After Fair Wrap-Up

Sharon is back home, and I'll be cleaning the house from her visit for the day. It was absolutely wonderful to have my best friend back up visiting with us once again. I can't wait to do it again ... but I do need to lose the three pounds I put on. *sigh* Still, three pounds is nothing. Minimal effort. 

I'll be gathering my housecleaning supplies and hitting 
the bathrooms, vacuuming the living room and spare 
bedroom, and replacing the pull-out bed with the couch 
once again. Lots to do for housework today. 

I've got the first load in the laundry. I'll be doing four loads of laundry today instead of my usual three. I'll strip the bed down and restore the guest room, do some vacuuming, and a bit of general cleaning. I have NO "Ogre Juice", so making a batch is a high priority as well. And I have an email I have to send to Merlin's wife regarding the scarf I'm ordering from her. 

There was a little bit of cake left from what we had 
at Mancini's. Sharon took some home, and there was 
a small bit left. Of course, DH asked for it AFTER I 
had eaten it as a TV snack. *sigh*

There was a bit of the cake left, from our dinner at Mancini's. I ate it and, of course, half an hour later DH wondered if he could have some. Well ... a  bit too late. So he's all upset that he didn't get cake, and I'm up a pound. Poetic justice, I guess. I hinted that a dinner at Mancini's for our upcoming anniversary would be lovely, but I very much doubt he'll do anything to mark the occasion. These last few years have been crickets chirping - no gifts and few cards. It'll be our 46th (or is it 47th?) anniversary, but I can almost guarantee it will past the same as any other date. 

It's back to the indoor pool once again. I don't really mind 
that, it's just a different workout and mindset. I adore the 
length of the outdoor pool, but the basic exercise is just 
the same. 

So I'm back to the pool today. That extra weight from the past few days will be gone in a day or two - no problem. It'll be great to be back in the water again. Although I certainly got lots of exercise walking the State Fairgrounds, I enjoy swimming more than anything. We're back in the indoor pool now until next Memorial Day - the end of May seems a very long ways away from this perspective - LOL. Have an excellent Wednesday and I'll be back tomorrow. Time to get back to routine once again. Slava Ukraini. 

 

It Was a Packed Four Days of Fun with Sharon

I'm taking Sharon to the airport in a bit less than 2 hours from now. It's been a terrific time - a great visit between my High School buddy and I, lots and lots of walking, lots and lots of talking, some eating, some drinking, and some hugs with other friends both at the Fair working, and those who joined us for a day or two of puddling around. Today's post will be mainly pictures. I'm on a tight time schedule this morning to make sure Sharon gets to the airport and I'm at work in plenty of time. 

Lets start out with this one - I'm on the left, Sharon on the 
right. We're in "The Hanger" where I'm enjoying a flight 
of beer and we're eating some very "nummy" food. 

Of course we had to go onto the Giant Ferris Wheel. It's a 
tradition for us. As usual, we met some really nice people 
on our three revolution ride. We always seem to interact 
with the people in our compartment - it's Minnesota Nice 
in action. 

We ended the day with a steak dinner at "Mancini's", a staple 
of St Paul for decades. When they asked if we were celebrating 
a special occasion, Sharon said "40 years of friendship" which 
I quickly corrected. We've been friends for FAR longer than 
that. So I did a quick count - 55 years! They gave us a 
celebratory cake at no extra charge, embellished with a 
caramel 55. It was really tasty! 

On Day 2, we stood at the doors of Horticulture to see 
this year's Crop Art exhibit. It's a crazy popular exhibit 
and if you don't catch it first thing in the am, you'll be in 
line for hours! It takes up an entire room with hundreds 
of entries. So I'm showing you three photos just so 
you get an idea. We weren't first in line, but we were in the 
room very quickly and used the fast line because we're 
not fools. LOL

I'm always amazed by how popular crop art has become over 
the past few decades. It started out as one wall in the horticulture 
building, now it takes up an entire room, and 90% of the people 
standing around waiting in lines are waiting to view them. Crop art 
means the entire image is made from seeds. Think of it as 
living pixels - LOL. 

Let me focus in on one piece, just to give you an idea. This 
isn't a blue ribbon, or even a red one. It's a 4th (or maybe 5th) 
place ribbon. But it's still really nicely done, don't you think? 

