Workiversary

My favorite day at work is September 22: my workiversary.

I don't care if people at work celebrate my birthday (I know! I, of the birthday season, don't care if people at work celebrate my birthday!), but I love being feted on my anniversary, and this year was a big one: 15. My manager Slacked me a couple of days before and asked me to attend our regularly scheduled morning team meeting. (I don't normally attend the morning meeting. It's ... in the morning. And he knows this about me, so he also offered a lunchtime option—but I'm not that self-involved that I can't get up early one day, especially if I am going to be the center of attention. OK, that still sounds self-involved. Whatever.)

So I showed up at the meeting and I turned my camera on (which is another thing I don't usually do because: work-at-home hair and clothing), and I was greeted with my peeps at working, singing a song that had been written just for me:

The Patty Bunch (sung to the tune of the theme song to The Brady Bunch) 

It's the story
Of a lady Patty
Who was bringing up a very rowdy team
No one ever placed their files ... on the server
But she was never mean.

It's the story
Of a lady Patty
Who would make her carrot cake and edit, too
All the treats she'd bring each month ... for people's birthdays
Secure permissions, too.

’Til the one day when they had to work remotely
And they knew that it was much more than a hunch
That this crew had long ago become a family
That's the way we all became the Patty Bunch.

The Patty Bunch
The Patty Bunch
That's the way we became the Patty Bunch!

The Patty Bunch, serenading me. I'm the one wearing a leopard-print jacket (because when
I started, my company was called Leopard) with my glasses on my head (because
I can't see the computer with my glasses on my eyes) crying like a baby.

Later, when I was thanking my coworkers, I mentioned to one of them how being “a lady Patty” reminded me of Vic's “... and a lady” photo postings on Facebook. (For those who don't know, he would often post beautiful scenic pictures with me in them, and he would add a caption such as, “Delicate Arch ... and a lady.”) She said that was intentional. (So just let that soak in a minute, the level of knowledge it takes to use an obscure reference to make someone feel loved.)

It worked. I have never felt more loved at work—and I am ordinarily quite beloved. (You bring Rice Krispies treats and carrot cake to work every month, you'll be beloved, too. 😉)

It feels a bit prideful to post this, but I do love my workiversary, and as we've already established, I am self-involved. 🤣

But it also gives me an opportunity to say thank you to all my work peeps, present and past, for all the love and support you've given me through the years, particularly these last few months.

THANK. YOU. 💗

9/11 twenty years ago

This is not the first time I’ve told this story. I’m sure it won’t be the last. And I may get some of the details wrong, but the main thrust of the story is correct. 🙂

Twenty years and three days ago, we were in New York City. We were visiting Vic’s son, Bryan, in Philadelphia, and we wanted to go to the Bronx Zoo, which we had never seen before. We had a great time at the zoo, and then we went out for a late lunch/early dinner before heading back to Philly.

A great shot of a gorilla at the Bronx Zoo

As I recall, we took the New Jersey Turnpike, and on the way to Philly, we drove right by the Twin Towers. Being hicks from the Midwest and the Rocky Mountain West, we were enthralled by the buildings in New York—total tourists. The sun was setting and just glowing on the Towers. Vic (of course) wanted to stop and take a picture, but Bryan knew better—you don’t just stop on the Jersey Turnpike, and you really don’t want to stop to take a picture.

“No worries,” Vic said. “We’ll get ’em next time.”

If Vic’s photographic record is correct, that was a busy trip. In addition to the Bronx Zoo, we went to Longwood Gardens to the west of Philadelphia and the National Aquarium in Baltimore.

Longwood Gardens

 

Inner Harbor in Baltimore

On September 10, the Broncos played the Giants on Monday Night Football. That was the game in which Ed McCaffrey broke his leg, but the Broncos still demolished the Giants. 😉

Almost every 9/11 story starts with, “It was a beautiful fall day.” But it was, so it must be said. The sun was shining; the sky was blue; the air was crisp.

We had a morning flight out of Philadelphia, and Bryan drove us to the airport. We left Bryan’s before 8 a.m., taking time to snap a few shots. It was just a regular day, so as usual, Vic was playing the joker.

 

We talked on the way to the airport, so we weren’t listening to the news. Bryan dropped us off, and we checked in at the counter. Our flight didn’t leave for a few hours (we were notorious for getting to the airport ridiculously early), so we walked around the airport, stopping at a gift shop, a newsstand and the food court.

