another year....

Well, I'm winning the fight over the post-fest cold and blues.
It was a great weekend in all- some of the BEST music to date. And the workshops that ran were all really well attended. We joke about people converting to the cult of SVFF... but it's true, the community wins people over.

Here are a few review/links

http://andthehitsjustkeeponcomin.blogspot.com/2010/09/shelter-valley-folk-festival-2010-we.html

http://http://www.facebook.com/Elbowmarie#!/video/video.php?v=465499515378&ref=mf

http://www.facebook.com/Elbowmarie#!/album.php?aid=527737&id=695855383&ref=mf

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sheltervalley

too lazy to embed them in something pretty today.

Last year I felt like I was too busy and missed the festival. This year I was busier, but calmer- I felt like I knew what I was doing, and knew (somewhat) what to expect. The difference in attitude made a huge difference. I even went into it knowing full well of my tendency to control every piece- and fighting my urges... allowed things to unfold.
My internal dialogue chanted "in a hundred years, it's not going to matter- people won't notice if all the paint brushes weren't in matching containers, or that the workshop speaker didn't do x, y,z... all that will remain is a blip on wikipedia (if that still exists). An entry that will read "Shelter Valley Folk Festival was (is) an incredible space, a leader in the push for community, arts and fine music."
That little pep talk changed everything.
Even when the weather got so bad, so dangerous, that we had to close down the villages.

villageS.

all of them.

sigh.

I'm sad about that. Sad that all the hard work from the past year was just shelved. And there really wasn't anything we could do about it. One of our artists lost $2000 in pottery to a gust of wind that knocked over one of her shelving units. The stage in the family village got knocked down in the wind, the tents started to come apart... making the whole space unsafe. We closed that area down for a few hours, then ran partial programming outside the gate in the main field... children hula hooping to the main stage music.. it was beautiful with the clouds racing above them.... The main village tents had to be torn down- after searching the county for extra re-bar and rope- it wasn't enough. The tents couldn't take the strain of the wind. So we made the decision to take them down, rather than lose them or risk injury.

This year I feel like I've grown into the role better- I made decisions and asked people to support me in them.. rather than stand there helplessly as things happened around me. So I feel really good about that. I'm just waiting for the sadness... grieving? to pass.

fix it

Another thought for the collage party, I need a new tool box.

Yes, those two thoughts are related.

My current tool box is lovely, lovely but broken. I podged it about 10 years ago with pictures of tools and sparkly things... because, you know... I wouldn't want it to look too manly or anything. Anyway, it wasn't till I typed the previous sentence that I realized how old the tool box was. And I was feeling bad that the tray was broken in it and that my tools were sort of breaking it from being too heavy and whatever.... but just realized 10 years is a long time to NOT break something like that... and I don't feel bad at all.

So, for the collage party, I may be collage-ing on a new tool box! Maybe a strong metal one. I was pricing them tonight when I was at Canadian Tire (that would be the hardware store for you non-Canadians).

Driving home, I decided to pull out the tool box. My door knob has been broken for some time now- to the point that I couldn't close my door, as I couldn't open it from the outside.. and could barely open it from the inside... I got locked out a few times, but I was able to break in from the sun porch.

I don't know how door knobs work. So I took it apart. That didn't help, but I was able to put it back together... and for some reason... it now works.

I'm very happy to have a door that closes.

And one that opens.

So I don't die in a fire.

chop chop

in celebration of the lock box coming off the front door (finally- I've had an open wound on my hand from whacking it going into the house) and the sale sign being removed.... we had a garden party last night.
wait.. no we didn't...
we attacked the garden, realizing that if the landlords hadn't bothered the entire time the house was on the market- they sure as heck weren't going to now that it was off the market.

Needless to say- it's nearly presentable.
Needless to say- the bushes can be seen past.
Needless to say- There is a HUGE pile of brush to be disposed of.
Needless to say- I'm covered in scratches.
FNT (Friendly Neighbour Tom) is the best thing EVER.

ummmm... I guess if I felt the need to write them down.... they weren't really "needless to say".

How to grow community in three easy steps

Step One:: Dress like twins

Step Two :: use really big equipment, just because you have it.

Step Three:: convince your friends to put together your new Bbq!

Now... off with you... use what you've been taught.

(photo credits for the last two... KS)

Bunday Monday (or) don't leave them unattended.