On Day 3, Jim joined us. Because it was a Sunday, all of the 
Park-N-Ride lots at the churches were closed until the afternoon, 
so we ended up at a business lot instead. We entered the line 
here, and by the time we entered our bus (and we were on the 
second bus) there were 2 times this many people still waiting 
for transport. They're good at this now, though. The State Fair 
does an awesome job of getting people through their gates with 
relative ease, and the shuttle busses are no charge - SWEET. 

On Monday we went to the Renaissance Festival where I was able to speak to the lady I've commissioned a silk scarf from, as well as caught up with friends. I introduced Sharon to Cherie - Cherie has always wanted a Maine Coon cat, but ended up adopted by two adorable strays. Sharon actually HAS two Main Coon cats (rescue kittens from the Human Society of Denter - $50/each!!!). The two of them, both good friends, bonded immediately over cats - LOL. We had great weather - not super hot, so we wandered for quite a while before we finally ran out of steam. Sharon and I had walked more than 5 miles a day during our three days at the State Fair. Adding Renaissance Festival to it, we certainly got our exercise over the four days. I'm up 1-1/2 pounds, but that's nothing. I'll be back to the pool tomorrow and back into a more normal regime. It was an excellent State Fair, and I'm already looking forward to next year's. I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

Sharon Arrives Tonight so No More Posts Until Next Week

In 12 hours I'll be heading to the airport to pick up my BFF, Sharon. I'm totally thrilled that she's coming up to visit once again. It's a tradition that we established VERY early on in my marriage, and it's one that I hope we continue until one or the other of us no longer walks the earth. 

Sharon and I have been best friends since the Fall of 
1969, or maybe early 1970. In any case, it's been a 
LONG time and a lot of life has been lived in 
that time. It's going to be great to see her again. 

The house is clean (my office space is the usual mess, but that's nothing new). Her room is cleaned, flowers were purchased and are in a vase, and I'm anxious to have a chance to catch up with her. She retired from the Denver Public Library system since we last met, and now is a home-person, spending time with her two Maine Coon cats, and her sister who shares the house with her. I'll have a chance to catch up on her family and what they've all been up to. And we'll plan our trip to the State Fair - although not very specifically because we walk the Fairgrounds. We put a lot of miles on during our first day at the Fair. 

Flowers and welcome back cards are 
waiting for Sharon in her bedroom. 
The house isn't perfect, but that would 
be unrealistic at best. 

Tonight's dinner will be Red Lobster. We always enjoy it, they have nice, large tables to spread out a bit, and it's never super crowded, so carrying on a conversation isn't impossible - LOL. There are some restaurants where that would NOT be the case and I'm sure each one of you, dear readers, have been at one sometime in your life. 

Our Red Lobster restaurant is independently owned, so 
when the corporation was closing many of the locations 
last year, ours stayed open. It's rarely much of a wait 
for a table, and we always enjoy chatting while planning 
our State Fair visit the next day. 

Then, tomorrow we hit the State Fair for three days and the Renaissance Festival for one, and I drop Sharon back at the airport on Tuesday morning. I'm not sure I'll post on Tuesday, but I will on Wednesday. I will NOT be posting for the remainder of the week, though. This is my State Fair with Sharon time and nothing else. 

I couldn't resist picking up a copy of Rolling 
Stone's Ozzy Osbourne tribute magazine while 
I was at Target yesterday. He was such a huge 
influence on music for so many years. 

I was at Target yesterday for a quick stop, and picked up the current issue of Rolling Stone which is all about Ozzy Osbourne. I just couldn't resist. He was such a power in music as I was growing up and throughout my life. I also downloaded a full list of all of the Metallica albums. Those may be a purchase down the line. There's nothing much better than Metallica for me. 

So, I'm off to the pool for my final outdoor swim of the season, and then doing the last bit of cleaning and prep work for Sharon's visit. I'll be back on September 2nd. Be safe and be kind. Slava Ukraini. 

Sharon Arrives Tomorrow! Whoot!

Sharon arrives tomorrow, and the house is almost clean. I'll be washing the bathroom and kitchen floors today, and there's a bit of dusting that still needs to be done, but I'm basically ready for my "bestie" to come for her annual visit. We'll start out at Red Lobster on our way from the airport to the house. The next day (Friday) will be our first day at the Fair, and it's a day that's just for Sharon and I. We'll have a lovely steak dinner at Mancini's that night and then collapse. LOL

Sharon will arrive late tomorrow and I can't wait to see 
her again. We'll have SO much fun - so much to talk 
about, so many things to look at, so many things to munch 
on - LOL. 

