It was a good show at Waldens Ridge Gallery for the October Sky Festival. Not great, but very good. Our group was small, but we’re all friendly and play well together. I’ve found that the better time you have, the more people are willing to buy from you, too. If you never smile and complain about things, potential customers leave. Okay, that’s pretty much my only secret to sales. Be pleasant and kind and not too silly.
I tend to avoid conflict. I actually go to great lengths to avoid conflict. My parents’ favorite activity was arguing. I’m not kidding. They did it for sport. My siblings and I hated it. I rarely run potential customers away because of my attitude unless I’m getting really silly. Sometimes that happens.
I had a great time at October Sky, though, and had pretty good sales. The weather was not cooperating. The forecast all week had been for a gorgeous Fall day, but we got rain and cold. Not torrential rain, thank goodness. The kids did get to paint pumpkins and small canvases under the big tent. After the wagon was refilled the little girls were so cute trying to push a wagon full of big pumpkins.
Punkin’ Paintin’ at Waldens Ridge Gallery in Oliver Springs, TN.
The student art was wonderful. One 10-year-old girl had amazing talent. She stayed and helped out all day and showed off her work at the least prompt–which was good. She deserved praise, and her enthusiasm was contagious. When the clouds finally released a few sprinkles she went out into the parking lot, raised her face to the sky and twirled. And she ate donuts. And she petted a sock toy I had made. It became her First Place Award at the end of the show. She was surprised! I love to surprise people. And now my buck-toothed bunny-type guy went to a good home.
I’m doing a show! Saturday, October 19 I’ll be in Waldens Ridge Gallery, LLC on Highway 62 in Oliver Springs TN as a part of the October Sky Festival. I’ve been busily making pumpkins and a mushroom. I’ll make more mushrooms before Saturday.
I swore off shows for awhile, but this one is different. I get to stay inside a building. I’ve been in too many outdoor shows where everything blows away, including the tent, or everything gets flooded and/or washed away, or the heat and sun are so bad that my fair skin and heat intolerance are unbearable. This time I will get to stay inside with climate control and no possibility of sunburn here. I will also be with good friends. That makes a big difference too. It should be fun even if I sell nothing. I hope I sell something though. Even one of these little gift/business card cases.
I’ll have hats, key fobs, card cases, purses, jewelry, wallets and other things. It’s been awhile since I set up my displays. Hope I can find all my things.
I’ve been making some business/gift card cases from cork fabric–something new for me. A customer ordered two for teenage boys in masculine fabric and I thought of cork. I think they would be great for males or females. I really like cork fabric. It’s soft and supple, but sturdy. I lined them with some plaid fabric scraps from a men’s shirt that I found at a thrift shop and used for one of my granddaughter’s dresses when she was much younger.
Musing is one of my favorite things. I come up with some strange thoughts sometimes, but other times I get realizations that are, to me anyway, basic truths. Here are some.
I’m always taller when I leave the chiropractor’s office.
There is really nothing better than a terry washcloth to clean and exfoliate.
Every time I have a week with no appointments or meetings, something happens to take most of the week away from me.
See what I mean. I ramble and one thing leads to another and another and another. I love trying to figure out how words came to be. Anyone else do this? Do you love speculating? It that part of being creative? It seems to be with me.
If you’re a star-gazer like me, the Orionid meteor shower will peak on Monday and Tuesday, October 21-22. Watch for falling stars!
“Well, I’ve wrestled with reality for thirty-five years, Doctor, and I’m happy to state I finally won out over it.†–Elwood P. Dowd in Harvey
This has to be one of my favorite quotes. I love the movie Harvey. I know, it’s old and it’s silly, but I love it. If you haven’t seen it, you really should. You may not like it, but I think you will. It’s in the same style as Arsenic and Old Lace. Lots of situation comedy and a Pooka. Pooka’s are mischievous. Let me explain with another quote from the movie.
Marvin Wilson, sanitarium orderly: [Reading from a dictionary] “P-O-O-K-A. Pooka. From old Celtic mythology, a fairy spirit in animal form, always very large. The pooka appears here and there, now and then, to this one and that one. A benign but mischievous creature. Very fond of rumpots, crackpots, and how are you, Mr. Wilson?” [Inverts and shakes the dictionary] “How are you, Mr. Wilson?” Who in the encyclopedia wants to know?
Now, if I’m honest, another favorite movie is Mousehunt. I was a knitter before carpal tunnel syndrome set in, and I love the quote, “A World Without String is Chaosâ€â€”Rudolph Smuntz,  Mousehunt. What knitter could resist that?
Speaking of mice and Pookas and other animals, it’s been a good year for wildlife at our house. Earlier this year we watched a pair of birds build in the nesting jar on our back porch. They moved so fast we couldn’t get a good look at them for a couple of weeks, but we could see blue when they flew by. We thought it might be a bluebird pair, which would be weird as they usually nest in deep boxes. We finally got a good look at them and they were tree swallows! I sneaked a few pictures of the nest. The parents did NOT like that.
Can’t get high enough to get a pic of the eggs
Babies! and they’re hungry.
I got mooned.
I think they were tired of having their picture made and one mooned me the last time. Baby bird moons are covered with feathers, though, so they’re not that bad. A couple of days after the last pic they fledged and were gone. Since then we’ve seen a wren checking out the jar. They’re the usual occupants and have made their nest there now.
We bought the jar in Old Williamsburg about 25 years ago, and it has been used every year since. I would love to have more, but I don’t have a local source. Any potters out there who are reading this, you should think about making these. I know they would sell really well.
We wondered what was digging the dirt out of my strawberry jar, below, then we found out. Nicely camouflaged little guy, but very messy.
We are remodeling our screened porch into a sunroom. No more screens and no front porch full of pollen and dust! I found an Imperial Moth on the front porch one night and Carl found another a couple of days later. I got pictures during the day while they were asleep. It’s the only way to keep them still. They got in easily while the screen was off the windows.
The small butterfly on the Brown-eyed Susan is a Pearl Crescent. These moths and the butterfly are almost at the extreme ends of the scale of the size of moths and butterflies. The Imperial moths are about 6-7″ across and the Pearl Crescent is just over 1″. There are a few who are larger or smaller, but not many. I feel lucky to have found these. We have many Pearl Crescents around, but I hadn’t seen an Imperial moth for years.
Imperial Moth #1
Imperial Moth #2
Pearl Crescent on a Brown-eyed Susan
Who’s been sleeping in my jar?
I’ve been working on some sewing projects, but it’s been slow. I get mostly repairs and alterations done, but I’ve managed to get a few new things made. Nothing exciting. Mostly baby items–hats, blankets, a snuggler and some sock toys, some of which went to India with my friend, Chetna, for her nieces and nephews. The rest are at Locally Grown Gallery.
And I’m sad tonight. My favorite sandals came apart. They’re several years old, but I was hoping to make them last a few more years. I’m going to try to repair them with a good cleaning, some ShooGoo, and a clamp or two. Anyone out there with experience doing something similar? Can you give me advice?
Until next time, have a great day, week, month and year.
