The St. Louis Scottish Festival is always on the first weekend of October. And unless I'm off on some damned fool adventure (like attending the Woodworking In America conference in Cincinnati, OH, which was my excuse last year), there's a good chance you'll see me there in one of my kilts.
And now there's a good chance you'll see Finley there in his kilt, as well. His new kilt (it was a new size, not a new tartan, which is Ancient Campbell) was delivered just in time, thanks to Neil at Baby Kilts. (You might also take note of the fact that Finley is one of the babies pictured on the front page of Neil's website... yeah, he's a model.)
It was interesting to see what aspects of the festival Finley liked and didn't like. For example, we thought the pipe and drum bands would be too loud for him, but he loved them! He kept leading us closer and closer, though we stopped far enough away that it wasn't too loud for his sensitive little ears.
On the other hand, he wasn't at all interested in the border collie demonstration, where they herded a bunch of sheep around the field. I thought that weird because he always like dogs, but he really couldn't have been bothered. Maybe it was the angle we had to watch it from. Or maybe the police helicopter flying overhead was too much of a distraction.
At one time (this was before I was born, in the early 70's), I think my parents may have been the only proud owners of a herd of highland cattle in the state of Missouri. They didn't last but a year or two, though. Apparently highland cattle don't like fences and are quite deft when it comes to circumventing them. Or, at least, they were good at breaking free from the fences on our farm. After chasing them down one too many times, the diminutive bovines ended up on a shipping truck. I don't know if my mom has any pictures of them - if I find any, I'll append this post with them.
Watching Finley's reaction to the two highland cattle at the St. Louis Scottish Games made me want to go out and get another herd! He really enjoyed getting up close to them and they're small enough that they didn't scare him. I venture to say he could have ridden one...
(As an aside, I think these cows were probably raised in America, because I didn't hear any kind of accent when they mooed. Not even a bad Kevin Costner one...)
If I still used a CD player, my Sigh No More CD would possibly never leave it.
(Crap. You know you're getting old when things you used to do have become "proverbial"...)
So I don't have the album on CD, but it is on my iTouch. And I listen to Mumford & Sons daily (I don't just listen to this album all day long, but it does get played at least once a day).
If you've not heard them yet, then here is a taste.
I don't often come across new music that resonates in my soul like these guys do. Thought I would share...
Coming up... a few weeks ago, Finley came face-to-face with his first Highland cow. Will post pictures before this weekend. :)
Ever notice how The Inlaw Josie Wales...
has some striking similarities to Little Martha...
I wonder if there was some influence there, recognized or subliminal. Or maybe I'm being influenced by the Hi-Rev coffee I'm drinking right now... *shakes*
Either way, both really great songs.
Over the Labor Day weekend, on our way to visit the in-laws in Ohio, we stopped at a friend's house in Columbus for lunch and a brief visit. While there, Finley did his duty (doody?) like a courteous little boy (i.e. he didn't do it while we were doing 80 mph on the interstate). We asked where we could change him.
"Oh, anywhere is fine. You can change him there in the living room, if you want."
Having had our share of diaper changing challenges when traveling with the baby, my wife and I exchanged furtive glances of concern. But we eventually consented (mostly because we didn't have much choice). The living room had two possible surfaces - an upholstered futon and a leather ottoman. We chose the brown leather ottoman, for reasons that should be obvious to anyone who has changed a diaper with a very strong and willful baby.
He didn't flip and toss, but Finley promptly forgot his courtesies and peed everywhere during the 5 seconds he wasn't wearing a diaper. Floor, ottoman, himself... me.
*sigh*
But, ultimately, it wasn't really a big deal and we quickly had it cleaned up. We offered many apologies, which were graciously accepted. After lunch, we continued on our way.
The other day, we got an e-mail from that friend, making sure we had a good trip and inviting us back the next time we were driving through. As an aside, she mentioned they now refer to that piece of furniture as "the pottoman".
I quickly replied, "Hey, at least you don't have a 'poopton'".
The St. Louis Scottish Festival is always on the first weekend of October. And unless I'm off on some damned fool adventure (like attending the Woodworking In America conference in Cincinnati, OH, which was my excuse last year), there's a good chance you'll see me there in one of my kilts.
Watching Finley's reaction to the two highland cattle at the St. Louis Scottish Games made me want to go out and get another herd! He really enjoyed getting up close to them and they're small enough that they didn't scare him. I venture to say he could have ridden one...