The Weekend...Wonderful Old Houses and Wind...

Lou and I set up for Colorfest in
Thurmont, Maryland this past weekend.
We waited too long to make reservations
 at the hotel where we usually stay and
ended up having to stay in Waynesboro, PA
which is about a 30 minute ride to Thurmont.
A nice little town with some beautiful old houses. 

The weather however wasn't so wonderful.
Rain on Saturday...not a complete wash out
and attendance was certainly down because of it.
But there were many true shoppers
who came prepared with slickers,
boots and umbrellas.

Sunday was clear with lots of blue sky
and sunshine.  But it was windy...so windy
that vendor tents were flipping over
or collapsing.  We have our canopies
weighted down but I was really afraid
they might take off like Dorothy's house
in the Wizard of Oz. 

In my brain I keep hearing,

"It really was no miracle. What happened was just this.
The wind began to switch, the house to pitch
and suddenly the hinges started to unhitch.

Just then the Witch - to satisfy an itch went flying
on her broomstick, thumbing for a hitch."

We were lucky.
There were vendors who weren't.
There was constant wind with some crazy gusts.
We had friends with us to grab a tent pole
every time there was a strong wind gust.
One gust actually pulled the canopy top
off on one corner.  In all the years we've
 been setting up our display at outside shows,
we've never had a day like this.
The wind continued all day.

Lou and I are still recuperating.
Thinking I'm too old for this crap.

I did have the pleasure of meeting
a fellow blogger on Sunday.
So excited to have finally meet Marydon.
She is just as dear in person as she is online.

Pumpkin Spice and Traveling Brooms...

Just popping in to say hello ...
Pumpkin Spice creamer gives a bit more
yum to coffee don't you think?.

And some early Halloween fun...
Sisterhood of the Traveling Brooms.
Grab your brooms and fly!

Siblings...

Working on tracing the roots of my family,
I've found it's so important to be thankful
 for those in our in our lives today.

            Jan....John....Me

The greatest gift our parents

 ever gave us was each other

“Be nice to your siblings,
they’re your best link to your past and the most likely
to stay with you in the future.” – Baz Lurhmann

“Siblings: children of the same parents,
each of whom is perfectly normal
until they get together.” – Sam Levenson

Love you two!

Mooning You on this Friday Morning...

          The moon was just beautiful last night...

Sharing some moonlight with you.

Here a Chick... There a Chick

Seems everywhere you look,
chickens are coming home to roost
in the backyards of homes,
not just on the farm.
Folks are enjoying those fresh eggs.

While we can't raise chickens in our yard,
(in Baltimore County one needs
an acre to have chickens)
we can make some Coop Decor.

Below is the first of several new
chicken signs.

Rise and Shine Mother Cluckers

Blueberry Pickin'

Blueberry Pickin' with 

the grandlittles on Thursday morning.

We went to Weber's Peachberry Farm
just up the road from home.

We picked lots of berries and were having
a wonderful time until our
Darlin'D started to scream.
He had been standing on an ant hill
and was covered with  ants.
Stripped him down to shake the ants
out of his clothes and
then quickly headed home.
He had some bites and we put
bite and sting spray on those
and he's fine.
But I doubt he will want
to pick blackberries when those
are ripe.

Lilies and Coffee

We're having some rain today. 
If it clears a bit this afternoon
I'm hoping to get these lilies planted. 
My daughter separated these in her garden
and I got the extras. 
Now just need to find the right spot
and dig the hole.
When I receive plants from other
gardeners and plant them
in my garden, I feel
like I'm creating memories.

What is your favorite coffee? 
I try different kinds
but always seem to come back to
Dunkin' Donuts Coffee.

Ain't Nobody Happy

Hydrangea Blooms...

 At least I have a few of these beautiful blooms...
There was an overnight freeze in April, after the buds had
begun to form, and I lost the blooms,
on most of my 20 year old bushes, which
would have opened for this summer. 
But the bushes near the house are the
Endless Summer variety
and they are beginning to pop open.

Heading to the shop this morning, coffee in hand,
to ship the last of the Father's Day orders.

Have a wonderful Tuesday!

Daisies and Weddings...

Daisy days are beginning in the garden.
The first daisy to bloom always makes me
smile and remember.
I carried yellow roses and daisies
at our wedding all those years ago.

