The Bloom Festival

[cornerofmadness]

I was gone all day today up in the charmingly named Slippery Rock with my BFF,S, from college and her daughter, Sa, for the Bloom festival. It was a lot like the Lily fest only with a quarter of the vendors and people (I doubt the vendors did well).

It was a very nice space. There was a well done naturalist educational center there combining education with fun for the kids. I picked up a ghost hunting book by Rosemary Ellen Guilley there (I'll get her to sign it at the Mothmal fest).

The park was unexpected. It's a tall grass prairie ecosystem which is highly endangered and almost never seen outside of the midwest. I had NO idea there was any here. We joined a naturalist led Insects of the Prairie walk. I don't like insects much (outside of bees, butterflies, moths, dragon and fire flies) but Sa wanted to see them. THere was a large group of parents and kids and it was a really nice walk. The day wasn't overly hot and I got to see a lot of plants I liked like blazing stars but also the iron weed and Joe Pye weed are already blooming and you don't usually see that until Sept. It's like fall wants to come early. Saw a nice collection of monarch butterflies and honey bees. I'm glad Sa is curious and wants to learn science.

We sat and listened to the Max Schrang blues trio and enjoyed that for a while (and later learned he was S's husband's guitar teacher way back when.

I didn't buy much from the vendors (It helps to have someone with me) other than honey and sassafras jelly (tastes like root beer!) We also watched a honey gathering demonstration and that was fun. I've never seen that before. I didn't know they could get about 10 pounds of honey from 3 combs nor did I know you only harvest twice a year, right around now and then again in November but that last one you often don't take much because the bees need it to live thru winter. They let us taste it afterward and surely I had no choice but to buy it.

I thought about buying the parents more perennials but didn't (Mom was disappointed). Thankfully Sa wanted her mom to go out for dinner. She wanted McDonalds but I don't eat there so KFC it was. I tried the pickle chicken tenders, don't hate me but I liked it.

Chilled out at their house for a long time, no one knows what sort of chupachabras are in my Samsung tablet. Sigh.

Got home to find Dad having more of his moments. It's strange, really. He's perfectly calm then suddenly snaps. We're watching Tombstone (which can be paused) mom said something and he freaks out because we interuppted the fight scene. Um you've seen it 1001 times, you can pause and rewind and you interupt us all the fucking time. Later he pauses Killjoys to suddenly rant at me 'when are you going to finish watching that movie?'

Was I home to watch it?

It sucks any way.

Me - It's actually good (Ready Player one, which is a shitty adaptation but entertaining none the less)

Oh right it went from sucking to being great.

Me - there's nothing wrong with it

Yeah if you're 13. THere's a DVD player downstairs you can watch it there.

Mom - for god's sake

And then like nothing goes back to watching Killjoys

I have no idea. But I do know everything coming next on Netflix will be shit he hates just because I can.


And then Mom was woken up from the same nightmare twice last night where she was looking into her father's coffin and her cousin (also dead) was comforting her. Needless to say she's a bit freaked.

Comments

[spikedluv]

I like KFC's chicken tenders. Also their pot pie isn't bad.

Ugh, your dad.

I'm glad you had a nice time with your friend.

[cornerofmadness]

I wish KFC was less greasy but I've always rather liked it.

He can be so eye rolling at times

thanks, I wish I could see her more.