Dammit, I'm tired of being hot

I think that is my theme lately. I'm ready for fall, for the cooler weather, since it is technically fall now.

Saturday was the manwhore's company picnic. This year it was at the zoo, so we got in the zoo for free and got tokens for the carousel. It was so hot that I told the manwhore that we would see the elephants and giraffes and then stay in the historic farm, because it is all in the shade (These two areas are next to each other. It is like a half mile walk to get to the next nearest animal.The Nashville Zoo is lovely, for animals. It is big and spread out and too much walking for little kids.) It worked out well because they were having a Harvest Days festival in the historic farm. There were lots of crafty things for the kids to do. Candlemaking, churning butter, an old style washboard, painting "quilt squares" and all sorts of stuff. It was fun and a bit educational, too.

I got to talking to one of the women doing needlecrafts and apparently I know enough about them that she thought I was working the festival, too. You would think the lack of costume would have clued her in. In a way, it is a sad commentary, because I really don't know that much about needlecrafts. I am only an expert at crochet. Despite the revival of interest in knitting, I think too many other skills are falling by the wayside. Tatting is one that very few people seem to do these days. And the lady I was talking to was making a bed rug (pre-quilting era bed covering) and that is another fading art.

I am glad there are groups of people with enough interest in these things to be involved in reenactment or even just in preserving history arts and sciences.