On Saturday, Sharon and I will start the day at the Fair, and we'll be joined by James (and often also by Chickie) for the evening. That's when we'll walk the Midway and do other more night-oriented activities. Sunday is the full day for all four of us to gather together. We'll hit most of the buildings because DH won't have seen much of anything. It'll be a repeat for some of us, but that's OK. Sharon always starts her Sunday off at Mass in the Fairgrounds, and then we gather at the Fine Arts building to look at all of the artwork for the year. Some really amazing things to see in that building. Then we'll wander wherever DH wants to go because it's really his only day at the Fair. 

On Sunday morning at 9:00 am, Sharon will be in Baldwin 
Park on the Fairgrounds, attending Catholic Mass. She never 
misses it. Father Fitzpatrick, a retired priest, has led the Mass 
for more than a decade now. As soon as Mass lets out, we'll 
all meed across the street from the park at the Fine Arts 
building to look at the art exhibition before anything else. 
No food or beverages are allowed inside the Fine Arts 
building, so breakfast will be after art - LOL. . 

On Monday we'll all meet up again at the Renaissance Festival. I still need to pick up tickets for Chickie and Sharon. I'll try to get that done today. We'll wander into every booth, get dusty (or damp, depending on the weather). We'll say "Hi" to friends there, share hugs and kitty photos, and in general, I hope, we'll have a lovely last day for Sharon's visit. On Tuesday morning, I'll drop her off at the airport on my way to the shop and life will pick back up where it left off. 

It's hard to believe that I took this photo of our outdoor 
pool just before Memorial Day (end of May). The summer 
has just flown past in so many ways. The State Fair 
always marks the end of the Summer and beginning of 
Autumn to those of us living up here. Time to start 
thinking about Fall and Winter. I doubt we'll have the mild 
winter that we had last year again. It's highly unlikely. 

Tomorrow will be my last day for outdoor swimming. I'm missing it already. I do love the length of the Olympic-sized pool. I'm certainly no speed demon, however. I'm more the "slow and steady wins the race" kind of a gal. LOL Have an excellent Wednesday and I'll be back tomorrow morning to check in one last time before going on radio silence until Tuesday next week (or maybe even Wednesday, depending on schedules). Enjoy your Wednesday. Slava Ukraini. 

Winding Things Up Before Sharon Arrives Thursday Night

I actually slept until my alarm went off - a rare thing. Of course, it was set to go off at 3:00 am, so most of you, if not all of you, would have been sleeping. Normal people do that - they sleep. Me? I get up an hour or so early so that I can get my morning meditation done before starting my day. 

The huge Ferris Wheel is up and running. We always enjoy 
getting onto that for a full view of the Fairgrounds. It's great 
fun. We've been on it at night too, but I really enjoy the 
daylight when I can view the grounds and all of the people. 

It's the final week of the outdoor pool. It's hard to say whether we'll be more crowded than usual or not, it could go either way. It's been a cool summer - not a lot of pounding, humid heat. It's hard to believe that it's almost over, but the State Fair is busy with people and Sharon arrives on Thursday, so I guess it's the end of Summer after all. It sure doesn't feel like it to me. Where did the summer go? 

I am going to miss our outdoor pool, but it closes right 
after Labor Day, which is the first Monday of September. 
It's been a great summer for the pool, our weather hasn't 
been super hot, and we were only rained out once (and 
had one day when electricity didn't allow it to open on 
time). It's been a great summer in the pool. 

I only have a few things on my "To Do" list before Sharon arrives. I need to wash the floors, and there were a couple of other minor things. The only bigger thing is moving my personal items from the main floor bathroom into the shared bathroom off the master bedroom. That's DH's bathroom, and I don't enjoy sharing with him. But, needs must - LOL. It's only for a few days. He doesn't like it any more than I do, and we'll manage to survive in spite of it. 

Washing the floors won't take too long. I only have three 
floors in the house, everything else is carpeting which I've 
already vacuumed. I have flooring in the kitchen/eating area, 
and all three bathrooms. Not too horrid, all things considered. 
I'm totally in the home stretch for housecleaning this year. 

