Fooled

Fool me once.....shame on you....fool me twice....shame on me. I was fooled thrice, and that really hurts! My market at Kerrville was another bomb. Actually not a total bomb since I did better than the two previous shows, but it was still a slow market. Just no crowd at all. I didn't lose money, but surely didn't make any. The weather was a glorious, crisp start to the day with chilly temps and light winds that tapered off to leave a sunny, warm afternoon.

Driving home was horrific. The sun was setting and traffic coming through San Antonio was very heavy which made really bad driving conditions. My eyes were really strained by the time I got home, and I took a catnap to rest my peepers.

But I don't feel quite so badly about the show after talking to a good vendor/friend who's doing an art show in the Dallas area and has done very well at this show in past years. She said sales today were down a lot from past years, not only for her but other vendors as well. Not only that, but she and her husband had something to do with propane on their horse trailer stolen. I was only partially cognisant when she called, as I was "resting my peepers" and had fallen deeply asleep!

So tonight will be early to bed for me, then I'll be hard at work again tomorrow getting ready for next weekend, and trying to make some headway for my wholesale orders.

Countdown to Market

It's the night before Kerrville Market and I'm through working for the night. I had intentions of having 8-10 more signs made than I do, but I've run out of time and instead of staying up later and losing sleep, I'm calling it quits for the night.

I have to get up about 4 a.m. to be ready to leave by 5 so I hopefully will arrive around 6:30-7:00 or so to set up for the show and be ready to rock 'n roll by 9:00 a.m. The van is gassed up and loaded, all I have to load is the potpourri displays, some of the signs I have left to seal that need to dry overnight (or what's left of it), and my water jug and coffee.

The weather is supposed to be just right for a market....crisp, sunny fall weather. I hope it brings out the spending shoppers. Now I have 5 signs to seal quickly then I'm going to get a glass of wine and a book and go soak in the tub before heading for bed (for me) early.

Relief

I have the order I had hoped to deliver this past weekend done and ready to deliver tomorrow. I'm glad to have that order off my shoulders. It was for 100 little plaques that were hand lettered with about 40 different sayings. Now I can concentrate on trying to build inventory for myself for shows the next two Saturdays and to work on other wholesale orders for stenciled signs. I had planned delivery of these signs today, but there was rain throughout the area, and I didn't want to drive 75 miles there and back in the rain if not absolutely necessary. So tomorrow I will make my delivery and pick up more lumber while I'm out and about.

With so many wholesale people knocking on my door I have been tempted not to do the show I am scheduled to do this weekend, but I'm a glutton for punishment, so will go,. I committed to the people who are running the show, and to the customers who expect to see me there. I am scheduled for another show next weekend in Wimberley and after that, I 'll have to cut back to just doing my regular Riverwalk and Gruene shows so I can be a better supplier to my wholesale customers.

The weather has been really nice the past couple of days until today when the heat and humidity returned. It's actually not hot, but about 75 degrees, with a dew point of about 70, which makes for a very muggy atmosphere. I took the dogs for a walk tonight, leaving the house about 8 p.m., and really worked up a sweat in the 10-12 blocks we made. We're due for another cold front in tomorrow night which is supposed to leave us with a very nice fall weekend. I hope this brings lots of customers to our market in Kerrville.

Finally!

A decent cold front came through that's cooling things off for more than 12 hours! It was a chilly start to the morning, but the afternoon is beautiful, and the weather's not supposed to be too terribly warm for the foreseeable future.

I had my show in Gruene this past weekend, and finally had a decent show again. It wasn't great,. but I had a good, solid show. Business was great on Sat., and not as good on Sun., but that's the way things tend to go at most shows. I picked up another wholesale account from a business in my hometown, and my shop in Castroville is already reordering, so I am in over my head at moment. I already have one order I am trying to finish up for a shop in Gruene, market in Kerrville this Sat., and a market in Wimberley next Sat., so I am busy, for sure.

I took the morning to visit with my parents and to get groceries, then went to my hair appointment. Now I'm going to take a well deserved nap before getting to work finishing up the order I have started. I guess I'll be working some long hours for awhile!

