Speaking of the Fair

I've spent the last couple days thinking about and gathering up the things I want to enter in the County Fair.  When KW and I saw the few knitted and crocheted items entered last year we decided that we'd change that this year.  We're trying to get our knitting buddies to enter too but for sure we're doing it.  It costs all of $4 to enter as many things in as many categories as you want, as long as you enter online.  If you enter by mail it's $8, so online it is.  I haven't entered yet so I don't know if you have to submit a photo or just a description but at least I don't have to arrange a stall for my prize sheep or hire a pooper scooper.  Things made of yarn are much easier to wrangle and they don't mess the floor.  I'm entering the owl hat, bling Christmas stocking, and the BLT on Whole Grain and Ham & Swiss on Rye play food in the Crochet division.  The Oriole Shawl, beaded scarf, Apres Llama lounge socks, Helical Stripe Preemie Hat, and the kids' mittens that go with the owl hat are in the Knit Division.  The cash awards for the first 3 places are in the $1-$2 range for each category (and each item I'm entering is in a separate category, only one entry per person, thank you very much) but there are ribbons.  I'm after ribbons.  At least one, I hope, I hope.  Entry deadline's July 15, so I'd better get a move on.

The sunshine and blue sky looked exceptionally lovely this morning so I decided you needed to gaze upon it.








When I fixed the fountain leak I also scrubbed all of the fittings and cleaned the pump filter.  The fountain fish is really spouting now.  Just wait until OJ sees it.  He's a big fan.  LC is too.

There's a volunteer black walnut tree growing in my bed of ferns.  I wonder who planted it?  I'm looking at you, Squirrel.





Before going out to bask in the early morning cool and sunshine I opened the patio drapes--

and ended up with a frayed cord end in my hand.  Dammit.  Do you know that no one, with the possible exception of expensive specialty stores, carries traverse rods in stock anymore?  Not Walmart.  Not Target.  Not ShopKo (well, I didn't really expect them to have any) Not Sears (and I really did think they'd have them; they used to)  Not even JCPenney, although they at least had them on their website so that I could order one online.  It'll be here in about 3 weeks. (evidently it's hitchhiking from Shanghai)  At least I can drag the curtains open and shut until then.  I guess I shouldn't complain, that traverse rod's been there for going on 39 years.  It doesn't owe me a thing.

Dad's rose is blooming up a storm but I have to do something about the chrysanthemums blooming behind it.  I'll go out there tomorrow and snip everything in half, which will make it all bush out and rebloom in the fall when it's supposed to bloom.  BTW, how come the coppery bronze and deep cranberry mums I like the colors of have kicked the bucket while the lilac ones that I'm meh about live on?


Durwood finally breathed out enough oxygen from one of the new small refillable tanks so we got to try out the new compressor.  Worked like a charm.  I realized how valuable my years of SCUBA tank filling experience was when I wasn't afraid to disconnect the compressor from the oxygen concentrator last weekend and was unfazed when I had to jiggle the tank in the filler fitting to get it to work today.  See the technician who brought it all over and taught me how to fill tanks said "it's a rigamarole to disconnect them; just come get a different one and some of the old style tanks" when I asked about shoving it all in the back of the van to go away for a weekend.  Evidently pushing a little metal button's to unclip the fill hose is too much technology for a lot of folks.  But not me, air hoses don't scare me, not even when they're hissing at me.

By the time I tucked myself into bed last night I was too tired to write the prompt.  I'll try to do better tonight.  In the meantime, I think I'll go knit.
--Barbara