3 Redheads, an Idiot and a Musk Ox
Wow, it’s been a long time since I have written. I have been extremely busy. Well, it’s four o’clock in the morning and I’m awake. I might as well get started. I wish I had a cup of coffee. I would make a cup, but I’m one of those coffee nuts that needs to grind his own beans. If I fired up the coffee grinder at four in the morning everyone in the house would wake up. Then they would say things like, “hey, it’s four in the morning, can’t you sleep?” “Nope, I was just too thirsty for coffee!”
I have a cup of tea, though. I hate tea. I hate everything about tea. I hate that it is good for you. I wouldn’t want to live very long if I had to drink tea everyday. (Sorry, at four o’clock in the morning it easy to get distracted.)
The puppies are awake with me. Yep, these two hundred pound white fur balls will not leave me alone, even at four in the morning.
We finalized the lease/option for the moving the store last week. We will be moving after we paint a couple walls and get some new displays. We will be in the new location in early November.
Actually, what has been keeping me so busy was the Taos Wool Festival. I have been dyeing and preparing yarn to sell at the festival. And then of course, was the festival itself. One day of travel, a day of set up, two days of the festival and a day to get back home.
We had a good time. The festival was full of politics. Not the Romney/Obama kind, but the you have illegal products in your booth kind. I’ll get into that later.
I was in another vendors booth, exchanging pleasantries. It really wasn’t important to say hello to this vendor, as she is from Fort Collins and I had talked to her the day we left. Don’t tell Elaine and Ivy, but I was trying not to help set up our booth.
I think Ka__y figured out what I was doing and felt sorry for Elaine and Ivy. She handed me a bunch of packages of crackers and Oreo cookies and instructed me to give them to the twins. (Elaine just woke up! You know what she asked? “Monner, what are you doing, can’t you sleep?”) Walking back to our vending area. I could feel somebody was looking at me. Three somebodies! With red hair!
I noticed three youngsters staring at me. They somehow knew I had Oreos. I don’t know how, but somehow they knew I had ‘em. They looked to be about the same age as the twins. When I arrived at our booth, I told Boy Twin, “There is a bunch of kids staring at me, why don’t you and your sister ask them to play?”
Boy Twin came back and said, “Hey Monner, they’re triplets!” Elaine and I have some experience with twins. I immediately felt sorry for their parents. OK, just kidding! The five kids became fast friends. Unfortunately, the families live about 400 miles apart, but they most likely could end up at some of the same trade shows. Did I mention the triplets parents are great people also?
The purpose of the Taos Wool Festival it to promote animal related fiber producers, artists and products from Colorado, Texas and New Mexico. There are 60(+) vendors that have applied to a board of directors (of which Elaine is a member) for the opportunity to promote and sell their products.
The festival has always included a public address announcer to advise the attendees of what was going on at the festival. This year the announcer had several strange announcements. First he announced to the crowd that the festival was a ”greed” free zone. Even considering everyone at the festival was there to buy or sell something, I find it comforting that “greed was not allowed. That said, I did not see any of the more successful vendors stop selling and start giving away their products. Those sneaky greedy bastards.
Then the announcer informed the crowd that llama fiber was coarser than alpaca and some of the other fibers. That really helped sales for the llama producers. If the llama producers were even thinking about being greedy, he put a stop to that!
An unidentifiable person came into our booth and informed Ivy we were selling illegal products. Not like marijuana or something, just fiber not raised in Colorado, Texas or New Mexico. Of course, our animal fiber was OK, but if you add Bamboo or silk to the animal fiber it needs to come from those three states also. Personally, I’ve never seen bamboo from those states.
One vendor was asked if the qiviut she was selling was from Colorado, Texas or New Mexico. I will save you a trip to wikipedia, qiviut is the soft under hair of the musk ox.
My constuction life has taken me all over Colorado, Texas, and New Mexico. I have never seen a musk ox in any of those states. Should you ever encounter a musk ox in those states, stand back. It is most likely lost, angry and looking for snow.
I can’t wait for the next Taos Wool Festival.
Wow, this was a long one.
Our crazy lives!
Monner