Journal: Good Company, & Labor Day

 

One day last week, I worked in my flower gardens for a couple of hours.  Most of the other days, it was either rainy, or I was visiting with my nephew Richard and his wife Edith, which is infinitely better than pulling weeds.

This is chicory, which is in the Asteraceae family, same family as the dandelion.  See the similarity in petals and stamen?

The first few days of last week, the weather was so nice that we kept most of the windows and doors open, and the mildewy aroma mostly went away, thankfully. 

Because our air conditioner had gone kaput and then rainwater flooded in where we had the portable ACs in the windows, causing the abovementioned mildewy, moldy smell, Richard and Edith met me at our preschool house across the street from the church last Monday and Tuesday mornings.

I sent them a picture of the little house and the address Monday morning.  The house has a lot more room in it than you’d think, as it goes back toward the alley quite a distance.  In the front is a kitchen, dining room and living room area, a storage room with cupboards, a full bathroom, and a bedroom.  In the back is the large area for the preschoolers, with tables and little chairs, lots of toys, and a big chalkboard.  A side door leads to the yard where the children can play outside.

I scrolled around a bit on Google maps – and there was the red Jeep that used to be Loren’s!  Charles and Susan’s son Nathan bought it when Loren went to Prairie Meadows.

Monday morning when Richard saw all the food I’d put in the refrigerator at the little schoolhouse, he exclaimed, “I hope you didn’t get all this for us!”

I told him, “Well, if you eat it all, I’ll be a-cryin’!”  😄

Tuesday morning when I went to the little house, I brought my favorite skillet for eggs, and made cheesy scrambled eggs with Sharp Cheddar cheese on toasted Nature’s Own Multigrain bread for breakfast with Richard and Edith.  I had even found jumbo eggs at the grocery store Sunday night.

Robert had time to pop in for a visit with them that morning before giving a lesson on cooking with cast iron to the Home Ec class in our school. 

“I’m not sure how I’ve been tapped for the cast-iron specialties,” he said.

Just look at the array of cast iron pans, ready and waiting, in our church kitchen!

That afternoon, Richard and Edith went to a local laundromat, then back to their camper to make some dog food for their big dog Molly (which Edith says is a ‘Heinz 57’ breed, haha).  Molly doesn’t do well with store-bought dog food.

Meanwhile, I was cleaning my kitchen when someone went strolling down the front sidewalk past the window.  The air conditioner man!  He had arrived to install the new compressor!

At a quarter after four, I heard him whistling happily away as he sauntered to his work truck and back again with tools and parts.  All must’ve been going well!

That afternoon, I got all the pearls sewn on that last cross-stitched block of Emma’s Flower Garden quilt, and then started on the label.

I filled the Instant Pot full of various meats that evening, enough to last us for two more nights.  We need to restock our freezer now!

Larry got home from work earlier than usual – just a few minutes after six.  I set the Instant Pot, which had just finished cooking all that meat, on ‘Keep Warm’, and off we went to visit Richard and Edith at Riverland Campground east of Columbus, where they were parked with their camper.

The Platte River looked dark and moody that evening under the clouds.  Several eagles flew back and forth over the river and landed in tall trees on the other side.  Other birds sang their evening songs, and bunnies hopped about nearby, entertaining Molly dog.

That evening, Levi sent me a couple of pictures, writing, “We went to David City the other day so I could practice driving.”

And here he is, dangling from the 37mm gun on the tank at the David City Park.  Hee hee  That kid.

Since Richard and Edith planned to leave early Wednesday morning, I drove out to Riverland Campground at 7:00 a.m.  It took 20 minutes to get there from our house seven miles west of town.  The sun rose over the eastern horizon shortly after I left home.

We watched eagle parents feeding their three big, healthy, recently-fledged eaglets fish that they were catching in the river. 

Nearby, several Great Blue herons were squabbling over settlers’ rights in what they evidently deemed the Best of the Bestest Fishing Hole on the Platte.  

The Platte River is over 1,050 miles long, for pity’s sake.

