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. 

How Was Your May? Today Is The Last Day So Wrap Things Up Before June

So here it is, the last day of May. Another month wraps up and it's a good time to look back at the first few months of this year and reassess. How has your year been going? Are you on track to meet (or exceed) any personal goals you might have set for yourself? Or maybe you'd prefer a "do-over" instead? Well, you can't get the do-over, but you can take advantage of a brand new month beginning tomorrow. 

It's the last day of May today. Tie up your loose 
ends and start strong and new tomorrow. Don't 
worry about unfinished tasks, just understand 
that some things aren't meant to be completed 
quickly, just complete them within the fullness 
of your own time, to the best of your ability. 

A new month offers new possibilities. It will be a chance to clean that room you had planned on for May but just didn't get to. A chance to weed that part of the garden that you kept putting off. A chance to tell those you love how much you care for them - something that should be on your agenda all of the time in any case, but that sometimes gets forgotten. 

We should have some blooming lillies within two-three 
weeks. They've grown up tall, and are almost at their 
terminus and ready to put up buds. 

It will be a new opportunity to admire whatever weather and opportunities Mother Nature throws at you. Here, we'll have hot weather, some thunderstorms (some of which may be severe), maybe a tornado or few, and some hot days. We'll help our next door neighbors celebrate the High School graduation of their oldest child, and wish her well as she leaves the nest for a college in a different state. We'll watch our garden blossom into a riot of colors and shapes. Our lillies should bud and bloom in June, and our other plants, which were new little things not too long ago, will spread, grow and feature a riot of colors to attract the bees and hummingbirds. 

Our hummingbirds have definitely returned and are using 
the feeder. It's a lot of fun to sit outside and watch the 
little guys swoop in for a quick drink, then swoop back 
out again. Remarkable birds. 

Our hummingbirds will continue to come to our feeder. We've had hummers coming by now for approximately thee weeks. I checked with my oldest niece, and her hummers have been on the same basic schedule, so I chose properly when I put out my feeder. They've found it, and they flit in and out all the time while we're sitting on the patio, enjoying our Sundays. 

June is one month where we have no expectations. There is a holiday - Father's Day - but our fathers are long dead, and we don't have children, so that holiday passes us by. We can relax until the 4th of July, when the summer kicks into high gear and schedules will start to compress. 

My plans to attend my family reunion are undergoing 
revision in my head. It's just at a rotten time of the 
year, in a city that, although exciting, isn't really one I 
want to visit again, and I'll be compressed for time, so 
can't do the extra East Coast things I wanted to do. 
I'm probably going to pass on this yet again. Maybe we'll 
have another one in 2028. If so, I'll deal with it then. 

As for the family reuinion? I've pretty much given up on that one. Markus is staying at the Hotel St James, a block or so off from Times Square. I've never had a desire to see Times Square, although I've been to New York several times. I didn't check the room rates, but I'm sure it's up there - it's central NYC. But when it gets down to it, I just don't have the time, the money, or the time. Oh, did I mention the time? I have no idea if there will be another reunion in 2028, and I'm sure it will be in Europe again, not the USA, but I'll consider it then. Not now. 

On that note, I need to get moving. It's a "day off" for me, so busy, busy, busy. I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

Dentists, Doctors and Light - My Schedule is Toast!

I passed my dental appointment with flying colors, and had a chance to discuss braces with both Dr B and Dr Phan, as well as my long-time tech, Al. All agreed that my teeth were very crowded, and although my gums and teeth were in excellent condition, braces may not be a bad idea. So, I phoned up DeVoe Orthodontics when I got to the shop and set up an early morning consultation for the end of September (the first open time I could get for an early morning slot). I'm looking forward to it, and having something new starting in the fall may not be a bad thing at all. I'll probably also set up at least one appointment with one of the other two I had narrowed my choices to, so that I can make a choice between two or three options. 

Dr DeVoe apparently is a very popular 
guy. I couldn't get in to see him until 
the end of September. But that's OK. It 
took a lifetime for my teeth to get this 
crooked, I'm not in a major rush to spend 
the money to get them straightened. But I 
do want it done, finally - LOL. 

