Happy Dance! Fall is here! Sweaters, wool socks, pumpkins, spiced cider, full root cellars and freezers. The frantic activity of summer is nodding off and things are slowing down....... or are they?
OPENING!!!!
October 6th at Don Drum Gallery in Akron is a grand show: "Out of Their Minds". Partnered for this fun show; Connie Bloom, Michael Marras, Grace Hoff and yours truly.
This was my first trip to Don Drumm Studios and Gallery. It is something everyone should experience once or twice or more. The place just goes and goes, every cubby is full, every corner tucked away has treasures. This is not your white pedestal, stand back and look gallery. This is a, leave a bread crumb trail or you will never find you way to the door gallery. We went over inventory in the parking lot as once again I took way too much stuff but then better to have more than less....... in this potters humble opinion! Left 24 pieces and came home lighter. The place is amazing!
CLOSING!!!!
In all the frenzy of life stuff happens and I am wondering if I need a wrangler. On the way home from the Mother Earth News Fair my head was swimming with ideas to put into action. I realized I needed coffee and a rest area. Pulling into the East Stanton rest area somewhere south of Pittsburgh I grabbed my super duper big gulp travel tumbler and jumped out the door, slamming the truck door behind me. That's when everything went into slow motion..........and I found myself staring down at the big gulp coffee jug screaming........THESE ARE NOT YOUR KEYS! Running around the truck I saw my keys dangling from the ignition. Fine, perfect, now what. Breath, calm down and walk inside. I went to the restroom and realized I had my wallet stuffed in the back pocket of my jeans. YES! Another reason I will always wear jeans and never carry a purse! Jackpot my AAA card was stuffed in the back of my 500 other cards. And YES! The rest area still had a pay phone since I had locked that in the truck too. A very nice woman got on the phone and asked me a very simple question: Where are you? Ummmm....... south of Pittsburgh on a freeway... Honestly I have no idea. Ummm I headed north but I'm on the south side and I think it's the only freeway. Yes, ma'am but exactly where are you? Ummmm standing in a rest area talking on a pay phone and I have no Purell to disinfect this phone or my hand, and I touch chicken poop but a public phone...... ewwww!
I hear another voice on the phone....... Can you help this woman? Nope, nobody can help and I really need a chip in my ear so I can be tracked at all times! How does this happen? I set up two tents, made food for a weekend and took an ice cold shower but I have no idea where I am! Then thank the Rest Area Gods I spied a map with blaring letters; "YOU ARE HERE" Told the guy, Hey wait just a minute and ran over to the map. Yes, I am here in a rest area south of Pittsburgh. Thanks...... running back to the phone I see in 5" black letters over the pay phone, EAST STANTON REST AREA, this means you! , Speaking very slowly I yell very loudly into the phone; I AM AT THE EAST STANTON REST AREA. I don't know why..... The guy shoving fries in his face sitting in the food court turned and said; Good for you! Giving me a thumbs up..... Great I bowed my head and lowered my voice. The guy on the phone yelled back.... I can have a truck out there in 30 - 45 minutes. THANK YOU, I YELLED BACK...... and hung up the phone.
Now what? Thank goodness I had my Starbuck's gold card in my wallet and there was a Starbuck's in this particular rest area so go big because I have 45 minutes to kill and a bathroom! Scored the Venti Americano (yes, I speak Starbuck) and grabbed a seat outside in the sun to wait for prince charming to roll in with yellow flashing lights. After 15 minutes of people watching and basking in the fall sun I remembered I had a lot of food in the truck! I ran to the back and flipped open the tailgate to have my very own tail gate party. Nuts the cooler had ice, melted ice and wet cheese....... the real food like granola, crackers and serious snacks were locked in the truck. Grrrrr...... Once again I found myself running around the truck yanking on all the handles, while spilling my Venti Americano all over myself. I went back to my table and sat down. A bit more people watching and then I saw a big yellow truck with flashing lights headed down the ramp!!!! It's HIM! and he drove right past me.
Then he circled the building I found myself in the parking lot waving my arms wildly and hurling myself in front of the speeding truck, commanding him to STOP! He did....... not prince charming but who cares he smells like grease and diesel fuel....... a dream come true! HEY! Didn't you see me sitting here sucking coffee out of my shirt?
Are you the lady who locked her keys in her truck....... YES I AM! He grabbed his tools and had my keys out in 30 seconds..... amazing! I explained I had never done this before and thanked him profusely, explaining if brains were dynamite some people couldn't blow there nose! He laughed, I signed the paper work and I was headed to the barn for dinner...... but wait I now had SNACKS!
Other closings......
The last rose of summer is blooming and the gardens look a bit tired. As I walked around this morning surveying the chores ahead it's a long list. I will let the roses bloom until they are cut back and mulched for winter. The rest of the gardens need cut back big time and the compost pile is going to FULL!
Gotta get the girls ready too! The bottom of the coop needs to be blocked in with straw bales to keep the cold north winds from blowing up there skirts! They are producing 6-9 eggs a day so I am freezing the eggs for winter, when eggs will be a luxury!
Nice to see the paths in the garden again...... still need to turn over the ground, dig potatoes and add compost.
Peppers are still on and really pretty! They are so sweet I have harvest the seeds and plant these again next year! So many lessons learned in the garden this year! Some things ya just gotta say NO too and rip out! and so it goes in life too ......
The first pumpkins I have ever grown! The vines were enormous!! Next year little pie pumpkins grown on the vertical.
Shelves are filling too. Still need to get an element in one of my kilns. Nothing like sitting there with your guts hanging out......
Chipmunk wars on the holly bushes!
and the toad flax is finally blooming...... last of the fall garden flowers.
