7QT - on Sunday!

---1---

Last Saturday (September 7) I went with a friend to the Greater Ozarks Bluesfest. It was a hot day, but not too hot, and for most of it we happily sat in our lawnchairs in the shade. Late in the afternoon, though, we were in the sun, but it cooled off quickly. So, all in all - great weather, great day.

 

Right from the start (about 2 p.m.) there were a few tipsy spectators who decided to dance. Do I think they were tipsy because they were dancing? No. Just see for yourself:

 

But then I recorded a little bit of a harmonica feature and got a nice surprise with dancers who were not tipsy! It was quite fun!

 

 

At one point one of the artists said, "I know this is a Bluesfest, but can I get away with playing a little soul?" I leaned over to my friend and said, "We all white here - we don't know the difference!"

 

Here's a shot from when the saxophonist from the Selwyn Birchwood Band (my favorite band of the day) came down into the audience and was just a few feet in front of me:

 



---2---

One of my Facebook friends posted a cake recipe last week with only two ingredients: a box of yellow cake mix and a 15-oz can of pumpkin puree. Blend together, bake on 350 for 28-30 minutes. Then, for a glaze the recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons apple cider, and 3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice. I couldn't find any apple cider at the store, though, so I went with a cream cheese frosting. The cake was awesome!

 

I added some blueberries for prettiness. :)

---3---

Also on Facebook last week I saw this:

 

 



Naturally, my first thought was, "The flan, it was glistening." ;) (Those of you who are fellow Jen Fulwiler fans will get that.)

 



---4---

I got my first substitute teaching gig last Wednesday (September 11)! I was actually hired to be a substitute paraprofessional since I don't have classroom experience, but somehow the jobs got mixed up that day and the one I was called for was an actual substitute teaching position. I found this out after I got to the school, but I told them I was willing and credentialed anyway, so they let me. (I was really excited about the mix-up, really!) It was an eighth-grade home-ec class. We watched a Dateline weight-loss competition. I got to watch it five times that day :). I almost felt like exercising afterward. Great first day.

 

---5---

My kitty is two years old this month!

  

 

This is how she sleeps. :)

---6---

This past Sunday (the 15th) I went with another friend (and her husband and brother) to the PBR invitational held here in Springfield!

 

 

 

They opened with prayer and the national anthem. My favorite part was watching the guys get bucked off and then run for their lives. One guy got thrown over the fence into the audience! And guess what the rodeo clown made fun of? Miley Cyrus of course.

 

Here's one of the riders:

 



 

---7---

I wanted to show you a painting a bought from a coworker (Eric Vaughn) last year. He works with me at Great Circle, but he is a truly gifted artist. His work has been featured at several local art galleries, and he often contributes to fundraisers for work and stuff. I asked him last week about this painting - what was he thinking when he painted it? He said it was a childhood memory from a trip to his grandma's house, and in the car on the long ride they would have to amuse themselves with their imaginations. It evokes a memory for me from Joplin, parked outside of my undergraduate college in the rain under a streetlight. I was just in awe of how everything in the car (dashboard, myself, etc.) looked under the illuminated rain drops. It was a magical moment. That's why I bought the painting.

 

(Here it's hanging on my wall; I haven't framed it yet.)



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