A behind the scenes look at Cero's Candies in Wichita Kansas

This afternoon I had the pleasure of a tour at Cero's Candies of Wichita, Kansas. Cero's is owned by the Mental Health Association of South Central Kansas in Wichita. The tour was part of a visit to Wichita for an MHA National Staff Institute. There were people from all over the country. It was very interesting.

Cero's has been making candy since 1885.  A Greek sailor, Pete, came to Wichita to work in 1883. He got ill and was left behind in Wichita when the railroad crew moved on. He needed to make a living so turned to candy making.

Three generations later, in 1999, Ed Cero was ready to retire and eventually sold the business to the MHA in Wichita.

The MHA here is one of the most exceptional in the entire system. Rosemary Mohr, the director, has done amazing things in the years she has been with the organization. And she's still doing them. She's a marvel.



That's Rosemary on the left and Kate Gaston from the national office on the left. I really like Kate, too. She's a jewel. Unfortunately, I wasn't introduced to the lady in the middle who was packaging Cero's candy that was emblazoned with corporate logos, so can't share her name.



Cero's can put any logo onto their exceptional candy. It's delicious and would make a great gift for customers or employees. They package it beautifully, too. They make lots of different kinds of candy.

One of the things being made today when we arrived were these little marshmallow snowmen.



There's a glass window where you can watch them work. Later, Connie was making peanut clusters and it was incredible to watch.



She picked up just a little bit of chocolate and a few peanuts and then blended them by hand.



She wasn't measuring, but seemed to instinctively know how many peanuts she needed and how much chocolate. I shot a little video because stills weren't capturing how she blended the two.



Also being made in the back room was peanut brittle. When I wandered back Justin was cooking the syrup, with that antique candy thermometer pictured up top sitting nearby for when it would be needed.



As you can see, they're still using a cooper pot.



He stirs with this big wooden paddle.



There's an adjustment for the heat. You can see it even better in another photo.



I love the legs on this stove, as well as the antique candy thermometer.



It's much like making peanut brittle at home - you cook to a certain temperature and then add peanuts and cook a while longer.


One you get to a certain temperature you remove it from the heat.



Justin had another stand sitting near the already greased table. He moved it off the stove and over to the stand near the table.



It had to cool for just a minute. He said he waited for it to look like baked beans.



Then, just like home, he added the baking soda.



And just like home, it got all foamy when he put the baking soda in.



Then it is poured out to cool.



Justin spread it out with a spatula.



Eventually it covered almost the whole table.



He then cut it into four pieces.



He then turned each one over to help it cool.



He worked his way around the table.



Then he went back and pressed it out flatter by hand.



Eventually, it looked like this, and was left to cool before being packaged to be sold to appreciative customers.

If you're in Wichita, be sure to make Cero's Candies one of your stops. It's fun to watch them making whatever they're up to that day. Also, consider ordering some. It's delicious, made by hand (a real rarity these days), and you'll be supporting a valuable cause to top it off.

Check out their webpage at www.ceroscandy.com. Don't worry, if you can't make it there in person, you can order online. I've loved every one of their products I've eaten. Yummy!

Autumn Arrives

"Change is a measure of time and, in the autumn, time seems speeded up.  What was is not and never again will be; what is is change."
                                                      Edwin Teale



I took these at Dillon Nature Center last week. I love sunflowers. Many of them don't bloom until late in the summer and then, before you know it, they start fading.



We'll be seeing a lot of things fade now that autumn has arrived. Today is the first official day. But I like the changing seasons. And fall is a harbringer of winter and holidays. I love the nesting one does this time of year.

I just decided some years ago to enjoy every single day of every single season. We only get so many autumn days or Christmas days or Thursdays. Best to relish every one of them, and some of that should be done in nature.
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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

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MHA Conference in Wichita

I'm in Wichita for a MHA national conference. We're staying at the Hotel at Old Town, which is a warehouse built in 1906 that has been converted into a hotel. It has many nice features, not the least of which is that you can raise the windows. Really. Amazing. It's not hermetically sealed, keeping inside every disgusting thing that has ever entered. I'm on the second floor and lucky enough to have a tree right outside. As I'm typing this I have a little breeze coming in. It's cold enough I've only got one window open tonight instead of the two I had open earlier.

I came over early afternoon so I could take advantage of the time before the meeting started to write. There's something about being away from home and the responsibilities there that frees up my mind to write. I did another chapter this afternoon.