As a general rule of thumb, I try not to leave my bunnies out for too long on their own. I'd rather be right there...
Yesterday I had the urge to bake some bread.
And cook some beans.
I returned to my room two hours later to find .....

They decided to chew the bottom off the bag of litter. and decided to use the litter... and decided that since the litter was on the floor then the whole floor must be a litter box. GREAT. Thankfully, no wet messes.
Evil bunnies.

The bread turned out great... and we're having my first attempt at an African meal here at home... we'll see how that turns out, if all goes well, maybe it'll be an African themed house warming party.
fitting?

that whole thousand word thing....

So, today at work we stopped by the Heinkle Farm (home to Shelter Valley Folk Festival) where there was a yard sale/ auction / bake sale/ music/ kids events thingy going on.
A fundraiser.... for a barn.... not just any barn mind you, money to replace the barn for the Weirsma's, who's barn burnt down Easter morning this spring.
How fantastic, that we live in a community that is willing to put together events to support each other when their luck is down!
I am blown away by the kindness of people.

There was a small bulletin board set up with some pictures of their barn, before the fire, events, parties, work, daily life, and some pictures of the results of the fire...
But the picture that wrecked me was, one of their daughters.... walking away from the barn, snow on the ground, eyes brimming with tears, pain across her face.... the barn in flames in the background.

700 club

Growing up, I was a big fan of the sesame St scene.
I'd get SOOOOOO grumpy when the 700 club came on, marking the end of children's television for another morning...

I'd like to welcome you to post number 700.

I don't know if they count the drafts that will eternally sit in the draft box.
Those posts would be the ones with to much swearing or slamming of people.

That said... welcome to slamswear-fest

Today was horrible. I feel like shit. I feel abused, I feel walked on, and I feel unsupported.
Please pray that I don't stoop to the level some people feel the need to walk on, pray that I'd be gracious, grin, and remember to pray for them...
errr... is it wrong that I pray just so that God will heap tonnes of fiery coal on their heads and their heads will catch on fire and they'll stink of smoke?

eventful

so when something eventful or just odd happens, I think to myself.. "self, I need to write that down" or even "self, don't forget to blog that".

Last night I was in a building... the building started to shake and roar, I turned to the people who were with me and said... "is this house a rocket ship?" to which they laughed... UNTIL we looked out the window and saw that the entire house was being lifted by a crane. Workers had been working around the building for quite awhile... but no one had given us warning it was time to get out! A few of us swore, we grabbed onto furniture and waited for the house to settle back into place. I didn't know it was safe to lift a house that high... that it was safe to turn it in air, let it get caught by a little wind... safe to swing it back into place... I had NO idea....
But later, when I found the fish in Ziploc bags in the cupboard, I knew what I had to do....
I dragged myself back from sleep as I said the words "I've got to remember to blog about this".

note:: I did watch the Wizard of Oz with the Roomie yesterday.

There goes the neighbourhood.... (part 1)

it's the crazy beast that ate the Sheff's house two summers ago!!!!

I have to admit to being slightly more than worried over the sight this morning... a pile of about 40 large (crushed) metal barrels... what was in them? why weren't they disposed of? and what might be leaking out of them now?

losing my identity

If you live in the Tannery area, and they tear down the tannery... where do you live?


I woke up the other morning to the house shaking a little... I didn't think much of it as the train tracks are quite close, if you are in the front room when a freight passes, you can hear the windows shaking in their panes If you are sitting close enough you can watch the glass shake around. (yeah, I imagine those are pretty weather tight ;) There's even a slight shudder to the house when two pass at the same time. When I stepped out the front door at 7, the air smelt heavy like skunk... which was strange because that was the morning of the minus 33 wind chill... if I were a skunk, I'd still be in bed- skunks don't have day jobs. It was strange until I took the first corner behind my house and saw the dust flying and settling, flying and settling. The large red brick house at the main entrance to the Tannery was flattened. a heap of red brinks and some machinery sorting left over bits if metal and wood stood beside an archway made of cement that had at one time connected the house (office?) to the rest of the buildings, remained.
The Tannery was a photographer's (or maybe any artist's) dream.... old window panes catching light, rusting cogs and wheels, wooden roofs at strange angles, little bits of shadow and surprises. I'll miss it. That same morning an old door had been left open, you could see silhouetted and framed by morning sunlight an old pulley and chains from the ceiling... I really need to start carrying a camera.