Hell Week Has Arrived *Sigh* - I Can Hardly Wait for Next Week

It's 5:40 am on my first day of "hell week" and DH is already up and expecting conversation. No. The only conversation I have in the early mornings are with you, my readers, and within my own head. I have no great desire to be sociable at 5:30 am. His normal time to wake up is 6:30 am. Why he decided it was appropriate to awaken an hour early ... *sigh*. Argh! 

Six days in a row working with DH, no days 
off to release pressure through cooking, and 
no real help at the shop. Oh joy! NOT! 

We did have a nice, although cold, day at Fest yesterday. Our friend Ben who owns/operates one of the leather stores there was one of many honored by the King for service - he got his 20-year medallion and certificate. Very nice. He spent a long time at the outdoor court chatting with this person and that person, and later, when I was at the shop speaking to his wife (a dear friend), he came back to the shop in a human drawn "cabriolet". OMG!! But, it was a big day for him, and we all laughed. 

Our King and Queen at the Fest. We've had the same King 
for quite a few years now. We've gone through a few 
Queens in the years I've attended, but only a couple 
of Kinds. Maybe the job of King is easier? Hard to say - LOL. 

DH and I decided to purchase our Season Tickets for next year yesterday, instead of holding out until this coming Sunday. We probably will skip Ren on Sunday - we have the State Fair Gem and Mineral Show to attend, and it's a solid hour drive out to Fest and again back. We decided to save the gas and wear and teat on Minion and go ahead and skip final weekend. 

Chickie and Chickie Mama are flying into New York 
City today. They are thrilled that they will be in the 
audience of a taping of "The View", and there are a few 
other minimal things they want to do in the City, but 
most of their time will be spent with family, north of 
the City, near West Point. 

Of course, today is also the day that Chickie and Chickie Mama fly to New York for the family wedding. They have First Class tickets (they are NOT the person who purchased them - that's beyond their budget by far). Chickie informed me that they had already reserved their specific meals, and bemoaned the fact that since neither of them drink alcohol (health issues), they would not be able to enjoy the endless booze. Personally, I'd skip the meal (toxic food ... no thanks!) and have a wine or two. Different strokes for different folks. 

I do hope that Chickie and Chickie Mama have a great time 
at the family wedding and in NYC, but I'm going to have 
a personal week from hell having to rely on DH to actually 
be helpful at the shop. *sigh*

So, as I embark on seven days in a row working with DH, think kind thoughts for me. If anyone can drive me totally over the edge, it's having to rely on DH at the shop when he's usually hiding in the basement doing lord only knows what. *sigh* It's going to be a VERY long week. Have an excellent Monday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

So Many Pans in my Fire, and I'm Not Even Talking About Writing!

I'm running a bit late today, and it's a laundry and cooking and shopping day. It's my last laundry, cooking and shopping day for several weeks. For the next two weeks, I'll be grabbing time as I can because I'll be working six day weeks and I won't have my "day off". Sucks~but Chickie well deserves her vacation. As I recall, she didn't take any vacation at all last year, or maybe just a day here and there. (I could be wrong about that - there might have been a trip to Montana built into her schedule). Still, she deserves her vacation. 

It's a bit too early in the year for us to have 
leaf turn, but within a month or so, we'll 
be multiple colors. The trees are already 
starting to turn and Fall in the Frozen 
Northlands is a spectacular season. 

Vacation - what thoughts do you have when that word is mentioned? For me it's sandy beaches, palm trees, sun and surf. Since I've experienced that so rarely in my life, I'll blame media for that vision. Television and movies have cemented that experience into my brain as an "acceptable" vacation. But I would be fine just having an extended period of a week or two away from the shop. That would be ample "vacation" for me. I'm quite happy at home, and I need to do a major clean before my treadmill can be delivered and set up. 

