What a fun month we had! I told you last time we were getting ready for some exciting times, and it didn’t disappoint.

We started with the Utah Honey Harvest Festival in Grantsville, Utah. It was a great weekend of events. There were lots of honey harvesters, entertainment, vendors of all kinds, and lots of people.

This was a two-day event. We got to set up the tent and tables the night before, which was awesome. That saved us a lot of time the next day to set out our displays. The festival started at noon on Friday and 10 a.m. on Saturday. The days were long, lasting until 6 p.m. with the sun setting, thus leaving us tired at the end of the day. But this is what we like to do.

We met so many nice people and became friends with some of the other vendors. We all know the ups and downs of running a craft booth and all the hard work that goes into it.

The entertainment was great! There were a few fiddlin’ bands; some were family, some weren’t, but they all made you get up on your feet and want to dance. I loved it! It was a very happy time. And with all the fall colors and warm weather, it couldn’t have been more perfect.

We got to see the October 14th solar eclipse, too. It wasn’t a perfectly clear sky, but we did get to take in the beautiful site as promised by the meteorologists all week long. We felt blessed to be able to experience this not-so-often phenomena. The next total solor eclipse in the US is expected on April 8, 2024, though not necessarily to be seen in Utah. After that, not until August 23, 2044! We were very fortunate.

The following weekend was the Best Friends Strut Your Mutt Fundraiser in Liberty Park, Utah. We arrived, as they told us to do, at 6 a.m.. It was dark and freezing. We waited with one other person until someone showed up to show us to our spots. Most of the other vendors and volunteers showed up around 8:30 - 9:00 a.m.. The sun eventually climbed up over the mountains and it did get warm. All in all, we did get a great parking spot very close to our tent.

This was a special event for us, for as you all know we are dog lovers. Fox13 News channel showed up to cover the event. There were lots of people and dogs there to “strut” the parade, enter the Halloween costume contest, listen to another great band, and donate to the charity. For us, it wasn’t about making money, it was about supporting the cause and all the homeless animals. There were adoptions going on and I think the ones there all got forever loving homes that day. We were told this may be the last one of the Strut Your Mutt events, so we felt very lucky to have been a part of such an amazing organization. We met so many great people that we know we will stay friends with for a long time to come.

In this past week, we’ve had some warmer that usual days. It was perfect for getting my flower beds ready for winter. They are all done and I feel good about that. We got the motorhome all winterized inside and that feels good, too, for the temperature is supposed to drop in the 30’s (as of this writing, it has) and who wants to be outside doing these kinds of things? Not me!

One more event coming in three days, Halloween! Another favorite of ours. Daylight savings time is heading around the corner, too. I guess it’s time to snug up and get back on track for our next book, Skip Thomas’ Birthday, coming out next year.

Until next time: stay warm and safe, and God bless.

Skip’s mom, Cb