I did get dinner reservations set for Mancini's Steak House on Friday night. I set them a bit late - 8:30 pm - mainly because I'm not sure how fast our bus will get us home from the Fair, and I'm also not sure how long it will take to drive over to Mancini's. But, I'm already looking forward to it. I haven't eaten there in decades, but it's consistently rated #1 in the Cities. Sharon knows it's "Go, go, go!" when she's here for the Fair. We get our exercise in walking the Fairgrounds, and then we also interact with DH and with Chickie for several days/hours. It's a lot of walking. I won't have ANY problem getting my 10,000 steps in when I'm at the Fair - LOL. 

I'm looking forward to our dinner at Mancini's. It's a local 
legend and has consistently high reviews. It's a bit more 
of a drive than where we had been going, but I think the 
steak will be MUCH better. I was quite disappointed with 
my local steakhouse for the past couple of times I was there. 

So, I'm off to the pool. Have an excellent Tuesday and I'll be back tomorrow. I won't be posting on Friday through Monday, so I'm warning you now. Then it'll be a short post on Tuesday after Labor Day, and back to normal next Wednesday. Enjoy your day! Slava Ukraini. 

A Short Post for a Late Monday - LOL

Just a very quick post today because I ran overtime on the treadmill this morning. It's hard to stop when you're in the groove, you know? LOL So I had a great workout, and a wonderful shower, but I'm now running a bit late for my breakfast and to head to the shop. Just a few more days at the shop before Sharon arrives on Thursday. It's going to be wonderful to see her again and just to catch up on everything that's happened over the past year. 

The caption says, "You have to look at the past in order to 
learn from it and move on. I've done a lot of reflecting 
over the past year. And certainly I've turned the corner 
and am looking more toward the future in a lot of ways. 
- Tiger Woods

It was an eventful year for both of us. Her kitties grew into monsters - she has two Maine Coon cats. She retired from her long-time job as a librarian for the Denver Public Library system, and I had cancer and am on track for retirement next year. We'll have lots to talk about - but we've never had any problems finding things to talk about. And at the State Fair, which is where we'll be on Friday, Saturday and Sunday (with the Renaissance Festival on Monday - Labor Day), there's always something to see, to watch, to eat and to enjoy. 

So, I'm cutting this short because I'm out of time. Hope you have a great Monday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

Housekeeping and the MN State Fair (of Course)

I'm not the best housekeeper in the world, but I do like a clean house. Unfortunately, my crazy schedule usually doesn't allow for a deep clean. Until Sharon is due for her annual visit. Then I up the stakes and do a deep clean of the house - dusting, vacuuming, and polishing; putting things away and straightening, and of course doing the basics like making her bed and making sure her TV and DVD player are functioning properly. I give myself three days to accomplish this. Just cleaning my wall of dragons takes several hours. It's all worth it, though. I get a clean house, and my best friend of 25 years doesn't run screaming when she sees the mess - LOL. 

There are more than 80 new foods available at the MN State 
Fair this year. As I recall, there weren't very many that I was 
curious about, and there are probably none that will meet my 
dietary standards. I'm used to that. I don't stick to eating ALL 
the proper things, but I choose my foods carefully. 

I'm almost finished with this year's cleaning. I have a list on the refrigerator door reminding me to wash the kitchen floor and the two bathroom floors on Wednesday. That's the last of the cleanup. The house already looks MUCH better, I'm much happier (although I'm exhausted by the end of my cleaning days), and I'll be totally ready to hit the State Fair. 

Chickie was one of these people - people who were at the 
"Great Minnesota Get-Together" on opening day. She always 
takes that day as a vacation day and does the Fair solo. I 
totally understand. It's rather like Sharon and I having our 
solo day together - we see exactly what we want to see, 
and go exactly where we want to go. Things tend to be 
quite different when DH enters the mix. 

Speaking of which, I don't have Friday's attendance numbers yet, but opening day wasn't a record - we had a lot of people at the Fair (137,148 people to be exact), but it wasn't a record. Last year's opening day DID set a record of 138,875. We'll have to see how we do for other days. The total attendance record for the full twelve days is 2,126,551, set in 2019. I was there for that Fair, as was Sharon; and DH, and Chickie. We all love the Fair. 

These are our State Fair mascots - Fairborne and his uncle 
Fairchild (Fairborne is in blue, Fairchild is in green). 
They're gophers, of course. We live in the Gopher state, 
and the football team for the University of Minnesota are 
called the Gophers. It's Minnesota history - LOL - on foot. 