On the way to get our authentic East Coast airport bagels (which is to say, definitely not authentic East Coast bagels), we saw the TV on in a bar. (Yes, bars in airports are open that early in the morning.) It looked like a building was on fire. We walked on by. It could have been any building in any city. It was just a fire.

We ate our bagels and talked about our trip and getting home to our kitties. Nothing seemed amiss at the airport, so we headed back to our gate. Went by that bar again. Now more people were watching the TV, so we stopped. The caption at the bottom said a plane had hit one of the Twin Towers. We watched for a while, and then we noticed the airport was buzzing. There were announcements over the loudspeakers, but we couldn’t tell what was going on.

At some point, I called Bryan. We didn’t have cell phones yet, so I had to wait in line at a pay phone. When I got through, he sounded panicked. “Stay there!” he shouted. “A plane just went down in Pennsylvania! I’m coming to get you!”

The rest of the day was a blur. We went back to his apartment, and then at some point, we went to the airport to pick up our luggage. There were concerns about family being in the city—but everyone checked in safe. We watched TV day and night as the news continued to pour in and the posters started to appear—has anybody seen ... my dad, my sister, my cousin? It was heartbreaking.

We finally pulled away from the TV a couple of days later and went to Valley Forge National Historical Park. The park rangers were wearing sidearms—no one knew what might happen. We went to a diner for lunch, and everyone was talking in hushed tones.

Valley Forge

We finally made it out on September 14. I’ve never been in quieter places than the planes and airports we were in. When our pilot showed up at our layover in Houston, he received a standing ovation.

We got home to find one of our kitties in distress—he was diabetic and needed his insulin, but it was too late. He passed away at the vet’s. Just another victim of the terrorists, we always said.

We picked up pizza the next night at our regular pizza joint. It was a mom and pop place, and the owners knew we had been to Philly and asked us about it. They took almost an hour out of a busy Friday night to sit at a table outside and listen to our story, and then a few days later, we received a sympathy card in the mail from them for our kitty.

Because that’s how it was in the days after 9/11. We all pulled together. We supported each other. We consoled and hugged and cared. We treasured our first responders.

We have strayed from that spirit of unity in the past two decades, but on this day of remembrance, I choose to believe that we can join together as one, a nation united.

My heart goes out to all those who lost family and friends on this day 20 years ago and those who are fighting physical and mental illness because of the events of that day. My bottomless thanks go to all first responders everywhere—always running in where everyone else is running out. 💗

I’ll leave you as I usually do—with one of Vic’s awesome pictures.

A "short" story and a life in pictures

My mom passed away this morning. It's a little surreal—one minute she was with me, and the next minute she was gone.

It's been a long time coming. She got pneumonia five years ago and never fully recovered. She was on oxygen 24x7, and because she wasn't able to do as many things, her strength diminished. The Alzheimer's disease that has taken most of her family was staring her in the face. Two years ago, my sister, Laura, and I had to take over things like paying her bills, filling her pill box and, after Mom gave up her car, driving her to the store and the doctor and the hair salon—everywhere she needed to go.

This last month was rough on Mom. She got pneumonia and spent three days in the hospital. She seemed to rally at the end and was discharged. But five days later, she was back in the hospital. Her pneumonia was better, but she was having difficulty breathing. (She had COPD—chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder—so her breathing was always a little dicey.) She didn't rally the way she had before. She was more confused, more agitated, more tired. She was not watching "Judge Judy." This was a sure sign of the apocalypse.

Talk turned away from discharge to home and toward discharge to a skilled nursing/rehab facility. While she was open to that idea during the first hospitalization, boy howdy she was not open to that idea during the second. We decided to broach the subject of what she wanted next, and after a long discussion with her primary care physician and my sister (who was representing both of us), she decided she would like to go home to hospice.

She was "excited" (as excited as a very sick person can be) that no one was going to make her do physical therapy. No one was going to make her do occupational therapy. No one was going to bug her about eating and drinking and taking her pills. If she wanted to do those things, we would support her, and if she didn't, we would support her.

She was discharged not quite two weeks ago, and to make a long story short, she ended up in a hospice facility just two days later on the brink of death. Once again she rallied and was fairly coherent-ish for about 48 hours, but by Wednesday of last week, she didn't understand why she was there, and she started asking Laura to take her home.

That's when the facility shut down to all visitors. Thank you, COVID-19. She really started to go downhill from there. There's no telling whether it was because we were gone or whether she was just deteriorating "on schedule," but by Monday of this week, the hospice nurse said Mom had some telltale symptoms of a person who is "transitioning" from actively living to actively dying. That's when the hospice allowed us back in.

