Hello friends!
Back in action! Thank you so much for your patience with my break, it was much needed and much appreciated.
The pack is slowly healing and learning the new dynamic. They are obviously still bummed but have started to play and goof again. Watson especially is absolutely in my pocket, I’ve been staying home a lot more because of the severe heat, and he’s almost never not in my lap or under my feet.
And as for the rest? Well, the two-legged family members in this house can now share some happy memories with more abandon, and while we still find new things all the time to miss, we’ve been able to be more grateful for what we had and are healing as well.
But on to happier news: the parade happened! We had so much fun!
We found out we were not going to be able to use a trailer very last minute, so we decked out my uncles’ truck in the most sparkly, patriotic, goofy way possible! Our theme was “Together Again Under the Flag” and I think we nailed it. I will say, I know I said we have a rivalry with the local dept store, and that is true, but the head of their float team had been sick for the two weeks leading up to the parade so out of respect we didn’t really engage in shenanigans this year. It’s no fun if it’s not in good humor, ya know?
Also, to the best of my knowledge, they didn’t judge the floats this year, which seemed odd. Although to be fair, everyone had a similar idea, we were all pretty red, white, and blue from parade start to end, so maybe they just couldn’t pick a winner. It was super fun in any case, and we are already planning to go big for Christmas. Fingers crossed we come up with something cool.
We were planning to build the float in total the night before, because they moved the parade an hour earlier this year to avoid the baking noontime sun. This was a great idea in theory because it would mean we didn’t need to hurry, but the heat proved to be a problem anyway. We couldn’t work the night before because it was triple digits, and we were terrified of accidentally melting the décor to the truck. A grey Ford pickup with red, white, and blue sparkles is a statement for sure, but not for an everyday look maybe.
The heat has been absolutely brutal! We have been hitting triple digits really frequently and are regularly seeing above 110 on the forecast, which is absolutely terrifying. It was super hard to walk the 2.5-mile parade route, but we made it. I carried one side of the banner in front of the truck, and let me tell you, it’s not hyperbole to say I’ve been waddling since. Seriously sore calves. I always think I’m so in shape until parade day. Every year I end up super sore. On the bright side, I straight up wrote that down as my cardio for the day. It counts, I swear. It was also around 100 degrees on the street itself, which absolutely didn’t help. But we were having so much fun it didn’t really matter.
We threw 102 pounds of saltwater taffy out to the parade watchers. I heard so many variations of “oh they have the good stuff!”. It’s funny, even though it gets ridiculously soft, taffy holds up to the heat pretty well, that is, if you stick it in a cold place for a few minutes, it’s totally fine. Turns out you aren’t so lucky with chocolates and lollipops. Also, the dentist throws toothbrushes every year, and while that’s noble… really?
(Also, wouldn’t throwing candy be something like job security?)
Otherwise though, honestly, I’ve been kinda hiding out a little. It’s just been too hot to get too much done. I need to get some new pictures of the garden to show you guys, because it’s grown so much! We have pumpkins! But I haven’t taken the time to snap some aesthetic photos. Next time, promise!
Speaking of pumpkins, I’ve been trying to learn to crochet little stuffed pumpkins, so stay tuned for some unseasonably fall content as soon as I learn how to make little i-cord stems. I’m super excited!
Until we chat again, my friends!
The Farmer's Blogger 