Gemstones & Bison Bits

OCGMS case

We'll spend this weekend at the International Gem & Jewelry show, instead of the Cowtown Celtic Festival ... advertising for the latter appeared in late September, so we were already committed to working the club table. I'd enjoy seeing a festival that I wasn't working -- when the North Texas Irish Fest happens, we're at 4 Winds Faire; when the Scottish Festival occurs, we're at A-Kon. Those weekends fill up fast -- at least MiddleFaire, Cottonwood Arts Festival, and Cowtown Celtic, not to mention the State Faire, will have beautiful weather ... I only hope that the jewelry people will visit us at Market Hall. After all, not every visitor came for the Texas-OU game.

Joy created the various pieces of wire-wrapped stones ; many of them currently reside in Maryland where a friend (hopefully) will present and sell them to people she knows ... She bought a drusy piece, and a friend bought an opal in matrix. We'd had the pieces for over a year, so it's good to let them find new homes and beautify other ladies. I did the Dutch spiral (or Russian spiral) necklace in black,red, and white beads ... people love to watch me do the spirals; alas, they do not buy them. I just wish I could find some charity interested in donations of the pieces ... I have many pretty sparklies, but no home for them. That sounds like a no-kill shelter, doesn't it?

Mariann has a new problem at her work -- she knows someone who runs a foster home for kittens & cats ... uh, oh -- they are SO cute when they're itty bitty kittehs (to quote lolcats), but they grow up into cats -- and stay that way until they die. Mar's travelling life style doesn't permit pets, except as a day visitation sort of thing. We've brought Lola (the rat terrier) and Fiona (a kitten) to visit her ... then we remind her that -- like nieces and nephews -- the good part is that you can give them back with a clear conscience.

Bison Bits -- I saw Clue last night. The kids mainly knew their lines, much more than they did in "Dracula" two years ago. Alas, we still can't hear them, even with floor mikes -- and you can't mike at UIL competition, so they need to project! The butler was good, and he mainly carried the show -- I just hope he stays with theatre and doesn't get sucked into other arts or sports. Ginger wants to do vampires next month as the late Halloween project ... we'll see. At least she has a livelier group than she did last year. Those seniors were sorry -- at least they've graduated and moved on, so we can pick up and begin again.

Ginger used all of the stage areas -- since we can place furniture anywhere we like in our own space, she used the steps, the side stages (which are really fire exits), and back stage. The lights and sound were a bit iffy -- she still needs to train her techs. However, the main thing was getting the actors on stage. They had moments -- they weren't the UIL Best Actors or Ensemble -- and I felt proud to be the teacher (I can claim some of them, if only from last year.) of such talented students. Congrats to Ginger for pulling it off.

The weather has turned coolish, so I'm off to walk off the weight. For a while, the weather was too warm -- or too rainy -- for me to go outdoors before dawn (the main time I have to exercise unless it's ballet class). Today looks like it's prime walker weather. Carpe diem!

Dance quote: "We should consider everyday lost in which we don't dance." -Neitzsche