When I Google "Summer Vacation" for images, almost 
every one features a beach and summer sun dancing on 
the waves. Almost 100% of the images. What? Summer 
doesn't exist in a small cabin in the Rocky Mountains? 
To experience Summer you have to be at a beach? Really? 

Speaking of the treadmill, I'll have to call her today. I haven't heard from her in a couple of days, and I still have no date for delivery. I haven't paid them yet either, so I'm fine with the delay. I also am quite sure I'm far from the only person who ordered equipment from them at the State Fair. Those booths are not inexpensive, and they can't afford to be there just to be a showcase for equipment. But, with Chickie's vacation coming up, I fear I may not actually have my new treadmill until the middle of next month. I comfort myself with the thought that I haven't had a functional treadmill for more than two years, so a few more weeks won't make a difference. But I really, really REALLY want my treadmill - LOL. 

I did call and get the ball rolling on a new phone system 
for the shop. Yesterday was filled with dealing with the 
paperwork and filling out form after form. I think the 
system I chose will work well for us, and it should actually 
save us quite a bit on our current monthly rate because 
we'll be dropping one carrier and going with a different 
one. Still hoops to jump through, but I got a good start 
on everything. 

So, since I'm not on a treadmill, I'm dressed for the swimming pool. It'll be a very busy Wednesday all around, so I'm going to wrap this up. Stories are due on Thursday, so I'll be posting voting information for all of you on Friday. Have a truly wonderful Wednesday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

Miscellaneous This and That - A Bit of Kvetch, Too

DH and I had decided to skip Renaissance Festival this past Sunday and have a relaxing day enjoying football. I asked him for a read-through of my latest story for LJ Idol, which he did, and his suggestions were quite helpful. After a lot of writing and re-writing, I think I have it ready to submit. Of course, last story, although I did manage to survive another week, I was still in the bottom for voting. I know that's because I don't have a wide circle of outside friends or relatives I can ask to vote for me, and I'm VERY appreciative of each and every one of you who do cast your vote in my favor. I'll submit my next story today and it will go live later in the week. As the saying goes ... I live to write another day - LOL. 

I live to write another week, and this week's tale 
will be posted today. I don't think voting will open 
until later in the week, I'll let all of you know. 

My first task this morning (after my meditation, shower and brewing a cup of tea) was to find a supplier for a new batch of Mr Clean Thin Eraser. They're amazingly difficult to find but I vastly prefer them over the thicker eraser pads that you find everywhere. One complete clean of my shower will destroy any pad, and with the thin ones,  I get 16 pads in a box. Over time, it's far more economical for my usage. But it's hard to find. I finally found a good price on a carton from a cleaning supply company in Pennsylvania. I ordered five containers of four boxes each. That will keep my in stock for a minimum of six months, probably closer to a year. 

I prefer using the thin sheets to clean my 
shower and bathrooms. They do fall apart, 
but so do the thick ones. I get 16 in a box 
of these, so they actually last a LOT longer 
than the thicker cleaning pads do. 

I start my last week of comfortable work schedule today. Chickie goes on a two week vacation starting next week, and DH and I will have to work six days a week at the shop for two weeks. That will be as close to hell as I can possibly think, and I'll be MORE than grateful when she gets back into town. DH tends to spend most of his time in the basement, or growling about bills and cash flow. Either way, he's always in a bad mood, and I hate being tied to my space on the sales floor without even the ability to get any computer work done. If anything will crash and burn my writing contest for me, it'll be Chickie's vacation. She well deserves the time off, but two weeks in a row is harsh for DH and I. 