She had one day of agony, where she was hallucinating and seemingly in pain, very restless and very agitated. Laura bore the brunt of that day because I was not able to get to her until late afternoon, just as she was getting some medicine that would calm her and stop her twitching.

The next day was agony-lite—all of the Monday symptoms but less severe—as the nurses from our hospice service and the nurses at the facility adjusted the meds and the timing of them. She was still restless, and she would often sit up and then lie back down because she didn't even have the strength to support her own weight. And yet, it was a good day. We would sit on the bed with her, and when she would sit up, she would often collapse into our arms—the way we probably did when we were kids. And when each of us whispered "I love you" in her ear, she said "I love you, too." They were the only coherent words she spoke all day—but they were also the most important words.

Wednesday and Thursday finally brought peace for Mom. We had her on a good cocktail of medications spaced just the right amount apart, and she rested comfortably all day. She rarely opened her eyes and never tried to speak, but she didn't seem to be in pain, and her hallucinations had subsided.

Early Friday morning (a little after 1 a.m.), I got the coded text from my sister, 🙁 , and I knew Mom's struggle had ended. My sister did not leave Mom's side from the time they let us back in, other than a short respite on Wednesday to remind her husband (a) that he had a wife and (b) what she looked like. I will always be grateful that she was willing and able to do that. As we both said many times over the course of this journey, it is an honor and a privilege to care for our mother.

Do not cry for me. My mom is free. No more being tethered to the oxygen tank! No more scolding by us about how much (or how little) she was eating, drinking, exercising, etc.! She can hear without her hearing aids! She can walk to the kitchen without getting so winded that she has to sit down halfway there! (Assuming they have a kitchen where she's going.) She can remember everything! (Take that, Alzheimer's!)

I'm sure there will be many tears shed on "firsts," but I'll have all my memories of her and the strength I gained from her to keep me going

Speaking of memories, here are a "few" of my favorite pictures of my mom.

First, I love these old-timey pictures of her:

Ohmygosh, did my mom LOVE bowling!

Dad and Mom on their wedding day

Mom's family was everything to her.

Back row, L to R: Mom's sister Ruth, brother Gene, sister Mary, Mom, brother Mike
Seated: Mom's beloved Aunt Blanche and Uncle Chet

She fell instantly in love with her first grandchild, Nick:

Laura, Nick and Mom

 Then one became two ...

Granddaughter Margeaux

... and Mom discovered that two were twice as nice as one.

Grandchildren grow up faster ...

Clockwise from lower left: Bill, Nick, Margeaux, Mom, me and Laura

 
... and faster:

Mom was so proud of her grandchildren, and the fact that they wanted
to spend time with her gave her untold joy

Eventually, more family joined the fold, and that was OK with Mom.

L to R: Ali, Mom, Layla, Harrison and Nick

L to R: Layla, Mom and Harrison

She was delighted with more additions a few years later ...

L to R: Mom, Madi, Margeaux and Xan

... and even more a few years after that:

Madi, Will and Fin on Mom's lap

When you add my stepkids and their kids—whom Mom lovingly accepted into her heart (she was always tickled pink to get a card or a picture from one of them)—Mom had four grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren. Her heart was full.

Mom also loved to travel, and we often did that together. In fact, Mom and I could be found virtually anywhere, from Niagara Falls ...

... to the Isaac Walton League to watch trap shooting ...

... to Downtown Denver at Christmastime ...

... to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science ...

... to wherever this was!

Sometimes we let Vic tag along.

Rocky Mountain National Park

Vic pulled all these (and more) pictures for me a few weeks ago. As I clicked through his curated selection, one thing stood out: My mom and I were always hugging!

Mom had an "interesting" sense of humor, but that didn't mean she couldn't joke around with us:

L to R: Laura, me, Margeaux, Mom and Laura's husband Bill

Then again, she was also happy to let us be the clowns while she kept a straight face.

And now I feature solo pictures of Mom. We don't have a lot of them—she hated having her picture taken, especially alone. But Vic could always coax a smile out of her.

I want to leave you with one more shot of mom in her native habitat: talking to a complete stranger. Grocery store clerk? You get her life story. Customer? You'll probably have to hear about her daughters. Random guy on the street wearing a Nebraska Cornhuskers sweatshirt? Now she's your best friend. My mom could strike up a conversation with a stop sign.

