Labor Day Weekend

Hey everybody!  Hannah’s Hope Fund won the $250 K grant.  Thanks to everyone who voted.

And now, for some sad news.  Remember how I callously blew you off to make myself some cookies last night?  Well, just as I was about to begin cooking, I plunged into a horrifying and mysterious stomach-related illness.  At first I expected to recover quickly, and my adorable husband offered to make the cookies for me.  Alas, I ended up hunched in the fetal position and asleep by 9:30 pm.  Now, no-bake cookies is my desperation dessert:  when there’s no significant chocolate to be eaten in the house, I’m almost guaranteed to have enough of the necessary ingredients for at least a few cookies, and we’ll often make a half or one-third batch.  So by the next morning, after Wade had left for work, I realized that there were only six cookies left.  Cute W had clearly eaten at least four, and that doesn’t count any bowl-licking that might have been involved.  Not like I’m bitter.  Except, actually, I am.  And I was, this morning, and the girls enjoyed giggling as I lamented my lost cookie opportunity.  Then they took to arguing that, since the main ingredient of the cookies is oatmeal, cookies would be an appropriate breakfast.  Absolutely not, I said, but I promised that we’d each get two cookies after lunch.  And then, my neighbor Mary’s granddaughter ended up playing at our house all day.  Really delightful, but that means that  she was here for lunch.  Which means that I had to go all Giving Tree and hand over my share of the cookies.  I broke a few crumbles off.  That was all I got.  Tragic for me, and, of course, tragic for those who requested a share in the comments.

Enjoy the weekend, stay cool, let’s hope that Earl‘s not too bad.  Here are some things to do this weekend:

All Weekend:

• Fair-a-palooza continues with the Fonda Fair, the Columbia County Fair in Chatham, and the Schaghticoke Fair .
• It’s the Capital District Scottish Games on Saturday & Sunday at the Altamont Fairgrounds.   I’ve never been to this one–anybody want to tell us whether it’s a fun family destination?
• The Iroquois Indian Museum has its annual Iroquois Festival on Saturday and Sunday.  I’ve actually gone to this festival.  It’s a bit of a drive, but if you’re inclined to visit the museum sometime, why not go when there are tons of dancers, food vendors, and craft people?  I actually looked for photos from our visit, but it was mostly close ups of my children, sweating and watching dancers.  The lines for food, as I recall, were super-long, and there’s a nature trail if you want to break up the visit.  Even better, I actually bought a very cool small painting by Roger Parish.  Regular readers will know that I’m a cheap non-shopper, so that’s unusual for me.
• Keep in mind that while many pools have closed, most NY State Park beaches are open all weekend.

Evening of Friday, September 3rd:

• It’s First Friday in Albany from 5-9 pm.
• It’s First Friday in Ballston Spa from 6-9 pm.  This includes Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs in Wiswall Park.

Saturday, September 4th:

• At 6:30 pm, join the folks at Thacher for some Campfire Storytelling. Call to register, and pitch in $1/person to cover the cost of s’mores.
• Take a Twilight Kayak from 7-9 pm at Lake Moreau.
• Go Stargazing at Thacher at 8:30 pm.

Sunday, September 5th:

• At 9 am, take a Mud Pond Hike at Lake Moreau.
• It’s Sundays at the Center at 1:30 pm at Sand Lake Center for the Arts.  Ventriloquist Sylvia Markson will perform, and then there’s a puppet-making workshop.  You need to reserve ahead of time:  call or do it online.
• At 2 pm, learn about the Wildlife Program at Thacher.  Get a chance to see some injured animals who are being nursed back to health, and learn what to do if you find an animal in distress.

Monday, September 6th:

• At noon it’s the popular annual Grafton Lakes Labor Day Sand Sculpture Contest.