Tail-waggers at the Tailgate Market

  

I admit to not going to introduce you to many dogs and their families, as they weren't coming over to the pottery booth anyway. This one group didn't seem at all friendly from my position at the back of our tent.

This little one in the sunhat was my favorite market-goer for the last market in June.

I missed my chance to have a shaken paw...

I enjoyed meeting the wirehaired terrier, and his family.

However, they were leaving and Mr. Dog became a very bad dog, peeing on my tubs under the table. Maybe he missed, but I did soak up his deposit with a Kleenex, and said "bad dog" loud enough for the departing owners to turn around to see what he had done. They just echoed "bad dog" and went on their way. When I had to load the un-sold pots into my tubs, I was aware that I might be carrying Mr. Dog's scent along with me. And I sure didn't welcome any more dogs into our pottery area, thinking they might feel obliged to leave their own marks.

Fortunately there's been a rain. I will soap down the tub's handles before unloading them next week. Incidentally, everyone had sales this day, so it was a satisfying Tailgate Market for the Mud Buddies!

Sharing with Eileen's Saturday's Critters

Today's quote:

The preface Walt Whitman wrote to Leaves of Grass, only in the 1885 edition:

"This is what you shall do: Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to every one that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men, go freely with powerful uneducated persons and with the young and with the mothers of families, read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life, re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul; and your very flesh shall be a great poem and have the richest fluency not only in its words but in the silent lines of its lips and face and between the lashes of your eyes and in every motion and joint of your body."

Tailgate and flowers

 Yesterday's market was so-so. We each had a few sales, but few people even browsed. My partner in crime, the only other Mud Buddy who is active, did much of the work of set up. 

It was another very beautiful day, and I don't know if it finally rained or not, because I was exhausted and came home and ate lunch and took a nap till late afternoon.

But today I'll share some beautiful flowers I saw. 

The roses were a big surprise...and I was really tempted. But when I saw them, I hadn't yet had sales enough to purchase any! 

A local flower farm had other lovely flowers to make bouquets with. 

I didn't come home with anything but pictures of flowers this week! I guess it might have been because I was coughing up a storm some of the time, and even went to sit in my car for about 15 minutes respite. The heat of the car sitting in the partial sun helped warm my lungs again, and I persevered to the end of market at least. The dampness in the air, foreshadowing a possible thunder storm, disturbed my breathing, but we stayed dry at least. I'm grateful for that. 

Today's quote:

All too often, our lives can be spread too thin, and it becomes important to gather our thoughts and center ourselves to become whole again.

Mud Buddies Pottery and the Black Mountain Tailgate Market

 Last week I posted my joy at being back at the Tailgate Market in Black Mountain NC HERE.

Being a returning Mud Buddy to sell my pottery is a lot more work than just sitting there, or standing and talking to people. The weather has been just wonderful, though of course thunder storms are due sometime today...(writing this a few hours after I got home.)  

The other member of our group that is there is Amelia Packer. She's wonderful at setting up the little red tent, as well as bookkeeping our sales. I unload my car on First Street, right behind our booth, and she moves it into place, then I set up table and my and Cathy Babula's pottery.

My pots this week. 

Cathy Babula's pottery.  Cathy is out with an injury still, but has many people asking after her. She doesn't have many pieces for sale at this point.

Amelia's pottery

More of Amelia's pottery

A very popular booth with tie-dyed clothing.

A nice raised bed flower garden at the main entrance from the parking lot.

Since I'm so bad with names, I kept notes of people who asked me to say hi to Mud Buddies who weren't there today. As well as connections to other potters in the area. Whew, this little introvert made more effort today to be sociable.

I tried to help Ellen, who has Gaia Rising booth next to ours, with the result of my pinkie getting snagged in a pole connection. Ouch! Nice swelling and bruises, and I'm typing without using it.

There are only a few produce items for sale this early in the year, so plants and baked goods are selling well.  But both Amelia and I sold some pottery, so it was a good day for us. I've now got the touch payment thing working on my phone, so we had a sale each with credit cards. Others are happy to pay in cash since they know we pay a fee to have credit purchases.

I could relax some of the time and enjoy the wonderful oaks that embrace the marketplace. Thank heaven the pollen was low today! (Just Thursday night the pine pollen really hit me hard.)

My favorite shot of a market-goer today!

And a good friend who visited too. She wasn't the only one, I just forgot to snap photos of others!

Today's quote:

Gratefulness opens me up to receive the flow of blessing and connects me with the source of that flow.

RABBI SHEFA GOLD

My life lately

 Coolish 54 when I woke around 7:30.

Rain off and on...so my double layers will hopefully allow me to go here and yon today...with raincoat and umbrella at the ready.

Here're some random shots from the last week.

My very knowledgeable Doctor Drew Schnyder. I passed with flying colors on my yearly exam...mainly blood work. No prodding or listening by doc any more. In and out in 15 min.

The new haircut after I got home from travels. And yes, Dr. Schnyder is going to take off the dark growth (non-cancerous) on the side of my head.

Our peonies several years ago.

Our peonies this year

A map of the Tailgate Market last week. Look down from upper right till you see two trees and two booths at an angle. The first one is ours, Mud Buddies with pottery for sale.

And this last few days I've seen so many wonderful photos from all over of the Aurora Borialis...so here's one I kept.

Aurora Borealis over the Methodist Church in Cades Cove, TN (in Great Smoky Mountains National Park) by Adam Williamson.

Canna Lily 'Monet Sunset' - Canna x generalis by Jaap Cost Budde. From the internet.

I've been enjoying Apple TV's production "Franklin" with Michael Douglas as starring role. It takes place totally in France...so I'm glad to have English subtitles because the production has the speech in French quite often.

And I'm almost finished listening to the last (no. 9) Outlander book, Go Tell The Bees that I am Gone. Now I'll go back and listen to the 8th of the series which somehow I missed. Only 9 more hours to go out of 46 to start! Glad I've been able to renew it through Libby at my library, on line.

Today's quote:

When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.

WILLIE NELSON

The Black MountainTailgate Market and beyond

  

Wonderful weather last Saturday...compared to the day I'm writing this (Thurs.) with continuous rain.

The community of booths with information and goods and lots of yummy foods!

I didn't find out how much these bear-proof bins cost...but they are a necessity in Black Mountain these days.

I didn't find out the name of this group which entertains most pleasingly!

The Mud Buddies booth has pottery and hand crafted jewelry!

I thought of my friend Tim who grows pitcher plants, or some variety of carnivorous plants!

A relaxing Saturday morning.

I bought this little basil plant, which looks very healthy. Soon to be transplanted into my garden of pots.

Later during my lunch with friends, I saw these baby robins, waiting impatiently for their mother/father to feed them. I sat quietly and eventually mom appeared. But this was the beginning of lunch crowd, so I worried the little ones would have to wait till the area was peaceful enough for parents to come back.

“Time does not exist – we invented it. Time is what the clock says. The distinction between the past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.” Albert Einstein