While Chickie is away on vacation starting next week, 
DH and I will have to work six day weeks to have two 
people at the store at all times. I won't get my days off, 
nor will he. That's the reality of working with a small 
staff - you have to pitch in for one another. But we rarely 
take blocks of time off. She's taking two full weeks off 
in a row. *sigh*

Still, I have one "normal" week left, and I'm going to try and enjoy it to the fullest - LOL. On that note, I'm going to wrap this "kvetch" fest up and start my day with a nice cup of tea and breakfast. Have a lovely Monday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

After Tomorrow's Post, I'll Be At the Fair For a Few Days

Sharon arrives tomorrow, so today my schedule is cleaning the main floor of the house, making my food for next week (she leaves on Tuesday) and making sure that everything is ready for her visit. In some ways I'm ahead on cleaning, in others ... well, not so much. A good dusting would probably be a good idea in my living room - LOL. But it will be what it is. I'm not going to go totally crazy here. I have peppers to harvest, and I have a LARGE zucchini that needs to be harvested and cooked. It'll provide my meals for after Sharon leaves. 

I have one large zuccini that I'll be harvesting today. I need 
to get that stuffed and baked so that I'm not wasting it. I didn't 
have very good luck with my zukes this year, but I've enjoyed 
what I've done. This one is a bit large, so baking it seems the 
best idea. 

Of course, DH has been taking over both my side of the refrigerator, and now my small part of the freezer. GRRRRR He has problems with border maintenance - rather like Putin. I'm getting quite disgusted with him and quite angry. He can't resist a sale on items he actually does eat. But I need room for my food as well, and that seems to be a forgotten thing. Right now, DH can't fit a single box into his side of the freezer any more. I'm NOT giving him permission to take my space - it's needed. 

I have to keep my side of the refrigerator and freezer 
firm. I cook (a lot) and I need that space, despite 
the fact that since I have Sharon visiting, it's not 
as filled as usual. He'll take over any unfilled 
space - rather like fungus. *sigh* 

So, the war of the person who buys for the Apocalypse vs the person who buys for the week ahead only continues. Do you have/know people like DH? - People who can't resist a good sale on items that we use ... but don't need at that time? It might come back to lock-down a few years ago when we stocked up on toilet paper, etc because it was in short supply. The supply lines seem to be working well once again, but DH is still buying like there's no stock tomorrow. 

As I mentioned yesterday, voting is open for stories 
in this round of LJ Idol. I'd appreciate your vote if 
you think my haiku poem merits it. There are a lot 
of excellent stories out there, just please, don't vote 
for all of them. That rather defeats the purpose of a 
vote, you know? LOL URL/link was in yesterday's post.

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, my latest story is up and I'm asking for you to take a look (it's quick - I used poetry this week - haiku). If you liked it, please vote for me. This is a competition - a vote for me helps me stay alive for another week. A vote for everyone accomplishes exactly nothing. There are some excellent stories out there - but pick and choose carefully for which ones you'll cast your votes. Fairly soon we'll be switching formats a bit, but I've really only done this once before, (maybe twice before). I'm not experienced, like others on the list. 

Not a photo from this year, but this is the main East gate 
to the Fairgrounds. I used to live one block away from this 
entrance, so we'd pop over any time we wanted to grab 
some food or just wander for an hour or two. It's more expensive 
now, and we live a few miles farther away, but the magic 
is still there. That State Fair magic that I can't resist. 

Anyway, tomorrow I'll post, but then I'll be on State Fair Silence until next Wednesday - a LONG time for me to be silent. I'll be at the State Fair for three days, and the Renaissance Festival for one day, before I return Sharon to her airplane home so that she can rejoin her sister and her cats. LOL. Have an excellent day, I'm off to the pool and I'll be back tomorrow. Please read, please vote if you like my haiku. Slava Ukraini. 

One More Day - I Will Survive

Tomorrow I'll actually have the first day off in more than a week. I can hardly wait! I have a suspicion that swimming tomorrow will be pushed off a day - we're expecting thunderstorms in the early morning - but I'll deal with that as it comes. All I know is I have only one more day at the shop before I finally have a day off again and I can hardly wait. 