Can you see all three juvenile eaglets sitting with their parents on this log on a sandbar in the river?

I posted the picture on Facebook with that same question as a caption, and my cousin Fred responded, “Sounds like the setup for a joke.”

“Haha!” I replied.  “Or like the book Grandma Swiney gave me for my fourth birthday:  ‘I have a cat.  My cat lives in a box beside my bed in my room in my house in my town in the county in the state in the country in the world in the universe’ — with one phrase and a picture depicting the phrase on each page.  Then it spirals back down from universe to the kitty — and starts back up toward the universe again.  I absolutely loved that book.”

More pictures from Riverland here.

Richard and Edith soon headed on their way south toward their home in Texas, and I came home and edited pictures, washed clothes, and did a bit of cleaning.

In the picture below, one of the eagle parents – probably the female, as it was bigger than the other – had just brought in another fish.  Look at the youngster:  “Ma!  You brought that for me, right?  Right?! MA!!” 😅  And the closest heron is standing tall to watch the show (and to see if there are any wayward tidbits he might be able to snag).

It sure was fun to watch them.  I always think God enjoyed Himself, making the birds.

Those big ol’ herons were having such fusses (“This is MY fishin’ hole!”  “No, it’s MINE!!!”), they kept making the little shore birds startle.  Every time they went at it, the juvenile eagle spread his wings over his fish (mantling, that’s called) to protect it from possible thievery.

The air conditioner man returned that afternoon to finish the work he had started the previous day.  He was still working on it, though nearly done, when it was time for me to go to church that evening.  I handed him a check and headed for town.  Larry didn’t get home in time to come with me.

By the time I got home, the air conditioner was running, and the house was nice and cool.  It wasn’t too awfully hot in the first place, but it sure was nice to have the central air back on.

Thursday, I machine-embroidered the label for Emma’s Flower Garden quilt and sewed it onto the quilt.

For supper that evening, we had sunflower seed and cranberry salad with strips of beef, and strawberries on ice cream for dessert.

Friday, I put together a large frame that I hoped to use to hang quilts from while I take pictures of them.  The frame was designed for a photography backdrop.  Up ’til now, I’ve usually spread large quilts out on the back deck (yes, I always cleaned it first), then shinnied up on a stepladder to take pictures of them.  I was tired of that.

One time I climbed up on one of the canvas deck chairs, was just about to snap a shot, when RIIIIPPP!!! – the canvas tore, right down the middle, and there I was then, standing on the deck in the middle of the deck chair.

The chair and I both felt quite surprised.

It was a jolt.  But I saved the camera!

I used to tell the kids, if they were ever carrying my camera, “If you slip and start to fall, see that you land UNDER that camera!”  haha

With a quilt hanging from a frame, I would be able to get a straight forward shot, so it would be square in the camera frame, as opposed to the perspective making it appear smaller at the top than at the bottom.

I started putting the frame together on the front porch, but before long a slight mist began coming down.  I moved the operation into the living room.

By the time the frame was together, the mist had stopped.  So, with some difficulty, I took the frame out to the front yard, and proceeded to hang the quilt from it.

The quilt measures 101” x 101”.  The cross-stitched blocks were found at a secondhand store by my daughter-in-law Amy, Emma’s mother.  I designed the quilt in EQ8, adding Triple Irish Chain blocks to the cross-stitched blocks.  The fabric is from Robert Kaufman’s ‘Softly’ line.  The pantograph is ‘Lollipop Rose’.  I used pale yellow 40-wt. Omni thread on top, and cream 60-wt. Bottom Line in the bobbin.  Each block has 96 pearls, making a total of 1,728 pearls.

I don’t think I need to add the smaller pearls I once mentioned; it’s fine the way it is.  Those tiny blue dots on the embroidered blocks (marking where the manufacturer thought hand-quilting should be placed) aren’t very noticeable at all, and I hereby and forthwith refuse to worry about them further.  😉

This frame is not nearly heavy enough for hanging quilts on, and the only way it stayed upright was because, for once, the constant Nebraska wind had died down to a 10-mph ‘gentle breeze’, as they call it hereabouts.  Still, I had to catch it before it tumbled over three or four times, and I took pictures as fast as I could between tips.

