random thoughts - Day 2,027 (Saturday) - fall festive

It was back to summery weather which made for a lovely day to be out in the country. Two friends and I started with yard sales in the center of Ashburnham at New Dawn Art Center and the Historical Society, part of the town-wide yard sale. Then we visited an art gallery/gift shop where my friends know the owners. We got chocolate bars and learned there was an artist reception there later in the day. 

Mums at Wildwood Farm.

From Ashburnham, we headed to Wildwood Farm in Westminster with sweeping skies and rolling hills. It's an equestrian farm and event venue and they were having a fall festival. I was there once for a beautiful June wedding, and today the vibe was full-on fall festive with live music, pumpkins, mums, a farm stand, pony rides, food trucks, catered barbeque, craft vendors, and fundraiser raffles for the equestrian program. 

I had stupidly dressed for the cooler morning temperatures, and it wasn't long before the thermometer reached a noontime summer level and I was too warm. Rookie move. You'd think I hadn't lived in New England for most of my life.

After the festival, we went back to the center of Ashburnham for lunch and the art reception. We got sandwich wraps from a local market and parked ourselves at an umbrella table in front of Creative Connections Gift Shop and Gallery to enjoy the weather. The first thing we noticed as we settled in and looked around was a car parked blocking a travel lane with an elderly woman slumped in the seat. We thought she was having a medical issue and were ready to help, but then she moved and we saw she was on her phone. Car horns were honking and aggravated drivers risked a head-on collision going around the car. 

She rolled the car window down and started yelling to us. She said she called the nail salon and there was no answer, and asked us how she could get inside. The front door with the neon "Open" sign looked like a good option, but maybe she knew something we didn't.

Luckily, someone came out of the shop, helped her out of the illegally parked car, got her and her cane inside, then came out and moved the car to a proper parking spot. A few minutes later, a police officer arrived, exited the patrol car and looked around. We guessed he was looking for the illegally parked car with elder in trouble. My friend went over and learned the officer was indeed looking for the car with the potentially expired person that someone had called about. The officer was relieved to learn that there was no deceased person in a car on Main Street and left. 

Inside the art gallery, I got to visit with a painter friend who has work for sale in the gallery and was there supporting the main exhibiting artist who is a colleague at Worcester Art Museum. The gallery was lovely, the show of mostly watercolors was beautiful, and the gallery air conditioning was much appreciated. 

It was a lovely day all around. When I got home, with the lidocaine patch on my shoulder no longer helping, I crashed on the couch and napped. I felt a little guilty sleeping on the remainder of a beautiful afternoon, but pain and discomfort are exhausting.