Chickie was one of the 137.148 people who were there on opening day. She ate this and that, wandered to and fro, and generally had a wonderful time. She sent lots of pictures and comments from her phone, and tried some different foods. Sharon and I will be wandering with her on Sunday, and maybe on Saturday night. We'll all meet up again at the Renaissance Festival for Labor Day Monday, and I'll drop Sharon back at the airport on Tuesday morning on my way to work. 

This photo was of the crowd assembled waiting for the 
East gate to open. This gate was the one I always used when I
lived across the street from the Fairgrounds). Some people 
stayed here 24 hours wanting to be through the gates as one 
of the first people into this year's State Fair. 

So, Sharon will arrive on Thursday. Her visit always marks the end of Summer and beginning of Autumn in my mind. It'll mark the end of the warm days and beginning of the cold ones. I'm SO not ready for winter! LOL 

Rather than deal with impossible parking in the area, we 
always take the free transportation busses from our area. It's 
so convenient, it's free, and it's only a mess (sometimes) when 
busses are delayed for the homeward journey. Still, it's well 
worth it. Once they instituted Park & Ride, a lot of traffic 
was eliminated. 

Anyway, I'm almost through my list of things to make sure are done before Sharon arrives, and I'm actually on track. Washing three floors will be a breeze. I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend. I'm already looking forward to my Sunday. I have a pork roast to cook - one of my favorite meals. DH is considering doing Ren Fest, and we could do it if we left immediately after the singing. I'm leaving the choice up to him. Have an excellent Saturday and I'll be back on Monday. Slava Ukraini. 

It Was a Busy "Day Off" and the MN State Fair Opens Today!

I got a lot done yesterday, bur there's still a lot to do. The upstairs is complete except for dusting my dragons. The mid-level is almost complete, a bathroom scrub just before Sharon arrives is all that's needed. And I'll tackle the bottom level tomorrow. Today is the first day of the "Great Minnesota Get-Together" aka the State Fair. Chickie always is at the Fairgrounds for first day and she'll be posting to us throughout the day as she wanders and tries this or that food. 

Opening day at the State Fair - there are people who camp 
outside the gates overnight just to be one of the first let 
into the Fairgrounds. Chickie always attends on first day and 
I look forward to her periodic reports throughout the day. 

I got a lot cleaned up yesterday and still have a bunch remaining. But I'll do what I can do. DH bought a watermelon yesterday and I've got to spend time cutting that up tonight. I don't mind - I'm pretty fast at it. But still, a whole watermelon does take a bit of time. 

DH bought another whole watermelon. Now I 
just have to find a few minutes to get it cut 
up and into the refrigerator. It's sitting on the 
kitchen counter until tonight, when I'll get 
that done. He's been pretty good about getting 
tasty ones, hopefully this one will be great. 

I wanted to finish up at least one of the pictures I need to glass in, so worked on the smaller one yesterday. I'm not happy with the mat. It's perfect from right to left, but on the top/bottom, the top left is 1/8" off and the bottom right is also 1/8" off. I'll need to cut a new mat for it before I mount it, put it into the frame, and call it finished. 

I really thought I'd have one piece of completed art 
to bring back to the shop. But no ... I'm not happy with 
my interior mat. I think now that I've adjusted the blades 
better, it'll be an easy re-do, but it's still a re-do on 
something I thought was complete. *sigh*

So, I'm declaring the top level of the house complete (except for dusting my dragons), and most of the main level also complete. That leaves me with the lower level remaining, and that's not horrible. I'll have a clean house before Sharon arrives, guaranteed. So, let's see if photos will work for my blog today. Have an excellent Thursday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

It Was Hot but Fun at Renaissance Festival

Yesterday was our first day at this year's Renaissance Festival. We walked the grounds, listened to my favorite choral group and walked the grounds again. DH's hip is really hurting him today as a result. I got my miles in and was quite pleased at the day. We finished the day with a drink on the patio and worked on our computers until bedtime. 

We got a late start yesterday, so missed the opening dialogs, 
but it was an easy check-in because we were late too, so that 
was a plus. We got our medallions for the year and we're set 
for the season. Voila! 