Tonight our group did a timeline. I thought this fad was over, but I guess not. It seems I've been doing them in various groups for about four years now. Maybe this is a fad that isn't going to fade.



Tonight we were asked to put ourselves on the timeline of when we first became involved with mental health issues, and draw a picture of a significant event in the mental health field. We started with the 60s and worked through the 90s. I have blurred the writing to obscure anyone's personal information, but I wanted to give you a sense of how long this piece of paper was and how full it was by the time we were done.

I suppose it's a valuable process for lots of people to see things written down like that. The colors are an interesting visual for me, but I start getting antsy to be done long before anyone else in the room does. I just do not have a brain and body that likes to sit still for two hours and meander our way through the decades. It's just doesn't resonate for me. But, obviously, it does for some people and that's great. I generally just try to participate in a meaningful way without prolonging it unnecessarily.

One of the interesting things that was brought out tonight is something I've thought about many times but never heard expressed so succinctly. In the mental health field, as in many others, there's the idea of "best practice," meaning that THIS thing is the BEST way to handle a particular situation. Tonight someone said that looking at the timeline they could see that best practices have changed over the years.

I've thought about that many times. That what people are doing today - the best they have to offer - may one day be looked back on as a horrible thing. At one time putting people in shackles was the best practice. Obviously, we don't agree with that. I wonder if 100 years from now we'll consider giving people drugs that may not be effective for them will be viewed the same way. We don't yet have any way to know what will work so we just try it and see. Surely at some point we'll be able to do better, to see in advance what will work. At that point will our "best practice" today of trying drugs be seen as barbaric? Maybe so.

Ultimately, it's like the old saying, "When you know better, you do better." I can apply that to my life in so many circumstances - work and professional. The trick is to keep learning so you can know better so you can then do better.

With that in mind I suppose I'd best sleep so I will be fresh tomorrow so I can learn. All of life is a cycle it seems. 
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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

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Fried Green Tomato Demonstration

This afternoon I did a cooking demonstration on Fried Green Tomatoes at Apron Strings downtown. I was wishing these were a bit more complex, because people had come out to see me make them and I wanted to make it worth their time. But, fried green tomatoes are very easy.

Fried Green Tomatoes
green tomatoes
yellow corn meal
salt
pepper
oil (I used vegetable oil, but bacon grease is much better!)

Wash and core the tomatoes, and slice. Mix salt and pepper into cornmeal to taste. Dip tomato slices in cornmeal and then fry.



I made three batches today and used the same oil. This was the last batch and you can see the crumblies in the skillet. Turn them with a fork or egg turner until they're brown on each side.



Greg came to take photos for me. I swear, he's the best ex-boyfriend a girl could have.



I always put paper towels on the plate to drain the fried green tomatoes a bit before serving. Needless to say, they are greasy!



Lynette, who I've met there before, said she had been waiting for this demonstration. Her parents are both from the south so we had much to talk about after the demo. I'm looking forward to getting to know her better. I think everyone enjoyed the goodies.


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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

I am looking for book clubs willing to read and critique my novel when it's completed. If your book club is interested, please email me at patsyterrell@gmail.com. Thanks!

Excavating My Life

I've been digging through papers in my home office tonight. I swear, it's astonishing the amount of paper that comes into my life. As Teresa pointed out when I saw her earlier today, paper only comes into the house one way - you bring it in. She's right, of course, but that's a startling fact when one has had their hands on as many pieces of paper as I have tonight.

I had dinner with Teresa and did some other things before starting on this about 10 or so. I've made tremendous progress in a relatively short amount of time. However, there's still plenty to do.

I was thinking last night that I have about 30 categories of things that paper falls into. Unfortunately, I haven't figured out how to have 30 plus individual, distinct areas to containerize those things in a logical fashion. Part of the problem is that the room that's the logical place for my home office is the smallest bedroom in my house. So, where I spend a ton of my time when home is one of the least livable places in my house. So, the trick is going to be how to resolve that. I'd like to have another 15 feet built onto the back of my house, enlarging my office and kitchen, but that doesn't really make sense to do.

Of course, in going through things, I've run across bits of paper that remind me of specific moments in my life. I found notes from conferences I've been to, brochures from lectures I've attended, handwritten notes from one of my favorite volunteers, a Thanksgiving card from Maribeth, a lovely note from Gayla, and a letter from a man professing his love for me. All of these mark time in a specific way - reminding me of particular moments. Some bring a smile, some bring a tear. Some of them seem like they were just a couple of months ago and some seem like they were half a lifetime ago. Funny how our brains process time.

