Alma Highland Games

Drove in, remembering that I'd left my sunblock on the bathroom counter about halfway to Alma. It was looking pretty dour to the north, and I thought to myself, not only that I was running late to meet Ray, but also that I was NOT going back, just for the sunblock, and that it was probably going to rain most of the day anyway.

On the way, I saw where "they" had put all the windmills that I'd seen months ago, 18-wheeling down the highway nearly every day. Yes, they are up and operational in Ithaca and in Alma, all along M-46 to Merrill!

On arrival, the rain held off for a bit, until I got to the field, drove in, and dropped off my stuff at the Re-Enactor tent. Then I drove out and parked my car in the lot I usually park in, while Ray waited at the tents.

Sadly, he forgot to give me my wristband, and they wouldn't let me in without it. So I had to walk all around the grounds, tell the attendant there that I would return shortly with my wristband because my friend Ray had it in his briefcase.

I retrieved my band from Ray and returned to the attendant to prove my legitimacy and then returned to the Re-Enactor tents.

Only to be told that I couldn't stay, because I was not dressed in period clothing. Nevermind the fact that I'd stayed in their group the last two years WITHOUT period clothing, but it's not that I'm bitter....about this time, it started to rain. Not hard, just a mist that soaked you through and through with a breeze that nearly froze you.

So I tossed about most of the morning, trying to find a place to light. The rain kept me hopping about. When the Re-Enactor Group decided they didn't want me in their area, I had to travel "with wheel and other paraphernalia" to the band tent, who also kicked me out as soon as the rain stopped for a second or two.

I finally put my gear back in the car, figuring that, if it was going to rain all day, there was just no way I was going to take my $700 machine out so it could get all wet!!!

I took my stool and sat down to watch the parade. Suddenly, the parade stops...and does not start again. What's going on, everyone wants to know.

Come to find out, one of the Honorary Committee members, a lady of some advanced years, fell asleep in her chair on the float, fell out of the chair and down and under the float. Someone said she turned over a couple of times before the float stopped, and then it was a waiting game for the ambulance to get there, get under there, get her on a back board, and hustle her off to the hospital. Later, there were reports that she was doing just fine. Thank GOD!

I lost my friend Ray about 7 minutes inside the gate, so I spent some time wandering around the craft tents. Some really cool things in there, and I enjoyed myself. There was only one thing I really wanted to buy, but she was a cash only vendor. This was probably for the best, because after buying my Ipad and paying for license tabs, I was pretty broke!

After the parade was over, the sun finally made a dent in the clouds, and the rain disappeared. I got out my wheel and my wool and headed to the hill out back by the heavy athletics. It was shady over here, which was a good thing, since I'd forgotten my sunblock. You remember I forgot my sunblock, right?

Even in the shade, I burned to a crisp over 50% of my upper body, and I surely regretted forgetting my sunblock. After two days, I'm still pretty tender, putting Aloe Gel on twice a day.

The next day, we celebrated hubby's birthday with cake, brownie and ice cream. We all decided it was going to be a "no work" day. It was a GREAT day.

The next day, Hubby decided that we would plant our veggie garden. And so we did. Tomatoes, potatoes, peas, beans, zucchini and swiss chard...just enough to whet our appetites for more during the harvest. Afterward, hubby says: "We really should go over and do mother's garden." and I replied "Well, if we don't do it now, we aren't doing it."

And so we headed to hubby's mother's again, since we'd just celebrated his birthday the day before at his mother's. It's okay, because I like her. We did the garden, got a little help from a cousin and went on from there. When we got home, we checked our garden to make sure everything was still standing up--since it had been 90 degrees all day, hot and humid without much relief, even though the clouds were pretty heavy.

It was murder, trying to get up for work today, but I did come to the office, knowing that after work, I was going to Lake O for knit night. I have to stop at a friend's house to pick up some camel fiber. Never spun camel fiber. Might be a new experience for me. But I also have the blanket to finish...I might do a little on both.

I hope you all had as nice a weekend as I had (burnt skin aside). I had a great time, really, and I'm turning brown!!!

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Life is So Hard

Some days it just doesn't pay to wake up in the morning.

Take this morning, for instance.

