...So we must be at the 4-H Fair! You never know what you might see- a guinea pig in a hula skirt, a bunny dressed as Abe Lincoln, Kool-Aid colored chickens, or maybe Drax on crutches. Here's a huge THANK YOU to everyone who helped us at the fair !!! We had a wonderful set-up and break-down crew to help us out! Kids from the Tae Kwon Do club, along with their fearless leader, made short work of getting our booth constructed. And Samantha firmly instructed my gimpy self to stop trying to carry things and sit down! Without their help, my faithful henna-wrapping sidekick Pat and I would still be trying to get everything back into the truck. Our henna posse grew this year, and we had Kira (our official 4-H mascot, who is currently sporting a very cool gecko henna) and a whole handful of kids looking out for us, running for drinks and food, and making sure we had everything we needed. My dear friend Alyson (our original mascot who ran AWAY from the circus to join the Marines) was able to hang out with us for a while, and it was really good to see her. All the munchkins in the world can wander into my booth, but they will never replace the original. It always seems like something's missing when she's not in the booth... happily drifting away on the scent of henna paste... She never chooses a design, just shrugs and says "Whatever you want to draw is cool." My favorite words. It's amazing what you can learn about someone when you let their spirit speak to you. It feels good to create new artwork on someone, using only their personal energy as a guide. Their body tells me what to draw. That's when I enjoy doing henna the most... I watch in amazement as the design almost creates itself, like a story about them unfolding in front of me. It seems to take a few visits before people realize they're safe in my hands and decide to take the brave step and plunge into uncharted henna. They're always happy when they do, knowing that they're wearing a design that was created just for them. So yes, it was awkward and sometimes painful to be in the booth with my foot propped up on a stool hidden under the table... trying to get into a reasonably comfortable position for each new henna. But it was great to be outdoors, surrounded by friends (and their pets!). It was great to have a chance to feel creative again! I can't wait to go back!