It's rather weird to be thinking about the end of summer already, when summer has barely started. But it's those things to look forward to that can keep me going. My landlord came over yesterday and helped with the lights. He found the problem in one of them and got that one going for us, and discussed options for the second light with DH, leaving him to handle the issue on his own. Which he did! After another hour or so of work on the ladder, he managed to get it together with minimal cursing. He made several mistakes which were purely stupid, but figured out work-arounds and now, after more than a year of darkness in that part of the store, we have light. I'll have to put used bulbs into Minion and add taking them for recycling into my schedule for tomorrow or Friday. 

It's quite delightful to have light in that darkened 
part of the store again. DH is "slightly" more comfortable 
with electricity now, but I'm not sure he'll ever 
truly be comfortable with it. The only rewiring that 
has been done at home has been my own doing. Necessary 
for one hall light that wasn't staying on. 

This week I get my two days off, but next week I'm crammed again - after my eye doctor on Wednesday, I need to come into the shop because Chickie Mama needs to be driven to Mayo for a consultation with her doctors that afternoon. I'm trying to get a ton of things done tomorrow and Friday so that losing the majority of next week's Wednesday won't mess me totally up. It's still going to be a PITA for the next couple of weeks, though. 

I try to have a fairly scheduled week because I'm 
always short on time. Next week will really suck 
because I won't have my laundry day and that will 
mess things up badly. But, I can't do anything about 
Chickie Mama's need to meet with her doctors. I'll 
have to figure something out for a work-around. 

I hope you followed my link and voted for my story "America", but even if you didn't vote, I hope you followed the link and clicked on some of the entries. There are some very talented writers in the group and some tales well worth reading. We're down to approximately 25 people now, so at least it's easier to read through the various offerings. I'll try to start weeding down my final choices for my own votes today or tonight. Lots to read and lots to enjoy. 

So, I'm out of here. I have a swimming pool calling my name, and a clear sky to greet the dawn. I hope all of you have a wonderful Tuesday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

Crystals, Books and The State Bird - My Thoughts Bounce In Many Directions

I spent a good 5+ hours yesterday working on my Etsy stuff. I realized that I'll need to find and resend my photos of the 8mm cubes to my laptop, but that I have the 4mm and 6mm cubes almost ready to post. I worked on the 4mm cubes yesterday and finally have all of the photo pages properly sized, lighted, double and triple checked, and ready to upload. I finally closed the laptop up at 8:30 pm, in time to watch a half-hour of TV before heading up to bed. Long day! 

I spent most of yesterday working on the 4mm cubes 
category of Austrian (Swarovski) crystals for Etsy. I 
think I've almost got this pounded into shape and 
ready to go. I'm trying something different now, 
splash pages of only nine colors with in-depth photos 
of each one. Hopefully that will work to increase 
views and sales. 

We have our new prompt for LJ Idol, and stories are due on Tuesday. It's an Irish word that I'd never heard of before, but just because it's one thing doesn't mean it can't become something else. I think I have a clear idea of the direction I want my tale to go. It'll be different, but if I can get it together, it'll also be fun. I ended up in the top 5 last week which was thrilling and so much fun. Thanks to all of you who were kind enough to vote for me. There are still 49 participants in LJ Idol, so quite a few in the group. It's always fun to see the many directions our writing takes us with each prompt. 

The Irish word craic is our prompt for this session 
of writing. I'm going off in a totally different direction, 
and I'm happy with the angle I'm choosing. I've learned 
a new word through this, though. LOL

I've decided I need to increase the Etsy price of my 8mm crystal cubes. Not by much, but by the time I add in the various miscellaneous charges, I'm making next to nothing on the crystal sales. This is experimental for us, and pricing is easy to change if it needs to be altered again, but that's my current decision. Today's job is figuring out what I need to charge for my 6mm and 4mm sizes. I can't upload and post them onto the site until I've determined the pricing. 