I kind of miss her already, and it hasn't even been 24 hours. But I am content with her destination. I picture her free of oxygen, with perfect hearing and enough strength to walk farther than the mailbox. She eats nothing but caramels and Pringles—or whatever the hell she wants. She is with the family members who passed before she did. She is home.

Blanche (Breiner) Schenkel

February 6, 1939 – March 20, 2020

 

Rest in peace, Mom. We love you.

A daughter's story

A mother lies alone in hospice. She is dying, but her death is not imminent, so her daughters cannot visit. The coronavirus has shut down the facility to visitors, vendors—all nonessential people.

When the mother's death is imminent, the daughters will be allowed in. They will be able to stroke her hair, rub her back, speak words of comfort. "It's OK, Mom. You can go now. We will be all right because you raised us to be strong. It's time for you to rest."

But that time is not this time, and so the daughters go about the mundane tasks of life. Laundry. Bills. Taxes. Walking the dog. All the while wishing only that they could be with their mother, holding her hand, even if she didn't know they were there, which she probably wouldn't.

My mother lies alone in hospice. My sister and I cannot visit. We are doing laundry instead, waiting for the phone call that will finally allow us to hold her hand.

Fall TV 2018, Partial

Let us begin this post with a rant about my beloved Entertainment Weekly. It's right there in the title of the magazine: weekly. And yet, I'm not getting it weekly. Mostly, I'm getting it every other week. Now, call me a stickler, but if your name is Entertainment Weekly, you should publish, oh, I don't know, WEEKLY!!!!! Furthermore, the subscription usually costs about 20 bucks for one year. That's a bargain, really, no matter how many issues you get. But the subscription page says $20 for 46 issues. And I'm all, "46 issues—that seems OK. That's still only six weeks that don't get a new issue." Yet I am not getting 46 issues. Then I see the fine print (which isn't really all that fine, but I'm just saying, it should be more prominent): "Entertainment Weekly is published by Meredith 34 times annually. ... Publishes 12 double issues ... which count as 2 issues." As they would say on The Good Place, motherforker! So I'm getting 46 issues worth of content, but I am by no means getting 46 issues.

So you may be asking, "Why rant now? Here? When all I want to know is what are you watching this year?"

Well I'll tell you why: because my motherforking Fall TV Preview issue of Entertainment Weekly has not arrived yet! In years past, that issue came out over Labor Day weekend. But last weekend came and went with nary mention of fall TV. So I figured, this weekend. Nope. This weekend, some stupid cover about a new superhero movie, as if we need any more of those. (And yes, it is a female-led superhero movie, so I am at least happy about that, but I need my Fall TV Preview issue!!!)

So you may be thinking, "So what? The TV season doesn't really start for two weeks. There's time."

Yeah, sure there's time. But this is the weekend I set up to do the fall TV blog. And you all know how well I adapt to change.

So I am sallying forth into the land of TV, with only partial information. If I get my Fall TV Preview issue of EW next week, and if I find myself with extra time on Sunday, I will update this post (or write a new one) with information from EW. But don't hold your breath. I'm mad.

Now, without further ado, let me tell you what I'm watching on network television, and then I'll add a little section about streaming services.

Sunday

• God Friended Me, or as Vic calls it, Friended by an Angel. Interesting premise, plus it has Joe Morton in it, and I like him. And Matt Roush, the TV Guide (which, BTW, delivered my Fall Preview issue exactly on time, thankyouverymuch) reviewer gives it a thumbs-up.
• Madam Secretary: I look forward to seeing whether we'll get a name change to Madam President at the end of this season.
• Kidding: A Jim Carrey show on Showtime. I love Jim Carrey, so I'll give this a try—even though Matt doesn't like it a ton.
• You: A show on, yes, Lifetime. It's getting a lot of good reviews, and it sounds different, so why not try it?

Monday

• The Neighborhood: One of five new sitcoms I'm trying this year. I want to like it, because I do like the four main leads, but I'm skeptical of it.
• Manifest: One of the shows I most want to like. It's the new Lost, which means it will either succeed wildly or go down in flames just after I get really invested in it. Both Matt and the TV Guide editorial staff recommended it, too.

