Summer Vacations and Lost Minds!

    Had the best time going with Debbie to the Michigan Fiber Festival over in Allegan the weekend of August 20-22.  First time I've been camping there .. we took Debbie's pop-up camper and were able to park across the 'drive' from our friend Ree. Our feet were beat by the end of the weekend, but we really had a blast.  Of course, I spent more than I planned on spending .. even after I did an inventory before I went of all the wool I found I still had in stock (who knew?) .. but did spend my monies on wool I got a really great deal on and some hand-dyed silk blanks for doing nuno felting scarves on.
    Got back home and asked Dave if he wanted to see my 'finds', and being the great guy he is, of course he said sure (not very enthusiastically of course, but it was a positive response!). So I'm putting all the wool out in front of him, and telling him all about each batt and why I had to get it (two balls of wool were totally Debbie's fault .. she MADE me make 'eye contact' with them!), or why it was such a bargain,for me not to pass up, and showing him this and that, and, and, . Of course he's paying total attention to every word coming out of my mouth, not.  When I get done with my little 'show', I ask him ... "so what do you think?".  He looks at me and with a huge smile says .... "OMG!".   After I finished laughing and choking, I went upstairs and put it all away.

   Got back for one day at the shop and then left for Cheboygan and the wonder of Northern Michigan .. to be spent primarily in one of the huge stock barns at the County fair grounds 'sorting used clothing' from 40 gallon trash bags and huge cardboard boxes with my sister. Here I am .. the one who (will not go alone and who) cannot go into a Salvation Army store without holding my arms tight against my sides so I won't 'touch' anything .. willingly driving 340 miles one-way to put my hands into these bags and boxes without knowing exactly 'what' I may pull out along with clothing!  It's for the animals  .. I keep repeating .. it's for the animals ... and besides, I get a NEW tee shirt from the Humane Society for doing this!  And I'm such a tee-shirt whore .. I'll do just about anything if I'm going to get a tee shirt out of it!
   Up at 7 each morning to be at the fairgrounds by 9, then out to dinner with family or friends and then, back in bed by 10 back at my sisters house so that we can start the day all over again the next morning.  Feet aching, hand sanitizer, hot showers, but lots of laughter and actually 'some' fun! 
   I reached into this one trash bag of clothes, and under some jeans and shirts and socks, grabbed hold of ...... satin?????!  Pulled a bit and looked at it ... yep, satin, white satin with lots of jewelled sparkly stuffs embroidered on it.  Carefully pulled the rest of it up.  It was a wedding gown.  You probably already figured that out, right?  But did you think that it would be a brand new wedding gown that still had the price tags attached to it?  And did you think that it started out priced at $895.00 and was sold marked down to $703.00?  And that it was in impeccable condition,  other than somewhat wrinkled.  The storage bag was crumpled into a much smaller bundle beneath  the gown ... can you say this was "probably one really ticked off bride not to be"???!!! 
    Everything that is sorted and put out for 'purchase' is sold by 'donation only' .. whatever you feel it's worth, and hopefully knowing that the monies go directly back to the animals at the Humane Society, you'll donate generously.  There is one barn that is a 'priced' barn .. where the better items are assigned a small price instead.  We put the bridal gown in there rather than in the clothing barn with a $30.00 price tag on it.  I don't think it ever sold!  Long train, was 2 years old - so not that out of style.  If I could have fit into it, talked Dave into getting married again, and could convince people I was ABLE to wear white once again,  I would have had it in a heartbeat!!  It was so lovely! 
  Ok, so I was saying .. donation only.  One lady came through with two older daughters ... bagged up 3 40 gallon bags full of clothing (you couldn't close the bags) AND 2 huge boxes of clothing.   Gave us $5.00 for the lot.  There's people with a lot of gall out there!
 
   I decided to stay one day longer since they were short handed and really needed the help, and apparently that was my one day longer than I should have stayed.  That morning my throat started hurting.  That night I couldn't get to sleep it, and my left ear, hurt so badly.  I took a sleeping pill hoping to be able to sleep ... and around 2:40 am wanted to get in my car and quietly, without awaking my sister and Ken, drive myself in to the hospital.  Only problem .. I was sick.  I'd taken that damn pill and was woozy from the effects of it.  My cell phone didn't work  out where I was staying, so I had no way of calling the state police to tell them  I was on the highway somewhere heading 20 miles towards the hospital (or so I hoped!) and to come find me before I crashed.  So .. stayed in bed tossing and turning and moaning softly to myself.  
Managed to make it the 3 1/2 hour drive home where I collapsed into bed as soon as got there.  Went into the DR on Monday, severe ear/throat infection  calling for antibiotics and tons of water and lots of rest. 

    Tuesday I suddenly realized that I'd never made arrangements for my Camp Stitchalot 2011!  What WASN'T I thinking?  I guess that Ken Stinner's health crisis was weighing on my mind more than I realized .. and as soon as Camp was held  and over, I lost my mind and didn't realize I'd not scheduled anything for next year!  I LOVE Mary at The Comfort Inn ... called her and asked if I'd blocked off rooms for next year and she laughed, said no, but that she had made the block arrangements for me anyway!  LOL
    Now to find a designer/instructor who doesn't have anything already scheduled on her busy calendar for that weekend in March 2011.  Got a feeler out to one, and Debbie just gave me a good idea for a possible backup.  This is almost like the first year or so I was in business and doing retreats and didn't realize that you really needed to do the scheduling a year or so in advance instead of in 3-4 weeks.   sigh
 
   Going back into the shop tomorrow .. first time in what .. nearly 2 weeks?  Feeling better but still wipe out easily .. will take it slow anyway.  And will finally get my delinquent newsletter out on time .. with the end of summer holiday upon us all!