The Natives are Restless

We had a cold front come through last night so this morning the temps are in the low 60's and it's very breezy and crisp. Felix is feeling the change of weather and is ripping and tearing through the house like he's on speed. He was doing this all during the night and kept playing in front of the door which made sounds similar to the scratching sound Riley makes when he wants outside. So I was up and down a lot during the night to "let Riley out" only to find out he didn't want out. I thought he was senile or I was hearing things in my sleep until I saw the "actor" in motion a bit ago. His latest "situation" happened minutes ago when I came from the back of the house to hear a strange noise in the studio. When I went to investigate, I found Felix playing with the plastic bottle that the Beta's fish food comes in......he had knocked it off the table,the top had come off, and this made a great new toy. I tried to rescue as much food as possible from the floor, then Nellie and Riley came along and played clean-up crew. So now I have dogs that have fish breath.

I have my Market Days at Gruene this weekend and lots of orders to make as well as try to get product made to sell to the general public so I hope he settles down a bit so I can get to work, or at least doesn't make any messes for me to clean. So many of my customers are having special requests for repairs or pieces made this month, which is great....but unfortunately, they are all coming at the same time.

Night's perfume

Often in the middle of the night (usually about 4 a.m.) my dog, Riley will let me know he needs to relieve himself. Sometimes I will go out on the sidewalk to wait while he takes care of business. I have a brugmansia plant growing on two different sides of the house this year, one of which is near the doorway where I let the dogs out. These flowers are very fragrant and release their scent during the night. I went out with Riley last night about 6 a.m. (6 a.m. is still night as far as I am concerned!) and was treated to a heavy perfume, and because we had low clouds, the beacon at the local airport was giving a light show as well. Maybe I should spend more time outside during the night and see what else is happening, but I treasure my sleep too much!

Basketball season is starting again, and since I dropped the satellite service to cut costs, most of the time I'll have to cheer my team on while listening to their games on the radio. Go Spurs Go!

Autumn Stuck It's Foot in the Door

We had a cold front to go through last night which will help cool things down a bit for a couple of days. It was cloudy, breezy, and chilly this morning and I really wanted to stay home and brew some tea, snuggle up inside the house and enjoy the weather as I worked in the cozy house. But I had a delivery to make, so I took another delivery of signs to the shop in Castroville.

It was another peaceful trip through the countryside. I took the opportunity to go back through San Antonio on the way home so I could pick up some more lumber at Home Depot, and to make a stop at Michael's to buy some paint brushes because mine are very worn at this point. I spent a lot of time in Michael's just browsing the aisles looking at the supplies for so many different crafts. I only bought the brushes I went in to buy, but really enjoyed just looking around and taking a bit of time for myself. I really wanted to spend some time at Barnes and Noble, the bookstore in the same strip mall, but I didn't have that much time to waste, so forced myself to get in the car and go home.

So after an early dinner and a bit of time on the computer, it's time to get back to work for a bit. I have another wholesale order to fill as well as product to make for the Gruene Market next weekend. I'm hoping we have some brisk fall weather for that show!

Changing Seasons

It seems fall is finally starting to creep in a little at a time. We had a cool front pass by today, bringing us a smidgen of rain and much cooler temperatures. But tomorrow the temps are supposed to be very warm again before it cools off drastically on Thursday and stays cool through the weekend. I am anxiously awaiting being able to turn on the oven without heating the house up to feel like a sauna, and being able to build a fire in the woodburner to take the chill off and to heat the house. I know I will be complaining about the cold when I have a show and am freezing my fingertips and my back end off trying to set up the canopy and displays but I look forward to enjoying the weather while I'm not out peddling my wares. I do wish for an early freeze to kill the annual vegetation for the season though. Ragweed is blooming here and as a result, I am sneezing quite a bit and my eyes are watering a lot.

I already have another order from the shop I visited last Sunday, so I'm going to bust my backside to get order # 2 ready for her, and I have an order for a shop in Gruene taken care of, then I get to create for my show in Gruene next weekend. I took yesterday off for R&R, thinking that I might get some work done later in the day, but it just didn't happen. I needed the rest and heeded my body's call to take it easy. Today I ran some errands and paid some bills then got back to the grindstone. Tonight I attended my local art club's meeting where we made plans for two late fall shows and workshops to be considered and scheduled for the first part of 2007. I don't get to participate in a lot of the workshops or shows, because I am usually busy working a show somewhere else on those weekends.