The fire certainly hit the Ren, although not quite where I thought it had. I thought it was on the far end of a stretch, instead it was on the near end. But, most of what burned were food stands, and the few shops that burned will have to think about whether they want to reopen in a different space or do a rebuild for next year. Right now there are "Tuff Shed" storefronts along a stretch of the main drag leading towards the wine bar and coffee stand. Thank goodness they weren't affected, nor were the two Mead booths that are the very beginning and the very end of that stretch of Fest. LOL

The damage caused by the fire was extensive, but mostly 
hit several food booths. It hit Pterodactyl Leather, a jewelry 
booth and one other crafter's booth, then two food booths, 
and a beer booth were toast. There was damage across 
the way at the soft drinks booth, and the wine booth 
also had some damage, but was able to be open again by 
this weekend. It was VERY close to the coffee stand which 
would have been truly tragic! LOL

After walking the grounds, which really bothered DH's hips, we settled in to listen to my favorite chorale group who gave their usual excellent and rousing performance. They were a bit disorganized, it was the first weekend after all, but I suspect they'll have the routine totally under their belts by the time Sharon arrives and we're back out there in two weeks. 

I adore listening to the Court Revelers. They open their 
day with an 11:00 am performance at the Vikings Pub. They 
have three additional performances through the day, 
but those are at the Queens Pub which is quite a bit smaller. 
These guys are my favorites, though. I've been listening 
to them every time I'm at Ren Fest for years and years. 

The State Fair opens on Thursday and Chickie, as usual, will take the day off to wander the fairgrounds, sample lots of different foods, and generally give us updated texts throughout the day. I'm not looking forward to working solo with DH for two days this week, but she's certainly entitled to her vacation days and always spends the opening day of the Fair out there. My friend Sharon flies in on the 28th (Sharon, please email me your flight information again, I have lost the printout somewhere on my desk or in my laptop bag - *sigh*). I can hardly wait for my days at the Fair. As I've said many times, there's just nothing like it. 

DH's hips are bone against bone so walking can 
be very painful. Renaissance and the State Fair 
are nothing BUT walking - from here to there to 
here again. It's going to be a tough few weeks for 
him. 

I am worried about DH's ability to walk as much as we'll be doing over the next few weeks. His hips are rubbing bone on bone - very painful. He was a trooper walking the Ren Fest yesterday, and we were parked at the very end space of the parking lot row, so it was a long haul in and out too. Add to that a second day at Red with Sharon, Chickie, Chickie Mama (?) and I, and walking the State Fair for one evening and a full Sunday ... I wonder how mobile he'll be after I drop Sharon off for her flight back home on Tuesday morning after Labor Day. Still, he's a trooper (and a stubborn goat). 

In the far distance of this photo you can see the skyline 
of Minneapolis. The foreground of the photo is all 
State Fairgrounds property. The buildings and other 
structures you're seeing are all on the Fairgrounds. It's 
a BIG spread of land and Sharon and I walk it several 
times each year. Lots of exercise. LOL

So I'm grabbing breakfast and heading out to the shop. I'm quite sure DH will have me doing many things I'd rather not be doing today, and I never know how busy we'll be as we head into Fair week. Sometimes we'll get dealers looking to get a few new items to sell there, other times we'll get people who have come in town for a few days and will drop by on their way to or from the Fairgrounds. It's always an interesting time of the year. Have a great Monday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

Framing, Family and Peppers - It Was a Full 24 Hours

I spent most of yesterday working with the mat cutter. I wasn't happy with the cuts I was getting, and the blade wasn't inserting properly, so I tore it apart (again), cleaned and greased the bar along which the cutting heads move, and took the blade holder completely apart to find out what I was doing wrong. I don't know how to explain it, but I did figure it out, got the blades re-inserted (properly this time), and got it threaded back onto the guide rod. Then I adjusted that rod to give me a completely straight cut, and voila! I'm back in business. 

The mat cutter is a fairly simple piece of equipment, and when 
it is adjusted properly, it gives beautiful cuts. It was slightly 
off, so I took it apart and readjusted things. Now it's giving 
me the perfect cuts I demand. 

Today I'm cutting two pieces of glass at the shop. One of them is fairly large, so I'll need to be careful getting that one home. The other one is much smaller, so not as much of a transportation headache. We'll stop by the house on our way out to my oldest Niece's home. Her son is the hockey goalie I've spoken of before. He'll be a high school freshman this Fall, but he's going to be going to school in Wisconsin, while he's joined the feeder hockey club that has recruited him as a potential professional player. This is a HUGE step for him, and we're all very proud of what he's accomplished to this point. We're all considering this a graduation celebration, although it would still be 3-4 years before his real High School graduation would occur. He might not ever have that High School graduation, however. If he continues to excel in hockey, he'll be drafted by a professional team, work in their feeder clubs while honing his skills to a higher level, and (perhaps) be moved up to their top tier team eventually. Yeah ... he's that good! 

