Summer done be GONE

Or as kermit said, when the truck ran over his bicycle, "I was nearly gone with the Schwinn."

Our first fall storm blew in with a vengeance this weekend.  Kyle and I wanted to attend the Volkswalk in Scappoose, Oregon, held in conjunction with the Sauerkraut Festival, so we got out early and drove north along the Columbia to scenic Scappoose.  We got in our six kilometers under cloudy skies, wandered through the festival, hit the farmer's market (he bought me a beautiful bouquet of dahlias and two boxes of figs) and about ten minutes after we got in the car to drive home, the heavens parted and the rain came bucketing down.  It rained like a cow peeing on a flat rock for most of the rest of the day.

The next day, I had arranged to go to the Rennisance Festival with Rose.  It was still raining.  We went anyway.  There were very, very few attendees.  Cold wind and steady fine rain dampened the spirits.  Occasionally, the fine rain would grow to heavy squalls.  The poor festival folk were so blue!  Entertainers performing to scant audiences, food booths with gaily bedecked attendants, draped in blankets and gloomy faces, staring out at the muddy, empty paths.  Jewelry stalls all selling the same ear wraps, all staffed by juniors surreptitiously texting on their cell phones.  Rose took lots of pictures, but it wasn't the sort of jolly event we had expected.  Still, Rose makes it a good time anyway.  She has such an upbeat personality.  She got a henna tattoo, and the lady doing the work mentioned that the small  pavilions scattered around had been created for "The Chronicles of Narnia," movie.  What fun!  They were very pretty, about 8 feet in diameter, and would have made delightful little booths for merchants on a warm, dry day.  In the autumn rain, stuffed with bored, cold, depressed festival people, they were little clusters of sighs.  I hope the festival comes again next year.  A nice day would make such a difference!

It made me think about medieval fairs and festivals, and what life was like for them when it rained.  I am such a wuss!  Most of life in those days would have been cold, wet and miserable.  I'm SO glad I live here and now!!

I have, according to doctor's orders, gradually cut my Prednisone dosage down from 80 mg to 20.  in two more weeks, I should be off it all together.  And my weight loss is slowing down.  I think there's a connection.  In fact, even though I got lots of exercise this week and stuck to the Weight Watcher's plan faithfully, I gained .8 pounds this week.  Oh well, it evens out in the end.  That's what I get for publicly bragging that I have lost 20 pounds.  It's ok to be pleased and proud of my success, but it's evidently not ok to talk about it.  But - but, I can get into my jeans again!