Larry would doubtless offer me his bright orange ratchet straps with which to tie the thing to whatever might be at the sides – trees, drainpipes, ugly old trucks, etc.  After all, he offered to let me dangle quilts from one of his scissor lifts!  

I retorted, “You keep that dirty thing away from my quilts.”  

(I’m always a polite, appreciative li’l wifey.  Ahem.)

With that thought in mind, I hastily ordered plastic-lined, heavy-duty bags to put sand in; they’ll lop over the legs.  Next, I ordered 16” tent stakes and a nifty hammer with a claw for pulling up the stakes, some carabiners, and 100 ft. of paracord.  One way or another (well, not with neon orange ratchet straps), this thing is going to work!  😀

I worked on Ethan’s Ducks Unlimited quilt for a few hours that afternoon, getting the cream-on-white background all cut, and starting the piecing.

For supper that night, we had small pork steaks, potato salad, macaroni salad, and coleslaw.  I sliced the last of the strawberries onto the last of the ice cream for dessert.

It began raining in the wee hours of Saturday morning, and kept it up pretty much without letup until late last night.

I worked on Ethan’s quilt for 9 hours Saturday.  By the time I quit, three borders were on the panel – the gold, the borders with the blocks (including the duck prints), and the green border.  There are four more borders to go, including two borders with blocks.

Those small duck prints aren’t a uniform size!  Par for the course, I guess.  I can’t trim them, because of the pretty edge I want to leave on them.  So I’m making them fit by trimming the background a bit here and there.

On the Chicago radio station the last couple of days, first someone rants and raves about President Trump planning to send the National Guard to Chicago to restore order in the crime-riddled city.  The mayor says they have no problem whatsoever and can and do maintain order, and crime is way down.  “50% down!” he says.

Actually, the overall total of violent crimes has decreased by more than 20% compared to the previous year.

Here are a few more statistics:  For 13 consecutive years, Chicago has had the most murders of any U.S. city.  For seven consecutive years, Chicago has had the highest murder rate among U.S. cities with more than one million people.  In 2024, Chicago’s murder rate per capita was three times higher than Los Angeles and nearly five times higher than New York City.  That’s more than double the murder rate in Islamabad and nearly 15 times more than Delhi.  Out of Chicago’s 147,899 reported crimes since January 1, arrests have been made in just 16.2% of them.  More illegal guns are recovered in Chicago than in New York City and Los Angeles combined.  The number of reported motor vehicle thefts last year was more than double the number in 2021.  Chicago has also come under scrutiny over discrepancies in its homicide data reporting.

One more thing:  to say there has been a big drop in violent crime after a year or two of unprecedented rises in violent crime is misleading.

As for the mayor’s ‘50%’ number, the only statistic close to that is carjacking, with a 47% drop from last year.  

Immediately after the mayor’s rant Sunday, the newscaster told of multiple shootings with a number of people dead, and several carjackings. 

Monday, same rant, and hot on the heels of this, the newscaster reported on two mass shootings during the night.

It drizzled most of the day Sunday.  I was thankful for the central air as we were getting ready for church, since we couldn’t open the windows.

We got up early yesterday morning to go to the Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island.  I put a few curls in my hair, then sprayed it with a bit of hairspray.  Not too much, or when it rains, my hair turns into a motorcycle helmet!  😅

It’s a good thing there are a lot of things to see and do indoors, as it misted or rained a good part of the day.  

We left home a little before 9:30 a.m.  We’d originally planned to leave earlier in order to arrive in Grand Island around 9, but upon looking at the weather forecast and seeing that it would be raining there until 10:30 or so, we readjusted.

We arrived at about 11:00 a.m., and went first to the Nebraska Game and Parks building, with its aquarium.  There’s a ‘creek’ with duck and geese decoys floating in it, and the children can play with them. 