I'm in the middle of "Her Fearful Symmetry" 
right now and it's excellent. Such quirky 
characters, all so very different, and all 
put together into an interesting ghost 
story. I'm not even half-way through (just 
started it yesterday evening), but I'm 
recommending it. 

I'm reading an unusual book right now - unusual for me in that it's not my usual genre. But it's rather fascinating and it's pulled me in completely. It's called "Her Fearful Symmetry" by Audrey Niffenegger. It's a ghost story, and it was actually published more than a decade ago - in 2009. It's a fascinating read, though, and the characters are beautifully constructed, all damaged in some way or other. I'm enjoying it very much, but I'm glad I don't read mainstream often. I prefer my specific genres and this, although ghost stories are a lot of fun, just doesn't quite fit my norm. 

We grow a lot of things in Minnesota, but one crop 
we could do without is our mosquito crop. The 
flying, buzzing, biting insects are a total PITA and 
NOT beloved, although we jokingly say that they 
are our "State bird". 

So, I'm out of here. It's looking like we'll be starting out with rain today, but that will clear up around noon and then we'll be hot and muggy. The mosquitoes will love it. The unofficial "state bird of Minnesota" has already been buzzing around, and today's moisture and temps will only increase their attacks and population. *Sigh* It almost makes me wish for winter once again - LOL. Have a wonderful weekend and I'll be back on Monday. 

Contemplation and Endings Ahead - Summer Is Giving Way to Autumn

It's going to be a hot one this weekend. After 2-3 weeks of an early Fall, we're returning to Summer this weekend, with temps in the 90's and high humidity. It's steambath time, people, and we'll be sweltering in the humid heat tomorrow at Ren Fest. We've already decided to leave around 2:00 pm, to beat the crowds, and watch football at home, but also to get out of the heat. I'm totally in favor of that. 

Tomorrow's football game is the Minnesota Vikings 
vs the Arizona Cardinals. I haven't studied this matchup 
at all, so have no idea how well the Cardinals play, but 
it's football, so it'll be wonderful. 

My skin doctor got back to me yesterday, suggesting I see an allergist instead. Shortly afterward, I had a shout-out from one of the allergy doctors with two early times at my local clinic on Tuesday. I chose the earliest time, so I'll be seeing Dr Aldahan at 7:40 am on Tuesday. DH and I also discussed the time line. He reminded me that the whole allergy thing had actually kicked in about a week before the State Fair. The Fair and my food choices there might have accelerated the issue, but I was already having problems earlier in August. 

I'll be seeing Dr Aldahan early Tuesday morning on 
my way in to work. Hopefully he'll have some 
possible avenues to explore to eliminate the skin 
problems I've been experiencing for the past few 
weeks. I normally see all female doctors, so 
having a male doctor will be a real change for me. 

I had hoped to get some cleaning done yesterday, but I was completely exhausted, and ended up taking it easy for most of the day. Even my Friday stop at the grocery store was pretty minimal - more bottled water and a carton of almond milk. I caught up on computer work, joined a new group for spinning (hopefully it will inspire me to sit down and produce some yarn on at least one of my days off), and generally relaxed for the day. I needed that down-time. Of course, the phone call for my new doctor appointment took about an hour on hold with various people before finally getting shunted to the appropriate people to get it done. 

We attend the show every year (except last 
year, of course). In prior years they were 
located at one of the National Guard Armory 
locations south of the Twin Cities, and the 
show was held in mid-October. Now they're 
renting a building at the Fairgrounds and moved 
up the dates, so it might not be as cold outside 
as prior years, and we certainly won't see 
snow as we work through the outside dealers' 
selections of interesting stone. 

We'll be missing Ren Fest next weekend. The Minnesota Mineral Club's annual show and sale has been shifted on the calendar and now also has a new location. They will be at the State Fairgrounds, in one of the buildings on the south side, and instead of an October date, the sale will be held from Friday the 24th through Sunday the 27th. We never miss this show on a Sunday if we can help it, so we'll skip Irish Weekend next week, and go look at rocks instead. That will leave us a final week of Ren Fest for the 2nd and 3rd of October. It's hard to believe the summer has flashed by so quickly. 

