Medina Co. RBA Show........

Well, we just got home from the Medina Co. RBA Show. I'm so tired I can hardly even wiggle!!! But I'm also excited to!!!!


After a very last minute decision to go to the show, Raven and Ginger Jinn rewarded the herd with wins in both shows! :- ) I could hardly believe it!!!


And my grand old gentleman--Ginger Jinn made a proud showing for himself as well.





I really don't get to that many shows and to have the bunnies do so well was thrilling!


I ALSO want to thank Tina & Scott for helping me out. Scott tattoos the bunz for me and Tina helped groom a couple hopeless cases. :- \

THANKS GUYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


This past week I've been running on only a couple hours of sleep each day, with today being the worst of all of them, something like 1 1/2 to 2 hours of sleep. So I'll close for now. But, I will return when rested to add to the days events.


And hopefully Tina will allow me the use of a couple of her show photos, for my blog??????

Music rings on..............

Well, today finished our
WONDERFUL two days with Madeline MacNeil. Awesome concert & thought provoking workshops.

Such a sweet, sweet and gracious lady!!!!

Her angelic voice flowed through the rafters of the sanctuary. Yet when she sang "Summertime" from Gershwin's 'Porgy & Bess', she gave me goose-bumps!!!

Then she instructed the audience to join her with a Jean Ritchie song. Again, her vocal magic worked it's charms!!! I was in the back of the sanctuary by the sound-booth and the humming of the audience gave the song an ethereal feel...WOW!!!!

All who attended the concert was presented with a royal treat!!!

THANK YOU MADDIE!!!!!!!!!

This morning, Thursday, we all arrived at the church for the workshops. Maddie beat me to the church. For those who know me...that wasn't a huge surprise. :- o

We went about set up the room, moving four large tables and chairs, so the hammered dulcimers would have sufficient room. Their first workshop began while Elaine and I set about making coffee and put out the "nutritional food"-- Hiss's Donuts!!! (Yum!)

I missed the first hammered workshop, as I'd planned to take pictures....but the batteries died. grrrrrrrrrrr But I was ready with new batteries following a short 10 minute break.

Rejuvenated by the nutritious food Maddie began her second Hammered workshop.

During both of these workshops Elaine, John and myself chattered away in the kitchen. We were having such a good time chatting we forgot where we were and were hushed by the workshop attendees....not once but TWICE!!!! .....we bad! ;- )

These hammer workshops were such fun!!!! As I got a chance to see so old friends.

With the workshop completed it was time to grab a lunch. We went to David B's an interesting little restaurant in Barberton, OH. Lunch was good but we enjoyed the conversation even more!!!

Maddie told us a story of a friend of hers that kept talking about a Bob. Bob like this, Bob didn't like that, etc. At first her friend confused Maddie....this friend spoke as if Bob was a horse. Then she made reference to Bob going to dinner and to the theater. By now Maddie was sorely confused. Once established that Bob was a guy and NOT a horse this friend say...Maddie I'd like to join us at my place today....the friend wanted Maddie & Bob to jam at her place. Not feeling comfortable about this jamming idea Maddie's friend continued to pressure Maddie to join them. Maddie decided that she better get a little more information about this Bob fellow before she'd consent to set in on a jam. Her friend said I'm sure you'd know Bob. After listing several jobs in Europe and here in the states as well as the and FILMS he'd made, Maddie's friend finally got around to tell her that Bob was in fact Robert Duval. Maddie was flabbergasted to say the least!!! That afternoon she and Bob (Robert) jammed at her friends place. After all these years of being in the public eye I never once even considered that Robert Duval played guitar!!! True story!

Well after lunch we hightailed it back to the church for the next two workshops, which were for mountain dulcimer.

Again another friend who moved to Oberlin a couple months ago, for work. It was GREAT to see Jim! He made a very special trip from Oberlin just the the "Hymn's with Harmonies" workshop.

The normal protocol for this type of music event is to offer workshops followed by the concert. Well do to time constrains we flipped the norm. But flipping the events schedule I was able--for the first time!!!

To actually sit in on the workshops!!!!! YA!!!! What a treat!

We rolled through the two workshops as if they were only 30 minutes long. When in reality they lasted 3 HOURS!!!

Maddie put a wrap on her last workshop. We all chattered briefly until I reminded all that I wanted to get a shot of everyone. With some issues with my camera I managed to get a couple really nice shots!!!! I simply wished the camera had moved!!!! But here's the resulting shot.

