Renaissance

You remember the Renaissance.  I know you do.

Just kidding.

Late 1300's to about 1600.  In Europe, especially in Italy.  Education.  Universities.  Polymaths. Lots of stuff happening.  Those people who gave the term "Renaissance Man" its meaning.  Galileo, Michelangelo.  The other Ninja Turtles, as well.

Not trying to flippant about what was an explosion of creative thought and learning.  It's just too much to explain unless know about it, or unless you were there...which you weren't, I'm pretty sure.

I, on the other hand WAS there, and I can prove it.

See?

and yes, I know my hair was red and my ears were pointed....it was a long time ago :)

 Either that or it was the Bristol/Des Moines/Minnesota/Amana/Bonner Springs/Council Bluffs/Omaha/Sioux City Ren Faire or Fest. We've been there and done them all.

and yes, Bob is wearing a sword and a kilt, among other things....

What we enjoyed about, and what made us keep going back to, all those Faires and Fests, besides the obvious cosplay appeal, were the myriads of creative endeavors by the many people who took part in them.  Other cosplay-ers, the fine food, entertainment, whimsical and fanciful environs, and, I will never forget, the great SHOPPING!

See...there are no plastic or imported items to be purchased there.  Only the hand crafted/sewn/forged/tanned/painted/sculpted/etc/etc/etc.... You get the idea.  Especially if you were there, ever.  The Faires and Fests of course, not the Renaissance.  I know you're not that old.

totally random cloud picture to signify a change in subject (do you see the big clown in the chair?)

It's been a year since we have been in Ontonagon, in the little shop on River Street. Last year at this time, we were just finishing the painting and still working on the moving in part.

Then came the Renaissance.  My own personal Renaissance.  I sewed and crafted and photgraphed and composed and sculpted and slurried and wrapped and printed and pounded and most of all, dreamt up a myriad (or two) of things I could make with my own two hands and somewhat crazy but usually creative brain.

I think there were a lot of happy people in the Renaissance.  At least happy in the sense that they were busy thinking new thoughts, composing new music, discovering new science and mathematics, not to mention the wonderful fashions that were regularplay and not cosplay to them at all.

Yesterday and today were my first BIG days to sell to the public.  Outside on River Street, to the masses of people, whoever they might be, coming into town for the Labor Day festivities.  A lot of people saw the products of my imagination out on the street for sale.  And quite a few people went home with something that I created....were even willing to spend money to do so.

It was a weird feeling to me. Something completely new. Because instead of one or two people at a time throughout an otherwise only moderately busy time of shopkeeping, I was suddenly swamped with people looking, oohing and aahing, buying. The nicest thing that happened was that several people thanked me for doing something good for this community by bringing more business into the village.

You are welcome.

REALLY unrelated chipmunk picture

So today, for the first time in a few weeks, I took a day off.  I watched the birds.  And the squirrels and chipmunks.  I thought about how things are going so far and what I need to do to improve.

And tomorrow will be a new day.  Jordan goes back to school (and I don't...whew). I will go to work and unpack and rearrange after the weekend of hauling most of everything outside for two days in a row.  And I will look over all the "stuff" I have made over the past few months, think about how best to restock the many items that I hope are now giving someone a little bit of happiness elsewhere.  And I will remember how much fun my own personal Renaissance has been so far. 

moose on the loose at 201 River Street