Not only did I not wake up for my alarm, I slept in for another hour before realizing that I'd slept through my alarm.

Then, I go online, and find that my son has left me a message on Facebook.

It was not a kind message. Not the sort a mother should get from her son.

Then the meeting at 1 today got cancelled, and I was, of course, the last to know...And I was in the room, ready to take notes and everything.

Take care what you wish for. It might come true.

Tenna Draper
Ravelry: drapert
Website: www.tothenines9.blogsplot.com

Kittens, Kittens, Kittens

Once in a while, I have strange dreams, and last night's dreaming was no exception to that rule. It's not the first time I've had dreams about kittens, and I don't mean just a few, I mean LOTS of kittens. This time, however, none of them were blue or lavender. In fact, most of them were some variation of white--there was a long-haired white with blue eyes that was quite a bit larger than the rest, but still, essentially a kitten.

The whole thing happened at my mom and dad's house on Forest Hill, where I finished "growing up". There were hundreds of kittens, and my brother (still a little boy) and I were trying to scoop them up and take them into the house to "domesticate" them, as they were still quite wild. There were some with seal points and other Siamese type markings. We put a litter box in my mom and dad's bedroom (I'm sure that dad just loved that, although he slept through most of it.). Then suddenly, the kittens started disappearing.

I found that a snake had  gotten loose in the house, and when I found the snake, I found it had brought together some friends, and one of the snakes was eating one of the kittens, still crying out--so I grabbed the snake and pulled out the kitten. But poor thing died soon afterward. I banished the snakes to the outdoors, and went back to the kittens and started to gather them up and put them in my car. This was no mean task, because everytime I opened the car door, one kitten would jump out. It was a mad house.

Then I woke up, and my cat, Chat, was sleeping with me by my feet, and I thought "Whew. Still only 2 cats!"

I guess oddness runs in my family.

I'm on row 152 on the afghan. I didn't think it would be big enough, and everyone else seemed to have a bigger afghan than mine was turning out to be, but now that I'm in the final laps, I see that mine is going to be a fair size--and with the ruffle that I plan to put on it, I figure it will be plenty big. With only 40 rows to go, I'm looking at finishing in the next few days, so the ruffle will probably be on by next Saturday/Sunday, or at least the very beginning of it.

And it's Mother's Day. So Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there, and to me, too.

The Motif Poncho

I have but one more row on the long side to do, and it is nearly finished, except for blocking and sewing up. I've been doing finishing as I go, so there are no ends to weave in any longer.

Pic:

Blogging from my IPad

Okay. This is what it feels like. Hunt and peck times two. Much easier with a keyboard. Dont worry. One is on the way. How do I save the bookmark?

Spending Money Like...

I am crazy. This morning, my computer wouldn't start. So I call my guru, and he asks me

"Did you put in that bad memory stick I told you was bad and that you probably shouldn't use it? Why not try taking that out, and try to restart."

And so, my guru, being the best, I look out the ram, and sure enough, started RIGHT UP. The guy who put this thing together for me told me that he tested it like crazy. Well, he's nuts, because not long and it's gone bad and refuses to let my machine start.

So I had to go out and buy new ram, so that I can have the 4 gig I want. Two gig just doesn't cut it when I'm working with pictures that are huge...so I found a site online (which is more expensive than Ebay by about $10 and bought my ram for $63.

Next week, I need to buy a keyboard for my ipad. That's going to run about $100. Maybe I'll wait on that, since I also need a new brazziere. What?! TMI?

I also have to ask the office to let me use a laptop for meetings--because writing down the meetings takes an ungodly time, and then I have to take it to the computer and basically "transcribe" when I could just cut and paste with the computer. I don't know how that will go, but there's no sense of me going to 4 meetings a week unless I have the right tools for the job. So I'm going to ask. Then I'm going to keep it a secret.

The Ipad is up and running, although I can't play with it yet in the house. I have to work things out, although I think hubby suspects that I own one now. I've been downloading apps like there was no tomorrow. I sat at Barnes & Noble using their wifi.

Later today, I have a class, so I'm going to go to the living room now, eat some chips and dip and maybe watch a movie. Waiting for the ram is going to be impossible for me, but I guess I'll survive. So much is going on, and I need a break. Must also start laundry. See you.