Back on Track!!

After that disappointing Sunday show I got back on track with the Augusta UMC show. I did not know what to expect but it was all good. I would call it a success, both personally and for the UMC. We had a few comments about the smaller set up but people were in a buying mood for the most part. I did observe a couple of new artisans who had a disappointing show - and perhaps their expectations were not realistic. And Sunday was very definitely quieter than Saturday. The UMC member meeting resulted in some volunteers for the open positions so we are headed into 2024 with new venues and shows. I sold many runners - and will likely have to make more holiday themed ones for the last show of the season. We'll see how things go this weekend. I'm doing my first show with Society of Southern Maine Craftsmen at the Topsham High School. I checked this one out last year and it was decidedly a must to add to my schedule. Politics is getting more contentious. Trump's trails continue and his idiot sons continue to like and hype from the witness stand while the model daughter can't seem to recall anything. These kids have been put in charge of businesses yet seem oblivious to how business works and that they are the ones responsible. Of course, their role model of a father has taught them well that anything bad is someone else's fault not theirs. Had an enjoyable visit with Connie on Saturday night. Likely the last as the Augusta show will be a one day affair next year. It's always good to spend time with her as we agree on just about everything. She's good people and I'm happy to have her as a friend.

Challenging Week So Far

I did a one-day local show this past Sunday and it did not go well. I had that sinking feeling when I walked into the venue and saw a large direct sales vendor display - my first clue that this would not be a profitable day for me. When I arrived at my assigned space, it looked small to me but I determined to make the best of it. After lugging my set up and inventory inside (and leaving a display and some inventory in the car as I realized I had over-estimated the space available) I started to set up. My runner display rack was set perpenducular to the aisle so people could see both sides and I left room on the outside of my booth for people to stand to look at them. BIG mistake, as the vendor next to me spent most of the day standing in that space while he made sales and kibbitzed, effectively blocking my display. I did not make a single sale, the first time that has happened to me. It was just not my audience. Lots of vendors of what those of us in the larger artisan craft world call "kitchen" crafts - think crocheted animals, strung beads, etc. (There was even someone I had been warned about who simply buys junk jewelry at yard sales and piles it on a table for people to paw through. NOT a craft!) My friend said she was way down and a few others said the same. I did make contact with a couple of potential UMC members. A second silver lining is that I don't need to rush to finish the 3 sets of placemats that are in production. So, I vowed to never do a show without checking it out the year before. I did that last year with the SSMC show in Topsham and knew within 5 minutes that I wanted to join them to do that show, which I will do in 2 weeks. I spent all day yesterday speed sewing sachets, as I forgot that I was way down on them. The lavender ones are finished, balsam are in process and 6 bayberry trivets as well. I should be able to finish them all by Friday, when I will help mark out the Augusta show and set up my booth - I'm certain I'll have plenty of space at that show! And a more receptive audience. The other challenge we are dealing with is some sort of hiccup in our septic system. A backup into the downstairs sink is never good and we thought we had it cleared yesterday but it seems to be some sort of blockage going into the tank. Someone is coming at noon to scope it out and diagnose. Hope its not expensive! And I hope it gets fixed as I have a friend and fellow UMC member spending the night with us Saturday. ****UPDATE**** The problem is in the only section of the system we have not replaced in our 24 years here. The septic guys snaked it and found section where the roots of a nearby tree are intruding - that was the source of the blockage. The entire pipe needs to be replaced as the pitch has shifted in a couple of places throught he years. They can do it in a day and will schedule as available. Better now than later when it comes to this sort of thing. I'm saddened by the rush of people feeling the need to arm themselves, whether it's the citizens of Maine after our recent tragedy or citizens all over the country who are being persecuted and assaulted just for their ethnicity or religion. I am of the belief that the more guns are out there, the more gun deaths we will experience, whether by accident or by design. It just provides more opportunity for chaos and this country does not need more chaos. It's already having me thinking and wondering who I might be shopping with who is packing. Maine has one of the most lenient gun laws in the country and I hope that changes because we are no longer immune. Both of our shooting incidents this year involved people who should not have had access to guns but did - stealing, borrowing etc. People...Lock up your guns and do not share the code/keys with anyone. The life you save might be your own...or mine.

I'm Gobsmacked!