Tuesday

• The Kids Are Alright: My second new comedy. I actually don't want to watch this on principle: there is no such word as "alright." It's always two words: "all right." But Matt and the TV Guide editorial staff in general recommend it, so I'll give it a try.
• The Rookie: As if I'm not going to watch a TV show (or anything, really) with Nathan Fillion. Puh-lease. (Plus it's another one recommended by Matt and the TV Guide editorial staff.)
• FBI: I love procedurals, so sue me. And this is by Dick Wolf, the man behind Law & Order. (chung chung) Plus my boss Brendan's daughter Julia has a cameo in it, so like I'm not going to watch that! (That said, it does not get a good review from TV Guide's Matt, so I've set my expectations accordingly.)
• 9-1-1: I ended up liking this more than I thought I would last year, so I'm excited for it to come back. The cast is wonderful—huge crush on Peter Krause since his days on Sports Night, and, if I'm being honest, on Connie Britton since, you know, forever—and I like a show that shows our first responders in a good light.
• This Is Us: As if I'm not going to keep watching one of my favorite shows of all time and my favorite show on TV right now (including my beloved Grey's Anatomy, which I don't consistently love).
• New Amsterdam: I don't need another hospital show, but I do like unrealistic do-gooder shows, so I'll give this a try. Matt did not give it a thumbs-up, so my expectations are low.

Wednesday

• Modern Family: It's getting a little long in the tooth, and they may have mined all the best comedy already, but as long as Phil's a character, Patty'll be a watchin'.
• Single Parents: I wonder if you have to be a single parent to think this is funny? Good cast, and a half-hour isn't much to invest to find out.
• A Million Little Things: The new This Is Us. The new thirtysomething and The Big Chill. (At least, that's what the producers want you to think. But regardless, if it's anything like any of those shows, I'll love it. I love the male leads (David Guintoli from Grimm, Ron Livingston from Office Space [and pretty much everything else] and James Roday from Psych). (I don't know any of the female leads.) What I won't love is if it becomes Parenthood: 40 minutes of angst followed by 5 minutes of crying. (Meaning—the first 40 minutes of Parenthood were so hard to watch. There was a lot of whining and "ugh" moments. But the last five minutes were almost always so heartwarming that I ended up in tears. Mind you, I love TV shows that make me cry (see: This Is Us). But I don't like paying 40 minutes to get a good cry. Anyway, this is another one that Matt and the TV Guide editorial staff recommend, and it looks good to me, so I'm all in. Expectations are high.
• Criminal Minds: A returning favorite. I'll watch this until they cancel it.
• Chicago Fire: On the fence. They got rid of one of my least favorite characters at the end of last season, so I'll watch for a few episodes to see if I can like it again.
• Chicago PD: This is Vic's. :-)

Thursday

• My beloved Grey's Anatomy: No, it's not as consistently awesome as it used to be, but I still love it.
• Murphy Brown: I loved this show when it was on. Candice Bergen is one of my favorites. I even did my hair like hers back in the day and named my cat after her character! So, high hopes.
• The Good Place: Love it—can't wait to see where they go next.
• Will & Grace: Ummmm, we let last year's Will & Grace build up on the DVR, which seems to be a sign—like, if we can't watch even one episode before the second season starts, should we start the second season?
• I Feel Bad: My fourth new comedy. I've been seeing commercials for this, and they have some funny lines, but my expectations are low, and I do not expect to add it to my viewing schedule.

Friday

• The Cool Kids: I love comedies about older people, and I love this cast. High hopes, but low expectations. Fridays? Really?

Saturday

• Catch up day!

Other

• Camping on HBO with Jennifer Garner starting on October. Not getting great reviews, but I love Jennifer Garner, so I'll give it a try.
• Escape at Dannemora on Showtime in November. I've been waiting for this one.
• The Little Drummer Girl on AMC in November. Based on a John Le Carre novel, so I'm looking forward to it. This and Escape at Dannemora are recommended by the TV Guide editorial staff.
• Dirty John on Bravo in late fall. With Eric Bana and Connie Britton, it's a must-watch.
• Other shows coming include The Hot Zone and Valley of the Boom on Nat Geo and Proven Innocent on Fox.
• What happened to Life in Pieces and the Blacklist? Are they midseason replacements?

Streaming

• Matt from TV Guide's favorite show of the year is The Kominsky Method on Netflix starring Alan Arkin and Michael Douglas. You had me at "Alan Arkin and Michael Douglas."
• His next favorite show is Forever on Amazon Prime starring Maya Rudolph and Fred Armison. You had me at "Maya Rudolph and Fred Armison."
• The First on Hulu is about our first mission to Mars. You had me at "Mars." Another Matt Roush favorite.
• Another Netflix show, The Good Cop, is not on anyone's list, but with Josh Groban, I must try it.
• Same with The Homecoming on Amazon Prime: Julia Roberts is my jam.
• We've been watching Jack Ryan on Amazon—if you haven't, and you like shows like that, give it a try!
• Things we haven't tried but I really want to: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Ordeal by Innocence, Friends from College, Marcella, Ozark and Castle Rock.