Next, we went to the sheep and goat barn.  One little goat was in a pen with the bars set a bit too far apart for the likes of him, for he tilted his head this way and that, and then smoothly slid his small horned head right through the bars.  Of course, he then straightened his head and pulled back – and found himself stuck.  His eyes got wide, and, instead of tilting his head to work it back through, he just pulled harder.

Larry promptly leaned down, and, talking to the little goat calmly, got a grip on those small horns, tilted the little head, and helped him pull back into the pen.  The little guy backed up and stood looking at us, blinking, a somewhat forlorn look on his face.  What just happened, and was it your fault or mine??  His mate in the same stall came and rubbed his nose against the backs of our hands, but the once-stuck goat stayed back.  That fencing is dangerous!  It reached right out and grabbed me.

Chickens, ducks, guineas, and geese were in one corner.  One big corner.  There were a lot of them – and the buildings are huge.

Some in wooden carriers (owners were preparing to take their birds home again) were sticking their heads out – and Larry said they were ‘jailbirds’.

Some of the sheep had just been sheared.  Since it was a cool day, many of the sheared ones had coats on.  Some had leg warmers; many had the kind of muzzles on through which they can drink, but not eat, because sheep can and will eat the wood shavings on the floor of their pens, towels lopped over the fencing, or my skirt, if I get too close.  They and the goats (llamas, too, when they are around) are always intrigued by my jewelry, especially the rings, and want to sniff and nibble on them.  Those muzzles are always removed at feeding time, and when the animals are taken into the area for judging. 

I found a video clip of a sheep in coat and muzzle on Facebook, with an AI voice intoning how wicked humans are to scared, innocent, hungry sheep, depriving them of food and water, no doubt beating them to get them to do what the evil humans want them to do.  The comments were a chaos of contradiction, with some people raging and fuming about how all humans should be exterminated, others attempting (in vain, usually) to give the voice of reason, explaining what those muzzles are for, and how these animals are people’s (usually children’s) well-loved pets, and they are treated like well-favored babies.

Indeed, we see how people treat their animals, and know they do indeed love them and care immensely for them and treat them with care and kindness – and further, those animals love them right back!  From the cows right down to the big geese and the little ducks (I almost said ‘chickens’, but they don’t quite seem that smart, heh), they often spot their owners in the middle of a whole group of humanity walking down the aisles, and set up quite the fuss until said owner arrives at the pen to pamper them further with scritch-scratches behind the ears, pettings from bills up over heads and down long, skinny necks, and with treats.  Some of those ducks, just like the big yearling calves, butt their heads against their owners with much affection.

I really dislike it when people are falsely accused of being mean to their animals, when it’s quite obvious that they have loved and worked with those animals for hours on end, many from the minute the animals were born or even hatched!

Those accusatory people call others ‘evil’ – while in the same breath they advocate for the extermination and murder of their fellow Homo sapiens.  Do they also propose their own demise, or do they intend to be The Last Man Standing, I wonder?

We stopped by the nursery to see baby piglets (20 to one mother), calves, kids, lambs, ducklings, and chicks.  Here is a brand-spankin'-new lamb, and in the next picture are a couple of new baby goats who decided their Mama’s food pan was the perfect crib for them.

At 12:00 p.m., we got some fudge from the Two Brothers Fudge Company – half a slice of German Chocolate, and half a slice of Chocolate Pecan – and took it into the cow/sheep arena, where we climbed up fairly high in the bleachers to watch proceedings and to share our fudge (with each other; not with the cows and sheep).  We ate about half of it; that was enough.  It was good.

Next, the cattle barn, and after that the pig barn.  Most of the pigs are very friendly, and grunt and make little squeals to beg for attention.  Some wag their tails, and their ears go up and down while their mouths open in grinny grins, and they obviously want to be petted (and fed a few treats, of course).  I learned my lesson about petting them, though, a few years back:  those piggies have been well-greased with sparkly pink stuff, and it will get all over your hands if you pet them.  Yuck.  So I stand back and just talk to them, which they like, too.

We went in the giftshop that’s between a couple of the big barns, and I found some Nebraska State Fair cookbooks on sale.  I got a few for Christmas gifts.

