09/30/2026
Happy Wednesday! I hope you all are having a great week. As always, there is so much going on around here.
Before I even get to Saturday’s adventure, I forgot another important event from last week.
The dogs went to the groomer.
Now, most people would probably say that like it was no big deal. Around here, of course, it was an EVENT.
Jordyn had to work — imagine that — so Pyper and I took not one, not two, but SIX dogs to the groomer.
When we got there, they asked Pyper if they could decorate Bucky for Halloween. She said sure and told them to make him look like Eeyore.
Well, apparently they were out of gray paint, so somewhere along the way Eeyore turned into Monsters, Inc.
Since Jordyn couldn’t go with us, I decided we should surprise her and have Stytch made to look like the REAL Stitch.
We didn’t tell her.
Actually, we didn’t tell Jim or Cross either.
The girls and I had somewhere to go that evening, so Jim and Cross had to pick all six dogs up from the groomer.
Now, I’m not sure there is a whole lot left in this world that shocks Jim anymore. After all these years with me and these children, the man has seen some things.
Apparently, though, this did it.
From what I was told, Jim walked in, saw Stytch, looked at Cross and said, “What the…?”
And that was BEFORE he even saw Bucky.
Once he saw Bucky, Cross said he pretty much just shook his head and went on.
Honestly, that’s probably the appropriate response at this point.
I’m still not sure if Jordyn actually liked her surprise or if she was in such complete shock that she couldn’t speak.
Either way…enjoy the pictures. 😂
Now on to Saturday.
Saturday was the Harvest Festival in South Boston. Since Pyper is dual licensed in Virginia and North Carolina, she has been trying to expand her reach across the Virginia line too. This was our first time attending the Harvest Festival, and y’all, we were so well received! We had a great day and met so many wonderful people.
Now, let me tell you how the day actually went because nothing around here is ever quite that simple.
Jordyn had to work, and Cross wanted to hunt so bad he could taste it, which left Jim, Pyper and me. Since we had never attended this festival before and didn’t know what the setup or attendance would be like, I only reserved ONE vendor space.
Mistake. That is the only word I can use to describe that decision.
I had already told Cross he could hunt and that I would just load everything in my car and take it myself.
Mistake number two.
By Thursday afternoon, I realized there was absolutely no way all of our stuff was fitting in my car.
Now, as you all know, Cross is our trailer driver. He can pull one, back one, put one wherever you tell him to put it and make it look easy. But I had promised him he could hunt, and I wasn’t going back on that. So I told him, “I’ll just pull the trailer.”
The fear on that child’s face was noticeable.
I reminded him that I DO know how to pull a trailer. I’ve even backed them before. Is it my favorite thing to do? Absolutely not. Do I usually end up happy after backing one? Also absolutely not.
Other than Cross and me, the trailer drivers around here are basically nonexistent. Jim doesn’t like pulling one and never really has. Me, on the other hand, I grew up around men who made sure I knew how to do certain things that maybe every girl wasn’t taught. Now, there are plenty of things I probably SHOULD know how to do that I definitely don’t…but that’s another story for another day.
So Saturday morning, in the DARK, we headed across the Virginia line.
It was quiet.
I am not a morning person, and Pyper isn’t much better.
Then Pyper says, “It’s early and I’m starving. Are we stopping for breakfast?”
Lovely.
Here I am with my big car AND a trailer trying to think of somewhere I can get in and out of without creating a situation. Hardee’s it was. Food secured. Back on the road.
According to the festival map, traffic was only allowed in one way.
Remember, I said according to the MAP.
Here’s another fun fact about me: I cannot read a map to save my life. I am a landmark girl. Jim is the nerd who reads the maps. Anywhere we go, the minute somebody hands us a map, everybody starts calling for Jim.
Why?
Because although my children look nothing like me, they DID inherit one thing from their mama — not a single one of us can read a map.
Those little maps they give you at theme parks? Not a chance. I’ll turn that thing upside down, sideways and backwards, and it still looks like a foreign language. Jim just laughs, takes it away from me and starts giving me landmarks.
I could tell y’all the story of how Jim discovered I couldn’t read a map, but my children already tell me my posts are too long, so I’ll save that one.
Anyway, we finally made it to our vendor space and wouldn’t you know it — a sweet elderly lady had parked her truck directly in front of our spot…and lost her keys while unloading.
She apologized and told us someone was coming from Danville to unlock it.
Danville.
Thirty minutes away.
Well, I couldn’t wait, so we improvised. I parked the trailer where I could and we started unloading.
Now let’s remember that our last vendor show was only two weeks ago and it was almost 100 degrees.
Saturday? CHILLY AND WINDY.
And when I say windy, I mean EVERYTHING was blowing everywhere.
Our original tent setup went straight out the window and I had to completely regroup. Poor Pyper had a rack for her shirts that absolutely refused to stay standing.
So what is a mama to do?
Zip-tie it to a light pole, of course.
Did it work? Yes.
Did the shirts stay on the rack?
Absolutely not.
The wind was so bad that Jim pretty much had to keep a hand on the tent all day. I’ve done a lot of vendor shows over the years, and that was definitely some of the worst wind I’ve ever fought.
Pyper always likes to walk around and look at the other vendors whenever she gets a break. It was still early, so I told her I’d walk down the street with her for a few minutes.
We’re walking, talking and looking when all of a sudden…
CRASH. CRASH.
Things are breaking.
I look up and another vendor’s ENTIRE TENT had caught the wind, gone up in the air and came crashing down right in front of us.
At that point I looked at Pyper and said, “It’s time to go back to our tent. I don’t need you getting hurt or killed for the rest of the day.”
And back we went.
Before the festival, Cross had also advised me that I needed to park the car and trailer across the bridge near Burger King and walk back.
I asked him if he had lost his mind.
There was no way I was parking that far away.
Thankfully, I found a BEAUTIFUL parking spot much closer, which meant when the show ended I was able to grab the trailer quickly. We were packed, loaded and headed home by 6:00!
WHAT A BLESSING.
We made it home, dropped the trailer and went to grab something to eat. Cross met us there, thank goodness, because Pyper was going through Cross withdrawals.
I think Cross was mostly just happy to see that my car and the trailer had returned in one piece.
He told me hey and immediately asked, “How’s the trailer?”
I said, “Good. I only broke one thing.”
Just a little plastic piece around the light socket.
He seemed satisfied with that answer. 😂
So there you have your latest Crosswynd update: six freshly groomed dogs, two surprise paint jobs, a great vendor show, crazy wind, a flying tent, a trailer adventure, one tiny broken piece and everybody made it home safely.
And most importantly, all the animals stayed where they belonged and were safe and sound when we got home, so all in all, I’d call it a pretty good week around here.
Next up — Ladies Night on October 8th and THREE weddings during the month of October!
October is looking just as busy as September, so I’m sure I’ll have plenty more Crosswynd stories to tell.
Happy Wednesday from all of us at Crosswynd Farm!