Autumn Ritual

Each autumn, I take one Saturday in October and hit several places that I love. It's my own personal little tradition. Even though I felt like crap on a cracker due to a sinus and ear infection on Saturday, I realized that this one was the only weekend all month that I didn't have stuff planned for, so it was now or never.  I decided to go to the Mt. Horeb Fall Festival and then decide after that if I'd go further or not based on how I felt.

It was really cold and overcast and so the art fair wasn't as big as it has been in past years but it was still  nice.  One of my favorite parts is the pumpkin decorating contest. There are always the most creative ideas!

I like the Dr. Seuss one in the middle!

This kid went all out and made a pumpkin totem pole.  Notice Nemo swimming in the foreground!

The coolest thing was the men building this.  Usually there is an artist carving trolls out of logs in this spot.  It's a Scandinavian thing, the trolls. Mt. Horeb is the Troll Capitol of the US and their main street is the Trollway.  Anyway, I don't know if this is supposed to be a tree house or what but they will will be surprised when I back my pickup up, load it on and haul it out in the middle of the woods to live in it. It's finorkin' adorable... and fortuitous since I have been threatening to move deep into the forest and live all alone like a troll for weeks now!

I also went to the annual library sale and stopped in to see Mo and Rebecca at The Cat and Crow. I only get over to their shop once or twice a year, but it gets cuter every time!  I was still feeling OK after the fair so decided to go the back way up to Ski Hi Apple orchard in Baraboo.  Along the way I saw a sign that said "Rendezvous: Step Into the Past".  Now my friend Dale Harriet is a historical reenactor, so I  knew what that sign meant. I pulled into the park and took a stroll around.

Here is the Civil War blacksmith. I was shocked to see the historically correct wheelchair on the left (snicker).

These guys were shooting muskets, smoking and looking really manly out by their Civil War minivan. The horses that pulled it must have been out in that pasture yonder.

Chatted with this lady for quite a while about her spinning. She was super nice.

Spent a lot of time at the fur traders tepee. It was cool 'cause it was a tepee and all, but the real draw was in the lower right corner of this picture...a Newfoundland dog named bear.

I was freezing my tookus off so I didn't stick around to see who won the war this time. Instead, I headed on to Sauk to Culver's for lunch. It was so busy there were no seats.  After I finally scored a small table, I invited an elderly lady that was milling around to sit with me since there were no other seats available.  She and her son, Dan, and I had lunch together and a wonderful visit. Turns out, she had retired not too long ago from that Culver's after working for 22 years there. She was thrilled to bits that that week, in the mail, she had received a card that entitled her to 25 % off meals for life! I was thinking that

#1.  After 22 years, I'd deserve FREE meals.

                                                #2.  After 22 years, I'd never want to see another butter burger in my life!

After lunch I went on up to Ski Hi Apple Orchard even though Dan (from lunch) had said that due to a warm spring and a late frost that took all the apple buds off, it was pretty slim pickin's up there. I bought some apple cider and a couple of cider donuts, but he was right. Slim  pickings indeed. It was a hard season for all different kinds of farmers out here. 

I went up to Ho Chunk Casino and lost my $20 as usual. Next year, I'm just going to pull up in front and hand my $20 to the doorman to save time. Know why they call it Ho Chunk? Because they get a 'Ho' Chunk of my change every time I got there. Ba dum bum...

By that time I was really done in and so with a quick stop at a roadside pumpkin patch to pick up a small pumpkin to doodle on, I toddled on home. I was so tired that I sat on the couch in my flannel p.j.s with a woobie and watched the new Muppet Movie without knitting or drawing or anything else! Those of you who know me, know what a rare occurrence that is! But, I pulled it off. One more ritual accomplished to help close down summer.