Bittersweet Saturday ~

Bright and early Saturday, Eema and I headed for SkunkFest in North Ridgeville, Ohio. (I failed to get any pictures of the many skunks that were there. Not to offend any skunk lovers, but skunks just aren't too appealing to me.) I dropped Eema off at the Ohio Pug Rescue booth and headed south...

... to the herb fair at Quailcrest Herb Farm in Wooster, Ohio, where 70+ artists and craftsmen were set up amongst the gardens.

This plant looked like an iris but it had...

...the most unusual seed pods. They looked like blackberries.

This guy's work was fantastic. If you enlarge the picture, you can get a better idea of what he has done. He takes photographs of everyday objects, architectural elements, etc. and sees letters in them. You put together a word and he frames them for you. Very cool!

The gourd wagon.

This one room brick building was so quaint.

Take a peak inside. It was filled with wonderful antiques.

(OOPS! My pictures are a bit out of order. I will show you some of my purchases later.)

I made a quick stop at an antique shop on the way back to SkunkFest, but I'm not sure I saw any antiques in the shop! However, I did make a couple small purchases that will be Christmas gifts.

Upon arriving back at SkunkFest, I found this little guy sleeping in his foster mommy's arms. His name is Kashi, he's about 12 weeks old and weighs just over a pound. What a cute little thing. It's not often they are already in rescue at such a tender young age. He is even too little to get microchipped or neutered!

After waking, he wandered over to the pug pen to check out the "big dogs".

Look how tiny he is. That's Eema on the left in her Ohio State Buckeyes shirt. (Oh! That pug puppy makes my butt look fat!)

The big guys ~ and gals.

Eema. She's the bittersweet part. Today she found her forever home. Her new mommy is going on vacation next week, so if all goes as planned, she will leave me by the end of the month. I know you are all scratching your heads wondering how I can give her up. Let's just say it will be very hard, I will cry and she will take a piece of my heart with her, but it's the reason I foster. I know in my heart I am doing what is best for Eema!

Here's a couple of my purchases. I bought the little carved pig as a gift and another basket that SOME DAY I will hook a rug for. It is a smaller size than any of the others that I have. Someone painted a picture on the top, but I think I can sand it off.

Some luscious wool that I bought from Alice. Her booth was eye candy to any wool aficionado. I took a picture of her booth, but somehow must have deleted it. Sorry Alice :(

I think my OCD came out when I started buying gourds. They were such a great deal (lol) that I had to buy a huge bowl full.

Some of them need cleaning and I may try to find some leather dye (I think my son has some) and try dyeing some of them. Some of the gourds are as little as 2 1/4 tall.

To end the evening, my DSO and I headed over to the Jenne Art Gallery at the Sandstone Museum in Amherst, Ohio, for wine and hors d'oeuvres. The gallery has been open since 2005, but with many new artists, they decided to have a grand re-opening. Sandstone Museum is a growing complex of 19th century local structures that have been saved from destruction and moved to the complex. An octagonal barn that was once located down the road from where I grew up is now there. You can learn more by visiting http://www.amhersthistoricalsociety.org/. If you are ever in northern Ohio, it is a stop worth making.

Thank you so much for taking the time to visit my blog!

Pug hugs :)
Lauren