I'm very pleased, although I'll be even more pleased at 
6:00 pm tonight, when I realize I actually have a day 
off tomorrow. LOL

DH has been working hard on the basement area - patching the concrete flooring, sweeping, moving things around, and putting up wall coverings on the crumbling concrete foundation walls. It looks almost civilized! Quite shocking! LOL

DH and I both have an assortment of trowels in 
the basement. We have trowels for cement, but 
also sharpened trowels that we used for archaeological 
excavation when we were still practicing 
archaeologists. The trowel was a standard 
tool at every excavation I worked for many years. 

Apparently yesterday's planned agenda was stymied by the lack of a trowel. He was certain he had one at the shop, but he was mistaken. He had brought it back home after the last concrete job a few weeks ago. He needed it yesterday and was out of luck. I noticed it with his car keys this morning - he'll be able to do whatever was on his agenda today now. 

We've been pretty fortunate this summer. We've had some 
very hot days, but generally, things have been pretty 
comfortable. The early mornings, when I awaken, have 
been almost perfect. 

I'll be getting back into the pool again, and what a delightful way to begin the last month of Summer. Yes, up here in the Frozen Northlands, we're looking at the end of summer staring back at us. Sharon will arrive at the end of the month, the State Fair will start in and the Renaissance Festival begins the weekend of the 19th. The warm months are moving to a close. We've had a few very hot days so far this year, but not many. I know my friends throughout the world are burning up - too much heat. I feel quite fortunate to be living in the Frozen Northlands. I might have my miserable winters, but I don't get a lot of miserable days in my summers. 

On that note, I'm off to enjoy my swim. Have a glorious Tuesday and first day of August and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

Sharon Arrives Today - I'll Be On "Radio Silence" Until the 7th (Maybe the 6th)

So, my dear friend Sharon arrives mid-day today and I'm on "radio silence" until after I take her back to the airport next week Tuesday. We'll have a nice meal out at Red Lobster tonight, and start with the State Fair for three days in a row beginning on Friday, then we'll end with a day at Renaissance Festival on Monday and I'll take her to the airport on Tuesday morning before heading back to work. It's almost a full week away from the gym, but we walk (a LOT) and we talk (a LOT) and we generally have a fantastic and wonderful catch-up time. 

I was one of thousands who attended George Washington 
High School in Denver, Colorado. It was a huge school 
then, and it's much larger now. The worst thing was having 
a class in the basement of the South wing followed by a 
class on the third floor North of the East wing. Getting 
through the hallways and arriving on time was always 
a crap shoot for those days. 

Sharon and I met in High School. She was one of the group of friends I gathered around me. I think it was 1970, but it could have been 1971. We went to different colleges, and I kept moving around the country, but we were always in touch - mostly by letters at that point - no internet or computers yet. (No, we didn't have to chip out our letters on stone tablets and hire runners to deliver them to the next village). 

Any of you thought about how difficult communication used 
to be in the old days? The days before pens and paper, 
the post office or the internet? I'm in touch with many 
people every day now, and almost all of them are many 
miles away from me. I LOVE modern technology! 

I got married in 1979 and Sharon was invited, of course. I got married in Denver, so that was easy for her, a small bit of a logistical nightmare for me since I was already living in Minnesota, DH was finishing his M.A. in New Mexico, and we were all scattered. But after the wedding things settled down a bit. I invited Sharon to come up for a few days and visit Minnesota, and she started coming up in 1980, maybe 1981 latest. At first we would wander around the state a bit, but in 1984 I suggested she come up for the State Fair. My house at that time was 1/2 block away from the Fair, so super close. DH and I would go over almost every day. We were addicted. 

My first house in St Paul was located 1/2 block away from 
the main entrance to the State Fairgrounds. We were one 
street South, and 1/2 block East, and dropping over at the 
Fairgrounds for a quick meal or to see a show was easy. 
Now it's a bit more difficult, but the transport busses 
arranged by the Fair make getting to and from much 
easier. So we're still there several days every year, and 
it's still a magical place. 