The reports that Jewish students at Cornell University have been so threatened and harrassed that they no longer gather in their designated spaces have deeply saddened me. I grew up in Ithaca, New York in a time when it took me until my junior high school years to become aware of the Jewish faith and the Holocaust. I remember a Jewish classmate of mine wondering at the fact that she had a budding relationship with a male student of German heritage. I'm not sure the relationship survived past junior high but it was my awakening to the history of one group hating another one so much that they feel they have to obliterate them from the face of the earth. This was a concept I found hard to understand then and stiil find it abhorent today. And certainly, growing up in Ithaca with its large concentration of foreign students and families associated with Cornell, I came to think that the world was more complete with the entire spectrum of humanity included. That concept has been shattered around the world and in the United States in the past decade. We have a Congress that cannot even agree on enough issues to get the peoples' work done to prevent a government shutdown without last minute histrionics. Those in charge have abdicated their responsibility to keep the citizens safe and free from worry. Theu do not seem to understand that the more drama they create in Washington, the more everyday people fear for their lives and freedoms and want to strike back at anything that appears to be a threat. This feeling came out of the shadows with the election of Trump, who normalized and even authorized crazy behavior and conspiracy theories. Without his bloviating on everything he misunderstood (which is about 99% of everything he claimed to be an expert on!) we would have felt more secure and safe. Instead we have a large group of citizens who have armed themselves - sometimes heavily - so they are ready for the perceived threats. And that is how Maine landed in the national news this past week for all the wrong reasons. Someone who who claimed to have heard voices, had access to high-powered guns and went to settle a score, then took the coward's way out. He will never have to own up to the chaos and heartache he created, but his family will. I relize it's early in the investigation still, but I hope the reporters keep asking how he was not separated from his guns. All the signs were there - when the police were warned and searched but could not find him. Now we find out he was involved in a series of confrontations over the past weeks - no one wanted to call the authorities? No one wanted to step in? I find that hard to believe but it's a symptom of our society now. No one wants to confront anyone because we cannot determine who is packing a firearm or other weapon and will lash out. And I admit, if faced with a similar encounter, I might not step in but I sure as hell would make sure someone with the ability to disarm would.

What a Week!

So here I was, just minding my own business Wednesday evening, watching Jeopardy and happily stitching away on the binding of a placemat and there came the BREAKING NEWS graphic and the report of a mass shooting in Lewiston, a town ~40 miles from us. Over the next 2 days I spent probably far too much time watching news coverage, both from my local stations and CNN, who sent some very high visibility persons North. Heartbreaking stories emerged over this time, the last coming last night with confirmation that the suspect had been found dead, killed by his own hand. Yet another story of heartbreak, perpetrated by someone who would have benefited from mental health services that for some reason were not utilized. Over the course of the 2 days 4 towns were essentially put on lock down, businesses and schools and other entities closed, countless events canceled, including my UMC Harvest show this weekend. So, instead of putting the final touches on my booth in Portland at this time this morning, I'm sitting in my chair writing. (I have to admit that my heart was just not in this show even before the cancellation. I did not feel ready mentally to be there, although I certainly was ready with inventory.) So my next show will ease me into the Holiday season - it's a one day Sunday show right up the road in Waterville. Then 2 - 2 day shows (Augusta and Topsham) then 2 weeks off and the final 2 day in Portland. I'm thankful for the excellent show I had in Brunswick in August as it has taken the pressure off trying to meet my projected sales for the year. Before all Hell broke loose here, the House managed to elect a Speaker, but not without more controversy. Three candidates went down in flames (including chief flame thrower Jordan!) before they elected a relative newcomer who was acceptable to the conference because he shares everyone's Christian convservative (some would say ChristoFascist) views. Anti-abortion, anti-LBGTQ+, anti-gun legislation - his response to the shootings here was evil - calling it all mental. He espouses a view that we would be better off going back in time. Not a progressive thought in his brain and seemingly no compassion. And that is my biggest complaint about the GOP - their policies all seem to target any compassionate response to any crisis or situation. While the Democrats work to make life better for people, the GOP seems to be all about the Benjamins and fake morality. Which is how we ended up with a man in the White House who should neveer have been there. And members of Congress who are more concerned with how many social media followers they have instead of how many constituents they can help. It will take time for the residents of the city of Lewiston to heal and the families and friends of those lost may never heal. I just urge everyone to take the time they need - sit quietly with your thoughts. No need to share it all on social media. If you can't help it, please, I ask that you type something and let it sit, come back to it and see if what you have written will help anyone. I think you will find you may be hitting the "Delete" key. I know I have.

Gearing Up for the Holiday Slog

I've been working steadily to build up my inventory of holiday-themed runners and placemats. I'm about 3/4 of the way there with completed goods and have 2 more sets of placemats ready to be trimmed and bound tomorrow. Fortunately I haven't had too many distrations this week so have made great progress. And I plan to have things ready to hand finish for the first show or 2 of the season. Not sure I'll have any holiday items at the Harvest show in a week as I really want to whittle down the fall on genereal inventory.

