Just got home from the Pioneer Bluffs Fall Festival. I did the chicken chores when I got home. Didn’t need to take lettuce to them as they were already roosting since it is dark out. Only got 6 eggs today – the slackers.
I went to Pioneer Bluffs around 10:30 this morning. I didn’t have anything I needed to do here and decided I might as well go early and help. Set up tables, chairs, etc helping get ready for the Festival. We lucked out and the rain held off until the very end of the day. It was a tad bit chilly in the barn but as long as the doors stayed closed it was bearable.
Not sure how many people showed up – guessing a little over 100. People came and went all day long so it was hard to get a good estimate on numbers. This Festival was very different from what we have done in the past. Seemed more authentic and true to our purpose this year.
Part of our rebranding is to become the Ranching Heritage Site for the Flint Hills. The entry room of the granary was remodeled as part of that effort and two new kiosk were added that tells our story. People seemed to be impressed with what we had done.
We were short volunteers for the afternoon. I was greeting, serving desserts, keeping an eye on the coffee and water and selling calendars. Not sure I did anyone of them well. I have forgotten how to multi-task.
Got rid of both pies and both pumpkin pie cakes. Got several comments on them – they were well received. Glad I haven’t lost my baking touch. It had been a bit since I had baked a dessert.
Got a chance to talk to several of the guests and other volunteers. It was a nice day for me. Time went by quickly as I stayed busy most of the time.
Late afternoon I got my first phone call from my Match guy. We have been texting up to this point. Was nice to hear what his voice sounds like. We didn’t get to talk very long as I was busy and he was getting ready to go to a dinner meeting. Betting we spend more time on the phone tomorrow.
Last night I took a dip in the muck pond for a bit. Didn’t stay in it very long. Had a good cry and felt better. Not sure if it is the new moon, all the political shit happening, all the change that is going on around me or what but I got pulled off-center for a bit. I didn’t sleep much again last night but am doing much better today. Sometimes I think I just need to hit bottom so I can kick off and climb higher afterwards. At least this time I recognized immediately what happened and was able to immediately surrender and climb out quickly. I used to live in the muck pond.
Felt good to be in service most of the day today. Hoping the physical activity I did today will help me finally get a good night’s sleep tonight. I look forward to my soaker bath tonight to warm back up again.
Tomorrow I have a family reunion to go to. This is one of my favorite days of the year. My mom had three sisters and this is when the four families get together. We keep growing in numbers every year. I will need to get up and going in the morning as I will need to fix some food to take. At least I know what I am going to take – that is always the hardest part.
Monday I am going back to Pioneer Bluffs to help clean-up. Everyone was tired tonight and decided it could wait until Monday. The rest of next week at this point is fairly empty. I have one new guest coming in Friday and staying until Sunday. Two of my long-term guests will be back Monday evening and staying until Friday morning.
I have less than a month before I leave for Australia and New Zealand. I need to make a list of what I want to take and make sure I haven’t misssed anything. May need to make one more trip to KC to finish up before the trip.
Grateful for a fun day at Pioneer Bluffs and a chance to be in service, grateful my trip into the muck pond yesterday was short-lived, and grateful for the rain the prairie received last night.