This morning, working on putting together
a photo album of another, much more recent wedding.
My sister Jan and her darling Eric finally tied the knot.
They've been together over ten years
and although she said she would never
get married again, he finally worn her down.
Her son walked his Mother down the aisle and
her daughter was Jan's maid of honor.
The best man was Eric's older son and his daughter
and other son did readings.

 
We now are a much bigger family...legally.
But we were already family, by love, for years.

Family

Strawberries, Gardening and Dumplin' Day

 It's an absolutely beautiful morning
here in my little corner.
The sun is shining and there is a
lovely, little breeze blowing.

Perfect morning for coffee on the porch.

Lou and I are still recuperating from the weekend.
We set up our display at one of the largest
Strawberry Festivals in the area.

I am finding the need to actually be able to meet
and talk to the folks who are our customers.
Selling online is certainly easier physically but
we don't have that personal interaction.

We left the house around 6 am and it was overcast,
not too warm but very, very humid.
We were lucky enough to to be able to drive
up right at our spot, pop up the tents and
unload the truck and trailer.
I had put on some make up before leaving the house,
but by the time we finished setting up
I felt like the wicked witch in The Wizard of Oz
and was crying, "I'm melting, I'm melting!"
and the makeup had melted off my face.

However, strawberry shortcake with
ice cream and whipped cream
for breakfast made it all much better.
Plus, I always freeze wet washcloths
the night before an outside show and
pop them in the cooler,
so I was able to clean up and cool down a bit
before having to face the world.

We met some wonderful people.
Many new faces but more than
a few old time customers
We also had some special visitors.
One of the crafters who participated
in The Basket Accessories Roadshow
with us years ago, made a special trip
to the festival for a quick visit.
So nice to see you Lisa.
Also my sweet nice Elizabeth
stopped by with her two girls. 

We packed up after the show
and were home about 7.
Sat down, put our feet up.
Discussed what we might like
to do for dinner and
actually fell asleep before
deciding what we wanted to eat.

I try not to think of us as old
but we certainly aren't as young as
we used to be.
 

Sunday, I potted some plants
and Lou cut the grass.

Lucy snoozed, while we puttered
around the yard.

The weekend ended with this beautiful
pink sky Sunday evening.

It's Monday, so that means I'm with the Dumplin'. 
He just woke up from a nap so I'm
off to dance with him
to the Mickey Mouse Playhouse tune.
Have a wonderful day!

Time seems to Fly by and a Graduation

Weeks are whizzing by, leaving me to wonder where the time has gone.  Yes we have been extremely busy. 
Many wonderful family times and
things going on at the Workshop. 
Trying to balance both can be crazy. 
I think however, being busy is a blessing, don't you? 

 

 Friday morning Lou and I were honored to attend Riah J's Flower Ceremony, Pre School Graduation at the
Irvine Nature Center

This is the coyote group singing and howling for all the
parents and grandparents who attended the ceremony.

Several weeks ago coyote pups were found at Irvine

The Nature Center  is wonderful for children
and adults to spend sometime outdoors
and enjoy the beauty of this place.

Riah made us cupcakes for the occasion.

41 Years...

                                                         

How did it go by so fast?

Reisterstown Bloomin' Art Fest...

We actually were able to set up at the
Bloomin' Art Fest on Saturday.

It was drizzling when we left the house
at 6am, but was just overcast
by the time we arrived at
Historic Reisterstown show location.

Weather is always a factor at an
outside show but a rude crafter isn't. 
In all the years we have been setting up
at shows I can count on one hand times
when we have run into a problem
with another vendor. 

 There was one sidewalk for the vendors
to get to their spaces. As the ground was soppy,
rolling carts full of merchandise posed a problem.
This person decided to plop her merchandise
and set up equipment right in the middle
of that sidewalk while she spent 40 minutes
setting up her tent.
For goodness sakes woman...

Set it along the edge of the sidewalk
so others can get by.

 As the day progressed the weather got better. 
The sun did finally pop out from
behind the clouds in the afternoon. 
Although the ground was muddy it
ended up being a great show.

Also a big thank you to the folks who put together the Reisterstown Bloomin' Arts Festival. 
Wonderful job again this year!