First Show is Done!

Memorial Day weekend has traditionally been very low-key in my life, save for the town's parade and commemorative ceremony. This year was a bit different. I had a show! The Kennebec Valley Art Association relocated from Hallowell to the Snow Pond Center for the Arts here in Sidney and they combined to put on an Artists and Makers Market on the grounds of the center. Beautiful location and the weather was perfect! I wish we had all had the foresight to reloacte outside! For a first year show the arttendance was respectable. I have some quibbles with the way the show was organized and run but in general, it was a positive experience. I hope to partner with them in the future to tweak some things to make it even better. I had had enough of people by Monday so when the rain forced the town's gathering indoors I opted to stay home and rest in bed. A much better use of my time than standing in the back of the room and then having to help put chairs away and make nice. I understand my librarian shushing experience could have been used at times for a couple of chatty SHS members. Once I arose, I cleared the car and put things away, did my deposit and made chicken soup for dinner. Tuesday was clean and get stuff delayed done day. Today was groceries and buy flowers and herbs day. Tomorrow is gardening day. Someday I'll get back to sewing - I need runners! I didn't realize I was low and I sold 4 this weekend. So there's my emphasis for the coming weeks along with the Acadia throw. Miracle Horse Rescue lost another friend this past week. Sheila, my west coast counterpart, past away on Saturday after a brief illness, although she had been in poor health and declining mental capacity for some time. Last year I contacted Stephanie about sheila's status and she said it was not her story to tell. She passed on a message for Sheila to call me which she did some weeks later. I could tell that she was not the person I remember talking and joking with before about everything from politics to the Giants. So it was not a surprise but still a bit of a shock.

Preakness 100

Triple Crown on the line but Mystic Dan just missed. Not too upset as he was beaten by Seize the Grey, a son of Arrogate (how many great horses will we miss because of his far-too-soon death?). Trained impeccably by the super veteran D. Wayne Lukas, who turns 90 this year! Mystik Dan settled for second with Brad Cox trainee Catching Freedom third. NOTE: All 3 of these horses ran on Derby Day just 2 weeks ago - Mystik Dan and Catching Freedom in the Derby and Seize the Grey the Pat Day Mile.) Baffert's lone entry after the scratch of Muth ran next to last. Sloppy track. Undercard highlights were a series of 3rds and 4ths for Matz trainees. Tequilera led much of the Gallorette but faded to 3rd. Next show is 6 days away. I've been refreshing the scented items and slowly working on another throw. Have to stop to make more sachets this week - Lavender and Balsam. Plenty of trivets. Other than that I am set. Slowly plugging away on yardwork. I did some pruning and cleaning of the central bed last week. Still have the back herb bed to go and just waiting on the PJM to finish flowering so I can prune that and the forsythia. And the Summer Sweet. The daffodils are almost finishe blooming so I can cut them back a bit and transplant the ones that need it. And finally spread the last 4 bags of mulch. Whew. I cleaned the fridge this week - thankless job but glad it's done. Still need to do the counters and, at some point, sort through the cabinets. I'm sure there are some expired things and also some donation candidates. Ordered a new bathing suit - hope to use it in the new pool at Bren's and maybe on our trip to Rochester. Not sure what I', going to do for 5 days there but I'll hopefully have some finishing to take with me. Might be time to start on holiday stuff.

Whoa Nellie!!!!!

BIG excitement in the neighborhood this week. Wednesday morning I had just returned from grocery shopping around 9, sat down to have coffee and nosh and noticed a few State Trooper vehicles parked at the end of Sunset Ridge. As time went by, more Staties arrived, some in unmarked vehicles. I texted a friend who has access to the What's Happening in Sidney Facebook page that I resigned from during COVID after getting threatening posts. She relayed that Lyons Rd. was closed to traffic the entire length. Which was confirmed by the lack of traffic past the house. About 11:00 I noticed an officer in tactical gear walking down from his parked vehicle on Lyons west of Sunset. He was soon joined by more unmarked black vehicles and more guys gearing up, at which point all of the blue trooper cars left. Then the Mobile command center arrived along with a large black van and the armored tactical vehicle. At this point I called the town office but wasn't told very much more than I already knew - Lyons Rd. was closed, it was billed at a "fire and rescue operation" and Pike had been requested to cancel their blasting. Friend texted to say the comments on the Sidney Facebook page had been closed (I can only imagine the conspiracies that group was concocting!) Over the course of the next 7 hours, the tactical vehicle was seen moving down Susnset and approaching the second house in, then retreating and returning to the command center. At one point they installed a ram, another time they apparently installed a camera on the roof. Finally, after they had been at the house (out of our line of sight) for about an hour and a half, some of the unmarked cars returned, one exchanged places with the tactical vehicle in the driveway and the squad members could be seen disbursing to their cars and ditching the armor. They left and the blue trooper cars returned, and finally everyone left. The cause of all this was a member of the family that lives in the house who was wanted for several fairly serious crimes in Penobscot County. He broke into the house (maybe just the garage) Weds. morning at which point the family left after he made some threats. He's now in a more serious pool of trouble - and not the first time. I Googled him and he's got quite the history with the law. Which explains why the State Police were at that house 2 weeks ago on Sunday morning, along with the Fire Chief from Sidney, who apparently is the ranking law official because we don't have our own police. The past couple of nights we have been visited by the Northern Lights, although too late for this early to bed girl. The photos have been spectacular! Below is actually from Saratoga Springs.

Derby 150 +

Yesterday's Kentucky Derby was a joy to watch (stadium-style improvements to Churchill Downs aside!) as a) No horses died or were seriously injured and b) One of the "little guy" trainers acheived the Oaks/Derby double. Kenny McPeek and his filly Thorpedo Anna, colt Mystik Dan, jockey Brian Hernandez, Jr. and all the owners triumphed over all the super trainers (well, all except that guy from California!). And good guy Graham Motion won a stake race on the undercard. A good day of racing.

Before the races, I joined several others for a session of Forest Bathing at the Snow Pond trails. Interesting experience, not strenuous, and very calming. I loved the sound of the water psssing through the outlet of the marshy containment, and the bird songs - small up to geese! And seeing a beaver swimming. They had been very busy felling and stripping a fairly large tree - interesting. I have committed to try to get out in my own woods on a regular basis - no need to go anywhere when I have my own woods right outside my back door. Finished with the placemats and just need to add to the website. In the middle of a small run of trivets. Then I'll refresh the scenteds and be ready for Memorial Day. Bring it on. The trial is still going on. Hard to imagine any more witnesses before the main event of Michael Cohen. No idea how it's going but I'm not hanging on every update. Too exhausting. Meanwhile the lies coming from TFG keep piling up, the projections grow increasingly transparent and ridiculous. I suspect some of the campus protesters are really plants, sent in the deflect attention from the trial and, more distressingly, to practice for a possible repeat of January 6 if Biden wins.