I think that's about it for this week. Stay tuned for updates!

Funnel Cakes, Tilt-A-Whirls and Harry Potter Cakes: Boulder County Fair 2018

If it's August, it must be time for the Boulder County Fair. And if it's time for the Boulder County Fair, it must be time to show off my fair entries. (Yeah, I'm just that egotistical.)

So, without further ado ...

Let's start with the Lily Pond Afghan:

I love her, but she did not do well at the fair. (I was at the judging, so I know why. Doesn't make her less pretty to me. 😊)

Next up, the Flatirons Shawl:

This is another one that didn't win any prizes. There are always a lot of shawls, so it's stiff competition. One of my other pieces in the shawl category got second place—but I feel like this one is better. Still, as my surface stitchery judge used to say "Different judge, different day, different result." So maybe a different judge would have liked this one better.

And continuing with "didn't win any prizes," this slouch hat (which I made with the leftover yarn from the shawl above):

Again, there are lots of hats, so the competition is fierce. She did like my pompom, so that was nice. (Seriously, I'll take any compliments I can get.)

This stole was awarded second place:

I saw this in my local yarn shop. It was knitted, which is a craft I don't do. But I loved the yarn (it's eight different yarn textutres all dyed in the same color scheme—so one yarn is mohair, one is wool, one is silk, one has a bit of metallic in it, etc.), so I thought "How hard could it be do do a crochet version?" Answer: Not very.

And not to brag (OK, to brag), everything else I entered in the crochet department took first place:

Those of you who work with me might recognize this hat and the previous hat as my stitch 'n' bitch hats—the ones I work on in meetings at work!

I'm particularly proud of this hat, because it received the Reserve Champion for adult crochet. (Meaning, it was the second best among adults who entered crochet.) I believe in my talent, but I'm always ecstatic to win any kind of Champion ribbon in crochet. 😄

Hard to see, but this scarf has beads on it!

I know doilies are a little old-fashioned, but I'm a little old fashioned.

This poncho can be worn with the pointy part in front or on the side, so that's cute. And I love this yarn, which I got as a birthday gift from a co-worker who apparently loves me a lot. (Thanks again, GerRee!)

This tote—I did the crochet, and I don't think the crochet part is that great. But what makes this tote awesome is the finishing. The straps and the yarn came in a kit (with a button—though not this button). I probably could have sewn the straps on (and the button), but I wanted the bag to be lined. My sister-in-law has just started quilting, and when I asked if she thought she could finish this bag for me--lining, straps and button--she did not hesitate to say yes. She discarded the boring, plain button for this beautiful green button (the judge could not stop saying how much she loved the button!), and was meticulous about doing the lining. I am sure the finishing is the reason this tote took first place. (Thanks again, Alice!)

Next, let's move to the jewelry department! Here I entered one necklace and one bracelet. Both received first place:

Finally, surface stitchery, my original passion.

First, hardanger (a third-place finisher). I don't love doing hardanger, but I love how it looks after:

Next, a sampler. This is mostly cross stitch, but it does have some specialty stitches. This is a second-place finisher:

And here is a really close-up picture of this one:

On to beading:

 

Another first-place entry, and this one received a Champion ribbon (best in advanced/professional beading).

Last but not least, needlepoint, my favorite form of surface stitchery:

Here's a close-up of the middle:

This was a first-place entry that received a Champion ribbon in the advanced/professional needlepoint category.

Overall, I am super excited about my fair results this year. By the numbers:

• 15 entries
• 12 placed
• 9 first-place ribbons
• 2 second-place ribbons
• 1 third-place ribbon
• 1 Reserve Champion ribbon
• 2 champion ribbons

Thanks to everyone who supports me (by buying me yarn or shopping for yarn with me, helping me finish things, giving me advice on patterns, encouraging me, telling me how awesome I am [no, I know, super egotistical], and fawning over my pieces), and thanks to all the people who volunteer their time to keep the Boulder County Fair running! See you next year!

P.S. I mentioned a Harry Potter cake. I didn't make one, but check this out:

 

This was done by a child. A CHILD. So impressive.