i'll swap ya

i am constantly

cooking

canning

baking

creating

preparing enough goodies

for a family of 

ten teenage boys

yet

we are not a family of 

ten teenage boys

we do have neighbors

lots of neighbors

who sadly

now that summer is around the corner

don't appreciate being

fatted like a christmas goose

which occasionally leaves me

with excess goodies to share

which is why

i couldn't stop smiling

when i found

LAX Swappers

i quickly signed up to be part of the very first event

we met at a hip and local joint

called reform school

each person arriving with 

baskets

bags

boxes

loaded with 

food

lovingly prepared and*or foraged

packaged to delight

it was a small but enthusiastic crowd

each person describing their own wares

while scoping out

what others had on offer

no money changed hands

just goods

goods like

freshly milled wheat

bread warm from the oven

jams, jellies, marmalades and conserves

tinctures, scrubs and freshly cut herbs

elixirs, aperitifs, concentrates

eggs, fruit, pasta and sweets

for two hours

on a cloudy sunday afternoon

we were not urbanites

drinking skinny lattes and talking about gas prices

we were

individuals enamored with 

what the land brings to us

and

how we honor its abundance

by

foraging, collecting, preserving

and 

sharing

transforming a

space filled with bodies

into

a community

a personal thank you to 

emily ho aka misschiffonade

who organized this fantastic event