Well, it's time for me to sleep. I am doing a cooking demonstration tomorrow on Fried Green Tomatoes. I'm not sure how much there is to say about them so I don't know how I'm going to talk for 20 minutes. Hopefully, in the next 11 hours something will occur to me that's valid to share. Otherwise, it's going to be a quiet demo. I had intended to talk about southern food traditions, but haven't had a chance to devote any thought to it so I'll just wing it and let people ask questions.

I did a presentation on southern cooking some years ago, but unfortunately it was before everything was on my computer so I can't lay my hands on the info. I just didn't have the time to recreate it. So, I'll just hope for the best.
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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

I am looking for book clubs willing to read and critique my novel when it's completed. If your book club is interested, please email me at patsyterrell@gmail.com. Thanks!

Chocolate Cake with Caramel Frosting

Tonight was Creative Sisterhood and I decided to try a new recipe. It seemed perfect weather for some caramel. I hunted around and found a recipe for a Chocolate Cake with Caramel Frosting.

The cake is OK, but the frosting is great. I am still looking for the perfect chocolate cake recipe. I've been hunting for years. I guess the hunt goes on.

Chocolate Cake
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup buttermilk
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup boiling water

Put baking soda in milk and set aside. Cream butter and sugar, then add eggs. Add milk with baking soda in it and vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients. Add boiling water last and mix.

Pour into three pans and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Note: The batter is very thin - don't think you've left something out.

Caramel Frosting
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup butter
2/3 cup milk
2 pounds powdered sugar

Bring sugar and butter to a boil. Then add milk and bring to a boil again. Set aside and let cool. Then beat in powdered sugar.

Spread on cool cake. This is enough frosting to cover all the sides of the cake, and you'll probably have a bit left over. If you just want to put between the layers and on top, halve the frosting recipe.
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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

I am looking for book clubs willing to read and critique my novel when it's completed. If your book club is interested, please email me at patsyterrell@gmail.com. Thanks!

These Days Go So Fast

Greg and I were on the way to dinner tonight and decided to go to Dillon Nature Center for a walk instead. It has been a perfect couple of days here and it seemed a shame to not enjoy the tail end of this one.



It's becoming more and more clear that autumn is around the corner as the light fades more quickly every day. I don't relish that. Frankly, I'd just as soon it stay daylight until about 9 p.m. every night until the week of Halloween. Then it could go from 9 p.m. to 6 p.m. in just a few days as far as I'm concerned. Mother Nature did not inquire what I would like, however, so I suppose we'd best get used to the earlier sunsets

I need to be making use of these nice days to get some things done around the house. I'm hoping the weekend is pleasant and I can do some outdoor things that need attention. I really wish my brother lived closer to me - I could use his expertise. Jackie is a genius when it comes to construction and pretty much anything related to home repair. I would so happily pay him to work on my house.



I need to replace the glass in a couple of windows, get some shelves built in the mud room, and replace a facing board on the side of the house. None of them are huge jobs and that's part of the problem. Finding someone who will do small things is difficult. And yet the small things become very big things if they're not handled. Some of them are things I could probably do myself, but considering that I haven't, I think it's time to pay someone to do them.

That also means they'll get done more quickly than if I muddle through them on my own. I somehow doubt my three hour training with a group of 15 people in a window workshop qualifies me to handle this. Of course, I have never let a lack of knowledge stop me from forging ahead. I wouldn't get anything done if I did. Everyone has to learn everything. I just want to get these things done before winter arrives. And it won't be far behind.



I do like the changing seasons. On the prairie you have to really be in tune with the changes. They can be far more subtle than a grove of trees in a blaze of autumn color.

This is one of my favorite times of the year. At work this is a "tidying up" time instead of an intensive fundraising time, which is nice. At home I love having the windows open, airing out the house, and doing some cleaning here and there and preparing to open my home during the Christmas season.

The holidays are very much on my mind these days. Of course, Halloween is little more than a month away. These days go so fast.
________________
Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

I am looking for book clubs willing to read and critique my novel when it's completed. If your book club is interested, please email me at patsyterrell@gmail.com. Thanks!

Social Convention

I've lived in Kansas for a long time now. But I still don't understand social conventions here. I'm from the south where we have lots of social conventions, and I won't say they're all straightforward, but I understand them. I don't understand them here, and so far no one I've asked has been able to explain them to me. I have some recent examples.