It's always bittersweet to reach the end of the summer here 
in the Frozen Northlands. We're starting to see the trees 
turn scarlet and golden - so beautiful - but those brilliant 
colors also mean that Winter is Coming! Ick! 

Have a truly wonderful day and a good weekend. I'll be back on Monday with more of my saga, or maybe there will be something that will pull me into another tangent. I have a drabble to write, books to read, a house to clean, and festivals/shows to attend. Life is good. Take care, be safe and please be kind to others. We all need kindness in our lives. 

Summer is Progressing - Le Tour de France Begins on Saturday

So we're progressing slowly. DH is upset because I don't have final drawings from Rodney, Rodney is overworked at the tattoo studio and short on time, (although he's appreciating the input and additional visuals I've been sending him), and I'm right in the middle, trying to keep everything together. NOT! All I want is a tattoo. It should be simple, right? LOL. I guess, like most things in my life, simplicity will only happen after the fact, not before. 

One of my favorite times of the year is swiftly 
approaching - Le Tour de France has arrived once 
again. I'll get some profile maps and stage 
descriptions going. My summer has now officially 
started. 

Le Tour de France begins on Saturday. In the USA it will be broadcast on NBCSN and also live-streamed on Peacock. I have to take a hunt for the stage profiles so that I can keep putting it up for each day, as I've done for many years. Maybe I'll get some time today or tomorrow to do some web hunting and download some graphics. I'm so pleased that Le Tour is ready to go again. It's always a kick-off point of summer for me. 

This is the blender I purchased in early March. I use it 
almost every day and it has to deal with some pretty 
hard stuff - celery, peppers, various root crops or 
fruits sometimes. No matter what, it's coming through 
really well. But that smaller blade which I use on 
the cups to liquefy things a bit more is starting to 
leak. I ordered a replacement which will hopefully 
work a bit better. 

You might remember I had purchased a new blender in early March. My old blender simply wasn't up to the task of grinding together the various produce needed for my "Ogre Juice" drinks that we use to make sure we're up on our nutritional requirements in WildFit. I adore the blender - it's a workhorse - but there was one component that was leaking every now and again, so I contacted customer service. Although they couldn't replace it at no charge, they were able to sell me a new one at a reasonable cost and get it shipped out to me. So, I have a new emulsifier being sent to me which should be here in a few days. Hopefully the new one will leak less than the old one. 

I'm sure I'll remember on your birthday too, but there's 
nothing much better than being flooded with Happy 
Birthday wishes - LOL. 

Of course, my day was capped by my weekly conversation with Aearwen. I sat on the patio, watched a bunny race across my yard, and a squirrel run down my fence, then stop and scold me for being lazy. It was a beautiful day with a soft breeze pulling the heat level down a bit, and an hour spent chatting with a good friend made it even better. We'll miss next week's talk because I'll be getting my tattoo, but we'll catch up in July. Aearwen's birthday is coming up on Saturday, so wish her a Happy Birthday. Positive thoughts and memories are always appreciated, I'm sure. 

I've had people wonder about that large open 
disk above the scarab on my tattoo. I'm asking 
Rodney to put an Eye of Horus into that 
space. I had originally intended that to be a 
second session addition, but I'm pushing it 
ahead because the empty disk was really 
bothering people in my Facebook commentary. 

So, I'm wrapping this up and heading out to work. I have a lot to do today so I'd better get going on it. I have a 7:00 am appointment to get my car serviced on Friday, so tomorrow's post will be very short. Just warning you - LOL ... So stay safe, be kind, and I'll be back for a truncated post tomorrow. 

Scheduling Summer and Thoughts About Covid and Baseball (Random ... totally random)

I had a welcome email from Sharon in my in-box this morning. Her airplane reservations have been made and she's coming to the Twin Cities in September for the State Fair. So, unless the Apocalypse occurs, or we end up back in a Covid shutdown (Spirits and Heavens Forbid), we'll be one step closer to "normal" again, and I can hardly wait. 

