~The Festival~

I had planned to take the boys to a local festival on Friday. Nathan woke up not feeling well but I thought he would snap out of it. We had some fun and I learned a lot! I took most of our picnic lunch and bought some hot dogs, funnel cake and honey sticks!I learned how they make sauerkraut. Did you know it takes 3 months of cabbage and salt just sitting in a crock!?!??!

My favorite part was the glass blowing...


Just amazing! Did you know they can't just let the glass cool. It has to stay heated for awhile and cool very slowly or it will shatter. It also looked orange when it came out of the furnace but it was really green glass.

I enjoyed the paper making too! I am not sure of the years but at this time period (I believe Civil War era) they used fabric to make paper. Wood wasn't used yet! He used a screen to scoop the pulp, flip it onto felt and squeeze out the water. When he took it out, the fabric pulp stuck together! Then he hung it to let it dry.

I didn't get a picture but someone was also painting an oil cloth rug. I got into an interesting conversation with her! The real oil cloths were made from ship sales that ripped. They were covered with linseed oil to make them last longer as a sail.

Something else I don't have a photo of is spinning wool. Did you ever rub wool between your hands??!?! It has lanolin in it. Natural oils! The guy I was talking to about it said that after he works with wool all day, his hands are so oily that he can't open a door... see, I told you I learned a lot!
I loved watching this guy paint. He blacked out glass and painted in the picture. He hung wrinkled foil behind the picture to make it reflect light. They were beautiful!

Of course, there was a blacksmith. I missed him because someone needed to go to the bathroom. The older boys really enjoyed him too.

Do you see this boy peddling the lathe for the craftsman?!?!?
Eric made a rope!


It was an exhausting day for me... I don't normally do these things without Gregg. I thought the older boys would be able to help. They did, but it wasn't the same as Gregg:-)

Anyway, little did I know that Nathan had pneumonia and would be admitted into the hospital that night. Thank you for your prayers... Nathan is now home... fully medicated. Yesterday was a bit of a juggling act, but God always provides.