1. Recently someone I have met a few times made it a point to say to me, "I'd like to have some time to visit with you. If you're open to that, let me know when it's a good time." I reply, "I'd really like that, too. I'll check my calendar and get back with you." I do. I email and suggest a couple of different times. They don't respond. At all.

I don't get that. Why in heaven's name would you bother to say you'd like to visit if you don't really want to? What purpose does that serve? Is the purpose to see if I'll follow through? What? I don't get it.

I have waited five days for a reply. Today when a friend asked if I wanted to go to lunch over one of the time frames I suggested I said yes. Obviously, there's no point in keeping that time open because although a week ago I was of interest to this person, that is no longer the case. Also, at this point, if you hadn't heard from me, wouldn't you follow up?

The "norm" where I'm from is to not say to people you'd like to visit if you really don't want to visit. Seems simple to me, but I've run into this over and over and over again. I can't count the number of times someone has said to me, "Lets have lunch soon." I try to arrange a time and it never happens. I still don't know what, "lets have lunch" means here. Where I'm from it means lets get together around noon some day soon and eat a meal together. That's what "lets have lunch" has always meant until I moved here. I keep asking people what it means here - because it doesn't mean lets eat the noon meal together - but I still don't know. People say it a lot. But I don't know what it means. I can deduce from years of experience that it has nothing to do with eating lunch together.

2. With a couple of notable exceptions, I'm the one that makes arrangements for a social gathering. I call for lunch. I invite people over. I arrange weekends away. Where I'm from we operate on the unwritten "rule of three," meaning if I invite you over three times and you don't come, it's up to me to figure out that you don't really want to be involved in my world and it's rude of me to keep asking. So, I stop asking and move on to other people. It's a polite, understood, social convention. No one's feelings are hurt. Everyone has an "out." Everyone goes on about their business.

By the same token, although it's not a "keeping score" situation, if I invite you over and we gather at my house, at some point you would host. That just does not happen here. I've accepted that. It doesn't bother me anymore. It used to. The first few years I lived here I was sure everyone just hated me. The first year I lived here I had to work Christmas and no one invited me over. I was shocked. I just accepted, "oh, wow, they really do hate me." Over time I realized that, by and large, they're not inviting anyone over except family. So, if you move here like I did with no family, you are just screwed. I still think about the fact that people don't invite you over, and think it's very odd, but it no longer hurts my feelings, which it used to do. I always wonder what in the world people are doing in their houses here that they are afraid of people seeing.

In the past month I've gone to four different gatherings/lunches/dinners with people I've not gotten together with before. In every case, at the end of the event, the reaction is, "oh, we must do this again!" However, no one has contacted me about doing it again. Did they mean they want to do it again five years from now? Did they mean next year? Did they have no interest in doing it again and this was just what they say at the end of such a thing? Did they mean lets have lunch that doesn't really mean eating lunch together?  I don't know.

My "norm" is that if you want to do this again, you make plans to do it again. If you don't want to do it again, you don't say you want to do it again. If it's lunch - something simple - you would try to do it again in a week or two. If it's dinner maybe within a month or so, realizing that scheduling may be difficult so you need to make plans soon. If it's an event you've attended together, you would be in contact through email or facebook saying, "oh, I heard about this event..."

A side note here - I hate it when people do invite me to lunch or something, with the pretense that they want to visit, when what they really want is use my brain, or talk about work, or some other reason beside just connecting. Pretty much, if there's a "purpose" to our gathering, I want to know it upfront. It's like the old bait and switch. You lure me into lunch with the idea of having fun and instead you really just want to use my creativity for your own project. That's just nasty.

3. A few weeks ago I was asked for a favor by someone I don't know and haven't even met. I have become the local "tea expert" and they wanted some information on how I do teas for the MHA. I freely shared information and said I'd like to purchase tickets to their tea.

Last night, realizing the date is fast approaching, I contacted them to remind them I wanted to purchase tickets. I was told that if they have any left after their members have an opportunity to buy them, then I can purchase them.

Excuse me? I'm sorry. Did I understand correctly? I do you a favor when I have absolutely no connection to you and your organization and you thank me by telling me I'm in line to get tickets if there are any left after other people get first crack at buying them.