I'm casting a spell to ensure that our lives here 
will be able to return to "normal" and we'll be 
able to celebrate together at the State Fair, 
the Renaissance Festival, and the various 
sporting and special events that are usually 
scheduled throughout the summer months. 

According to today's newspaper (yes, we still get the newspaper - we're old, remember? LOL), the state's current Covid count is under 100 a day now (we had 90 new cases yesterday). At it's peak, in late November, we had over 9000 new cases. We've come a long way. Vaccinations have certainly helped, but I think the long mask mandate and the sanitary procedures that most stores and public places instituted also helped a lot. Now that things are unlocking again, it's time to be happy because life is returning, but also cautious because what happened can happen again, quite easily. 

I might not be required to wear a mask all the time 
any more, but I always have one handy, and wear one 
more often than not. I still keep social distancing. 
I still am careful about sanitizing. I'm cautious. 
I think if all of us are, we'll pull through this. 

Still, I'm going to go on-line today and order our State Fair tickets, because I'm an optimist, and I have faith that we'll continue to see low counts, increase vaccinations, and generally return to the things we used to love here in the great state of Minnesota. It would be lovely to enjoy a summer eating on the patios, drinking in a bar before going to a baseball game (although our team really sucks this year), and just enjoying sharing events with other people once more. 

The Minnesota Twins baseball team has been horrible 
this year, but the St Paul Saints, newly announced as their 
AAA Affiliate Team, has been playing really well. If I 
was to choose which team to watch right now, I'd head 
into downtown St Paul, to CHS Field, and watch the Saints 
play. After all, their ball retrieval is by a trained pig - yes, 
a pig. How many AAA Affiliate teams can claim that? 

Today's going to be a very busy "day off", so I'd better get moving - no time to lose. Have an excellent Wednesday and please stay safe and be kind. I'll be back tomorrow. 

It's Going To Be A Great Day - It's June and I'm Planning For September Already

Yesterday was one of those glorious days here in the Frozen Northlands. Blue skies, the slightest of breezes, and high temperatures without being super uncomfortably hot or humid. It was a perfect day, marred only by the fact that I'm a total klutz. In the morning, I managed to fall flat on the den carpeting, and I have no idea what I tripped over. It was an invisible rope held by mischievous fairies tripping me up and flat on my face. I got back up, shook myself off, and continued with my day. 

I am a klutz - have been known to break bones because 
I've tripped over my own feet. Yesterday I got far too 
acquainted with the carpeting in the den - twice! 

But it happened a second time, this time in the late afternoon while preparing to walk upstairs and make dinner. This time DH was behind me, watching. I managed to bruise my right inner wrist (it's a lovely shade of blue with a red gash in it and it's quite swollen). I also scraped up my left exterior ankle, and I actually didn't realize I had done that until getting into my cross-legged position for meditation this morning. Maybe I've got it out of my system now. I hope so, it's disturbing to be so klutzy. 

I picked up a bale of straw at Home Depot on Friday, 
and wanted to get some of it placed around my 
strawberries over the weekend. I had my chance 
Sunday morning. 

 I started the day out at the grocery store with DH. We hadn't been able to come to a consensus about what to have for dinner, so needed to pick something up on the fly. We ended up with some tenderloin steaks, which I quickly put into a lime-garlic marinade to help tenderize the meat as soon as I returned home. After I had that going, I changed clothes and grabbed the wheelbarrow from the shed. Opening up my car's "trunk" I pulled out the bale of straw I had purchased on Friday. I swept out the detritus from the bale (the car still needs a serious vacuuming) and resolved to use a tarp if I end up needing to cart straw bales in the future. I then proceeded to put straw all around the strawberries in my little fenced-off section of the yard. I'll have to watch carefully and make sure moisture will still get through to the roots, but now the berries will be protected from the ground and they can ripen more easily. 

My little strawberry patch looks much happier now, 
with straw around the plants. DH is worried about 
them getting enough water through the straw, but 
I think they'll do just fine. I'll keep an eye on them, of 
course. But now I won't have to worry so much 
about the fruit being directly on the ground. 