We looked at campers... huge horse trailers with upfront living quarters in them... and antique tractors.  By 1:00 p.m., we were hungry, and needed to sit down for a few minutes.

We debated over what to get, and finally settled on Tot-Chos for Larry and an Italian slider (with slices of hot jalapeño and banana peppers) for me.

Benches and tables and places to sit were hard to come by, but we spotted someone vacating one of those round, red, metal picnic tables, and made for it lickety-split, carrying our food as we went.

Tot-Chos are like Nachos, only with tater tots at the bottom.  It was about 1:00 p.m.  I’m more likely to be eating breakfast at that time; but Monday I’d gotten up at 6:15 a.m. and only had a bowl of Honey Bunches with Almonds cereal before leaving home.

While we sat and ate, a parade went by, consisting of veterans on tractors, Harleys, ATVs, and even big trucks.

It felt a little misty by the time we were done eating, so we headed for the Expo building that houses the vendors and the quilts.  I took 494 pictures in the quilting area, and sometimes I even got two quilts in one shot!  Yep, there were lots of quilts.

An old man – a veteran – came along, watched me taking pictures, and then began informing Larry that the FBI can get involved if a person breaks copyright laws.

I figured he was kidding, and smiled at him.

Larry thought he meant it, and began ‘explaining’:  “She likes to take pictures of all the quilts!  And scenery!  And animals!”  Etc., etc.!

Since both Larry and the old veteran were hard of hearing, the conversation was somewhat convoluted and tortuous.

I left them at it and went on taking pictures – and came upon ‘The Mane Event’. 

I pointed it out.  “Look!  There’s mine!” 

The older gentleman looked at me. 

I went on pointing.  “That’s my quilt!  I made it!” I said.

(Sometimes one just must blow his or her own horn.  Right?)

The man looked at the quilt.  Then, without another word, he wandered off down the aisle.  Maybe he went to look for an FBI agent?

This was the quilt that won Best of Show.  Lynette Koelzer of Wood River made this quilt.

“I used over 6,000 feet of thread,” she said.

Lynette used state patterns from Ohio and Oklahoma in her quilt. The quilting was done on a non-computerized sewing machine. It took Lynette five months to design, piece, and quilt this piece.

I saw it up close, and the quilting is exquisite.

A short man in a too-small red t-shirt with a basketball stuffed under it (well, that’s what looked like) came along when we were on the last aisle of quilts.  He stared at me in an accusatory manner and stood in my way.  I smiled at him and sidestepped.  I’m still quick on my feet, and I’m good at sidestepping.

I turned around to get pictures of the quilts in one of the three-sided cubicles – and the man stepped into my path again, giving me a good hard glare.  Oh, we playin’ that game, huh?

I stopped bolt still and stared back from about two feet away.

He looked to the side – and moved.

What in the world?  I ask you, do I look like a thief, or what?!

I probably looked more like a thief-catcher, when I glared back.  ha!

Most people are friendly and nice, at least.  In fact, almost everybody is friendly and nice at the Nebraska State Fair. 

By the time we left the quilt area, my back was protesting.  I headed straight for the massage chair vendor, and asked if I could try one out, gesturing at one of the chairs. 

The lady said, “Of course!  But –” she looked at the chair I was pointing at, and shook her head.  “That one is probably too aggressive for you.  Back here –” she headed toward the back parts of their display area “—is one that will probably suit you better.”

I took off my sandals, sat in it, and she turned it on.

The chair had felt much too big for me when I sat down.  But that thing was soon moving around all over the place, adjusting itself to my size.  And then it started.

Yikes, if the lady thought the other chair was too aggressive – well, it would’ve probably left me a paraplegic!  The one I was in was no mollycoddler, that’s a fact.  It pummeled me from the bottoms of my feet right up to the back of my head.

There were a few points where it was a bit too much, but the thing had me trapped, and I was determined not to give in.  It even wrapped around my hands and ka-thonked them!  My feet and legs suffered claustrophobia, then my arms.

