It Was A Cold and Rainy Day

Yesterday was cold - it started in the 50's (10 C) and warmed up to 60 (15.5 C) by the end of the day. It's early September and our temps should be at least 10 degrees warmer than this. Autumn is stalking our trees a month early. In addition to the cold temperatures, it was raining. It wasn't a hard rain, but it was almost constant throughout the day. So what were we doing at Ren Fest on a cold and rainy day? Well, it was Love and Chocolate day - an annual event we try hard not to miss. Also ... chocolate! We were hoping our favorite chocolate maker/vendor would be displaying, and since the temps were cold, they might have brought chocolate instead of only bringing items that wouldn't melt in the heat of a normally hot day. 

I've been a major fangirl of Groveland Confections for years. 
I first met them at Fest more than eight years ago and we
look for them every year. Their chocolate is exceptional, but
on a hot day it can become a melted mess. Fortunately it was
cold yesterday, so they brought lots of chocolate treats. 

Success! Groveland Confections was indeed there, and we started their day out right, DH and I each purchasing a selection of chocolates to take home for munchies. So good! We behaved ourselves and didn't even sneak a peek into our bags for the rest of the day. 

I have a few progress photos of my henna Winged Scarab
that I wanted to share last week but I ran out of
time and space. I'm sharing them now
because I think the progress of painting the
henna onto my head was interesting. 

The artist actually started work, then wiped what she had
done away and started again. She was much happier with
her second attempt and totally got into it. 

Once she had a better start she began building the
pattern across my head, spreading the wings of the
scarab beetle out from the body. 

We wandered, a bit cold and a bit damp, used our umbrellas when necessary (they aren't true Renaissance attire, but it was wet, so yeah - we used umbrellas), and as noon approached, we gathered in the Viking Bar to watch the first game of the regular football season. (It was excellent and we won handily.) Commercials, etc, gave me a chance to talk seriously with DH about getting a tattoo instead of just the henna on my head. I pulled up the portfolio of the tattoo artist I am thinking about interviewing, showed him the photos of the tats he had done that made me want to interview him, and DH is actually on board with it. I admit to being a bit in shock, but I'm pleased. 

Getting both sides pretty balanced was tricky and she did a great job. 

The top legs and the crescent moon were then
added to pull the design toward the front of
my head. 

She was totally concentrating on the artwork. Chickie
had asked if photography would bother her, but she
said it was OK, so photos were taken of the entire process. 

I think in some ways DH understands that this has been a rather difficult year for me. The alopecia was a shot out of the blue, the osteoporosis diagnosis also threw me a curve ball. I don't have health issues, but suddenly my body was turning against me. It's a bit disconcerting when I look at last year and compare it to this year. 

The bottom legs were added. I love the angles and those
tufts of "hair" coming off the sides. 

As a final touch, she added dots and drops to make it more
elegant and more like a traditional henna piece. Chickie wasn't sure
about them, but when it was finished she loved the full look. 

Additionally, I have wigs that DH bought for me, and I love them. I can always cover up the tattoo if necessary or if he wants a different look. I think I'll be comfortable, happy and fierce with my head bare, and the scarab will allow me to concentrate on something other than falling apart. The scarab beetle is a symbol of immortality and helps the sun rise each morning. It's also something I've always  loved and it would be pretty and interesting to look at. 

Here's the finished henna after she completed it. I returned
for a spray of lemon juice sugar water a half hour later
to set the henna. The paste stayed on my skin through the
night and into the next day. When it started flaking off, I
oiled it with olive oil and allowed it to flake. The dye
had penetrated, leaving me with the current look
which, if I take good care of it, should last 2-3 weeks. 

This is how it looks now. I get a lot of compliments
on it, and a lot of inquiries about whether I'll make it a
permanent tattoo or not. Yeah - I think so. I really like
the look and the design a LOT. 

So I think I'll probably go forward with a skull tattoo later this year. Our schedule is packed, so we won't be able to interview Rodney until late this year, but I've let him know and we'll get something set up. I'll get the henna once again on the last day of Fest (the end of September) and it should look great for an event where I'm one of two invited speakers that takes place in early October. What's the old song? "I am strong, I am invincible, I am woman." 

I'll be back tomorrow, have a great Monday.