Beautiful Morning, Beautiful Day

Yesterday, we started out bright and early for a day as vendors in Lebanon at a Master Gardeners' symposium. The sky was like a painting by Maxfield Parrish - all pinks and golds and blues...

The moon had not yet set, and the sun was coming up in a blaze of red... It was gorgeous and certainly put me in a fabulous mood to begin the day.

We had set up the night before, so all we had to do was make the short drive to the venue, walk in and wait for the customers to get there.

I had brought both my soaps and my jewelry. We even added a special soap we had been making for one of the gardeners. We met him at this event last year and he has some great ideas for a unique additive and we've been trying it out in various soaps for him.


I brought all my jewelry and it sold nicely along with the soaps and body products.

This is a close up of my current vessels and teapots. I think almost all I have at the moment are in this tray.

I really enjoyed going back to this event. Getting to know the people who run the show has been a fun experience and we enjoy seeing everyone there.

Today is a day of rest (!) and preparation for our 2 day wholesale show tomorrow and Tuesday.

Then it'll be back to the regular day-to-day with no more shows on the horizon for a long time.

Through the County

A pictorial today - of some of the things we see while on our soap deliveries through Amish country in Lancaster County.

We were waiting at a customer's roadside stand while two huge bus loads of people (one of them from Germany) enjoyed their visit and left. While we waited we saw some of the sights through a tourist's eye.

Fist, down the road came the clop clop of a horse-drawn buggy.So picturesque as they drove along in front of the corn drying in the fields before it is cut to fill the silos in the background.

After it passed, I looked and noticed it was a "pick-up buggy."There was a big old express wagon in the back. Sometimes they are connected to the back of buggies and used as trailers.

I turned to the garden of our customer and noticed as always it is neat as a pin - and now cleared and waiting for spring planting.And as I turned to the left, I noticed the row of various types of martin houses - or apartments - natural mosquito deterrents since mosquitoes are a favorite food of the birds.Such a beautiful county we live in.... full of wonders we often times overlook.

To Market, To Market

Our son is home from grad school for the weekend and it seems that we have developed a tradition of going in to Saturday's Central Market in Lancaster whenever he is home. We usually get yummy bread and some scones along with whatever fruit is in season. His big purchase is a burrito from Senorita Burrito.

The market is undergoing some massive renovations so, today, as we wound our way through the torturous aisles, we came upon a woman holding a bunch of a plant that was completely new to me. It turned out to be "Oscar Milkweed." I'll have to do some research to find out exactly what this is, but for now, the common name will do!

I was captivated by the large globes hanging on the branches. The woman directed me to the stand where she had purchased her treasure and I swiftly lined up to buy the next to last bunch available.

From what I understand, these will dry beautifully, although I forgot to ask whether they should be hung or if they will just dry in a vase like hydrangeas. I'll give it a shot just like they are. They sure look better than the three year old dried sea oats that sorely needed to be replaced!

One of my main plans is to dry them, hoping to get a few seeds to scatter around our pond next spring!

If it all works out, I should have plenty for years to come!