The Mother Earth News Fair

 
Dear Friends,

Yesterday we went with our friend Elisa to the Mother Earth News Fair in Topeka, Kansas. It was quite a foggy morning, so we were grateful to arrive alive!

Although the ExpoCenter was filled to capacity, there was a good atmosphere and everyone was very friendly, which helped to prevent feelings of claustrophobia. As you can see by the flyer, there was plenty to see! I wished I'd had time to see several speakers like Joel Sallatin, but there was only so much little Hyrum would put up with.

Johnny's Seeds, Seed Saver Exchange, Botanical Interests, and quite a few other seed catalog companies were there, along with many, many wonderful vendors offering great prices on their wares.

Workshops were going on almost everywhere, with all sorts of helpful information being distilled from those who love the simple life.

The children were invited to try their hand at cob building~

And Frankie was in heaven at the John Deere booth!

 

 For me, the pinnacle of the event was getting to meet Rosemary Gladstar for the first time. She had been in the Ozarks last year and then in Kansas earlier this year and I had to miss her, but finally I had my chance! I had to stand in line for what seemed like forever, and certain little ones were "dying" of thirst, but we made it at last. It's nice to meet someone who is a celebrity in their own right, but who is down to earth and very warm and friendly. Rosemary treated everyone she saw with respect, and she acted like she was glad to see me. She was the one who suggested getting a picture of her with my family, and told us that we reminded her of her own siblings. When I told her that I discovered her through the Tasha Tudor books, she said, "Tasha and I were such good friends, and I miss her so." She then said that my Tasha looks just like someone in one of Tasha's books.

While I was standing in line to see Rosemary Gladstar, the girls ran into the girls who put out "The Kings' Blooming Rose Magazine." We knew that the Bryant family live in Kansas and had wanted to meet them, so we were very tickled that we were in the right place at the right time. It's wonderful and precious to have kindred spirits who embrace femininity in such a beautiful way.

We would loved to have gone to the Fair with all of our blog friends as well. Wouldn't that be the greatest fun? 

I hope you enjoyed a little glimpse of our bit of fun, and thank you for your blessed friendship.

Love,

Marqueta.

P.S. Rosemary says that she would like to see the word "beautility"(An object that is both beautiful and useful, generally objects of industrial design which are meant to have utility while having a pleasing aesthetic) used in our everyday lives, so I thought I'd pass that along to my beautiful friends!