Sharon came up and dove into the magic that is the State Fair and she's been coming up for the Fair every year since (with the exception of two years ago when the State Fair shut down because of  Covid). She missed one year when her mother died, but with that single exception, she's been here every year. She's like a sister to me - someone you can talk about anything with. She's a librarian, and an author, and totally one of my three best friends (I count DH and Chickie as my other two). I'm fortunate to have a friend like her - intelligent, fun, someone easy to talk to and someone easy to sit in silence with. Rare qualities, matched with intelligence and a great sense of humor. 

This photo is from 2017. Left to right - Chickie, DH, 
me and Sharon. We're a bit older, possibly a bit 
wiser, and I've lost my hair but gained my tattoo, so 
all things into account, life is still good. 

So I'll be posting again next week, starting up on Tuesday the 6th, or latest on Wednesday the 7th. It will take me a while to catch up on everyone else's posts, so I apologize in advance for belated commentaries. Have an excellent WEEK and I'll be back when I'm back - LOL. Slava Ukraini. 

Back to the Grindstone and a Week of Extra Work Days

I hope all of you had a wonderful 4th of July if you're in the USA, and/or a wonderful weekend if you're one of my out-of-the-country friends. We had a relaxing two days, despite the weather's best attempt at raining us out. The weather didn't succeed - the promised day-long rain yesterday never came and we were able to spend several hours sitting comfortably in the garden looking at the flowers and watching a hummingbird fly to and from my feeder. 

Frankly, I have no idea how they got the hummingbird 
to actually perch on their feeder. Mine are too active, 
flitting here and there, and changing their angle and 
direction almost constantly. They'll fly in for a quick 
drink, then back off, then back in again. It's exhausting! 

I'm delighted that a hummingbird has made my feeder a regular part of its' rounds, and I have baby birds in the flycatcher's nest with Mama Flycatcher flying back and forth feeding the greedy babies. I assume there is more than one, although one is all I've spied so far. Either way, life goes on and the summer moves on. 

Mama Flycatcher is working very hard to 
feed her demanding babies. I assume there's 
more than one, although I've only seen the 
beak of one above the nest edge so far. 
Greedy little buggers - LOL. 

This week will be hectic. Chickie is off several days at the end of this week while she and Chickie Mama go down to Mayo Clinic for some tests. It means I'll have to work on Friday instead of having a day off, so I need to make sure the things I would normally get done that day are finished on the one day I have to do them - Wednesday. It makes for a rather ooff week, and DH will have to work on both Thursday and Friday, while I'm working on my Friday. I think Chickie is back at work on Saturday, although I'll have to check the store calendar to be sure. 

It's nice living in Minnesota where going to the Mayo Clinic 
is a clear possibility. It takes a long time to get an appointment, 
but Chickie Mama is going for tests on Thursday and Chickie, 
since she had to drive her down, scheduled some stuff of 
her own for the same dates. 

I'm running late today - I spend a bit longer in my morning meditation - so I'm signing off now. If you get a chance to read my latest LJ Idol submission - America - I posted it on the 4th of July. Highly appropriate for this one. Also, don't forget Le Tour de France is on again today, and they are finally away from Denmark (which was quite beautiful). Have an excellent day and I'll be back tomorrow. I'm off to the pool! 

Sharon Arrives Tonight - I'll Be Off-line For A Few Days Now

I got caught up in emails this morning, so I'm running really late. I'll be spending today housecleaning once again, before I pick Sharon up from the airport tonight. We'll be at the State Fair on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and then at the Renaissance Faire on Monday, I'll drop Sharon back at the airport on Tuesday morning before heading back to the shop and back to work. 

I got Sharon's bedroom vacuumed and cleaned, and 
the bed set up and made. Her robe is waiting on 
the bed, there are batteries in the TV remote, and 
she's ready to relax. 

