Now I'm not too happy with any of them. First attempt at buttercream palette knife decorating..



Next, a take off from a Debby Brown design.



And the last was a complete failure. Attempted to do this cake, wrapped in a sugar sheet, but found it was too humid and sagged. So, I had to go with a plain fondant instead.



Will be taking them 60 miles to Illinois State Fair on Sunday. No chance of championship this year.

just diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy five weeks ago. As described in the literature on cats with congestive heart failure, a blood clod formed and paralyzed his back legs. He was very frightened and crying out. I rushed him to the emergency vet. He sounded like he was drowning while struggling to breathe. They said he was in the last stage of heart failure. I stayed with him as he went to his rest. We estimated he was 14 or 15. He was one of 4 stray Tom cats that showed up, one year apart, at my house in Fayetteville and stayed. I am down to the last one who was Gabby's BFF. I don't know what he will do without his snuggle buddy.

Somewhere in the photos in this group is a photo of my 4 semi-feral guys from back in 2010 or 2011. Happier times.

There was no fair last year due to Covid. Then I moved from Arkansas to Illinois in October and discovered the county fair here is only for 4H and FFA. So, decided I'd try my hand at the state fair. It's held about 60 miles from here, but my son will drive me and this guy down tomorrow.

-19 pandemic worsens.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/12/04/nation/makes-you-ask-why-hell-we-even-bother-infectious-disease-experts-face-disillusionment-covid-19-pandemic-worsens/?outputType=amp&__twitter_impression=true

“At almost every step of this pandemic, we have failed magnificently as a country,” the Harvard scientist said Monday. “And in ways that we just really didn’t need to fail.”

The country, and in particular this city, are home to some of the greatest public health experts in the world, many of whom have spent their careers preparing for a crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I’m just astounded by the dysfunction, the willingness to just stay the course as hundreds of thousands of people die, and the unwillingness to innovate in literally any way,” said Mina, an assistant professor of epidemiology at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health, who has been advocating for widespread at-home rapid antigen testing since March, with little success. “I’ve realized that when we need to rise up as a country, we have truly no moral capacity to do it. It’s just the most mind-bending, complete “Twilight Zone” experience that makes you ask why the hell we even bother.”

https://twitter.com/JeremyKonyndyk/status/1241592039281655808


I don't know how to 'unroll' the rest, but read through it. He takes each important date and documents how US failed to act.

I'll try.

2011


2012


2013


2014


2015


2016


2017


2018


2019



Here's a couple of real cakes I've done for family and friends.

With the sickness and loss of my precious Mellow over the past week, I forgot to post it.