Ball and Chain

You'll never guess what happened to me at the fair last weekend. Well, some of it you will guess because it is so, uh, predictable. Firstly, I forgot my camera. Not just Friday, but Saturday, too. Saturday afternoon, while watching Inanna play - I thought about punishing myself for forgetting the camera by not knitting and tapping and moving to the drums but I am a person with little or no self control so I cannot report that any penance was done. Secondly, (go with me on the creative grammar, today, please....because I think I've had a total of 10 hours sleep in the last three days. Maybe sleep exhaustion is the new beer - I feel positively swoony) there was, like, the most amazing group of fair goers there! Thanks so much to everyone who stopped by, everyone who made me feel so big in the head by saying such nice things. Oh, and for those who shopped so we can eat and pay the bills - we love you THIS MUCH, TOO!. Thirdly, there was blogger representation of the most divine degree. CCMary - I walked on feathers for the rest of the day after seeing you and then, the grand finale on Sunday - Loribird as in 'From the Wool Room'
brought me a present. A purpley present. We had such a time talking, petting yarn, meeting each other's family. And the best part? She didn't even seem to mind that I had a blueberry mustache and berry seeds all in my teeth. It was the smashyberry smoothie that I treated myself to....and it was so worth it. Except that I had no toothpicks so I was forced to use one of my sock needles which is something I think you have to practice at before it is painless. Still, the smoothie was worth it. I brought the soft, squishy periwinkle-ish purple yarn home and did what any Farm-Witch would do, I rolled on it, petted it, introduced it to some friends. Bear in mind that I am the crappiest photographer in the world and that my camera is really cheap. You'll just have to trust me that the color is soooooo much better looking that I can portray. She took to the purple beaded yarn right away. Then, some wool silk that I dyed with nettles came by and they began plotting something. I put them in the basket to negotiate the details and then we're going to get to work on some mitts and a hat.

So, all went well, we are exhausted and that alone + a holiday means pajamas till noon on the farm (the sheep are so embarrassed and wish we would get dressed and act normal, for once). The holiday? First you have to hear the story:

Flash back fifteen years. There's a girl. There's a guy. They are all a whirlwind in their newly discovered lurveness for one another. But, they are a little strange, very ornery, and also quite accurately depicting starving students in every way. So, one morning on a day they both have off from work, she says to him and he says to her, "what will we do with this day?" Just for imagery, let's include that she has just rolled out of bed, and is still in her tye dye shirt and stretchy pants (pajamas in her world) and he is wearing holey jeans and some half-clean shirt. He's reading the paper. There is coffee. He says, 'let's go get married'.
Her: Now?
Him: Yeah.
Both: Sure.
About an hour later a clerk at the courthouse is offering her a hairbrush and all those clerky, clean and proper folk are marvelling at the audacity of these crazy wannabe hippie kids paying their 25 bucks to tie the knot...or the ball...or the chain. Who really cares? They sure didn't. It was chicken-fried steak at 'Good eats' ( I still love you, Austin, Texas!) and many happy, cold bottles of ShinerBock (god, I really miss you - wish you didn't have to be in Texas to drink good beer) later that they realized what they had done.

Fifteen years is a mighty long time so much happens to them in between. They multiply. And the magnification of their genetic freakishness helps them cultivate their insanity to an impressive level. Sometimes they've thought they hated each other. Sometimes they've had to lean on each other in a very humbling way. But, they still like each other - which is kinda amazing, eh? Hey, it's my anniversary!