I don't often have my Rio Grande spinning wheel and my 
drum carder (behind the wheel) visible, so I thought 
I'd take this opportunity to share two of my favorite 
things. I adore this spinning wheel, but it's a very large 
item and simply takes too large a footprint to join 
my other wheels in the den. 

The house is starting to look better, it's not 100% yet, but I did get a lot done yesterday and although I still have a lot to do today, I'm pretty sure I'll be comfortable allowing someone into my home - LOL. I have pictures to share. 

The hallway is clean and vacuumed, my 
wall of dragons (on the left) still needs 
to be dusted. That's on today's agenda. 

Sharon's bathroom is completely clean and 
settled after the flood on Sunday and the 
toilet replacement on Monday. The carpets have 
been washed and replaced, and her linens 
have also been washed and fluffed. 

I'm going to make this post short and sweet. I'll probably still be checking my emails (they stack up too much if I don't tackle them at least once a day, preferably twice). I wish all of you a wonderful few days and I'll be back posting on Tuesday morning. 

My Day Off is Trash and I'm Excited About the State Fair

It's Friday. It's supposed to be my "day off". But Chickie is taking today and tomorrow for vacation while she attends a fund-raiser in Madison, Wisconsin, so I have to work today with DH, and DH has to work tomorrow with me. The sacrifices we make for a small business. I'll survive, of course, but it does cut into my "clean Sharon's room" time and that clock is ticking down quickly. I'll have to redouble my efforts next week, because the week after that, I'm pretty sure I'll lose my Friday again since Chickie usually likes to attend the State Fair on opening day. 

I'll have to plot down exactly how much time I have left before 
Sharon arrives. Right now, her room is still unusable, but 
I can take care of that fairly quickly, if temporarily. It's the 
vacuuming and dusting that desperately needs to be done, 
along with one more scrub of the bathrooms and shower. 
Those take time, and time is NOT on my side right now. 

I bought our Blue Ribbon Bargain Books earlier this week and spent a little time yesterday going through the coupons and folding down pages. Basically, the Bargain Book contains coupons from more than 100 different vendors/events and is broken down into three categories: Things to Eat & Drink (the largest category by far), Things to Buy, and Things do Do. I always take advantage of my book, and have always saved far more than the $5 cost. I buy one for me and one for Sharon. 

I buy two copies of the Blue Ribbon 
Bargain Book for each State Fair. One 
for Sharon and one for me. We go to 
the Fair for three days in a row, so we 
get our use from it. The Fairgrounds are 
closed now, while the grounds are 
being prepared for the Great Minnesota 
Get-Together. I can hardly wait. 

The Fair announced that they will have metal detectors at every entrance gate this year. That's new, although they have inspected coolers, backpacks and handbags for several years. We also have new policing this year. Our long-time State Fair Police Chief retired a few months ago and the police force was disbanded. Now the Fair is subcontracting with the County Sheriff's department and it's costing a LOT more money and might succumb to heavy-handed tactics, which could be a problem in the crowds we generate. Still, it's the Fair. There will be the occasional fight, and once in a while a robbery after-hours, but in general, the State Fair is a safe zone. It's a melting pot of people from all parts of the state and beyond to converge, oooh and aaah, and have fun with their friends. You'll see heavily tattooed bikers next to 80-year-old Grandmas, looking critically at the cookies and discussing the opinion of the judges decisions and which cookie they think should have won the Blue Ribbon. 

DH always wants to look at the baked goods competition. 
He's never entered anything, and really only bakes for the 
holidays, but he loves to look at what people have done. 
I've entered beadwork of mine in the past, and have the 
State Fair ribbons ranging from Blue to White to prove 
it. I think I have more Red ribbons than any other color, 
so I've got a fair amount of second place awards. 