Flynn would normally be starting school at Centennial 
High School this Fall, and of course be on their 
hockey team. But he's being snatched up to be on a 
feeder professional team instead, and will be going 
to high school in Wisconsin, staying with a host family 
for the season. It's a BIG step upward towards his 
goal of being in the National Hockey League. 

I'm totally focused on the State Fair now. It opens Thursday, the 21st, and Chickie will be taking the day off to attend the Fair on that day, as she usually does. Sharon will fly in on the 28th and we'll be at the Fair on the 29th, 30 & 31st, and on to Ren Faire on the 1st. I'll drop Sharon back at the airport on the 2nd. 

Not everyone is into the MN State Fair, but I adore it and 
Sharon does also, as does Chickie. Jim tags along on 
one Saturday night, and all day the following Sunday. He 
loves it too, just not as much as the three of us do. We're 
admitted State Fair addicts. 

Speaking of Renaissance Festival, it opens today. We'll be heading out to the grounds tomorrow to collect our tickets and medallions for the year, say "Hello" to various friends, wander the grounds, listen to some music, and then head home early. It's been a hard week for DH and he'd rather spend his time sitting in the back yard than wandering the Fest grounds. I can get on board with that. 

There's something magical about Renaissance Festival, 
even though it's not as much fun as it used to be. It's still 
a good time with good friends, beer and music. All well 
worth my time and effort. 

So, I need to empty my dehydrator and start getting ready for work. I put a bunch of different hot peppers into the dehydrator yesterday and they should be done. If not, I'll turn the dehydrator on again for another few hours. I put in habanero, jalapeno, serrano and that large ristra red that I showed all of you last week. I'm hoping they dried well overnight and are ready for storage jars until I put them through the chopper. 

That's it for now, have an excellent Saturday and I'll be back on Monday. Slava Ukraini. 

It's NEVER Too Early to Think About the Minnesota State Fair!

Minnesota State Fair admission tickets went on sale yesterday and I immediately purchased the nine tickets I'll need. They're all loaded up on my phone now, ready to be scanned. I'll need to figure out how to print some out - DH comes after work one day and Chickie joins us on Sunday. I wasn't having any luck printing my tickets yesterday, but I'll try again later today and see if I'm any luckier. I always feel better with paper copies - you never know what might happen to a phone signal when you need it. 

The Minnesota State Fair, aka the "Great Minnesota 
Get--Together" put their pre-sale tickets on sale 
yesterday. (I drive by this entrance to the Fair every day 
to and from work). Getting the tickets early saves a little 
bit of money. Not a huge amount, but some. I still remember 
tickets under $10. Yesterday's tickets were $17/each and 
I buy nine of them. Oh well, it's only money, and it's for 
some of the best days of the year for me. 

I'm still pending on that mail order. I got a message from the customer late last night - that she's still thinking about a couple of things. I've responded that her current order is invoiced and packed and just awaiting payment, and that I'd be happy to start a second order for her, but this one needs to get moving. There are some colors in her order that I had very few of - where she's buying all of the remaining stock I have. If I have a local customer coming in for one of those colors, the computer is going to tell me that I still have some in stock. But I really don't because it's part of my customer's order. I need to wrap this first order up and she can start a second one if she wants. 

I have a box similar to the one on the left in this 
photo, filled with Swarovski crystals and ready to 
send to my California customer. But, I need her 
credit card before I can send it. Hopefully she'll call 
with that today. I need this wrapped up before the end 
of the week or our books will really be screwed. 

It's my last day of swimming this week. It's been cold - the water has been perfection, but the actual weather has been cooler than we usually have in early June. It's made for some very quick runs out to the pool, and even faster runs back into the building. AND, the sauna is out of order, so we can't even dart into there to warm up slightly before taking our showers after swimming. That sucks! However, being in the pool, listening to my book and swimming ... that's wonderful. I'm not a fast swimmer, but I'm in the water for a minimum of 45 minutes of continuous swimming. So it's a good workout. 

