I had previously mentioned that I was doing a Spooky Basket Exchange. Well, my buddy received their bucket on Saturday and I hope they liked it. I received mine on Sunday and I loved it. Behold the bounty!
I love every piece. Especially the pin of the Grand High Wizard from The Worst Witch…omg. And the poison apple mug. And the shirts…
Here is the combined halloween countdown for the 23rd and 24th:
My older sister, Krystie, was in town the end of last week and the weekend. We went to dinner at Studio 35 Friday night to get to spend some time with her. After that I came home to record WTF Did I Just Watch Podcast with Jenny and Jean-Paul and fellow guests Randy, Jon and Char discussing the 1983 Stephen King joint Silver Bullet. It was a really fun and funny discussion of a batshit bananas film.
Saturday we headed down to the Ohio Renaissance Festival once again. It was romance weekend. I barked for Wench Collecting before gate and for about 40 minutes after open. People were eager to play which is always exciting. Once inside we decided to try the new ramen place Dante’s Third Circle. I got mine Tingly Tongue spicy, and Seth got Why did you do this, lol. It was pretty dang good. We bought some boozy cakes at Let Them Drink Cake and bought a friend a pendant from my friends at The Wired Viking. At 2:15 the Wenches met for a photo.
We had some amazing conversations with our fellow ORFans and left basically at close and headed home.
On Sunday Chris, Niki and the Niblings came down to Ren Faire as well so I took a break from barking, but still got collected quite a bit. I bought a beautiful felted flower from A viking Wife. Seth and I decided that in honor of our 10 year anniversary we would take part in the mass vow renewal that happens on Romance Weekend.
The ceremony was very sweet. The officiant quoted Neil Gaiman. I cried (not that this is shocking). We found family again and ran around a bit until it was 2:15 and time for the wench picture.
I met several new wenches, and talked to some I never get to talk to. It was really nice. Niki also decided she wants to be a wench! So we are going to work on that.
I knew I had a podcast to record later so we headed out so I had time to watch Dracula and get ready to record. So watch out for GGG to cover the Bela Lugosi classic soon.
Monday we had dinner with my Mom and sisters again because Krystie needed to head home to Oklahoma Tuesday. We got a family photo while we were together.
Halloween Countdown for 14, 15-17 and 18. Tomorrow starts my double countdown.
We spent all day the 8th at the Ohio Renaissance Festival and then came home and were in bed exhausted by 8pm. It was a beautiful fall day and Viking Weekend which led to possibly record breaking numbers at Ohio Ren. Plus we had visiting wenches from Michigan who invaded and were part of Wench Collecting this weekend. It was a busy but fun day.
I got to wear my new custom Journeyman Leather Corset. It happened because last year we walked in so my mom could pay for her custom bodice from them (it has the Breast Cancer ribbon on the back). Morgan, the man making pieces for them last season, was looking for pink leather in the boxes of leather and came out with this deep brown fringe. He said he had no idea what they would do with the fringe because they got it in a big lot of leather they bought. I raised my hand and said, “Um, If I were to buy a corset could you put it along the top?” And he thought a minute then said, “Yeah, we could do that. Do you want it on the top front and back and the bottom as well both sides.” Of course I said yes. It turned out amazing!!
And the Halloween Countdown for October 8:
That is a pretty good list to start. We were at the Renaissance Festival today for Time Travelers weekend. There were time lords, mandalorians, multiple tardises, and I was a triceratops.
Here is my treasure from my Halloween Advent for today…
And my October book bingo as I read through The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik. Got several off the board.
Happy November First! The last day of the Ohio Renaissance Festival was yesterday, and while I am sad that the season is over, I am happy to be free to devote time to some other parts of my life. This season of the festival was one of the best I can remember. Wench Collecting took off this year in a way that was unexpected and led to our local growing almost doubling in size as the season moved on and more wenches are planning to join in the off season. We were able to sponsor five wenches into the guild, and have the money for several more. Being the Madam for the local is one of the most rewarding jobs I have ever taken on and I am so proud of what this group is becoming. And we have so much more on the horizon, including the groups first election since 2018 when we formed the group and I became madame. I have no idea if any of my fellow wenches would like to take up the mantle and run to be madame next year, but I know that whether I am madame again or I am unseated the impact of this inaugural privy council has laid an amazing groundwork for the leadership to come.
Beyond this I have a lot planned for the month of November. One I am participating in Nanowrimo this year, but rather than a novel my goal is to blog every day for the month of November. In the past I did Blogtober, but I just couldn’t swing it this year so I decided to do November instead. I am also doing my first walk in a long time on Thanksgiving, a five mile Turkey Trot. I am attending the Witches Ball, doing a lot of holiday crafting, attending some other events with wenches and the lady gang. Who knows what I might get into? I hope you will come along for the ride, enjoy the scenery and keep me company along the way.
On the first day of November I am thankful for my amazing husband who took all of the photos below for me without complaint, following me around the Festival as I chased down all the wenches. I love that man with my whole soul and I don’t know what I would do without him.
So many Wenches!!!!
This past weekend Ohio Renaissance Park hosted Celtic Fest 2021. The day featured many regional, national and international bands, dancers, etc as well as vendors and just general good times. I went in an effort to see and talk to as many wenches as I could as well as just to spend some time in one of my favorite places. The night before, so Friday night, storms cut through the area where the fest resides and this lead to insane flooding (waist deep in places) and a lot of panic amongst the vendors and performers who were spending the night onsite. It also caused a power outage that lasted until about 2pm on Saturday.
As we headed out on Saturday morning, we were honestly not sure at all what we were getting ourselves into. I just knew that after the night they just had we needed to go and support some of these vendors we love. We got there about 11:30 (Gates were set to open at 11) and found out that the gates had been held until noon due to the power outage while they worked to get generators running to work the sound systems. Jameson’s Folly played at the gate as we waited for opening.