I'm getting my head into State Fair mode, I just hope I'll also have my house ready to go. Somehow I'll manage, but it won't be easy. I'm super excited, though. I'll be so happy to see Sharon once again. We adore the State Fair and I can hardly wait to be there again, riding the Big Ferris Wheel to look over the grounds, looking at the largest boar exhibit, and the beautiful horses, eating food that's definitely NOT WildFit recommended, and people watching - so many people. I might believe we've survived the pandemic once I'm on the Fairgrounds once more, even if I probably will wear a mask. 

There is nothing WildFit approved about Danielson's & 
Daughters Onion Rings, but it's my favorite food at the Fair. 
There is NO WAY I'm not having my onion rings. I'll also 
probably eat at least one foot-long hot dog (with ketchup), 
and I'm sure I'll have at least one beer. I still have eight 
pounds I want to release, but if I indulge at the Fair for 
a few days, gain some back, and then return to healthy 
eating again, I'll be just fine. The weight will come right 
back off, and I'll have had a vacation at a place I dearly 
love for a few days with my Best Friend, Chickie and DH. 

Have an excellent Friday. Safe travels to my friend from Missouri as she takes her daughter to Grad School in northern Florida. I'll be back tomorrow with more "As My World Turns", and as always, please be kind and stay safe. 

My Physical Therapist - The Man I Love To Hate

So I'm going on record that I hate (love) my physical therapist. The total workout he's now got plotted for me is a BEAST and I couldn't even do the second reps of some of the exercises. That's really rare for me, so I'm actually pretty happy. It's doing what we've got as our goals - moving for tired muscles which are then pushed to produce even more, without any pain involved. I can definitely see where doing these will result in stronger muscles and I'm totally on the "Man I Love To Hate" train. "Go Team Joseph!" 

I've found my PT to be excellent. My therapist has me doing something
quite similar to this five days a week, using light weights - one-pound
in each hand. 

DH got the results from his MRI yesterday when his orthopedist phoned him. Apparently he does have several small tears in his miniscus (that's at the knee joint). He discussed surgery down the line if it gets bad again, but when DH asked about physical therapy, he said he would put a referral in place for PT. Now DH wants to set up an appointment with my PT guy since "I seem to like him a lot". Well, yeah. I do like Joseph a lot. I also put the work into what he tells me to do. I'm not sure DH will be as diligent, but I guess we'll find out. I passed on the contact information and we'll see. 

Where my problem is with the Patella shifting unexpectedly, DH
actually has tears in his Meniscus.

Chickie has the day off today, one of the last two days off she'll get this year. It's always super inconvenient when she has a day off because I'm on the sales floor non-stop. Still, she deserves her vacation days and I can't fault her for wanting to take them. She mentioned something about replacing the hardware in one or more of her doors at her home. I'll get the report on Saturday. 

We're not quite there yet - we haven't had any snow (yet) and
we're just in the upper 20's (currently -1.66 C), but it's below
the freezing point, so it's a sign that Winter Is Coming! 

We've had our first sub-freezing overnight of the season and it's looking like I'll be leaving for the gym in cold temps. *Sigh* SO not happy about that. Still, I live in the Frozen Northlands and sub-freezing temps in late October are not unusual. I wonder what the temps will be for Halloween next week? 

Stay safe, be happy, and enjoy your Friday. I plan on being back here tomorrow - "Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel". *Hugs* to all. 

MN State Fair - Day 3 With Sharon, Chickie and DH

Day three, Sunday, was cloudy with a few quick rainstorms. Fortunately we were near the Fine Arts Building at that time, so we ducked into there and looked at the art exhibit, voted for our favorite pieces, and by the time we were done, the rain was too. DH went on ahead and spent several hours on his own looking through things at his own pace. "The girls" and I headed down toward the Creative Activities Building - one of the major stops for us. Again - photo heavy, but lots of wonderful things to share with all of you. 

I'll start out with this lovely 3-D beaded holiday
ornament by my customer, Judy Fey. This was one
of three ornaments she had in the show, one of four
different items she had entered. She won ribbons
on all of her work this year, so was quite happy. 