In my "norm," the social convention would have been to say, "ordinarily, this tea is only for our members but you've been so kind I want to offer you a pair of complimentary tickets." To which I would have replied, "thank you so much. I'd love to come, but I'm happy to purchase the tickets since it's a fundraiser." At that point, depending on the price of the tickets, the person graciously accepts or declines that purchase. If they're $5 tickets, you give them to the person. If they're $45 tickets, you allow them to purchase because that would be a big dent in your profit margin. But you do not tell the person who has done you a favor that they can buy a ticket if you have any left after offering them to people who have not done you favors.

I keep trying to "get it" when it comes to social convention here, but it escapes me. I'm lost. And my gut reaction to things is often that people are being really rude. And that hurts my feelings. And that's just an ugly circle. So, I keep trying to "get it" so I can avoid the rude/hurt/ugly part. However, no one will explain it to me so I seem destined to not be able to break out of that cycle. I can't believe anyone is intentionally trying to be rude, but it's hard for me to classify it as anything but rude when it is so contrary to what I believe basic politeness would indicate.

Am I the one who's clueless? Do I come from an area where we do things differently than everyone else in the world? I'm hoping, hoping, hoping, that someone who reads here will be able to explain it to me. If I just had the midwest social convention rule book I could learn the rules and break this cycle.
________________
Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

I am looking for book clubs willing to read and critique my novel when it's completed. If your book club is interested, please email me at patsyterrell@gmail.com. Thanks!

Fun

I was having a conversation with a friend recently about fun. The gist of the conversation was that he needs to have more.

In the course of our conversation we identified some different kinds of fun. I asked him what gave him an endorphin rush. He replied that it happened at work when something just fell together perfectly. I then asked for another example and he cited a recent vacation experience of being on a mountain. So, we had a job satisfaction event and a vacation event. I then asked when the last was he got an endorphin rush within the four walls of his home, something in his daily life. He couldn't remember.

All of this caused me to start thinking about fun. Who has it? Who doesn't? Why? How do you get it? Why do you want it?

We want fun because its... well... fun. Having fun releases all sorts of wonderful chemicals that cause us to feel better and reduce stress, which literally kills us.

Who has it and who doesn't? I'm not sure about that for everyone. I can only use my own experience as an example. I have a lot of fun. That's not to say every day is perfect - it's not, by a long shot. But, I still find fun and humor in most situations. Why? Because I feel better when I do. How? By years of training myself to do it. It's not that it's always the most natural thing. But, like anything, once you get started, it's easy to keep going. The physics of inertia applies whether you're laughing and then laughing more, or being sullen and then more sullen. So, over the years I've tried to make myself see humor in situations and compound that instead of the opposite.

What makes that easier? The people around you. I'm blessed to be surrounded by people who, by and large, see the bright side. Did that just happen by accident? Absolutely not. These are the people I have sought out, built relationships with, cultivated as friends. And that is not a dirty word. We are all cultivating relationships all the time. All relationships take time and energy and you've got to be willing to give some of both.

By the same token, I eschew all drama queens, negative Nellies, crazymakers and what I call the vortexes. Those are the people who want to draw you into the vortexes of their lives and suck you dry of energy. They somehow seem to think that you will bring them fun, without them having to do anything. Obviously, people have a right to be however they want to be. I'm just saying I can't have people in my world who fall into any of these categories because they are the antithesis of fun. They are not having much fun, and they don't want you to have any either.

Not to be overlooked is that I also put a lot of energy into having fun. If you read this blog, you may have the impression that my life is one fun thing after another. Obviously, part of that is that I don't write about running the dishwasher and doing the laundry. Rest assured, mine has to be done just like yours. The other part of that, which may not be so obvious, is that I continually put myself into situations where fun is likely to occur. I go to events, I attend lectures, I go to lunch with friends, I have conversation, I host gatherings, I visit art exhibits, I create events. My point is that I'm not just sitting at home waiting for fun to knock on my door. I'm actively seeking it out. Going away with friends this spring for a creative weekend was fun - but I planned it, found the place, invited the people, organized the financial part, etc. - it didn't just happen. I wanted to do that event because of a 7 a.m. lecture I had attended where an author talked about her visioning book.

Another part of the equation is that I find fun in the small bits of daily life. Running out to Dillon Nature Center when Greg called to tell me about the odd rain was fun. Going outside early one morning when Trish called about the unusual light was fun. That fell more into the "wonder" category, but it is still part of the overall fun equation. Notice how those people play into the fun equation. I also seek fun when on my own. Painting in my studio, writing on the novel, taking a drive to Quivira, going out to eat with only an interesting book for company - all of these are fun of one sort or another.

