Denver County Fair Day 2

Today was just Hubby, Mesha, and I. Juju was at RenFair and our camera was sadly AWOL.

I checked my entry in the canning catagory - no ribbon for me. Although I saw the ribbons, there were no labels telling what each item was so the display was a little disappointing.

We wandered through the art exhibits - I had no idea Denver had such an artist community! We picked up a few inexpensive but cool items (Flying Dog beer soap), sighed over some amazing pieces out of our price range (iron forged floor lamp) and tucked away a few business cards for later purchase (steampunk honeybee necklace)

One thing we really like about this fair is that it was indoors and completely wheelchair accessible. One thing we didn't like was the lack of food/beverage choices - we suspect that that had more to do with the venue (National Western Complex) than the fair organizers. But it was wrong to see Great Divide Brewing Co sponsor, but unable to sell. I hope they try again next year, but with a venue that is more community oriented.

We saw the winning poultry - none of which were ours. We found out that to be eligible to win birds must be full grown and not have their wings clipped. Our girls were out on both counts. Still worth it though, cost to show was almost half of cost of entry, and as an exhibitor we got 1 free pass each.

We watched Mesha play in an inflatable "hamster ball". Saw the Freakshow again. Checked out the "Green" exhibits. Some of them were really informative (where can we put an aquaculture set up with tilapia. . .hmmmm) Basically we killed time until we could pick up our birds.

There will be pictures of the new additions as soon as I find the camera.

remodeling pt 1

With the new ducks coming tomorrow I needed better use of space so they could sleep in the hen house at night.

In the original playhouse there was a plastic fold up table at the window, that I have been trying to figure out how to recreate, with nesting boxes below. For now part of a plastic shelf will suffice. I can frame in the nesting boxes and also a shallow box on top that can be filled with straw so as not to lose floor space. (it will officially become the "sun room") The hooks holding the new roost (old closet rod) were plant hangers on the fence in MN.

If anyone wonders, there is currently no door to close on the poultry entrance - by fall I plan to have a re-purposed dog door that full grown hens should be able to push through. The girls are always up before me, no matter how early I roll out of bed, so I just gave up. I have faith that our fence is predator proof enough with the fence sunk and flat rocks buried half way along it.

Denver County Fair Day 1

Juju and I spent a couple hours roaming the fairgrounds in period costume, handing out cards for the Littleton History Museum fashion show we would later appear in. We didn't get to many strange looks, considering the steampunk community was out and about, and this urban fair had a Freakshow area. If I had had goggles I could have fit in with the former group. With the blue hair and gothic makeup of my college days, the latter.

Hubby and Mesha showed up in time for the show. (Our pictures of the runway turned out blurry.)

Juju was part of the "flannel family". The show was punctuated with stories taken from diaries or newspapers of the time. Her group represented parents with 3 kids - matching outfits because cloth was purchased by the bolt. The trip to town being 17 miles, a trip that long could not be done often in the 1860's. She is Laura-like in this picture is she not??

I was in a 1890's, oh-so-racy bicycling outfit. It was the beginning of trousers (MC hammer has nothing on these babies) for women. If the shirt was well boned, women were even known to go without a corset (the horror!)

We wandered around awhile. We saw the freakshow (the bearded lady was gorgeous! But Mesha was scared of Batboy and The Lizard man, but enjoyed the guys lying on nails and snapping their tongues in mousetraps.) Then we checked on Alice and Pippa. I had thought to supplement our flock with a couple hens, if available. We saw a large Buff Orphington for sale and some bantam brown leghorns. Then we saw the ducks. A mated pair of Welsh Harlequins - expected to lay at least 280 eggs a year.

Ivan was to be in the cat show, registered under "Fluffiest Cat". He was not happy in his little cat carrier and by the time the show started he was showing his displeasure. To Juju's disappointment, hers was the only entry in that category that showed up. She got 2nd place in the prettiest cat, partially for her good sportsmanship in her willingness to move to another category. !st place went to a Bengal. We left soon after, our runner up deserved to go home.

Not, however, before we bought the ducks.

Who the hell impulse buys ducks?! Any normal woman would be pining away for a Coach Purse or Jimmy Cho shoes. Hubby should be trying to justify a Tag Hauer watch. About 5 years ago I bought a Brighton necklace - after spending 4 hours hemming and hawing.

It took us less than 10 minutes to decide, separately, that we NEEDED these waterfowl. Our conversation, made entirely of looking at each other, then the pair took less than one.

We pick them up tomorrow after the fair is over.

There is something seriously wrong with us.

Getting Ivan ready for the fair

He has been protesting - Loudly - at his mistreatment. First Hubby and Juju ganged up on him periodically this last week to comb &/or cut out his various dreadlocks.

And now this.

Oh the humanity. . .

Poultry thriller

Pippa and Alice went to the fair yesterday.

Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum are very subdued all by themselves in the coop. All they saw was their companions squawking and being unceremoniously shoved into cat carriers.

I think they are hearing the theme from Jaws.

DA DUM . . . DA DUM . . . DA DUM DA DUM DA DUM . . . . . .

Now for something comepletely different!

I loves me some IKEA.

The only thing I didn't like about moving to Colorado was the limited availability of Swedish Meatballs. . . and Lingonberry juice. . . and totally kick ass RTA furniture.

So at 7:40 AM I was in line for the 9am grand opening of the Centennial, CO store - 15 minutes away from the homestead.

Yet one more reason why I don't want a rural farm.

#7 why I like chickens

They eat dinner screw-ups (in this case burned millet that was going to be the side dish for Chicken Kebabs) On a side note, our little flock looks a little dull without the Polish and Brown Leghorn for color. Hopefully there will be hens available at the fair.