Halfway

We nade it through the first weekend, with about 500 visitors over the three nights.

On Friday, I mentioned that I keep sliding around on the stool I use. The woman who was working in the fabric stall where I was said that she works with special-needs children and that they use mats of some kind to help the kids with picking up their cups, etc without tipping them. Thinking about that later, I decided to see if the stuff you put under rugs to keep them from slipping would help. It works great!

On Saturday night, I realized that I was weaving much faster than I had expected, so the warp I had put on wasn't nearly long enough. I asked if I could get into the fellowship hall, where they put my loom overnight, about 3 o'clock Sunday afternoon to tie on a new warp. I wound off about ten yards Sunday morning and tied it onto what was already on the loom. It meant tying sixty knots, but at least I didn't need to thread the heddles and reed. Last night one of the little boys of Bethlehem (I like the way they have the kids in costume, running around as part of the town.), who I guess had heard me tell someone about putting on new thread, asked where the cloth I had woven the previous two nights was. I told him in my car. He asked if he can have it. I told him to see me after we went back into the fellowship hall, but I think he forgot. I'll need to find him on Friday. The only thing I know is that his 'Bethlehem name' is Uri. (I chose Naomi as my 'Bethlehem name.')

Last night they put me at the rugs stall. Fabrics is about 3/4 of the way down the 'street' and rugs is the second stall inside the city gate. It was interesting being in a different location. The beggar and the leper, both of whom get chased out by the Roman guards whenever they sneak in, rarely get down as far as the fabrics stall, but I saw a lot of them last night.

When people finish the walk, they are invited into the fellowship hall for a hot drink (coffee, chocolate, cider) and cookies. They are also invited to leave comments. Then when we Bethlehemites have taken off our costumes and are enjoying the hot beverages and cookies, the comments are read. Last night someone mentioned the weaver as a highlight. I was surprised - and pleased.

It's a bit warmer today, so I'm hoping the warming trend will continue, and that it will be about 50 degrees next weekend.

Medical:

I had a scan of my legs today to see if there are any blood clots. I have a colonoscopy scheduled next Thursday, and need to be off coumadin for five days before that. If there are no clots (the technician saw none, but a radiologist will need to examine what she did), Dr Winkler will just let me be off coumadin for those five days. If there are clots, he will give me something else instead of the coumadin. I'm hoping the radiologist agrees with the technician.