The Nesting Hen

Street scrubbers in Pella Tulip Time is finally here…and now gone :( To me, it truly is the most wonderful time of year! Good food, parades, my costume, Dutch dancing, beautiful flowers…so many reasons to love Tulip Time! My Dutch selfie!  :) Growing up, Tulip Time meant riding on the VFW float that my Grandpa was pulling, sharing Vet Bollen with my Grandma, walking in the parade with all the other school kids, spending time at Grandma and Grandpa's house because it was right on the parade route, Grandma's fresh chocolate chip cookies, walking through the craft show with Mom, Dutch dancing, scrubbing streets, and so very much more! With my Grandparents now being gone, it makes it a bittersweet time. So, to keep my mind busy, and to continue to support the festival that helps keep our community thriving, I decided to volunteer at the Pella Historical Village. This little village features a replica sod home that the founders of the city lived in, a working w...

As tulips begin to break through the fresh spring soil, in our community, we begin to think about Tulip Time, This festival, held the first Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of May, brings thousands from around the world to view our beautiful community, filled with brightly colored tulips and costumes that celebrate our Dutch Heritage. This year, for Tulip Time, I will be worked at the Pella Historical Village , in the bakery. I was very excited to be able to support the festival, as well as meet people from all over the world as the visit. And, because I never have enough projects, I decided last minute to sew a new Dutch costume. My ancestors are from many places in the Netherlands, so I chose to make the costume from Groningen, the province my Grandmother's family is from. A black peplum top, a black dress, an apron, scarf, and a white lace hat make up this costume. I'm finally finished with it all, and just in time, as Tulip Time was a few short days away. Until ...

Every year, our little town has a festival, Tulip Time, to honor our Dutch heritage the first weekend of May. That means thousands, literally thousands, of tulips, dutch costumes, parades, food, and music. As we are nearing Tulip Time, the tulips have started blooming, and the town is preparing for all the guests that will be coming shortly. I took a detour on my nightly walk to see all the beautiful tulips. Now I need to get working on my Dutch Costume. Nothing like last minute preparations!