Friday, August 24, 2018

Place Holder

Good Friday to all!  It is Friday Fave Fives today.  Follow the link and join in the gratitude and joy!

I am on vacation, so this is a place holder post to let you all know.

My grandkids love Knock, Knock jokes.  Here are five to make you giggle.

1.  Knock, Knock.
          Who's there?
     Etch.
          Etch who?
     Bless you!

2.  Knock, Knock.
          Who's there?
     A little old lady.
           A little old lady who?
      I didn't realize you knew how to yodel!

3.  Knock, Knock.
          Who's there?
     Harry.
          Harry who?
     Harry up and answer the door.

4.  Knock, Knock.
          Who's there?
     Amish.
          Amish who?
     You don't look like a shoe.

5.  Knock, Knock.
          Who's there?
     Olive.
          Olive who?
     Olive you.

Have a happy day!

Friday, August 17, 2018

Mid August Swelter

Hello, Friday!
I'm a bit late writing up my Friday Fave Fives.  AND I missed last Friday.  The good news is--I'm not dead.  I've just been busier than I like to be.  How did retirement get so busy??

1.  Last Friday, we kidnapped The Professor's sister again and dragged her off to the county fair.  We also invited friends who enjoy good music, so we sat through more Brady Goss performances.  In between, we wandered through the various exhibits.  Obviously, I love the home arts building.  And the photography building.  We drove home and sleep well that night.  I love me a good fair. (Should the deep sleep of exhaustion count as a separate fave?)


Of course, the main entrance building has to have that California mission look, complete with bell and tower and red tile roof.


Everyone loves a ferris wheel!

2.  The next morning, Saturday, we added our nephew The Lawyer to the caravan and drove east to the very, very hot San Bernardino County to celebrate a grandnephew's birthday.  He's eight this year.  Another great night's sleep!

3.  We've had more hot weather.  As I am typing this, the AC just kicked in.  Again.  God bless the man who invented the air conditioner!

4.  I'm working my way through my unfinished knitting projects.  Finally, I did the i-cord edgings on this vest.  For those who care, it's knitted with Heartland acrylic yarn on size 9 needles.  The pattern, Many Buttoned Vest, was too large for me, so I had to make some adjustments to the number of stitches.  But it all worked out ok.  Of course, it's too hot to wear a vest right now, but I'll feel very snuggly in it once the weather cools down.  You may notice that there are NO buttons on it.  That's because the buttons are ornamental.  You find a button you like, you sew it on wherever you want.  I'll be searching for my favorite buttons!


5.  I  love coffee dates with friends.  The past two weeks, I've enjoyed iced coffees with one long time college buddy and another friend who I am just now getting to know.

Oh! A bonus! Happy Independence Day to the Republic of Indonesia! Selamat Merdeka!

So, that's Willow's Week (or two) succinctly summed up in five bullet points.  How are you!

Friday, August 03, 2018

Five Faves at the Fair

If you have been reading the Willow's Cottage blog for very long, you will know that even if I don't post anything else during a week, I will write about my favorite things from the week and link up to Susanne's blog Living to Tell the Story and her Friday Fave Fives.  This edition of Willow's Week for Friday Fave Fives features A day at the County Fair.  This is a recurring theme each year.  I love our county fair.  It calls itself "The Country Fair with an Ocean Air" because the fairgrounds are literally across the street from the beach and the Pacific Ocean.  Who wouldn't love that?



Usually I work the first fair day doing demonstrations of spinning in the Agricultural Building at our guild booth (Ventura County Handweavers and Spinners Guild).  It was busy the whole time I was there.  People love to stop and watch us weave and spin and they ask so many questions.  My answers?  "No, it's not really a lost art."  "Everything you are wearing right now as gone through this same process--just using a large mechanized and industrialized method.  But truthfully, nothing is fundamentally different than it was hundreds and thousands of years ago."

We get free tickets for working the fair and since I work the first day which is Dollar Day, we just pay our dollar each and save those free tickets to attend another day when I'm not working.


This year the fair was extra fun for me because my sister-in-law joined us.  Normally, she avoids the fair's crowds like everyone there has the plague or lice or at least the flu.  It was a treat for me to share my love of the fair with her.

The Professor enjoys listening to the music acts on the smaller stages.  One performer has been returning for several years and we will sit and listen to Brady Goss sing.  We love his style and I love that he's from my home state Oregon.


Do you love the fair?  What's your favorite thing?