Does fun require money? Some kinds of fun does. Some does not. In Hutchinson there are tons of free arts events to attend. The lecture about Hopi textiles I wrote about recently was completely free. Obviously, you have to have money to buy gas to get there, unless you're close enough to walk. But, it would take less than a $1 worth of gas to drive there and back from almost anywhere in Hutchinson in any kind of vehicle. Your mileage may vary - literally and figuratively. I'm just using that as an example. Besides, some people can have fun without any outlay of cash at all.

When I did an exercise a couple of years ago to identify core values, and my core value was fun. This didn't really surprise me, but it was a bit of a shock to everyone else. Having fun - enjoying life - is a driving force for me. I truly see no point in living if there's no fun. Why would I want to do that? I, honestly, cannot wrap my mind around it. That's not to say I expect every moment to be fun, but I expect life to have many fun bits.

This has all made me think about how others view fun. Is it important to you? How do you have fun? Do you have fun every day? Once a week? What is fun to you?
________________
Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

I am looking for book clubs willing to read and critique my novel when it's completed. If your book club is interested, please email me at patsyterrell@gmail.com. Thanks!

Nip in the Air

There's a little nip in the air tonight, as there has been a few times this past week. Fall is making its arrival known. Of course, in just a few weeks it will be Halloween, one of my favorite times of the year. I'm generally already in Christmas mode by then. Just not enough time to enjoy it all fully with the holidays coming so close together.

I have the urge to bake pumpkin bread tonight - something I seem to always want to do when the weather gets chilly. Not sure why, but that is the thing I start wanting to bake. It has become a staple at the teas, and has been a family favorite for many years. I guess there's something about the pumpkin connection with fall. But I'm not going to bake tonight. I do not need baked goods lying about.

I will miss the garden when it's gone. I enjoy having fresh tomatoes and herbs all summer. It seems this summer I haven't gotten to fully enjoy them. I'm not sure why, but it seems I haven't had nearly as many fresh dishes as usual.

Regardless of my thoughts or wishes, the seasons will march right on.

I have some things I need to do on the house before it gets cold. I suppose I'd best get going on those. Before I know it, it will be too cold. It seems there was a whole long list of things I intended to do this spring that still aren't done. Then it was too hot, so I was going to do them this fall. The time is now, I suppose.

________________
Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

I am looking for book clubs willing to read and critique my novel when it's completed. If your book club is interested, please email me at patsyterrell@gmail.com. Thanks!

Fair Coming to a Close

The fair ends on Sunday, but Saturday we spent the whole afternoon and evening out there. I hadn't had a chance to do all the things I wanted to do so took time to do that.



I looked at quilts in the domestic arts building...



I visited the "Little Man" at the Women's Christian Temperance Union booth. He turns his head, rings the bell, and points to the pages as they turn.



Hypnotist Ron Diamond suggested to this young lady that if she spun her hair around she could take off like a helicopter. Trust me, she gave it her all. She did not, however, take flight.

Tonight was the Joe Nichols and Jason Michael Carroll concert I won tickets to at the United Way event. I'm just not used to trying to take my own photos at such an event. I needed Greg.



Jason Michael Carroll was up first...



He reminds me of a rocker gone country, as do many folks these days. I don't mind that at all - he was fun.

There was quite a long delay inbetween while they reset the stage for Joe Nichols.



He does that song, "Tequila Makes her Clothes Fall Off." When he sang it at the end, someone threw a black bra up on the stage. Eventually he picked it up and hung it on the mic stand. I knew women flashed a lot at concerts these days. I didn't know anyone still threw their under-garments on stage. I thought that had ended in about 1981, but apparently I was incorrect.



If you're planning to see him in person and really want a good seat, he seems to like to sit on the edge of the stage on his right hand side. I don't know if that was just tonight, or if that's a pattern. He tends to crouch down on both sides a lot while he sings.

I was surprised at how many songs he did that were not his own. Well over half the concert I would guess. The most surprising to me was Nickelback's "I wanna be a rock star." He did it fine, but I love the original version. However, anyone who can play Merle Haggard and Nickelback in the same concert and keep the audience attention gets credit.



I met Julie at the concert and we had a good time. Afterwards, I went and met Greg and Mark and watched the speed painter for awhile.

I finished off the night with a Pronto Pup - not something I eat every year. Lets see how many antacids I need tonight to top it off.
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