Once inside we walked up to A Wired Viking where I picked up a pendant I purchased in advance and a necklace for my sister for her birthday both made by the lovely Felix. We also picked up a large beard bead for Seth, a ring for him and a bracelet for me. I forgot to get photos with the three wenches who work in that booth, because I suck.
After this we walked around, said hi to many friends and wenches, got free commemorative Guinness Pint Glasses, took pictures, watched a couple of acts, gave cards to potential wenches, and generally had a great time. Here are far too many photos.
So…I have been up to stuff. I am fully vaccinated, so I have begun meeting up with more friends who are also vaccinated and doing fun things.
On May 8th Seth and I met up at Brother’s Drake Meadery with my mom, sister Traci, friend Johnna and her husband Andy, and my sister’s friend Boggs and his girlfriend Amanda. We did their “tour” which right now means doing a flight of 5 meads together. I tried their Purple Rain mead, which is Blackberry, blackcurrant, blueberry and honey wine and it is delicious!!! Then I had the flight. And then I had a glass of Battleaxe which they describe thusly, “A sweet cranberry melomel infused with vanilla and juniper berries. Unapologetically tart upfront like cranberries with a smooth finish that is sweet and hints at the vanilla and juniper infusion.” All I know is that it is delicious. We left with 2 bottles of Purple Rain and one of Battleaxe to go.
I chose our movie(s) for Girls, Ghosts, Ghouls for the month of May/June, so we recorded that on the 17th of May. I chose Nosferatu (1922) and Shadow of the Vampire (2000). The recording hasn’t released yet, but should be coming soon.
On the 22nd we headed back to our favorite boardgaming bar, The Forge Tavern, for their Fancy Dress Pirate Party with Pirate’s Creed. Seth and I shared a table with my friends Liz and Todd. My mom, sister and my sister’s boyfriend, Erich, were at the next table and my friend, Susan, and her family were right behind us. Seth and I did a Rum flight, the Sugar Island Rum was my favorite. Pirate’s Creed put on an amazing show. I bought their album in a bottle. There were several wenches on site so we took a wench photo. Overall it was just a really good time.
On the 22nd we celebrated my nibling, Sadie’s birthday early in the afternoon. Then we met up with my friends and co-hosts Jenny and Rebecca to go to a drive through Dinosaur exhibit. It was ridiculous, but fun, and we laughed a lot.
Okay…this is too much. More shenanigans to come.
In the past couple of years I have become friends with some absolutely amazing people, and a couple of people have asked me how I make friends as an adult. I can honestly say that I have absolutely no idea, lol. I have become the kind of person who will just start talking to people, and just kind of put myself out there. I do not know where this came from because if you had asked me I would have told you that I was a bit shy and reserved. Now, however I am the kind of person who will just walk up say hi and ask if we can be friends. It is not subtle, lol.
My husband, Seth, says that I have a vast reserve of emergency bravery that I access when it is needed. This is a pretty accurate description for what happens when I turn it on, because I will be nervous with butterflies and anxiety until it is time and then suddenly I am outgoing in a way that I have never been before. I manifest self-confidence in the strangest way and I kind of love it.
A big part of this change in my demeanor was becoming the Madam of Local 73 for the International Wenches Guild. Suddenly I am just approaching people to introduce myself, being a welcome wagon, pitching, getting people to play games, and offering cards and info to bad ass future wenches. I have pushed myself so far out of my comfort zone, that I forget what my comfort zone was. It is a strange thing to realize that while I might have once been shy, now I am the kind of person who hands out cards and asks people to come play with me, really.
This is also the guiding force to when I decided to start a skating group during the pandemic. I just put it out there and then took charge, something that young me would never have done. I got to meet some amazing people that I never would have met if I hadn’t just put it out there.
I decided to make this year the year of Badass for myself, but I honestly think I have been on my way there for a while. I just didn’t notice because I was having too much fun.
On Halloween around the stroke of Noon, witches descended upon Goodale Park in Columbus Ohio in order to make merry and celebrate the Day. After grabbing a group picture we began walking down High Street in the Short North wishing a Happy Halloween to all we encountered. We stopped at Prologue Bookstore for some of our witchy companions to purchase tomes, and then at Roaming Goat Coffee to get a Mocha Latte for myself. We continued across the street to Rocket Fizz for old fashioned candy and novelties (I bought a racing possum!). We passed a salon where we waved to a fellow witch who was giving a blow out to a client.
We stopped to grab a bite at The Eagle where I ordered a Grilled Cheese that features three kinds of cheese and apples, yum! It came out in the shape of a heart. Aww! Next a trip to Torso where I purchased a mask that says “Witch Please”, a gorgeous rhinestone mask and a bracelet that matched my witchy garb. A quick run back to prologue and then we made a stop at Bakersfield for a Margarita and a $3 shot of Hornitos.
We witches can make a day of it!! Happy Haunting my friends until next year!
Sunday was the first annual Meeting of the Duchess Society Spooky Basket Exchange and Luncheon. We met at my friend Susan’s house in our finest Duchess regalia. I had retooled my blonde wig from Saturday into a more Duchess like form. The Lady Penelope Perspicacia Pamplemousse of LaCroix was in her spooky best when she arrived for the party.
After we dined, but before the exchange we had a mini photo shoot in the side yard. We formed a “band” called The Strumpettes. We had too much fun with Snapchat filters. We laughed a lot. Here are some of the fruits of our labor.
The Wayward Duchess, The Cuntess (She named herself I promise), Lady Honoria (Rhymes with Gonorrhea) Teapot and myself had such a lovely time. I will get pictures of my amazing basket to share soon.
Betsy Snow White Bibliophile 