Thursday, April 30, 2009

Busy, Busy, Busy and off again to Gray TN!

The fair was a lot of fun and I got to see customers both old and new....delightful!  The weather was beautiful! I think it was probably the best weather we have ever had during this festival.  Very hot and sunny!

Lots of vendors! Beautiful weather!

Josiah sold a lot of bean pole tee-pees and old fashioned fishing poles.  People stopped to take their picture with "Tom Sawyer"...Josiah says that if he could charge for the pictures he could make a lot more money :) He was also interviewed by a local radio station that was doing a live feed from the festival. My shy child....live on the air!

Tom Sawyer!

Jeremy sold a little bit of his hand-beaded jewelry!  He will be doing one more festival and then trying to sell the remainder of his creations online.  Now that he is graduating from high school, he doesn't feel he will have the time to invest in jewelry making, so he is selling it all....beads...storage cases...tools!

That Bead Guy!

and Elijah...well..Elijah made a killing selling ice cold bottles of water out of an old fashioned wash tub!  Actually, Josiah helped him sell, Jeremy helped him sell, John the beekeeper in the tent next to Elijah helped him sell, Mom and I helped him sell and some people took water and tucked the money in the pocket on his chair.....why did Elijah need so much help selling this water?

Well....because Elijah was very busy!  Everytime I looked at him he was learning something.  There was a young man there who taught him how to finish the end of a rope....even how to place a handle on it.  This young man loved the Lord and he and his wife took a shine to Elijah.

Then I found him doing this..

.Creating a Whimmy Diddle!

Elijah is sitting here with Will Hines...the Gee Haw Whimmy Diddle World Champion!  Elijah asked Will if he would teach him to make a Whimmy Diddle.  Will was happy to oblige.  He believes that Elijah is a "natural" Whimmy Diddler.  They spent a lot of time together while Elijah learned this craft.  Will is a White Cooper.   I didn't know what a White Cooper was.....if you don't know either, you can find out by visiting Will's website here.  Looking at Elijah's face, I'd say he is having a lot of fun!

Then before I knew it, I found Elijah working with Bob...

The beginning!

Elijah spent about 3 hours on this creation throughout the day...

Working hard!

He may have found a new vocation....

Fun tools in a shady spot!

Can you guess what he made?  I'll show you a picture next time!  Not trying to be a stinker but I simply haven't taken a picture of it since we got home!  Why you ask?

Because I've been very busy!  We came home and unpacked....got everything put away the next day and hit the garden.  We supposedly had two days of sunshine before 6 days of rain arrived.  There were lots of plants in the greenhouse that needed to get in the garden before that rain!  We have spent the last few days planting tons of cabbage, broccoli,  cauliflower and lettuces....herbs....flowers....and preparing more beds.  I've come up with an idea that I hope contains my out of control mint....I am trimming back some over zealous medicinal herbs and preparing some areas to plant some new ones.  I am trying to expand my medicinal herbs this year...seems there is a big interest in medicinal herbs....thanks to our nation's economic woes.

We are loading the truck today to head to Gray TN for the other festival I do each year.  I'll be at the Appalachian fairgrounds on Friday and Saturday.  I'll be teaching on herbs each day...once on cooking and once on medicinal herbs.  Then life should settle back down and we can concentrate more on our garden...until Josiah is ready to do farmer's market.

Each year I have been offered to join the festival circuit....traveling to a new venue each weekend and setting up to sell.  I just don't have an interest in that.  I can't imagine how I would have the time to make the things I sell.  I make it all in small batches by hand.  It takes a lot of time.  How would I do this....or care for my home, my boys, my garden.....and I'd miss my church family way too much!

I do two local festivals a year and am evaluating those this year to see if it is worth it to continue.  It is a lot of work preparing for the festivals.  We've made good friends at each one and the boys and I look forward to them each year.  However the thought of doing that several times a month doesn't thrill me at all!

My ultimate goal one day is for the boys and I to build a little shop here on the farm where I can teach classes, sell fresh and dried herbs, essential oils (at reasonable prices!) and of course my soaps, medicinal salves and teas...perhaps even some soapmaking supplies for those who want to make soap for their own families!  The plain truth is that I like to be home....I'd rather serve my local community than travel the nation.  I take any and all opportunities to speak in my local community....I am often stopped and asked "Hey! Aren't you the herb lady?"  And that's o.k. by me!

Now, I'm off to pack the truck one last time....

Blessings,

3 comments:

  1. Wow! You HAVE been busy! And I couldn't agree more, I treasure my time at home. I know it's where HE wants me!

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  2. that is exactly my vision for you and yours!!!hopefully when i have the opportunity of visiting again in the late fall when things stop growing here and there, i can visit and we'll share our visions and see what the Lord has done!

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  3. Sounds like you and yours had a wonerful time at the fair, but yes, time at home is the time that builds families and lasting love.

    God bless.

    William

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