catching up and growing up

I am so far behind in everything and this blog is just a symptom of the larger issue, which is that I have way too much crap on my plate with no end in sight. All my own fault.

So let me see, where did I leave off? Oh yes. Rhinebeck.

It was a great weekend with my parents, though unfortunately I don't have any photos of both of them in the same shot. They rented an RV, cozy RV dining room pictured above complete with flowers, so we could stay at the fairgrounds. That made it so wonderfully easy, especially with my father serving delicious healthy meals to keep us fueled for the marathon that the weekend represented.

The three of us managed to squeeze in a trip to the Vanderbilt Mansion, which is well worth the side trip if you are ever in that neighborhood. Spectacular fall color on the Hudson was an added bonus.

Vending at Rhinebeck was an experience. I thought I was ready thanks to years vending at Maryland but there is no training that can adequately prepare you for the combination of thousands of knitters and fall weather that puts everyone in the mind of cozy woolen knits. Being a wool farmer was a good place to be in such circumstances.

I came back and had to hit the ground running—figuratively, no time for exercise at the moment—for the church 5K the following (this past) Saturday. It went really well, and I wish I had some great pictures to show you, but I am completely inept at downloading photos from a card from my father's camera. I could hold this post up longer while I try to figure it out, or I could just get on with life and get this post up, so here we go.

Next up, on Tuesday: Secondo leaving for Kentucky for the FFA national convention to present his agriscience project. I will spare you all the gory details of getting his disorganized butt out the door but let's just say it wasn't pretty. After much begging and grovelling, I got this picture texted to me today. We'll know tomorrow how he did. The purple ribbon means that he qualified for the top three in his division so that's something!

And then almost last (there's Halloween tomorrow) but not least: Primo's 19th birthday today. I could go on and on about the passage of time and blinking eyes (from tears or split seconds, it's hard to say sometimes; it's probably a combination of both), but I'll refrain, because I don't have much to add. It goes too fast. Treasure every moment. I am still trying to learn these truths.

We have no idea who let the kid with the Rutgers sweatshirt onto the Princeton campus.