But I very definitely felt better by the time the demo was over.

“How much does this chair cost?” I asked the lady when she returned.

“Twelve five,” she answered nonchalantly, and told me what a good deal it was, and how much cheaper than usual, just for deserving State Fair-goers like me.

“Uh,” I said in my intelligent way, “could you please tell me where the decimal point goes in that number you just gave me?”

Yeah.  The chair cost $12,500.00.

I got out carefully so as not to break it and tiptoed away.

Since we could see storm clouds rolling in, and my weather apps reported rain was on the way, we went to the Mercedes.

It didn’t start sprinkling (‘misting heavily’ would be the more accurate term) until after 4.  We drove to the old part of town.  

I wanted to stop at a coffee shop for something cold where we could sit indoors in a cool place, rather than in the car with its non-working air conditioner with the windows rolled up on account of the rain; but Larry just kept driving... driving... driving... until we wound up back at the fairgrounds.  Then he, untroubled by the lack of oxygen in the vehicle, proceeded to start watching an old football game on YouTube. 

I tired of that right quick-like.  I put on my tennis shoes so as to save the new leather beaded sandals, grabbed an umbrella, and climbed out.  Larry reluctantly followed.

We went back to the big building where all the vendors were, and wandered around looking at all the things that were for sale.  I got a big spray bottle of jewelry cleaner after the lady polished up my wedding ring until it glowed in the dark.  I had purchased a set of jewelry cleaning agents at an AQS quilt show in Des Moines a couple of years ago, but gave it to Hester when she and Andrew hosted our family get-together at Christmastime.

I tried out a Bernina quilting machine.  Ooooo... (...swoon...)  What a machine that is! 

But all I could afford was the free brochure.

We went to the Dairy and got ourselves some waffle cones – I ordered Caramel Pecan, and Larry got Strawberry Cheesecake.

Actually, I ordered Strawberry Cheesecake first, but then he ordered the same thing.  The same thing!!!  Where’s the fun in that?!  We’re supposed to order different things, and then trade, halfway through!  These precepts are in the marriage rules!  Somewhere, they are.  They are!

The lady barely finished saying to Larry, “She makes good choices, doesn’t she?!” when I changed my choice to Caramel Pecan.  😆

(Just for the record, the first bite of Strawberry Cheesecake tastes sour, after eating Caramel Pecan.  The two flavors are not really compatible.  But I powered through it!  😄)

We made friends with a man and his cute little boy in a stroller (uh, just the little boy was in the stroller; the man was not) while we ate our cones, trying to stay under the building overhang and behind a large brick pillar out of the misty rain while we did so.

When it was nearing 6:00 and time to pick up my quilts, Larry went back to the Merc to get the canvas wagon.  I thought to look at some merchandise I hadn’t seen yet – and was waylaid by a woman with a handheld infrared device (Elavare Red, or something similar).  She offered to turn me into a movie star, and of course I said, “Sure!”

Well, actually, I first protested that I liked me just fine, wrinkles and all; but then she asked if I had any pain, and I, truthful, naïve soul that I am, said, “Yes.”

That did it.  I was roped into receiving a treatment from her wand.

It felt quite nice on the back of my neck where she used it.  My ears got worn out, though, listening to her never-ending, perpetual spiel telling me the wonders of this light treatment.

Larry came back in before I was done, and he got a treatment on his shoulder.  He said it felt nice, too.  We were both assured that the effects build up, and get better and better.

I was beginning to think maybe we should get one for ourselves, one for Hannah, one for Teddy, etc., especially when she said it was more than half off there at the fair, since it was nearly closing time the last day of the fair – and then we learned that the device originally cost over $10,000!!!!

Yikes, help, get me away.  “Me go now,” I said quietly in Larry’s ear.

But the spiel wasn’t over. 

Despite the fact that I’d said I liked my wrinkles (“You leave my wrinkles alone!”), she brought out jars and containers of this and that which she said would come with the LED/infrared device.  I spotted a price tag on the jar of face cream:  $300.

