Well. Not Well. But Apple Festival!

I decided not to try to go to the knitting group at the yarn store tonight, even though I really wanted to, since this congestion has me even more low energy than normal.

Between how I feel, and the fact that it's Halloween and maybe there will be people there tonight but maybe there won't, and I would be aggravated if I mustered the effort and went, only to find no one there*, well, yeah. No. Better a night of rest. Surely, I'll feel better in another week, right?** I mean, it does seem to be very slowly getting very slightly better, but not in a strictly linear progression, and absolutely not fast enough.
*Not to mention that the roofers started back up this week, and the noise has been quite annoying, so I'm already aggravated.
**Just say yes

So for now, let's hop back in time a few weeks and let me tell you about Apple Festival weekend. I had a great time!

I flew up on Friday, fairly uneventful other than incredible crowds and chaos when I changed planes in Charlotte (it was insane; and I used to live there, I've been at that airport many times), the trip was fairly uneventful, just the way I like my travel. Boring and uncomfortable and plenty of time for knitting.

We were up and out in a timely fashion in the morning, to be there about when the festival opened, and had a fine time going through the tents, admiring or side-eyeing the items for sale.

For the crocheters, one vendor had this lovely crochet hook set:

Soft, cuddly ... snakes? Yeah, no.

Mmm, cider and a donut!

We had a food break partway through, to get the fire department's french fries (and get out of the unfortunate [though light] rain that came along), then finished the tents and went back to the house to rest and recuperate (it's a lot of walking, over often uneven ground; my hips were feeling it).

It was an odd feeling not to be going to see Grandma in the afternoon, to show her what I got; the first time after someone's gone feels like taking a step that's not there. But I took pictures of my haul for your sake.

Top row: My pass to get in, now to be a bookmark, and maple cotton candy.
Middle: An ornament with a maple leaf on it; a little bowl in "my china" and lovely yarn, both birthday presents from my aunt.
Bottom: magnet with snowy sheep face; little wooden bowl, just because; and a pretty silver ring that I'll have to get better pictures of. More close up!

I already showed you the pictures of where we went the next day, looking at autumn, but I didn't include one photo we saw on the way back.

Ham loaf? Can anyone enlighten me? It doesn't sound very appealing.

The next day, I got on the train for Boston, as I also already showed you. Getting there! More to come!

Plugging a Friend's Book

Randomly (and instead of complaining [more] about the respiratory crud and accompanying ennui with which I am currently afflicted), I would like to encourage you to consider supporting a friend's book project, for which he is currently running an Indiegogo campaign. The book sounds like a lot of fun; he can definitely write; don't you want to read it? Don'cha, don'cha?

Cough, cough. Ow.

Feeling Crappy

Posting about a big trip like this always feels daunting, when one is tired and trying to get back into regular daily life and all. And this year, what with getting my period just as I got home*, and then having this cough-throat thing**, I have to say that I'm extra daunted. I want to write about it! But feeling like I'm wearing a lead apron slows me down.
*Which is far better than having gotten it at any other time during the trip! But not getting it at all would have been best by far.
**I thought it was a cold, but apparently a lot of people down here are having respiratory effects from red tide in the air, so it may just be that.

I have managed to kind-of/sort-of unpack, in that not everything is put away, but at least it's out of suitcases, nothing is so in the way as to be tripped over, and the suitcases are back in the garage.

I have had lots of laps and cuddles with Miss Maggie, though she would probably say, not enough.

And she even let me stay in bed until 8 both today and Saturday! Quite a concession from the cat who knows full well that most days, my alarm goes off at 6:30, so why aren't you up yet?

I have photographed the Rhinebeck haul for posterity, and looking at it gives me such joy. Shall we take a look?

Project bag from Stitched by JessaLu, the perfect size for my current shawl project; lovely cashmere/silk laceweight via Jo of Celtic Memory Yarn; the Rhinebeck tote bag; another good project bag with the label "petit Juillet" that I can't find online info about; new book by Clara Parkes, autographed.

