Yes, Saturday mornings are for errands and chores. But Saturday mornings are also for discoveries. Here are a few from my adventures with Susan on a recent Saturday in October.

Discovery one: I’m going to miss the rummage sale at the First Congregational Church in Huntley, Illinois. The church holds its sales on the first Saturday of the month, May through October. The finds are eclectic. The prices are low. Fifty percent off everything for this last sale of the season (except DVDs, which were $1). It was almost like they were paying me to take stuff. See you in May. 

Discovery two: Huntley needs more ATMs. When we visit the Huntley Farmers’ Market, my routine is to stop by Best Price Tobacco and Gifts to get cash from the ATM there. This day, the machine was either out of cash or off the internet. Either way, I exited empty. Since most of the vendors at the market are on a cash-only basis, I stopped at the post office for stamps and quizzed the woman at the counter about alternative ATM locations in town. Turns out, she’s had the same issue. A man behind me in line overheard our conversation and suggested I try the American Legion post. “They have slot machines,” he said. “And where there are slots, there’s an ATM.” The good news is that the American Legion was right next door. The bad news, the doors were locked tight. Evidently, the market for early Saturday morning slot players in Huntley is as sparse as ATMs. I finally surrendered and drove a mile to use a local bank’s ATM. If you’re looking for a get-useful-quick scheme, you may consider going into the downtown Huntley ATM business. If you do, please text me the location. 

Discovery three: I’m addicted to the black walnut cookies baked by Mike from Sleep Hollow Fresh. We first met Mike at the East Dundee Depot Market. He’s since moved on to the Huntley market. More business even if East Dundee outranks Huntley 5 to 1 in ATMs. This year, Mike began selling black walnut cookies made from his grandma’s recipe. Outside of Susan’s chocolate chip cookies and just about anything from Wild Willow Cookie Company (more on them later), these are my favorite cookies. And all my life I believed I didn’t like walnuts. I bought three packages, one for me, and two to freeze to take my father-in-law when we visit Ohio later this month. Mike speculated that only one package would make it to Ohio. We’ll see. 

Discovery four: Kerosene provides a fun Saturday morning live music experience. I love local live music at a farmer’s market. On this morning Rachel, Danny, and Bill, aka Kerosene, were in the town square playing catchy country rock. Check out Kerosene. 

Discovery five: DBMDesigns by Denise shares a message I can get behind. In fact, I bought one of her “Think Right. Do Right. Feel Right” shirts. Peace, love, kindness, working together to make even a corner of our world better. Those are the messages Denise features on her products. If you’ve ever visited my Mike’s Moons Shop or read my posts here, you know I agree. Denise recently closed her Etsy store due to a lack of sales, but she says the farmers’ markets have been good for her business. 

Discovery six: I love The Irie Cup’s new shop in Huntley. I first tried Irie Cup’s teas at the Dundee Depot Market. They then became regulars at the Huntley market. Earlier this year, they also opened their shop near the Huntley town square. Today was my first trip to the shop. It featured free samples of seasonal tea and a large selection of teas and accessories. The shop also has inside seating, great music on the sound system, and a relaxed vibe that’s perfect for shopping and sipping their teas. The Irie Cup’s shop would be one of my regular hangouts if it was located in my town. I’ll return whenever I visit Huntley. 

Discovery seven: I will enter the Dundee Depot Market pumpkin decorating contest on October 28. You may ask yourself, “Mike, how is this a Saturday morning discovery?” I’ve decorated maybe a half-dozen pumpkins in my life. And that’s using a broad definition of the word “decorate.” Usually, my decorations turn into disasters. Perhaps possessed by the spirit of the Great Pumpkin, I’ve decided to enter this year’s contest. Lucky for me, I discovered Pete’s pumpkins at the Huntley farmer’s market. I had my eye on a nice medium-sized pumpkin. Susan nudged me to one of the larger ones. I have to admit, the one she chose is a beauty. I’m planning on going at it with stencils and spray paint. I did confirm with the contest organizers that every entry qualifies for at least one prize. So, I have that going for me. Stay tuned to see if my pumpkin becomes decorated or demolished. 

Discovery eight: After choosing our pumpkin, we left the Huntley market and headed to the East Dundee Depot Market. Our first stop at the Depot Market was Wild Willow Cookie Company’s booth. I can’t claim this as a new discovery. We’ve been enjoying Wild Willow’s amazing cookies for years. The discovery for me was how much I missed them. See, Wild Willow used to set up at almost every Depot Market. Now, they make about one a month. Intentionally or unintentionally, Wild Willow is learning about the power of scarcity. We purchased five of Wild Willow’s gluten-free delights, including two OGs, a favorite in our household. Yes, that’s on top of Mike’s black walnut cookies. Are you sensing a cookie theme to my discoveries? Lucky for me, Wild Willow also sets up at many local festivals and events and you can order their one-of-a-kind cookies online.

Discovery nine: Organic golden delicious apples at the Depot Market. When you buy a pound, you get a free apple! This was an unadvertised special. And they were golden and delicious. Maybe the apples balance out all that cookie action. 

Discovery postscript: Three fun finds at Saturday’s Depot Market:

• Typewriter ribbon. This will help my quest to become more analog. 

• A travel Spirograph. 

• Ten dice in an unopened package. Perhaps a stocking stuffer for someone in our family and friends' Yahtzee league.

Those are most of my recent Saturday discoveries. This doesn’t count all the wonderful people and dogs we met along the way, the conversations, and the smiles. I’m grateful for this community of creatives, growers, chefs, entrepreneurs, and just good people who enrich my life on a Saturday morning. Most of all, I’m grateful for my partner in discovery, Susan, aka Wired Lotus. After all, there’s a reason we refer to days like these as Susan Saturdays in our home.