In and Around the Garden

Fair time

Throughout the countryside, fairground employees are gearing up for community showmanship, amusement rides, entertainment, and food.  For months, entrants—adults and youth—have been working hard at their particular craft, from wine making to hog rearing, constructing bottle rockets to canning pickles, and much more. Hundreds of people convey his or her skill in one form or another at the fair.  I am one of those people.

Friday, with my exhibits in the backseat, I drove to the fairgrounds with a smile on my face and hope in my heart. This is my fourth year entering amateur photography exhibits, and first year venturing into the craft arena.

Every year, I have blue-ribbon dreams and even though I’ve only won a couple, I still walk away pleased for having tried. Sharing one’s craft isn’t just about blue ribbons. It’s about creative thinking, goal setting, and staying up all night to finish what you started. I may not walk away a champion but I will have expanded my inventive juices and had fun along the way. I’ll let you know, when I know, if I won a blue ribbon.

Amy Stewart

If you didn’t make it through the rain to Amy Stewart’s presentation, you missed an enjoyable, educational afternoon. I’ve heard her speak twice now and Stewart is an excellent presenter.

While conducting research for her books, Stewart looks for little, or unknown, facts. As a speaker, she brings her research to life in a friendly, educational, but humorous way. One shocking fact that Stewart shared from her latest book, Wicked Bugs, is that the world contains 10 quintillion insects. That’s 200-million bugs per person. They out number us, and unfortunately, we can’t exist without them. After telling the crowd this shocking fact, Stewart went on the say that the good news is, most bugs can’t hurt us. Bugs are not physically able to penetrate the skin even if they wanted to. However, “There is a dark side of the bug world,” Stewart said, “but not much.”

You’ll have to read her book to learn more on wicked bugs.

Karma

Before Amy Stewart’s presentation began, I noticed a familiar-looking love seat at the back of the room. Upon closer examination, and after plopping on the cushion, I floated down memory lane. At one time, I was its first owner. I also had a matching sofa with throw pillows, and coordinating window valances. Country blue was the trend back then and I went all out.

Somehow, the love seat made its way from my garage sale (where I sold the set to a Lodi couple) to Concord, past Clements to Sutter Creek. You never know what, when, where, or how karma will surface. In this case, in the form of a love seat still wearing well despite a split up with its partner, the blue sofa.