The Kalamazoo Program & Some Assignments

 The Kalamazoo Living History show is only one week away!  

I'm almost ready. Those skeins of thread for ornament hangers seem to be stranded in Hebron, Kentucky and have not arrived yet, but I do already have a large inventory of completed ornaments. Enough so that I should be fine if I don't get to make more.

Vendor booth locations aren't posted yet - you find those out upon arrival Friday.

But I am lucky and already know that I will be in the same place I've been in the past four years. (That yellow star on the Expo North.) If you've vended at an event several times, generally planners leave you in the same location unless you request a change. It saves them time and worry moving people around, and past customers know how to find you. Win-win!

Ethan and Paisley have published the 2026 program on the show's website. 

I am excited to see that my Feast next door neighbors, the Anishinabee Kwe will be there and performing in Room A both days. 

Photo from The Kalamazoo Living History Show Facebook page.

I won't be able to go watch them, but to get to Room A they will need to pass right by my booth, so I hope to say "hello."

It was a surprise to discover that Ethan had added me to the staff list (and Lisa, too, although she can't be there.) I've wondered what I could do since I was tied to my booth, but Ethan and I talked yesterday and he had the perfect jobs for me.

Just like me, Leslie has spinal issues. In the past, she has rented a scooter to help her get around the Expo Center; this year she's got something else and Rick just finished putting it together.

She's got an upright rollator which will address her spinal pain in a way best for her issues. She will still be available in a support role to Ethan and Paisley, but she should be in her own booth a good amount of time.

(I told Leslie that a good fundraiser for the show would be the two of us racing each other through the Expo Center with our rollators, but she declined. Probably afraid she'd lose... LOL)

And that's where one of Ethan's tasks for me comes into play - he's asked me to keep an eye on her, make sure she's getting off her feet, eating, etc. 

Bossing my sister around?? Seriously, Ethan? I am ALL IN! And if she won't listen to me, then "Maggie," (Carol Jarboe) and I will gang up on her.

Maggie and me in our personas at KZoo 2024,

Carol and me in 21st century clothing at the Friday night dinner in 2025.

Ethan had another task he wanted me to do, one that surprised me, but one I think I can do. More on that to come.

Stay 'tooned!

"What Do You DO All Day??"

When I was a stay at home mom, people would often ask me, "What do you DO all day??" as though they thought I just sat around painting my nails, taking bubble baths, and watching soap operas all day. 

And most who asked that question would then add, "I would go crazy if I had nothing to do." 

Nothing to do?? Really? I never could understand that question and response, especially when it was asked while my six kids were standing around me.

Sometimes I really had to bite my tongue when I responded. 

Now that I am retired, I get those kinds of questions again, and they are still coupled with something along the lines of, "I think I'd die of boredom." 

My answer has not changed because I am just as busy now as I was when I was a stay at home mama or during my teaching career.

Current things that keep me busy:

~ Dogs, including watching the pack several times a week while Lisa is at work.

Honestly, this is Pepper's favorite sleeping position.

~ Sewing clothing for the upcoming Feast of the Hunter's Moon.

A just completed trade shirt

with sleeve buttons.

~ Preparing to make a regency gown for Vanessa to wear to a Jane Austen event. (Pics of that project to come another time.)

~ Making haversacks, to sell and to donate.

The circled ones just sold, but if you need any Stablemate, Curio/Venti, or Classic sized haversacks, these are available.

~ Piecing together the BreyerFest history series.

This outline has been completely blown out of the water now that I've gotten so much research done!

~ Having Ian, Mila, and Lukie over to help do yard work and clean the garage, etc. 

Taking a break together while working on the garage.

Weeding and then laying fresh mulch in my stepping stone garden. 

When we've finished, I pay them and we get some fast food for lunch 

and then we play games around the dining room table for a while. I love those days.

~ Volunteering in Indianapolis and here in West Lafayette.

~ Medical appointments, tests, treatments, and more.

As always, there are things going on that need to be addressed.

But I have a great team of doctors who care for me.

~ Planning Happy Trails V, the fun show/pony party I hold.

Of course, there are other things that keep me busy, things that I enjoy doing, that crop up during the day or the week.

The next time someone asks me what I do all day, I'll just refer them to this blog post and continue on doing what I am doing. It's all good! 

(And by the way, suggestions for classes for the Happy Trails V show are welcome! Put them in the comments or email me!)

 

Volunteer Teaching During the Pandemic

(This is a non-horsey post.)

The COVID-19 pandemic has shut whole communities down, including ours. Most heartbreaking for me was the fact that Indiana's governor ordered all schools closed for the remainder of the school year. I completely agree with doing that, but still my heart aches for the kids, the teachers, and all of those involved in teaching the kids. (I am proud to say that my school corporation is paying all laid off hourly workers their normal pay until the end of the school year.)

I've wanted to give back in some way as the pandemic progresses, but since I have a compromised immune system, I have to stay home. I'm not even doing my own grocery shopping - Lisa does that for us and drops it off. But my friend and fellow teacher, Kathy, came up with an idea to help the overstressed teachers who are trying to keep their students' learning going via remote learning.

Kathy, Nacho, and me after teaching a lesson together at school.

Kathy and I have done a lot of collaborative teaching during our careers. Currently she is teaching high school English half time while mentoring the 80+ new teachers that were hired for the current school year. She put out an email to them that, if anyone wanted, she would prepare lessons and teach them to their students, and she asked me if I would help her teach those lesson.

It's been a lot of fun to dust off my teaching chops ands them, but even better, I feel I am helping and contributing as I help these new teachers out. Just for fun, here are two lessons that Kathy and I taught.

This teacher asked us to teach a lesson about story elements to her second grade classroom.

And this teacher, also one who has second graders, asked us to read aloud a story. Since Kathy is blind, she asked me to be the one to do the read aloud.

We are both amateurs when it comes to filming, but the message gets across. And I feel like I am doing some small part during this terrible pandemic to give back and help.

Now, we have our fingers crossed that we are not asked to prepare and film a lesson on something like dissecting a frog or acid base reaction tests, or something of that ilk!