Fair

 Another community fair has come and gone, and I enjoyed participating in it once again.

I'm always amazed at how some people still have good vegetables growing.
By this point, mine are all eaten with bugs and or rotting.

Now that I don't have to work every Thursday night when the fair accepts entries, I was able to help with that process. I thought I was coming to help put the flower entries in order, but I ended up being on the front line checking in entries. And that was crazy. For the entire four hours of submission time, the lines were long and there was no time for breaks. (Although I did manage to sneak away for a bathroom visit.) 

My job was to make sure that everything was entered in the right category and was correctly tagged. Some people prepare for the fair all year, and I checked in some people who had 60 or more entries. Next time, I'll show you what Ward and I entered.

Somehow, I didn't take many pictures, and these certainly don't feature all of the things that were happening, like a vegetable car race or the ice cream churning contest. But here are a few scenes from this weekend.

This was the first time they had rabbit Olympics, where the rabbits had to jump over bars of various heights. Wally and I enjoyed watching the rabbits, who were often more interested in exploring than jumping.

We watched kids compete as they milked the cows. The cow cutout had a bladder filled with water.

4-H kids raise livestock all year, and local businesses buy it at the fair. This cow was getting fluffed up for showing.

There were more baked goods entered than last year.
This year, they had to add an extra table.

All parts of this boba tea cake were edible. It was amazing to see in person.
 In the lower corner is a Subway sandwich cake that was also impressive.

I saw a lot of fine needlework (and checked a lot in),
but this woven scarf was especially impressive.

Of the various collections entered (mostly by 4-H kids), I liked this teeth collection the best. Maybe that's because I used to find teeth and jawbones in my backyard at the old house. I enjoyed figuring out who they used to belong to.

One of my backyard finds. A deer jawbone.

Until next time...

This and That

The good weather of August has followed us into September with temperatures in the 70s. As Ward kept saying, "Best August ever!" August is often our hottest month with temperatures in the 90°Fs with humidity to match. Unfortunately, we haven't had any measurable rain with those good temperatures, but there is a promise of a thunderstorm this afternoon.

Turns out our surprise vine is a pumpkin plant. Unfortunately, this is next to Ward's shop, which was treated extensively for termites, and we can't eat anything grown here.
However, I plan to decorate with it. 

The summer vegetables gave up weeks ago, but the fall veggies are up to varying degrees. I planted turnips, rutabagas, beets, spinach, and lettuce. However, Uncle Billy has been sharing some of his harvest, and I'm presently eating tomatoes, peppers, and watermelon from him. 

And I say "I" instead of "we" because Ward is on a trip to Poland with his brother, and will be gone almost 3 weeks. Besides seeing the sights, they plan to do some genealogy research in the little town their great-grandfather immigrated from. It's been years since Ward has been away more than a night or two, so it's taking some adjusting on my part. But one of the first things I did was buy a big onion. Ward doesn't like onions, so we don't have them as often as I might otherwise. That's the wild living I'm doing while I'm on my own. :)

Ward spent his first night in this 1700s inn. 

I am continuing to do well with getting regular exercise. Recently, I've been trying some harder classes, both aerobically and strength-wise, and I am definitely challenged. I had planned to go to a class this morning, but I'm not feeling it. We'll see what happens. I still have time. Thursday is usually when I go to a line dance class, but I will be busy this afternoon when it is taught.

I am going to be helping with the local fair that I participate in every year. This is my first time being behind the scenes, and I will be helping to take in entries. But first, I have to get everything entered that we have, including a side table that Ward made. The hard part is always getting from the parking lot to the entry building with all the stuff. Cut flowers in water are always a challenge.  I will figure it out somehow. 

The beauty berries are starting to turn to this fun purple color.

But first, I need to do some fair entry prep here at home, so I'd better go.

Until next time...

Book Reviews

Here are a few more book reviews, and it looks like once again, I have more children's books than adult ones. I swear that I do read adult books, but I keep getting recommendations for children's, so that's what I've mostly been reading. 

 Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson, adult fiction, 2025

Apparently, I put this book on hold a while back, but I didn't remember it when it showed up in Libby. Somebody, somewhere, must have recommended it, so I checked it out. I read this as an e-book. Not my preferred way, but that was what was available. 

