Summer Fun

Just a quick update on fun summer activities at the Merchant's.

Water always makes summer more fun. We have enjoyed warm weather and a yard with room to play.






Since my last post, the messes have continued. Maggie scored the leather ottoman with a paring knife last week, and then the next day during her "nap" time when I thought she was asleep in bed reached the highest shelf in my medicine cabinet so she could give herself and her dolly a pedicure. Here is the damage to self (who also got a new hair-do with Mom's hair wax) and dolly. Just use your imagination to think about what my beige bedroom carpet looked like.


I will give you a few hints. First, there were many pools about 1 inch by 1 inch of fuchsia colored nail polish. Then, as I began scrubbing with nail polish remover (my first line of defense) it turned into medium-sized foot long and wide spots of bright pink. Hairspray, hot water and oxy clean, and carpet remover later, there were some massive peachish spots. At this point, having used every idea I found online and an hour and a half supply of elbow grease, I decided to try some watered down bleach to remove the peach hue. It worked; now, there is a large white spot on my beige carpet. In addition, after all the chemicals and scrubbing, it not only does not look like the rest of the carpet, but it doesn't feel like the rest either. We had wanted to replace the worn and spotted carpet soon, but now it may come sooner than planned. In the meantime, anyone have ideas on where to find a nice, but inexpensive rug that I hope will not succumb to the same fate?

By the way, while I was cleaning the nail polish mess, Maggie dumped sand all over the dining room table and floor and spilled goldfish crackers all over the family room -- my work is never done.

Last weekend we attended the Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the Mall. Our favorite exhibit was on the Kingdom of Bhutan (Maggie liked riding the carousel best). One observation and a plug for the festival.

Observation: Access to this type of event is definitely what I love about living here.

Plug: The Folklife Festival is amazing. It is such a hands-on approach to learning about another culture. All of the presenters were actually from Bhutan. They built a temple on the mall where Buddhist monks were chanting. They had music and dancing; people weaving, embroidering, carving, and smithing right there, just as they would at home. I loved a man telling about his village festival when they chased the ghosts back to the neighboring village. It is like a museum exhibit that has come to life. You aren't looking at pictures and removed several levels from the actual subjects; you can interact with them first-hand. And, the food was excellent!