I hope everyone's winter has been uneventful. I think I've had enough for everyone I know and then some.

Thanksgiving brought my daughter celebrating her graduation (SUMA CUM LAUDE) from college with a BA in Equine Business Management with a minor in Equine Law. Considering the high school she went to told me not to push her into college because they did not think she could hack it, she didn't do too badly.

December brought the celebration of one year since my mother's stroke with her sewing her fingers off and loving it! However, the Friday before Christmas, I spent in the ER of the local hospital with my husband in pain from kidney stones. They gave him some heavy duty pain killers and he was drugged for the holiday. The day after Christmas we spent at the hospital in the Day Surg department as he had the stones on one side of his body lasered (ever play asteroids?!) We came home with color pictures of his kidney, before and after the treatment.

January was a fun time. I celebrated my 52nd birthday. The day before my birthday, Hubby was back in the DSD where they were suppose to break up the stones on the other side of his body with ultrasound. However, the stones were not clearly pictured which prevented them from being able to do the procedure. Three days after my birthday, I went in for an elective hysterectomy. Everything went fine in the surgery, but when they tried to wake me, I went into A-Fib. That scared everyone (family and medical staff), because they could not rouse me to answer any questions. But then, I am very hard to wake from a general anethesia which was something I had mentioned to all concerned well before the surgery took place. I can't take narcotics because I lose consciousness when I take them but I have a high threshhold of pain which means that once I was awake, I only needed tylenol for the pain.

So now, I am unemployed but selling many of Shire Attire's goods on eBay and our own website in order to pay the businesses loan payments. We are doing ok. Look at the pictures in the Shire Attire file. All the outfits are capeable of being ordered in any size and color. Just email me at diane@shireattire.com or go to the order page at www.shireattire.com. Tell me you are a member and we will discount the prices.

Be healthy, all! And pray for Spring and Faire seasons to come quickly!

So, we made it through the Summer. We did well at Sterling Ren Faire but the 2 weekends in a row were too much for my mother's equilibrium. She got tired quickly and it would shake her up when she would get tired and confused her words while trying to wait on people.

The Downeast Pirate faire was fun, even if there were no patrons (well, alot fewer than last year).  We are down to our last 2 faires - a one day medieval faire next week and the Salem Pirate faire the weekend after that.

To help with the bills, I have taken a full time position. It is the only way I know of to pay the bills for both my home and the business right now. Mom is glad to see the season end so that she does not feel so pressured to sew for shows. But yet, she is upset because I do not have more shows scheduled and I am going to be working for someone other than Shire Attire.  She and my brother are upset with me. They think I am giving up on the shop, where in reality, I am trying to make sure I don't have to close the business and file bankruptcy!!!

On a brighter note, my daughter has been talking with her riding instructor at JWU during the summer. He has offered his reccommendation to anyone who would be willing to give her another chance at riding internationally next year. And recently, he asked her if she would consider going to Germany with him next Summer.  Naturally, she said YES! When she told me that this weekend, I told her to get her passport ASAP!

I got to see my best friend recently. He came to KRF in Carver, MA just before the Labor Day weekend opening. He works for the Hanlon-Lees joust troupe and I have not seen him in 2 years. It was good to hug him again. We sat and talked as we always do. It felt good to just sit with him again. But he did tell me that he will probably not come back to Carver next year. Since I am now working weekends, I will probably not get to see him again this year and if he does not return next year, who knows when I will see him next. After losing my girlfriend a year and a half ago to a cerebral hemmorage, Wolf has become the only person I seem to have long talks with anymore.  We call each other at least once a month. I will miss sitting and talking to him face to face.

So, I will get into winter sewing mode soon. I have some garb requests for my family that I will be doing as Xmas gifts. Then I need to work on stock for next year. 

Have a good end of Faire Season all!