DH found room for the remainder of the bale under the plastic tarp which covers his topsoil pile, so we're set until we need more straw in the late fall, to protect the berries over the winter months. We had been using fallen leaves (which we have in abundance in autumn), but the straw will be better for wintering the plants. This is their fourth year and it looks like I'll have a bumper crop. 

Last year's raspberry crop was wonderful, and 
DH thinks this year's might be even bigger. 
We let our raspberries grow wild, where they 
want, in a section of yard where they are 
totally out of the way. 

The raspberries are also looking like they'll be crazy this year. Last year's crop was insane, and this year's promises to be at least that good, maybe even better. I'm jumping into several weeks of WildFit Spring starting today, which means no fruit, just veggies and some protein. I'm glad I'm doing this now, not a month from now, and I'll still eat the occasional berry as they come ripe, because I'm not going to waste such wonderful fruit. 

I'm so totally and deliriously happy that the State Fair 
is on for this year. Sharon is already planning her 
flight out to visit and enjoy the Fair with us again. 
Life is starting to return to "normal" again, and I 
couldn't be happier. 

The word came through Saturday - the State Fair is on for this year. Ticket sales are opening today and I'm going to be getting my tickets this week, if I can. I need to figure out exactly how many tickets I need, and arrange for them. I'll have to buy our Blue Ribbon Savings books separately in August, when they become available for sale. 

We have an old rusty patio chair similar to this, 
but in what used to be a baby blue color. 
I want to strip the rust, solder a couple of holes 
in the framework, and repaint the chair with 
new Rustoleum spray paint. I'll have to think 
about what color I want. I know I DON'T 
want red or yellow, but teal or aqua might be nice. 

So here I am, in the beginning of summer, already planning for the end of the season. Crazy! I still have a lot to do before September, though. And there's this old metal yard chair that DH has challenged me to refinish ... I guess I'd better drop by the hardware store and see what colors are available in spray-on Rustoleum. It'll be a lot of work, but totally a fun challenge. 

On that note, I'm out of here. I start my day out today with my semi-annual check-up from my Dentist, which will be followed by DH and Chickie, both getting theirs checked at the same place in later appointments. I always have first thing in the morning when they open, DH is usually #2 or #3, sometimes Chickie is #2, sometimes she's #4. It's amusing that we group up like that, but it seems to work that way every time. Have a wonderful start to your week and I'll be back tomorrow. Stay safe, be kind and smile - it's going to be a great day. 

It Might Be A Busy Day, Or I Could Spend It Watching Workshops and Knitting

I'm not really sure how I can be running late on a day off when it's only 6:10 am, but I am ... running late, that is. Although this is a day off for me, I have a full schedule of things I need to do. The major thing is seriously looking at whether I could remove and clean the dryer duct myself. I actually have a guy scheduled for next Friday to do that, but if I can manage it on my own, I can probably get the dryer fixed without expenditure and much more timely. I'll at least take a good, careful look at it today. I know that getting the duct to climb up the wall and into the ceiling joists to join the exterior valve is extremely difficult and DH wasn't happy when he had to do it the last time. 

Looking at the duct as it snakes 
towards its' outlet, you can start 
to get a feel for why I'm willing 
to pay someone else to deal with 
getting it down, cleaned and 
replaced. I'll have to clean and 
move the shelf before next 
Friday, but that's relatively easy 
to do. 

I also have a 10:00 o'clock Master Class on my computer for a different look at financial acumen. The presenter is a Japanese man with a very different outlook on money and how it can cause actions and temperaments. It's free, and sounded interesting, so I'll invest an hour with Ken Honda. 

I have a 10:00 am Master Class with Ken Honda, a very 
prolific Japanese author whose books focus on finance 
and the Zen of money. I expect it will be quite interesting 
to hear his views, so I'm looking forward to it. 

