Festivus

Saturday is the fifth annual Thomas Hollow Art Celebration. I've been a busy girl lately, working on my horseshoe projects. I still have to put on price tags and get everything else organized, but I think I'm ready! If you've ever been in "the hollow," you know we like to extend celebrations around here--start 'em early and go ALL weekend. In that spirit, people are gathering next door for chili, cornbread, campfire and music tomorrow evening. It will be nice to see friends I haven't seen in a while. And it will be a big change for me to be able to hear the guitar and banjo picking around the campfire.

The actual art festival is all day Saturday & we are hoping for a bigger turnout this year. Connection magazine ran an article and photos with a preview of the festival. Listen for the banjoes. And watch for photos.

Muzak

Believe it or not, I've really taken to listening to music with the new speech processor! Whether it's to the whopping two CDs I have for in the car, or CMT on the tv, I'm learning what I like and don't like.

My current favorite is the Zac Brown Band! I have their The Foundation CD and am wearing it out listening to it in the car. (I have no stereo or CD player at home or anything like that. hah.) Their lyrics are nice--I think the Sic 'em on a Chicken was written about Baxter. But I just like the music. I like Toes...but Chicken Fried and Where the Boat Leaves From are my faves.

The new ZBB CD, You Get What You Give, has been hyped up for weeks prior to today's release. Since I was in town, I stopped at my least-favorite store to treat myself to the CD.
(Isn't that font purty??)

No dice. You know you really live in the sticks when your local Walmart Supercenter doesn't even have the CD in stock! (No, it's not boycotted because they said "ass in the sand" in their freshman CD.) There was a clerk unhappily stocking the shelves nearby, and she said that it would "maybe be out later today." Huh. O-kay. Maybe better luck next time! I just wish I could go to Target or Starbucks and get it, but it's just too far. Yep, I live in the sticks.

Monday, Monday

It doesn't feel like fall is fast approaching. It's 90 degrees today! I am so ready for some real fall weather. And maybe some real Vikings football.


The Vikings lost yesterday. To the Dolphins. It was terrible to watch! The team reverted to the Vikings I remember, making the 2009 season feel like a total dream. You know the Vikings of old, the one that keeps getting your hopes up only to dash them by not following through, fumbling or just not getting into the zone. How much are these guys making again? They certainly are not earning their salaries, nor did they look like they cared too much about the outcome (until they lost).


Ah, next week is another game. Against the also-winless Lions. I don't know if I will wear my Favre jersey, though. And the purple toenail polish I was so proud of yesterday looks a bit garish today.


A rather bright spot today -- it's almost time for the October issue of Connection magazine to hit the streets! Rumor is it will be out sometime this week--hopefully in time for this weekend's Art Celebration next door. And you know what this means...a sneak peek at the cover. I'm excited that I have another cover story!

Bionic

It's been a crazy, up-and-down month. Migraines galore. Missing Johnny. Motorcycle races in Springfield with my Dad. Getting ready for the Art Festival. And lots of writing. The migraines have seemed to take center stage lately. Hopefully this latest cycle is over with & things will settle back into routine. I haven't worked out in about three weeks due to the pain and am itching for a workout.

The fall weather is fabulous! There was a birthday party in the Hollow Sunday afternoon (Grayson's 4th!) -- and we had perfect weather. We party in style out here -- there was fresh bread and pizza from the outdoor bread oven. Heaven.

I went hiking yesterday, much to Baxter's delight. As I type this, he is sitting at my feet (im)patiently waiting for us to go outside and enjoy the rest of the afternoon. I can't move an inch without him thinking we are going outside rightthisminutetoplayballandgoswimming. He's a goober.

I can't believe I've had the new implant speech processor for a month already today. I had to go back to the audiologist today for a "tune up." Since I went so long without using the speech processor, my brain/nerves are still getting used to all the sounds. The implant itself consists of 22 electrodes in the cochlea -- each one has a unique tone/pitch that can be individually programmed. Today's appointment involved going through each of the electrodes and adjusting them a little bit louder/higher (for lack of a better term).
I didn't go up very much, but the audiologist said that even just small changes make a big difference. And you know what? They did! I can tell a big difference in the sounds this afternoon -- things seem even more crisp. She also adjusted the program to filter out a little bit more of the background noise -- and now my kitchen fan isn't quite so clacking and irritating. I do still need to oil the hinge on my French door at the entryway, though. How come nobody bothered to tell me it SQUEAKS in protest every time the door is opened or closed??

I'm typing out this blog as I wait for the school bus to go by -- the Bax and I are heading out to mow the lawn once it finishes its daily trip past our house. And guess what?? I heard it coming down the road! Awesome.

Pigskin!

Oh, yes! It's finally football season! How could I have neglected to include that one in my list last week? The Vikings-Saints game just went into the 4th quarter as I type this. We are losing 9-14. We meaning the Vikings. I'm not feeling good today and am just watching it from the couch in yoga pants and being pretty quiet, considering. (I'm usually pretty loud.) I'm not a huge fan of weeknight games -- I would rather be at my cousin Deb's watching the game in her purple and gold-decorated tv room!

I hope we win tonight's game. If the offense can stick it out and pull off just one more Favre touchdown, and the defense can keep Brees from scoring, we'll be golden. If we lose, well, I'm still gonna bleed purple!

September

So far, September is trying to make up for the hot, dry month of August. It's pouring buckets of rain as I type this. I hope it turns out to be a better month all-around.
As much as I like summer, I'm looking forward to fall.
I'm still trying to pull myself out of the funk I've been in all week. Move forward. Focus on the positive. All that hoo-hah people try to tell you to help you "get over it," ya know?
So here's what I'm looking forward to for fall:
1. I head to Illinois for the Labor Day weekend flattrack races. (Planning to take some more cool shots with the (not-so-)new camera.
2. Pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks. Need I say more?
3. Honeycrisp apples are coming!
4. Hot tea starts becoming my evening drink of choice. Hot toddies are nice, too!
5. I have a yen to get back to the crafting, especially with my Etsy shop inventory being low and the Art Celebration next door being only 22 days away.
6. I can put the lawnmower away for the season soon. I think there's only one or two more mowings left in the year, if I'm lucky!
7. The documentary "See What I'm Saying" is playing in Springfield (MO) next month. I have a ticket!
8. Tickets for the interpreted Hammons Hall performance of "Fiddler on the Roof" go on sale in two weeks. I'm going. Springfield seems to be on my travel list a lot this year.
9. It's almost time to plant bulbs! I have about 100 white and yellow tulip bulbs to plant this fall.