Happy Tuesday everyone. Dash is down for his nap (like a good little squealer) so it’s time for a fun post.

I got this from One Good Bumblebee and decided to do it myself. I don’t think the Gangsta part worked out but everything else is pretty good. Anyone think it’s weird that my first pet’s name AND my favorite flavor is Vanilla? Might be related, might not. I don’t feel comfortable saying here.

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car)
Vanilla Prius

2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (favorite ice cream flavor, favorite cookie)
Coffee Pumpkin Chip [I don’t think this one worked out for me]

3. YOUR FLY Guy/Girl NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name)
T-Sat

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)
Navy Panda

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born)
Joy Brunswick

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first)
Satto

7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink)
The Pink Coffee

8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers)
Ned Harry

9. STRIPPER NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy)
Vanilla Gummy Bear

10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names )
Agnes John

11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter)
Thompson Toronto

12. SPY NAME/BOND GIRL: (your favorite season/holiday, flower)
Fall Morning Glory

13. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”)
Apple Slippery

14. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree)
Toast Lilac

15. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”)
The Collecting Sun Tour

It’s that time of the year again. The air is cool, the wind a little crisp. This morning at six, it was still dark out.

This time of the year is always tinged with a bit of sadness. No more summer. No more heat. No more picnics at Two Lights. Bummer.

But as we get closer to Halloween and the first days of wearing sweaters, I start to perk up a bit. It’s apple season! Time to pile in the car and take Dash out for his first orchard excursion. That in itself would have been an easy task, though we wanted to find an organic orchard that was within an hour of Portland. I was surprised at how difficult that turned out to be. There are only two.

Two.

Out of about twenty-one.

That means nineteen orchards within an hour of us are spraying their apples with pesticides. That sucks. But that is not the point of this so I’ll let it go. For now.

We (Neil, Dash, me, and my parents, aka Meme and Bum) drove over to Raven Hill Orchard in East Waterboro on Sunday. (They don’t have a website yet, so no link! But see here for further information about how to find them.)

They’re in their first year of production and it’s a beautiful little spot. Go go go if you’re thinking about going. And if you’re not thinking about going, what’s your problem?
Go! You don’t even have to pick apples. You could just hang out in their coffee shop and laugh at your lame apple picking friends. You know, there’s something for everyone.

Anyway, as it turned out, Dash didn’t really want to pick apples. Go figure. What he elected to do was sleep. Through the entire two hours we were there. But the rest of us had a great time picking a few common varieties and lots of tasty heirloom apples.

Hudson’s Golden Gem, anyone?

Holiday gift spoiler alert!!

This is going to make some mighty fine apple butter for someone’s Christmas toast.

At long freaking last, I have opened the doors to the HappyDashery Vintage Shop.

(Sound of the internets fleeing to a new! shopping! site!)

And for those of you who’ve stuck around…

Can you tell I’m mildly stuck on this name-everything-after-Dashiell thing? It’s so much easier than actually having to come up with unique names. And it’s working, so I’m going with it.
Opening a shop is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. And while I still want an actual bricks and mortar shop, this is a fun and much easier way to achieve it for now. Eight month olds and retail shops do not mix.
Anyway, I’m excited and scared and having a lot of fun. I even sold something!

There’s some fine tuning to do over there and new items are being added every day (it’s a slow process over there at etsy). It’s my goal to start with vintage and then work into a line of vintage supplies and amazing things made with such supplies. Things made in my imaginary studio of glory.

I’ve been dreaming lately about my imaginary studio and all the trimmings and I’m so happy to share that it’s nearly a reality. It’s a shared room (I can’t kick Neil out completely), but one whole half of it will have room for me. I’m all giddy just thinking about it! Once the walls are painted from drab gray and cranberry to an inspirational orange, I will be unstoppable.

So, in summary, if you like the vintage, retro, mid-century, eames era, kitsch, insert your own label here stuff, check in with my store regularly.

Also, if you want to help pay my mortgage, check in with my store regularly. I’ll see you there.

Didn’t I just promise to be better? I did, didn’t I? Arrgh, I’m trying.

Actually, inspired by my favorite exhibit at the Common Ground Fair this past weeekend, make that, “Arrrr, I’m trying.”

Who knew pirates love the fair? You all have seen that episode of Wife Swap, right? I can’t believe I just uttered that phrase, but anyway. The episode with the modern day pirate family? Well, it’s one thing on TV, but another thing to see them just a few feet in front of me in a classic, “Land Ahoy!” pose. Brilliant.

Sometimes I think Dash might be part piglet.

Like when I’m nursing him into a nap and he’s all, “weeeeee, weeeee, weeeeee,” every 90 seconds or so. And not “weeeeee isn’t this fun,” but “sque-weeeeeee-l, I might have a curly tail.”
I think it’s his, “I’m so tired I don’t know what to do with myself. I can’t even nurse properly, weeeeeeee!”

And then he’s out like a light.

We might be heading up to the Common Ground Fair this weekend. I’ll let you know if any actual pigs take a shine to Dash. That might tell us something.