Festival, Festival!!

I took the kids out for a short walk yesterday afternoon, and I met one of the neighbors, Ron, and his sweetheart, a Dachshund named Sadie. We also ran into Shasta, one of the neighboring dogs, out for a walk with his owner and the two small children he watches over. It was a nice walk - I got to meet four new people (and will hopefully remember their names), and the kids got to visit and greet two of their friends. I did watch for the skunks in the evening, but saw only one - the one with the plainly marked white stripe. Since I was looking at wildlife, I did not see the President's address on health care reform; I did, however, see the clip of the South Carolina Representative who yelled, "You Lie!" during the speech. I saw his later apology for his "loss of civility." Humpf! I cannot imagine cat-calling at a Presidential address - especially this broad statement of "You lie." If the Representative had or has proof of this lie, he should have immediately produced it, since he had the nerve to yell out in the middle of a televised speech to the nation. The only thing that jumps into my mind is the old saying, generally about men, "More ___ than brains!" (After all, I am trying to keep this a g-rated site for a few youngsters who read this.....) - And, The Plot to Kill Pepys is turning out to be an excellent book - well thought out, good presentation, and quite a few giggles for me, reading snide comments about some of the important people of the day.

I am beginning to look forward more and more to the Long's Peak Scottish-Irish Festival on Saturday. The event actually starts tonight, and will continue through 5 p.m. on Sunday. Jim and Kathy have said that they'll pick me up at 8:30, so I can be in place to see the jousting at 10 a.m. At 11, there will be light armor combat and at noon, heavy armor combat. There are vendors with just about everything imaginable for sale, there are pipe and drums corps parading, there is a dog show with "Breeds of the British Isles" and sheep-herding and agility contests, and the guys get to toss the caber and the hammer and the haybale (the haybale is a vertical throw - up and over what looks like a high-jumper's pole). One of my favorite memories of the Festival is of seeing a bow-legged cowboy type - tight jeans, worn boots, plaid shirt, silver buckled hand-tooled belt, and a sweat-stained felt hat - walking towards me, carrying a 6-foot claymore in its sheath slung up on his shoulder, like it was a rake or hoe and he was on his way to the garden. - Of course, Mother Nature isn't quite happy with me being happy... the Festival is in Estes Park, and they are expecting a high of 56 with wind and rain on Saturday... but I shall go and have a good time, even if I do have to carry my umbrella all day!