Horsing around

I know a little kitty named Baloney,

who thinks he's really a pony.

But he doesn't like hay,

and he won't be ridden--no way!

Is he psychotic....or just a big phony?

It's Howdy Doody Time!

Just when I thought things were quieting down, I've found something new to worry about.

Marionette lines. Do you see them on Howdy? All this time I've been feeling smug about my lack of wrinkles, and come to find out.....I've got ML's. There's nothing to be done about them, although the cruise ship's spa--where I learned about this affliction--promised they could remove them. But cruise ship spas make lots of empty promises. They also promised they could get rid of frown lines, smile lines, crow's feet, and just about anything else that torments a mature woman. Which makes me wonder if they have a treatment for removing annoying husbands.....like the ones with ill-fitting toupees, or the ones who dare to wear black socks with white sneakers, or those who parade around the pool deck in their Speedos.

Mr. Gadget, who used the gym facilities regularly (he's such a good boy), reported back to me about some of the treatments available at the spa--just in case I was interested.

"You can get a hot-rock treatment where they put heated rocks on your back," he said. "It's supposed to be therapeutic."

"That's silly," I said. "Next summer I'll just get some rocks from those rock-wall building guys at our condo. I'm sure they won't charge me what they're charging here."

"They were really promoting some kind of super liposuction treatment," he said. "It's supposed to remove your cruise weight gain before you leave the ship."

"Why bother?" I told him. "I'm just going to pig out on Thanksgiving."

"Do you want to hear about the volcanic lava body scrub?" he asked.

"No," I said. "I'm going to stay out of the spa. Actually, I'm feeling very confident and secure as I embark on my new life as a puppet."

If you're thinking of doing a craft fair....

Make sure you get up early enough to have a hearty breakfast. You'll need to be well-fortified for a long day and it's likely that the only food you'll find available will be sweet rolls and hot dogs.

Pack all of your crafty items in the back of your car. If you're organized, you will have done this the night before. If you're crazy, you will have left your items in the car from the craft show you did the day before--the show that completely bombed.

You'll arrive at the craft show venue and seek out your table location. Then you'll return to your car as many times as necessary to unload the contents, and you'll stash everything under the table so it will be out of the way, but within easy reach as you begin the process of arranging things.

As you begin to arrange things in some sort of thoughtful and attractive way, keep an eye on the clock and pace yourself so you'll be all ready for business when the doors are flung open and the throngs of shoppers rush inside.

Take a few moments to look around at your neighboring crafters. If you notice one that has an unusual amount of exuberance and flits around socializing with everyone in her vicinity, be glad that you planned your arrangement to include a handy tent--just in case you need to get under there on the quick.

Or, you can slouch down behind your red hat lady (or your red poodle that has been knitted around a wine bottle) and pretend to be on your phone. Or you can review your sales numbers and try to figure out why they aren't lots higher.

Don't forget to take some busy work....for those slow times. You might be able to get a couple of Christmas presents done.

Most important of all, don't stress and do keep your sense of humor. Count your blessings that you only have a few dolls and ornaments to schlep home, and not something like heavy painted furniture or a couple dozen reindeer covered in greenery with blinking lights.

When you get home, put your feet up and ask your hubby if he wouldn't mind ordering a pizza because you're awfully tired and don't really feel like cooking. And maybe he'd even bring it over to your recliner along with a beer.

And tomorrow you'll sleep in, and then maybe you'll consider taking up another kind of hobby. Something like wood carving, for instance, or stamp-collecting.

I guess it's still Fall...

....even though we've already had the snowstorm of the century...you know, the one we missed. There are lots of these little trees around our condo complex and they're all red and yellow. While I do enjoy seeing the colors, I also like to see them bare because almost every one is home to a bird's nest. I find it incredible that most of them survive the winters. I marvel at the birds and their structural engineering skills. They know a thing or two about construction....and they never have to endure the headaches of getting a building permit or approval from the condo association to add a patio or a trellis.

Mr. Gadget--who is also a skillful engineer--is always more than willing to help me out with my crafty needs. I asked him recently if he could whip me up something with his saw and drill. Warning: Put on your sunglasses before you look at the next picture.
I decided to paint the something red so it would be festive.

It's not exactly what I had envisioned, but it's Mr. Gadget's interpretation of what I had in mind. It will certainly get the job done--which is to display the sweater ornaments on my craft table. Mr. G. and I have been married for over 30 years and one of the reasons we've made it this far is because I often say, "Thank you!" instead of "What in the world were you thinking?"

Slogging toward the weekend

I mentioned before that I have two craft fairs scheduled next weekend. I usually like to spread them out, but hey, nobody listened to my suggestions. So I'm trying to pace myself and not get too crazy.


It should be easier than previous years--with less dolls and more ornaments. All of the ornies are in that box. And the dishcloths are lightweight for easy schlepping.

Here are a couple of tablecloths and some bags. Both fairs will supply my table, so that's one less thing to worry about. I'm going prepared because I've learned from past mistakes. If I end up with an 8-ft. table, I'll use the extra-long red plaid tablecloth. But most likely I'll have a 6-ft. table so I'll use my fitted green tablecloth with a skirt (currently in the laundry basket) that goes all the way to the floor--to cover up unsightly boxes and other junk that crafters stick under their tables. Also, it provides a nice tent for when I feel like I just need to get away from it all. Or if I want to eat an extra donut.

Here's my little table-top tree for displaying the ornies.

I have a smaller one too, but I'm not sure if I'll take it. I like that saying: "less is more."

I should remember that when I'm approaching the cruise buffet, but just like these folks I always seem to forget.

Dicey but delightful!

Mr. Gadget and I are back from our high-seas adventure. Here was the dicey part:

In the car on the way to the Brooklyn pier on October 29--the day of the big storm that came out of nowhere and shut down the northeast for most of the time we were gone. Were we lucky or what?

When we finally did get to the ship, here's what we found:

Snow on the deck chairs.

About an hour before sailing time, the captain announced that we would spend the night tied to the pier because of nasty weather and rough seas, and we'd be leaving bright and early the next morning. This didn't bother us too much. We just pretended we were cruising and didn't look out the windows.

Once underway all was delightful--especially the Halloween celebration.

I never realized a pumpkin could be carved without removing those yucky innards.

There were some great costumes--obviously worn by people who didn't have to fly home with baggage weight restrictions.


I have no idea who these guys are. Probably stowaways.

So now it's back to the Treehouse for some speed-crafting. I have two craft shows next weekend and I never know when enough is enough. It's an addiction. I'm a hopeless victim of a hobby-gone-wild.

A note to Sue who asked me a question in the comments: I live in Brookfield which is very close to New Milford. Gaylordsville is about 15 miles north of here on Rt. 7. Thanks for reading!