazing!
And speaking of beastly… we explored another of my loves at the museum. Taxidermy!
Yes, I know I’m weird maybe I spent too many hours with the stuffed loon at my grandparent’s house as a child (and as an adult). But there is something about taxidermy that continues to amaze me. In fact, had I not been accepted into graduate school, I would have sought out training as a taxidermist. But exploring wildlife with a three year old through taxidermy mounts can be an incredible experience.
“Mom, what’s that?
Is it a tye-ote”
“Yes, it is a coyote.”
“It has teeth!”
“And look Mom, it’s a mean cat. A big mean cat. Can we get a cat like that?!”
And on we went…
“Mom, what’s that?”
“That’s fox. And an avocet. And a five-legged lamb. And a two-headed calf.”
And we visited a small boy wearing clothes from long ago. My son wasn’t sure what to think, but I assured him it was not taxidermed.
But I still advised him not to touch the boy, as it might bite.
I don’t think he took me seriously.
I was so amazed at his interest and curiosity in all these old items. “WOW! Look at this!” He said over and over again.
Truly it was worth every moment. To make time to enjoy, explore, and appreciate. To mingle, laugh, and play. To be part of something larger than yourself. To know that these moments that slip through our hands belong not just to us, but to our future as well. What a wonderful way to spend a Sunday.
So when the time came, that my son wanted to go back for another round of rhubarb desserts. What could we say?? After all, it’s the little things it life that make it so sweet.
Special thanks to the Eddy County Museum for putting on an event that gave us a chance a take the time and make some memories, right close to home!
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