I would also love to get those sweater sleeves pulled and turned. With all of the laundry issues on Wednesday, I didn't get an opportunity to work on it at all. It's not a complicated thing, but I have to be cautious when removing the stitching. I don't want to be dropping stitches at this point in the project. Still, I put the darned sleeves on backwards because I wasn't using my brain. That won't wash either, as the saying goes. 

All told, although I love Summer, sitting on my patio and 
relaxing on my Sunday afternoons, I enjoy Winter a lot 
too. It's nice to feel cozy in bed in the morning, and appreciate 
a hot shower. I have appropriate winter clothing, so going 
outside, especially on sunny Winter days, is no problem. 
Both seasons have their delights. 

We were actually above zero when I awakened this morning. It's almost a heat wave - LOL. Well, not really, but a girl can dream. It's hard to believe the same room that I swelter in during the summer is the one in which I shiver in the winter. Of course, I can always layer clothing in the winter. It's impossible to remove skin in the summer. 

On that note, I'm out of here. Have an excellent Friday and please, be kind, stay safe and wear your mask. I'll be back tomorrow. 

Crashing and Burning - Living in Unsettling Times

My summer is starting to crash and burn, rather like the spring did. My annual show in Milwaukee was rescheduled from last week to the end of August in the hopes that the COVID-19 outbreak would be better controlled and things would be safer for the attendees. But yesterday evening, as I was doing a quick review of pending emails, I noticed the bad news. The show has been cancelled completely for 2020 and rescheduled for the normal June dates in 2021. That leaves a single event still on my calendar - the Minnesota Renaissance Festival starting in late August and going through September into October. I'm fairly certain that will also end up being cancelled for safety's sake.

I've attended this annual show since the mid-1990's. It's
painful to realize I won't see friends this year. 

Although it is summer, not winter, Shakespeare still came to mind. "Now is the winter of our discontent" seems apt in a strange way. It also brings to mind the Summer of Discontent which seems so relevant today in the wake of George Floyd's murder. Are you aware or do you remember that summer of 1964? I was alive, but I was young and it didn't make the impact on me that it should have. Are you curious? What am I talking about? Here's a link to a 15-minute read about that summer and its' pivotal role in our long fight for racial equality.

I realize that my link only takes you to the first page of the
multi-page article, and I apologize. The way my morning
has been working, I'm grateful I was able to at least
get that teaser up for you to read and research from. 

I know that it's going to be a long, hot summer and that our usual outlets of festivals, musical performances, small street fairs and corner amusements parks are locked away for another time, another year, a year with more hope. People were already going stir-crazy during their varied stay-at-home orders, many of which are starting to life. But, as they stayed safe or ventured out on quick errands for a variety of reasons, this damned invisible virus was changing the topography of their lives forever.

Will we ever feel comfortable enough to gather in huge numbers
at festivals and musical events? A crowd like Woodstock seems
unimaginable in today's post-COVID environment. 

We will ever be able to safely gather in large crowds again? Will masks become a necessary fashion accessory? I suspect I'll be wearing masks for many more months, so I've purchased some colorful ones, and Chickie has made me several wonderful masks as well. I'm set for fashion, but somewhat unsettled in life. We don't live in a perfect world. We are still learning how to work within the world environment. We can close our doors, huddle in our bedrooms with blankets pulled over us, but what would be accomplished by that? No. We need to put on our glasses and examine the areas where we can improve. Then, gritting our teeth, we need to set forth and change things for the betterment of all. We're not perfect, but we can do better. I have to believe that.

Have a wonderful Thursday and I'll be back tomorrow. Be safe.

Summer is Here in the Frozen Northlands

Memorial Day has passed, Summer is officially started in the Frozen Northlands, and it's cold-ish, rainy, and semi-shut down due to Covid-19, so ... the new normal. Today DH will be wrangling with the instructions and worksheets for our PPP repayment. If we can fill it out properly, we'll owe interest on the amount we borrowed, but no principal. If we fill it in incorrectly, or if the premise of what we had originally filled out was incorrect, we may owe more than that. I don't regret having tried for the PPP loan, it was the only thing that allowed us to reopen a week ago with everything still in place, including employees. The paperwork for the repayment, however, is a nightmare and DH already has enough grey hair. 

