Just how many festivals can you attend at one time?

Butter Bean Festival

Labor Day is  supposed to signal the end of summer . It's  also supposed to be time out for linen, white shoes and purses. But, while we have a few cool days ahead (think 78 degrees) basically it isn't really over.  There will be more hot days.  I remember one Christmas we were able to go outside and play without coats.

Everybody tries to get in their summer frolicking before the leaves begin to turn. This past weekend I attended the Butter Bean Festival in Pinson.  This was it's 6th year to have the festival and my first to attend it.I've heard of strange foods being served at state fairs and festivals.  About the strangest I saw was fried cheese cake. I didn't try it but if it was fried I'm sure it was good. Southern living requires that a person devour lots of fried food unless cautioned not to by a medical professional.

This lady had her cute puppies inside this  netted stroller as she made her way around the BB Festival

Great acrobatic stunts by guys on bikes

This is a replica of the patrol car from the town of Mayberry. There was even a Barney Fife imposter to take pictures with. Since I didn't want to pay $5.00 for a photo, there isn't one of the Fake Fife

Here is the inside of the patrol car.

For those of you who enjoy antique cars, I'll have about five in my next post

Exotic animals were also part of the line up. In addition to this tortoise there were emu, sheep, goats and camels.  There was a friendly debate the last time I was at the bank as to what the camel's hump is made of. It isn't water. It is fat. A camel can go without water for 50 days. When the camel urinates it is syrupy.  Before you ask, I don't know if people use it as a food source. Although, the dried camel dung is used in cooking fires.

I bought a pair of silver plated earrings made from a portion of a spoon.  The vendor had the pattern, company and year on the tag. This one was made by the William Rogers company. The pattern is Talisman and the year is 1938. She says she goes to estate and yard sales, picks up the pieces and her husband makes the earrings, bracelets, key chains etc. On each one is its history.

Pepper Place

This is one of the many weekend markets around the area that sells fresh vegetables, crafts, food and etc.

This lady was kind enough to allow me to take a picture of her hat. By the looks of it she is an avid gardener.

I really gravitate toward recycled articles. These wind chimes are made from cast iron skillets,spatulas, salt shakers, spoons and a little of everything else. (Click the photo to enlarge)

I asked the vendor in the photo below if I could take a picture of her booth.  Lately, I've noticed a lot of crafts people are hesitant to allow photos.  I guess they're afraid their ideas will be stolen.  She consented to my photography but cautioned against closeups.  I complied. But...

Click on the photo and you get a very clear up close and personal picture of her wares. It's called free enterprise in America .  I admire her wares and have no talent when it comes to duplicating them so her pictures are safe with me.

These crinoline slips and lacy tops were also a part of her display.

This was one of the three bands located at the Pepper Place market. Pepper Place derives its name from the huge warehouse type building that was once the Dr. Pepper bottling plant. It and surrounding buildings are now  overpriced  yuppie shops.

 

Part of the proof is the innumerable pedigreed dogs with their owners and the  immeasurable vendors who have water bowls out for the dogs.  After I counted 5 water bowls, I stopped.  I have nothing against dogs. The owners seemed to have them under control. A sign at the front welcomes the dogs (as if they can read) but asks owners to clean up after them.

See the Dirt Shirt in the middle of the others, it is professed that it is dyed with Alabama red clay dirt.

At Pepper Place I bought a jar of  lemon scented home made body scrub.

That's It ***

IrRitATiNG

Sometimes some things are just irritating. Here are some of the latest ones ...for me. 

People who borrow all the time

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Businesses that don’t turn off their OPEN sign when they are closed.

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People who cook out in front of their home.  What is it that you think you'll miss in the community? Or  is this an open invitation to everyone living around you to eat at your house?    I couldn't find a picture for what I really wanted to show.

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Leaving lawn clippings in the street or blowing them into the street after cutting the grass.  There is not a grass fairy that removes the grass when you blow it in the street.

Why pay extra for organic food? You’ve still got to breathe. Last I heard there was no organic air.

People who think they’re being complimentary when they smilingly say, “ You look like you’ve lost weight.”   What they're really saying is, "You don't look as fat as you did the last time I saw you."

People who park in handicapped spaces illegally.
 as well as
(this one's personal) 
People who have the audacity to question people who park in the handicapped spaces just because the parked person doesn't  fit their image of  handicapped.  For example people with heart disease, MS, emphysema.  Unless you hold an MD and travel with all the machines to diagnose a person...F*** off.

Being put on call waiting while someone answers another line and expecting me to wait there while you have a 10 minute conversation with the other person.
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Constantly being placed on call waiting during our conversation.
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People who stand over me talking while I’m eating.  There’s more than breath coming from your mouth and was that fish and raw onions you had for lunch? What’s that brown thing that  just landed in my vanilla ice cream?

Not cleaning up garbage after cans have  been turned over and leaving the garbage  there until it disintegrates, the paper reverts to pulp,  and bugs and animals consider the food scraps  an all-you-can-eat buffet.

Litter and the people who do it.

Musicians who use monotonous drum machines.

Paying $50 for a live concert and finding out the musician or singer uses high definition electronics to make them sound like they’re talented.

This isn't irritating but I've wondered:Is Tweety Bird transgendered? I can't tell if it's a male or female.

Do you save that to-go cup that had the delicious coffee  thinking that if you make coffee at home and put it in the same cup it’ll taste as good as that last cup?

I went up to the Leeds Library last week for the culmination of their summer reading program. Leeds is an easy ride for me. There's no freeway driving which I don't do anyway. The downtown area of Leeds has a Mayberryish feeling to it. Seeing Barney Fife and Floyd the barber would have cinched it.

Here's the facade of the Leeds Jane Culbreth Library
The library has a historic, vintage feel to it. This is one section of the inside of the library.

Since the summer reading theme was Novel Destinations, I'm assuming that is the reason for all of the flags from around the world.
Display case and panels show and tell history of Leeds.
The featured artist for the end program was a Scottish bagpiper who's from Alabama.

He began his presentation by walking a short distance up the street, playing his bagpipes as he strode to his performance destination underneath an arbor across the street from the library.


We were treated to three songs, one of them Amazing Grace. The performer also shared his vast knowledge of the bagpipes and the costume. He was very detailed with this information making it quite interesting. The attending librarian went back to the library to refresh everyone with Popsicles. I'm sure they were welcomed because the heat was sweltering. I didn't wait for a Popsicle but instead went across the street to Second Time Around. The sign said furniture and what-nots but I guess I missed the clothes because I don't remember seeing any.
The proprietor Earnestine Mitchell was a friendly lady. Apparently she has a strong customer base also. I say this because there was a nice crowd in the shop and some of them must have done business with her in the past because their train of conversation was relaxed and easy going.

I spied these linen napkins and hand /tea towels. I was told by Ms. Earnestine that they were Irish linen. She had a huge box of them . Some were stained and some weren't. I'm assuming they came from some fancy restaurant that no longer needed them.

The napkins have faggoting around them and the towels have an embroidered design at the end. I was thinking that these could be recycled into altar linens for church. I asked to buy one of each because I wanted to show them to the altar guild person at church before throwing away money on something that would not be used. When I told her this she told me to take 12 of them on the house. I couldn't believe it. I asked, "Are you sure?"
She said, "Yes." What a nice lady. I thanked her profusely and I told her I'd let her know the outcome. How's that for small town hospitality and trust?


I thought this gazebo added to the small town charm of Leeds.

What you're looking at in front of these cars is a mural of a train engine and and station.
THAT'S IT*** edited 11-18-2012