6th Annual Johnny Appleseed Festival - This Weekend!

Well this weekend I will be a vendor at the 6th annual Johnny Appleseed Festival hosted in my hometown of Sheffield, Pennsylvania.  It will be my first ever vending event!  My feelings are a mix of excitement and  apprehension.  Excitement because I get go home for a weekend, spend time with my family, watch some crazy Appalachian Mountain lumberjacks, and share my products with the world.  Okay, well maybe not the whole world, but certainly a small part of it.  Apprehension because I've had such a busy past month with a series of (sometimes unfortunate) events, that I had hoped to have a better variety of products made. But I suppose I will just go with what I got, and make the best of it!  I've got at  bunch of colorful baskets, bits of fiber and yarn, and some wax dipped origami stars.  And best of all, I'll be sitting right by the horse pull!  One of my all time favorite events.  Weather permitting, I may bring a couple of my angora rabbits to pluck as a fiber demonstration as well as my spinning wheel and knitting needles.  I'll also be sharing that booth with a friend of mine who makes some wonderful hoops (yes folks, for 'hula' hooping).

So if you're out and about this weekend, and anywhere near Sheffield, or if you're looking for a beautiful drive with a unique festival at the end of the road, head on up to the heart of the Allegheny's!  You won't be sorry!  See you there!

Humidity

We spent the weekend up north in the ANF (Allegheny National Forest)at my parents. It was good to spend time with family, something running your own farm (however big or small), doesn't allow you to do as frequently as you'd like unless you live close by. Unfortunately, at the moment, we do not. The weather, for the most part cooperated (as if we really had any say in it to begin with). The only rain we had was a fast moving thunderstorm that swept through last night around 10pm. Though it was quite warm this afternoon, there was still a pleasant enough breeze to allow us to enjoy eachother's company in the pavilion.

It wasn't until we drove through the little town of Zelienople, on our ay back home, did we happen to look up and see that the thermometer was reading 99 degrees Farenheit. Yes, 99 degrees. We were so comfortable in the AC of my little Beetle that we simply weren't pondering how stifling the temperature would be once we stepped from its icy confines. Fortunately for us, however, the temperature dropped to 91 by the time we reached the top of our hill. The temperature around bedtime is hovering in he mid 80s but the humidity has picked up. We try not to AC the whole house if we can prevent it, but we did put the small window unit in the bedroom window. I can tolerate the heat and humidity during the waking hours, but I find it awfully hard to sleep when I feel lime I'm suffocating.  So we put our small window unit in the bedroom window just for the night.  Quite frankly, in this kind of weather I'd be just as happy with a hammock on the back porch.  The problem is, I don't have a back porch.  Nor do I have any trees nearby to sling up my hammock.  I sure do miss it!  A partially wooded lot is a requirement for my own place.  I sure do miss shade.  I sure do miss my parachute hammock.  I think I'm going to pack it up and carry it around with me, looking for places to hang it, even in (especially in) odd places.  If you've never tried a parachute hammock, visit Ticket to the Moon's website and check them out.  They are super portable and ridiculously comfortable to boot!  If I had my way, I'd probably sleep in it every night.  Another house requirement: the capability to hang my hammock.  Yes, inside!