Yeah, lady, I’m perfectly happy and content with my big jar of St. Ives face cream, and it’s only $15.  Why, it even has elastin in it, to make me look like I’m only 15 or 16!

The more I said, “We can’t afford to buy that, sorry,” the farther the price dropped.

The final lowest-of-the-low price was $1,000 – and then it dropped even farther! – $999. 

Yep, that last drop was one whole dollar.

She even wag-fingered me over (silently – Big Secret) to show me the price she’d engineered on her laptop:  $999.00.

Larry keeps still during all this (because he’s the Good Guy, you know), and if I had’ve said, “Alrighty then, we’ll take it,” he would’ve smilingly gone right along with it, I think, because Larrys like buying things.

The woman – Naomi, her name was – even said to Larry, gesturing in my direction, “She’s the boss, right?” and he merely smiled.

Well, if everybody agrees that I’m the Boss, then I say we can’t afford it, and it’s time to go.  Byeeee!

Arrggghhh.  This is why I generally refuse to make eye contact with vendors, even if they step out of their booths and address me personally.  Eyes straight ahead.  For’d, HARCH! 

They keep talking, I keep walking.  I smile, sometimes.  And keep walking.

One year, I paused (partly because I was interested, partly because there was a chair there, and I’d been walking around for several hours) to watch a cooking show with pretty, shiny cookware, and the show-putter-onner tried roping me into helping him demonstrate a recipe.  I smiled and shook my head no.  He insisted.  I mean, he INSISTED.

So... I got up and walked off, protesting back or not, while he hollered after me and tried to get other chair-sitters to holler, too.  Le’ me alone.

I don’t like pushy salesmen.  Pushy people.  Le’ me alone!

Well, we got around to the door where quilt pickers-up were supposed to congregate – and they made us do it outside in a slight mist, under darkening skies, and in a cold breeze.  And my sweater was in the Merc.  It was 6:35 p.m.; they were already 35 minutes late, and would be later.

It was nearly 7:30 before we got my quilts and returned to the car.

I wasn’t hungry, but Larry was, and it was time to eat.  We went to Lee’s Family Restaurant, which went into business on February 14, 1972.  We’ve eaten there before, and liked it.  I got salad and soup – they have a big salad bar, and a large kettle with the soup of the day at the end of the salad bar.  It was tomato soup, and it was good.  Larry got a vegetable omelet and a Belgian waffle with strawberry sauce and whipped cream.

We went through ribbons of pea-soup fog here and there on the county road from Silver Creek to Monroe.  Those wafting fog banks weren’t very wide, but there were a few seconds of zero visibility.  I was driving, and slowed from 60 mph to 25 mph in a quick hurry.  There were no other vehicles on that entire 15-mile road, but there were several deer alongside and crossing road.  A couple of them allllmost decided to turn back onto the road from the shoulder when I was right beside them.  They would’ve run smack-dab into the side of the Merc, had they attempted it!

We stopped at Daniel’s little store (on that same road) to get some corn and tomatoes and two jars of Salsa (Verde and Rojas).  The store is open all the time, with an honor-pay system, and a notebook for writing down what one purchases and how much one pays.  I messed up the page by writing down my purchase – and then discovering I had no checkbook, only a $20 bill. 

So I chose more things until I got the total to $19.50.  They got a 50¢ tip.

They needed it, because some idiot had let his dog into the little store, and the dog was confused on the distinction between ‘outbuilding’ and ‘outhouse’.  I’ll let you figure out the rest.

Good grief.

We got home shortly after 11:00 p.m.

It was 65° at 11:00 a.m. today, bright and sunny and on its way up to 78°.  

Here’s one of the chickens we saw at the State Fair.  Isn’t it pretty?  One of my quilting friends who raises chickens said, “Looks like a Seabright bantam chicken.  Nice rose comb.”

So now I can label my picture properly.  😊

I have pictures to edit.  I took 942 pictures and 5 videos!  I’ve deleted a few, and am down to 908 photos.

,,,>^..^<,,,          Sarah Lynn           ,,,>^..^<,,,