This is our pool during the day. We're usually pretty crowded 
at 5:00 am. My lane is usually shared with at least one other 
person. But if we are joined by a third, I do warn people that 
I'm not a fast swimmer, so they'll be passing me regularly. I'm 
not a total turtle, but I was never speedy, even when I was 
young. I just plod along, stroke by stroke like a turtle ... LOL. 

So I hope all of you have a fabulous Thursday. I'm hoping today will see resolution of the mail order and a correction to our stock on hand quantities that will allow me to accurately respond to my in store customers when they ask if something is available for purchase. I had some fun customers yesterday, I hope I'll have some fun ones today as well. Have an excellent Thursday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

A Synopsis of the MN State Fair - Life Returns to "Normal" Again

I always gain weight at the State Fair - it's almost mandatory, but I've already dropped three pounds and only have another one before I'm right back to my normal weight. I can't even think that I ate that much - I actually didn't. But on the final day, when we were with DH, we were more food oriented. Sharon and I tend to ignore most of the food - or Sharon wants this or that but I skip it. DH wanders here and there for this and for that, and we also ended up spending a good deal of our end-of-day time in the Frontier Bar - our usual hangout. But all is good, the three pounds I gained are already almost all gone. 

This is our usual hangout when we need to rest our feet 
for a while. The Frontier Bar at the State Fair is one 
of a row of bars and eating places for people to relax in 
while recovering for the next walk-a-bout. We love the 
Frontier, it's loud, but relaxing for us. We can still 
carry on a conversation, or just chill and enjoy the music. 

Sharon was put onto her plane (well, dropped at the airport door, to be honest - LOL) and is home again, welcoming her kitties and her sister and recovering from her annual visit. She's welcome any time - it's always such a joy to see her. We were disappointed in my local steak house this time, so I'll try a different one, closer to downtown St Paul, next time. Except for that slight disappointment, it was a perfect visit. We had a chance to catch up, and it cleared my head enough to write once again. 

 I didn't think I'd get a story done in time for tonight's 
deadline, but I actually managed one. The voting will 
open tomorrow and I'll send along the link and request 
your votes (which really DO make a difference). 

Stories for the current LJ Idol are due at 7:00 pm today, and I actually had an idea and a chance to sit and write, so I pulled my "Bye" back, and submitted a story yesterday afternoon. When everything is live and I need votes, I'll put the link here (probably in tomorrow's post). I love it when ideas come to me off the top and I'm allowed to run with them. I'm pleased with this particular tale. 

Chickie leaves for vacation soon, and I'll be stuck 
working six day weeks for that time span. I'm 
NOT looking forward to it AT ALL. But, she 
certainly deserves her vacation. 

Chickie leaves on her vacation on the 23rd. She's taking two weeks to go to the East Coast for a family thing. DH and I may kill each other during those two weeks. We'll have to work six days a week with each other, and that means I don't get the bathroom breaks I need, my lunch is an afterthought, and I don't have an immediate second person on the sales floor to help when I'm pulling stock for customers. It's a problem. For a day or so, we manage. For an extended period of time, we barely tolerate it. *sigh* But ... nothing to be done. She's well entitled to her vacation. She's earned it. 

Life is now returning to "normal" although that really 
won't happen until AFTER Chickie's upcoming 
vacation. I'm certainly NOT looking forward to working 
six days a week while she's out of town, but she 
certainly deserves her time off. So, I'll bitch and 
moan, but I'll do what I have to and make it work. 

So, I'm off to the pool. The outdoor pool is now closed and we're back in the indoor pool. That tends to be less crowded because our visitors from other branches of the YMCA stay at their own pools instead of coming out for our outdoor Olympic-sized pool. Life is returning to normal. The BIG Ferris Wheel was missing all of it's carts by the time I drove home yesterday. Only the skeleton of the wheel was silhouetted against the evening sky as I drove home from work. The Fair is officially completed again for the year. 

We set attendance records for five days this year, but fell slightly short of making an annual record, which is still held by our 2019 record of 2,126,551 total attendance. Interested in how we stacked up compared to other years? Here's a link - check it out. Texas might have larger numbers, but that's because they're a longer Fair. If they were open for our number of days, we'd be leaving them to wilt in the hot Texas sun - LOL. I'll chat again tomorrow, and give you the link to my latest story which will be open for voting by then. Have an excellent Wednesday. I'll be doing laundry and laundry and more laundry - LOL. Slava Ukraini.