I did take yesterday off and we trekked up Route 17 through Readfield, Fayette, Jay, Dixfield, Mexico et al to Oquossoc and eventually Rangeley. The colors were muted but there were bright spots which I suspect will be long gone after this weekend's rain/wind. We cruised by the Country Club Inn which still awaits rehab by the new owners. We found out that they have rented it out to Saddleback employees the past 2 winters and will do the same this coming winter as Saddleback's employee housing will still not be ready for inhabitants this year. That information came from Margie when we caught up with her at the new Jamison outpost, the Corner Bar in Downtown Rangeley. Wonderful cozy place, good small plate food, creative cocktails and an acceptable beer list. Margie also shared her expeerience of stopping by the Inn several months after they sold in in the fall of 2021 and bemoaning the condition of the floors and the just general lack of housekeeping by the residents. Sad but she seems to have moved on, which is about all she should do. It was great to see her and enjoy Steve's culiary skills again and see Krista behind the bar. (It's a family affair!) Due to the seeming lack of interest, I suspect that this will be the last year in existence for the United Maine Craftsmen group. Which means that my move of joining SSMC this year was a good one. Hopefully I'll be able to get into more of their shows next year. And I'll definitely do Brunswick again. And the spring show at Snow Pond - hoping for more publicity with Christa's involvement. And, of course, I've been following the developments inthe Middle East which has blown up once again. And the feakin' GOP faction in the House ditched their Speaker 2 weeks ago and the front runner right now is a MAGA monster who has done nothing in Congress, inflames every meeting he is a part of with his shirt-sleeve rhetoric and has denied that he ignored sexual assault allegations whe he was an assistant wrestling coach at Ohio State. The clown car that is the GOP in the House keeps going off the rails and is searching for a new driver.

Sadness, Working Hard, Lee (the hurricane that wasn't)

After the surprise cancer diagnosis early last week, my nephew passed away over the weekend. I received word on Thursday that my brother, sister-in-law and niece had travelled to Pittsburgh overnight (by car, my brother is not one to fly anywhere, likely a result of having spent too many years in the air in the Navy) as they had been notified that there was little time left. And Sunday morning I received word from John's brother that he had passed. (Marvelling here at how information is relayed these days - both of these updates came via Facebook Messenger.) The family is back home here in Maine now and are awaiting the body so they can plan a funeral. In the meantime, I have been working on new inventory and realized this week that it is time to shift to holiday mode as I have 4 shows in a row in Oct.-Nov. and will have little time then to create. So today I'll straighten up in the studio, put away the fall fabrics and pull out the Christmas. It will be a fun, fast and furious time for the next few weeks. We experienced little to no damage from this past weekend's brush with Lee - a couple of dead branches on the ground, lots of leaves on the ground and deck, but little rain and just a momentary blip in the power supply. Others in our town lost power for a few hours, and communities on the coast and especially Downeast had serious damage. All in all, we dodged a bullet here.

Catching up ...

Saratoga finished their meet last Monday without further drama. Not so quiet on the West Coast - 4 racetrack veterinarians have been suspended for prescribing medication without a physical exam. The four includes the vet who prescribed the Otamax (Betamethasone) cream that knocked Medina Spirit out of the winner's circle after the Derby. No one knows (or will never know) what else he prescribed for which of Baffert's horses and what the effects on those horses were. To those horses,I apologoze that your owners saw fit to entrust your care to such uncaring, greedy people. We lost Jummy Buffet last week. While I was not a Parrothead, I did appreciate his talents. Loved his wit and life philosophy. I can easily picture him up there, sailing the skies with Dan Fogelberg. And when they tire of the salt spray, they can head for the mountains and take a few runs! Slowly working on new inventory. Some things finished and a few tops done. Hard to find an uniterrupted block of time to create these days. My work for UMC continues to suck away my time and I have to work on a series of Facebook posts. But I press on when I can. Got word today that my nephew has been diagnosed with a very serious form of cancer that has taken over his brain, lungs and liver. Sad, as apparently he has just celebrated one year of sobriety. Brother and sister-in-law are devastated - you are not supposed to outlive your children. And Cookie has been dealing with her sister's dementia, the result of years of alcoholism. It's a sad world sometimes. We're in another rainy perioid this week, after some brutal heat and humidity. Looking forward to some easier more restful nights. And especially in a few days when my Nectar matress and base arrive! (Thank you RMD!)