Sara Glantz, also a long-time customer, had several
items in the show, all with either 1st or 2nd
place awards. This lovely bead-embroidered necklace
was stunning. 

Kelly Churkland does amazing renditions of artwork in
beads using peyote stitch and Delica beads. They are
all quite large and every one of them is a masterpiece.
Her daughter had requested this one. Award ribbons are
eight inches from top to bottom, so you can get an idea
of the size of this piece. All beaded in small beads, then
mounted and framed. 

In the center of one side of the large building is an area for
demonstrations. There are always at least four different crafts
being demoed in an average day. On Sunday, it was the Weaver's
Guild with spinners in one quarter and weavers in another. I loved
the balloon sheep they were all wearing (head for the back
lady, wrist on the gentleman). 

Moving along to other winners I wanted to share, here's the Muppet
Band, a sweepstakes award winner. It was so fun to see these
guys made out of yarn, but just as exuberant and boisterous as they
would be on TV. 

Every year there is an invitational for the center-front display cast. This
year it was devoted to art glass and these three peas in the pod really
caught me. Each pea uses a different technique for the glass surface, and
they are placed in a shaped piece of glass that has been carved and
roughened for the pod. It was stunning and very difficult to pull off. 

This needlepoint sweepstakes winner was stunning. It was
needlepoint on cardstock, so any/every mistake would
show. The tension had to be perfect and the color choices
had to really meld. So pretty. 

This Halloween alphabet needlepoint had all of us
laughing. Here's what it says if you can't read it easily:
All Hallow's Eve - Bat - Candy - Dress Up - Eek! -  Frog -
Ghost - Haunted House - Icky - Jack O'Lantern - Key - Leaf -
Monster - Nightmare - October - Pumpkin - Quiver -
Really Scary - Spider - Trick or Treat - Ugly - Vampire -
Witch - Xtra Creepy - Yowl - Zombie. 

This embroidered piece had us all stunned. The silk was
treated in three places to pull the color away, the leaves and
grasses, as well as the fireflies were embroidered, single
strand thick. I'm hoping you can see that there are lines going
across from left to right. Each line was a pulled thread from
the silk background, creating a precise dimension and a
real feel of depth. It was outstanding. 

This little needlepoint had all three of us laughing. We all
remember The Monkees with great fondness, and knew
who each one of these small figures were without
a second thought. 

Home arts is also a large part of Creative Activities, with everything
from canned vegetables and pickles to cakes and cookies. Here was
the sweepstakes winner of one branch of the cookies competition - a
pair of perfect macaroons. 

After much more roaming, we finally gathered together at the Frontier
to rest up and to wait for sundown. Here's a rare picture of DH on the
left, and of course, Sharon directly across from me. 

To my right was Chickie. We spent a pleasant hour or so off our feet, and
spent quite a bit of time teaching Sharon about how to use her "new"
upgraded phone. We know there's a lot to learn with the new phones, but
I hope we were some help, showing her different applications we
consider essential. 

I loved the sign across from our table and immediately
thought of my cousin who has a couple of horses on
her land in Colorado. I'm pretty sure she'd agree
with this sentiment. We sat at the Frontier until
sunset, then toured the Midway. The Carnival games
and rides are always more fun with brilliant
neon and lots of noise. We just walk through, we don't
ride anything. 

At the end of the evening, we each bought our final bits of Fair food. I
indulged and had the ice cream sandwich I had been craving and it was
pretty good. Snickerdoodle cookies and vanilla iced cream. I decided
it was worth the calories for a once-a-year treat. 

So there you have it - our final day at the State Fair. It wasn't the end of our adventures, however. On Monday, we all awakened bright and early and headed out to the Renaissance Festival. I'll have some photos of that tomorrow and that will wrap up my photo blogs of my "vacation" with Sharon, Chickie and DH. I promise, more bird photos, because they're so beautiful and amazing to watch. In the meantime, have an excellent Friday and I'll be back tomorrow.