A skein of luscious merino sock yarn from Dancing Leaf Farm; MCN from yarnhygge.com; green (!) from Long Ridge Farm (they only had a few skeins, and lots of other products, in their booth); and the autumn rainbow from Dirty Water Dyeworks, which no, I don't have a plan for, but the colors just fell together too well to pass up. I'll come up with something. Also the two pins resting in the green yarn: "This is my Rhinebeck sweater" and "Thanks, I made it."

And yes, sheepskin slippers. Yes, I know I live in Florida. But if I'm going to visit the north in October again, my freezing feet need them. I'll wear them down here, too, even if I don't need them the same way here.

Handmade by someone who has clearly been doing this a long time and knows exactly how it should be done. (He's retiring, in fact, but there's a new owner taking over.) I found his website very amusing; if you have a few minutes, take a look. For instance, the chart detailing exactly how they are unprofessional is hilarious.

Well, I'm not "all caught up," but it's a start. Please join me in hoping that the red tide blows out to sea and takes this fog of lassitude away with it.

Stupid Day

So today I:

1. Had moderately bad cramps
2. And a backache
3. And a slight sore throat, just enough to make me worry that I caught a bug on the way home (travel is so gross that way)
4. And also felt so tired and droopy that sitting up straight seemed very hard (which might be related to 1 and 2, or to 3, or both)

And then I'm editing something in PowerPoint, which always drives me crazy (the program is Not Designed for Editing), and the writer mentions a clinical "trail" more than once, and half the thing is in UK English instead of US, and oh look, here they talk about 9 trial arms and follow it with a list of 7, yes it's a numbered list, and number 7 talks about numbers 1 through 8... argh.

Vent, vent, vent. Tomorrow is another day. (That will feature the same report, but don't remind me.)

Home

Made it home yesterday.

Tired (and crampy, damn it), but glad to be home.

It was a great trip.

But so glad to be home.

And I'm not the only one.

(She snubbed me a bit at first, but she also slept with me last night and was on my lap this morning while I read the papers, and has been checking in on me today between naps [hers, not mine, alas].)

Much more to come!

Having a Wonderful Time

This has been a great trip!

I'm also exhausted and ready to not live out of a suitcase. My own bed, my bathroom, my CAT. But no regrets.

Rhinebeck weekend was wonderful, and not just for what I bought there, but look what bought!

 Close-up on the yarn:

I fly home tomorrow. See you later!

Here's the View from the Train

On Monday, I took the train from Syracuse to Boston, and took many scenery photos along the way. Didn't have the camera ready when I saw a heron flying along, but I did get some nice shots, I think. (You'll notice that one of them is not like the others.) Enjoy!

Here's One Thing

The trip is going well! I thought I would show you what we did today, just as a start. Enjoy, and don't miss the dragonfly!

And Away We Go

I leave tomorrow for my mega-trip! Planes, train, automobiles! Apple Festival and Rhinebeck! I'm quite excited.

And I'm packed and organized, except for the last-minute stuff; in fact, I was mostly packed and organized Tuesday night. I don't know that I've ever been so ready so far ahead, but with all the logistics of this trip, I kind of had to be.

I'm really ready for a vacation from work, too, though this week was a lot more chill than recent weeks have been. Still happy for a real break from it.

I doubt I'll be posting over the next two weeks, though I suppose it's possible. If you know me enough to know my real name*, I'm sure I'll be putting plenty of things on Instagram; if not, well, see you on the other side! Try not to get into too much trouble while I'm away.
*Actually, no, ccr is not my full name!

Feeling like this: 

But better.

To Me!

The Sandra Boynton birthday classic! I don't have this on a mug, but this morning I drank my coffee out of her Wee Fish mug.

Close enough.

Happy fifty-first toooo meeee...