The book is about a group of 4 half-siblings who take a road trip across the country to find their father. Their father, Charles, was a good father until he disappeared and never made contact with them again. Each time he left, he reinvented himself and started a new family elsewhere. They would all be happy until his child was around 10 years old, and then he left. He was a different person each time. First, he was a mystery writer; next, a farmer; then a basketball coach; and finally, a filmmaker. 

The oldest sibling, Ruben, who was in his 40s, hired a private detective to find out what happened to his father. Through this, he learned that he had half-siblings. He started in Boston and went to Tennessee, where he met Mad, his sister, and convinced her to go to California to find their father. Along the way, they met and their other two siblings, and they all ended up doing the road trip together. None of them knew about the others, so there was a lot of shock and disbelief when they were approached. The group eventually finds their father and confronts him with all the questions they've had over the years.

Most of the book revolves around the four strangers getting to know each other as they drive across the country. They are bonded by the fact that they had the same father who left each of them. I enjoyed that part of the book.

The premise of the story was intriguing, and I was compelled to read to find out what the father's story was. Personally, I found the reasons given for the father's behavior at the end to be weak. But you can give it a read and see what you think.

Enola Holmes Mystery Series by Nancy Springer, children's mystery (middle grades)

Enola Holmes Mystery Series is a six-book set of stories about Enola Holmes, Sherlock Holmes's fourteen-year-old sister. There is a recurring theme throughout the books. Enola's father died when she was four, and her mother disappeared on her fourteenth birthday. With no proper guardians, her brothers want to send her to boarding school to become a proper lady. Enola does not want to go, so she runs away to London and is in hiding. She is also hoping to find her mother, and along the way, she finds mysteries to solve. Enola is very clever and outsmarts her famous detective brother again and again.  I reviewed the first book in my last Book Review post. Below are the next two in the series.

The Case of the Left-Handed Lady by Nancy Springer, 2007

This is the second book in the series, and it picks up where the first one left off.  This one finds Enola posing as a secretary for a perditorian (finder of lost people). She is working for an imaginary male boss because women are considered too brainless to do serious work. Lady Cecily disappears, and Enola eventually finds and saves her. 

The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets by Nancy Springer, children's mystery, 2008

In book #3, Dr. Watson goes missing, and Enola sets out to find out what happened to him. She has to reinvent herself to remain in hiding, so now she is disguised as a beautiful, cultured woman. She solves the mystery of Watson's whereabouts and leads Sherlock to him without revealing her own location.

I am enjoying this series. The language is rich, the descriptions are vivid, and the mysteries are interesting. Enola is a clever, spunky, very likable heroine.  Although they are marketed for children, I think adults would enjoy them as well. Because they are written for children, there is no sex and no foul language. But there is violence and detailed descriptions of the poor in London in the late 1800s. That was not a pretty picture. 

Ward has read all six now and said there is a satisfying ending to the story arc throughout the books. While each could be read as a standalone, they are better read in order. I have ordered the next two from the library.

Note: Eleven years after the original six books were published, the series was revived with at least three more books. Also, Netflix has made two movies based on the books, with a third one in production. 

Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling, children's fiction (elementary and middle grades), 2017

Kris recommended this book in the comment section of the last Book Review post. So, I promptly put it on hold and recently read it. 

The book is about Aven and her friend, Conner, both of whom suffer from disabilities. Aven was born with no arms, and Conner has Tourette's Syndrome. Barking is his main tic. They meet when Aven's family moves to Arizona to manage a dying western-themed park and become good friends as they bond over not fitting in and feeling like freaks at times. 

As they navigate school, Aven also decides that they need to solve the mystery of who actually owns the ranch on which the theme park is located. While Conner does not have strong support from his parents, Aven does and is a positive and resilient girl.

While the book deals with some difficult issues, it is a feel-good story with a surprise ending. It also does a good job of presenting the ups and downs of the disabilities and the feelings that come with those.  

The book was critically acclaimed and was on many "Best of" lists. In addition, it is part of some school curricula. While this book is written more on an elementary/middle school level (certainly more than Enola Holmes), I thought it was an enjoyable read. Ward also read the book and liked it.  