WHAT A GOOD TIME WE ALL HAD THURSDAY!!!

Concert, rabbits, weaving and friends......

Well it's the night before Maddie's big concert. And I'm so excited!!! She came into town at 3 pm and has settled comfortably in for the evening at Elaine's place. Tomorrow afternoon we'll set up the stage and prepare for a sound check. The concert begins at 6:30 pm. So if you've nothing else to do...come on out!!!

Thursday morning we'll begin with two hammered dulcimer workshops a break for lunch followed by two mountain dulcimer workshops to conclude the day. Friday morning Maddie leave for Michigan.

WOW! What a time we're gonna have!!!! :- )

The rest of the week is pretty well booked too.

Friday will be dedicated to catching up with last minute rabbit grooming and a final decision as to whether any coats are in shape for the Medina Rabbit Show. I'm going to try to get a couple of the fuzzies to at least one show this year!

IF all goes as planned???? (Remembering that Murphy--from Murphy's Law lives with us.)Saturday will be spent at the Show in Medina.

Sunday my neighbor (with the loom and I plan to attend the final open day for the "Mishler Weaving Mill" in Smithville, OH's. That should give us a chance to see the looms in operation.

This evening my sweetheart hubby took me out to see a movie. We seldom go to the theater these days but this was special for us. I'm a HUGE love affair with equine species. In fact that's what JG and I talked about on our first date. I had a mare that's just foaled, pretty exciting, for me. But with the release of the movie 'Secretariat' it was a MUST SEE! (movie: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1028579/ ) Definitely didn't follow the book as closely as I had hoped for but it wasn't a disappointment. Interesting facts pertaining to the life of Secretariat can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretariat_(horse) . We had a good evening!!!

Loom, Leaves, Dulclimers & Boats

As promised....I'm NOT keeping up with my posting. :- { But! I've still been busy these past few weeks.

As mentioned I've a loom, here it is. So far I'm still a LONG WAY from actually making anything with it. My learning curve can be very sloooowwww! And what you see on the loom was there when it arrived.

(A HUGE THANK YOU, to my good friend, Janellen!!!)

On the second Saturday in October, my dulcimer group--The Mixed-Up Strings--performed for the Medina County Parks, at their annual Fall Foliage Tour. The last stop, on the tour, is the Buckeye Woods Park were pioneer re-enact takes place. The event is known as "Pioneers in the Park". (We set up in the shelter house.)
One of the favorite audience appeal of my group is Bob....the wash tub player. You can see him at the end of the line of dulcimer & guitar players.

We were also luck to have another MUS member join us at "Pioneers in the Park"....Linda G. GOOD TO HAVE YOU BACK WITH US LINDA!!!!

This event celebrates the 'glorious fall colors' as well as the Native American and pioneer crafts which enabled survival through the hardships of the wilderness.

The event drew a great crowd this year! This year it was actually WARM & SUNNY!!!

Once again a couple of old friends stopped by, Mr. & Mrs. Krege. What a treat!!!! Martin Krege, has been an awesome mountain dulcimer builder (as well as violin builder)!!!! He's fully retired from building now. He and his wife enjoy travel, vacationing and visiting with family. We wish them MANY MORE YEARS of retired enjoyment!

The bunnies have kept me busy as well. Last night I plucked 'Red', my youngest Satin Angora male. He's SUCH A SWEET GUY!!!!! He's a wonder to work with. I usually card the FA & SA wool into small rolags to spin with.

I've held off spinning much this week as I'm borrowing a Louet wheel from one of my MUS members' wife's. She doesn't spin any more and is thinking of selling the wheel. I'm very anxious to try the Louet as my antique wheel is very difficult to regulate the tension and twist.

I'm trying to infect a couple of my neighbors with the spinning bug. :- ) I took one of my neighbors with me to my spinning group last week. I gave her a drop spindle and some wool to try her hand at. Hopefully the bug will seed itself and we'll have another spinner in our midst! ;- )

Over the summer my brother's been working hard on a sale boat. He bought it late last year. It's been in need of multiple repairs which he worked on through the winter and spring. He's excited! As he's has his maiden voyage on one of the local lakes (Portage Lakes of Summit county). I ask him for pictures share with you.

The boats name is 'Summerbreeze', a 22 1/2' sloop with a moveable center board keel.

These pictures were taken in September....the trees are just beginning to turning color.

They were wearing warm clothes as the weather's been colder than usual this year.

Till we meet again!!! Let the fur fly!!!