Kim stayed with me the past weekend while we were doing the Paseo del Rio show. At the end of the evening we would share a couple of glasses of wine together and have more conversation before heading to bed. I miss having her company while having my wine. The first thing I do upon arising is to get the coffee brewing as quickly as possible. I would get up and get the coffee brewing and start getting dressed before waking Kim for the day. She emailed me that she misses having coffee ready for her when she got up. So I'm missing her company in the evening and she's missing my coffee in the morning...

The Day After

I'm back and recovering after the three day show. It was a grueling show, as always. My sales were down quite a bit for the riverwalk but at least there were some sales. There was an art show in La Villita (a couple of blocks away) where some of my friends were selling their works. I took a break yesterday afternoon and walked over to check out their show. I found some inspiratation from some of the jewelry I saw there as well as some of the artwork.

Thankfully, the weather was a bit cooler this weekend. It was hot, but not as bad as it's been recently. Friday was hot, but Saturday was much better, and yesterday wasn't too bad, either. We are supposed to have a cold front coming through later in the week that's going to bring quite a bit cooler temps, and I'm ready for it!

I was so tired when I got home Saturday night, I brought my house key I normally leave in a hidey hole outside, inside with me. Yesterday morning I noticed the strange key on the counter, but I was still so groggy I didn't realize it was the door key. So when I got home late last night, I found myself locked out of the house...I finally managed to get myself in and after a quick sandwich, I called Kim, (my booth-sharing partner) who was on her way back to the Houston area to make sure she was making her trip o.k., and then I climbed into bed an called my friend Courtney who was on her way back (from an art show) to the Houston area from Dallas to make sure she was o.k. She was thankful for my call because she was getting sleepy and needed the wakeup. I kept her company until I was so goofy I was incoherent before I went to sleep.

So after I get a bit more rest today and get a few chores taken care of, I have to start working on a wholesale order for a shop, and then get busy making inventory for my next show in two weeks' time. The fun never ends!

The Day Before

Show time again on the Riverwalk. I've been busy trying to get everything ready for the weekend. Doggies bathed and fumigated...Kim is coming to stay to share the booth and stay with me, and Riley will beg to sleep with her so I have to make sure they don't smell too badly, and I don't want the fleas to have a recurrence while I'm gone, so they got treated to make sure that doesn't happen.

I've loaded the van with most of the stuff, all I have to do is wait until Kim gets here tonight so we can load her stuff and then the dolly to haul it all (about 5 trips, with it converted to "wagon")down to river level once we get unloaded.

Next, I need to get busy and get a little more product made while I'm waiting. I always get the urge to create at the last minute.

Discipline

The time has come that I have to start disciplining Felix. He has made himself so much at home that I am finding him lounging on the dining table. Such a sweet kitten otherwise.

The calendar says fall....but it doesn't feel much like it, The temps are in the low to mid 90's, but at least it's taking longer to reach that plateau, and it's cooling off earlier in the evening so I'm not having to run the a/c so long. But I'm itching for a nice cool snap so I can build a fire in the woodburner. Unfortunately, I think that won't happen for a couple of months yet.

The Road Less Traveled

Today I made a trip to a shop in a town about 50 miles from home to wholesale some product. This is a community that was founded by French-Alsatian people, and there are some very lovely old houses in the community that have been restored. Instead of going through San Antonio to get there I took back roads of state highways and farm to market roads. Lots less traffic, and it was a very peaceful drive through the rolling hills. Butterflies are migrating to Mexico, and I hit a bunch. I'm glad now I didn't wash the van yet because it has plenty of bug guts splattered all over the front of it and st least they're on a dirty van instead of a just cleaned one! My sales trip wasn't as profitable as I would have liked, but it was acceptable, and hopefully it will be more profitable as the shop owner is more certain of my product and my ability to produce what she wants. I went back through San Antonio to hit a lumber store since I was out and about. I should have stopped there before taking the wares to Castroville, as the lumber had been majorly picked over and I wasn't able to get as much as I had planned. But it's a start to be working on, and I can make a quick trip into "town" if I need to.