DH has been tearing his hair out (not literally)
trying to fill out the paperwork for the
PPP loan repayment forms. They're a mess!

The two-day weekend was a delight, though. The weather was perfect on Sunday, and we spent hours outdoors enjoying it. On Monday the weather was a bit less pleasant, but still nice enough to go outside for a while, and DH grilled dinner outside - very good! So, here in the Frozen Northlands, Summer is officially here. I know there is such a thing as a calendar, but here, Summer extends from Memorial Day until Labor Day. 

I generally enjoy summer, although the heat waves can be
rather beastly. Still, it's really nice to put the snow blower
and shovels away until after Halloween. 

My friend Sharon wrote a marvelous poem about how we'll all be missing the State Fair this year. I'll ask her permission and if she allows, I'll post it to my blog this week. It was a wonderful read. 

So, on that note, I'm off to grab my breakfast and head off to the shop. It may not be exciting, but that's OK. It's nice to be back to a schedule, even if I am still walking with crutches most of the time. Have an excellent Tuesday and I'll be back tomorrow. 

Solstice, The Fall of Gondolin, and the MN State Fair

Good Solstice to All! 

I've always enjoyed this image of the Celtic/Pagan Calendar. The
dates are spread when needed and firm when assigned, and I
love the colors (of course). I use a variant of this as one of
my avatars for my Live Journal account. 

Here, in the Frozen Northlands, it's time to celebrate the beginning of Summer. Litha, as it is sometimes called, sparks the new season, with Lammas coming at Midsummer. I always associate the Summer Solstice with the fall of Gondolin. (OK, I admit it - I'm a Tolkien addict. Of course, to most of my friends, that comes as no surprise at all.) 

The stand-alone book "The Fall of Gondolin" was actually published
in August last year. I'm surprised I haven't added it to my Tolkien
collection, but ascribe that to our desire to eliminate almost all
print books - too many of them. I might break down and put
this one on my holiday list, though.
Here, Tuor stands awestruck as he gets ready to enter the hidden
valley where Gondolin stands. 

Various people over the years have called the Festival that preceded the fall of Gondolin, Midsummer. However, Midsummer actually is Lammas, the halfway point between summer and autumn (thus the name, Midsummer). Tolkien says, in "The Silmarillion" ...

The host of Morgoth came over the northern hills where the height was greatest and the watch least vigilant, and it came at night upon a time of festival, when all the people of Gondolin were upon the walls to await the rising sun, and sing their songs at its uplifting; for the morrow was the great feast that they names the Gates of Summer. 

To my eyes and interpretation, gates are the beginning or end of something, not the middle, thus, this great festival was on Litha, the start of summer. Geeky? Yes, but also something I've envisioned through reading and writing in that universe for years and years. I'm hoping that as we welcome the sun today, that our worlds are safe, our loved ones are close at hand, and our day and the upcoming season will bring joy. 

I'm already being tempted by the Breakfast Baked Potato at the
Blue Barn. Featuring a deep friend potato skin stuffed with
scrambled eggs and peppers, topped with blackened beef
chislic (a South Dakota bar staple), it's drizzled with
bearnaise sauce. The Blue Barn has fabulous food, so I'm
looking forward to trying this on one of my Fair mornings. 

Of course the other part of summer is the State Fair and the list of new foods has now been published. There are some interesting ones on it, and I want to take a closer look on-line (one of the many links to the foods is HERE). My BFF Sharon has already been in touch regarding her airplane arrangements for her annual visit, and the clock is ticking louder and louder. The summer season is just beginning and I'm already focused on how much needs to be accomplished before its end. 

So enjoy your Summer Solstice, celebrate in whatever way is appropriate for you, and look forward to your three months of cookouts, camping, vacation trips and get-togethers. Summer is here! ... For my friends in the Southern Hemisphere, winter is a very nice season too ... really! Have a wonderful Friday and I'll return tomorrow.