Until next time...

Speed Blogging Grumble

 Time for another addition of speed blogging, where I just write and see where my mind takes me. Hold on. Here we go. 😀

The older I get, the less willing I am to be uncomfortable. Aging brings with it everyday aches and pains, but that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about being uncomfortable when there is an easy way to fix it. I don't like being too hot (or too cold, for that matter). For example, I was helping Miss Landers move a woodpile yesterday, and I was hot and sweaty, and annoyed by clouds of gnats. I didn't like it, and all I could think about was getting home to my cool house. And it wasn't that hot out, not like the 90s-100°F we had most of the summer.

And speaking of annoying gnats, that brings me to annoying mosquitoes. We are having more problems with mosquitoes than ever before. They aren't the big mosquitoes that only come out at dusk, like the ones of my youth. They are tiny ones that are out all day. Just about every time I go into the backyard, I get bitten. A little while ago, I was outside for about 10 minutes, and I got four bites. 

I am starting to suit up from head to toe to help against the mosquitoes, with long sleeves and pants, but they become hot quickly. One day, I was out with long sleeves, jeans, garden gloves, and a hat. Those pesky little mosquitoes found the slit in one of the knees of my jeans and bit me there. Ward is also getting bitten a lot, although the bites don't bother him as much as they do me.

We have had mosquito dunks out for over a month, and they don't seem to be helping. :(  I guess I could start using insect repellent, but I really don't want to do that. Especially if I just want to go out for a short time. I'd rather just complain. 

The timer is beeping, so let me finish with thanks for listening to me grumble. 

Until next time... 

Note: I have started using Afterbite as soon as I feel the itch from a bite, and if I have gotten a lot of bites, I also add an antihistamine. Those treatments seem to be helping to reduce the itching and swelling.

--After the timer beeped, I went back and added pictures of pollinators, which just go about doing good without bothering me.

Gift Redeemed

 Last weekend, Ward and I cashed in on a gift that our sons got us for Christmas at McFadden Art Works. McFadden is a glass art studio that offers classes for the general public. I have seen glass making several times before, but it was fun to be involved in the process this time. Glassmaking is very dangerous due to the extreme heat involved, so we were highly guided and coached during the procedure.

(Note: We weren't actually making the glass. We were sculpting the glass, but I will be using the two interchangeably.)

Below are photos of our afternoon.

It was not surprising that there were glass sculptures all around outside of the buildings.

There were three main parts to the buildings: two working studios and
a gallery of pieces for sale.

We were in the smaller studio where the public gets to try their hand at glassmaking. 

We could choose to make anything on this shelf. Ward chose a wine glass, and I chose a spoon rest because we need one.

Our helper of the day was Jordan. This oven held a big batch of molten glass. Jordan got a glob of glass that was just the right amount for the item I was making. 

Next, we added color. These were dishes of colored glass sand. I was doing the turning, but I had to keep my hands behind hers. They don't trust the inexperienced public to not go too far down the pontil where it is over 1000°F.

Then the glass was reheated. I had to turn it continuously while it was in this oven. The pontil was supported, so I got to do this one all by myself. :)  It was uncomfortably hot standing there, even with the shield in place to block most of the oven's heat.

I then had to roll the molten glass as it cooled. 

After the rolling, Jordan blew one little puff at the end of the pontil and plugged it with her thumb. As the air heated up, it was amazing to watch the glass expand.

My little glob of glass went back into the furnace
 with Jordan blowing into the molten glass.

We're almost there. We've started on the final shaping. First with a flat paddle.

Next, I pressed a heavy round weight into the piece to form the spoon rest shape.
It was starting to look like glass, but was still very malleable.

Jordon did one last bit of heating to smooth out the broken edge
 from the pontil separation.

The last step was to put the spoon rest into an oven to cool slowly over the next 3 days.

Ta-Da! The finished product.

And here is Ward's glass. His process was basically the same, with a few different shaping steps. We didn't coordinate colors; we just happened to pick the same ones.

Well, that's probably more than you wanted to know. 

Until next time...