a-chick-metic: 1 poor plan + 2 crossed fingers = 0 exotic chickens

My new camera came in the mail, and it was like picking up a brick.  Why hadn't I checked the weight before I bought it?!  My old camera weighed 1 lb 2 oz, and this new camera is 2 lbs 6 oz.  Too, too much.  I sent it back and I'm still waiting for the (15.6 oz) replacement.  But my cell phone is too painfully bad, so when Todd and I went to the Indiana State Fair last week, I brought the point-and-shoot business camera.  

I love the fair.  I used to live nearby and went at least once every season, sometimes many times.  I love the exotic chickens, the vegetable contests, the butter sculptures, the 4H insect collections, the dog and cat shows, all of it.  I guess we timed it poorly this year, though.  The chickens, the pigs, sheep, goats, horses, and cows...either already gone or not yet at the fair.  We couldn't find the butter sculptures or the insect collections.  It was a lot of this:

Thankfully, there were a few sheep, there for a random junior show:

There were a couple of pigs at a birthing exhibit:

There was a small goat petting zoo:

One exhibitor brought a few ducks and chickens:

There was a midday horse race:

Of course, we checked out the quilt exhibits.

The baked goods...

...and the veggies.

I love checking out the oddities, though.  Who has the best antique clock?  The best old record?  The best vintage doll?  Or...what about the best Christmas decoration?  The ugliest lamp?  The best scrapbooking page??  Oh, they've got it.

Todd found some treasures too!

Next year, I will CHECK THE SCHEDULE to make sure that the exhibits I want to see are open.  I need those exotic chickens!!

(past chicken pics)

Have a great week!

fabric therapy

Lately, the sunsets...

...and sunrises...

...have been gorgeous!  It's one of the benefits of getting up at 5 a.m. and getting my day started.  By the time my workout is over, the sun is coming up!  I still like to get in at least one good hike with Todd every week...rain or shine. 

There's a lot of standing water left over from the recent flooding, and these ducks are taking full advantage of it!

I love seeing mating pairs.  It means that soon we'll be seeing...ducklings!!  I am definitely missing our "goz" this year and am looking forward to seeing the local 'littles' a bit later this spring.  Meanwhile, we saw signs of other creatures around.  Lots of beaver activity around the water.  They're loving it! 

I'm thinking about relocation more than hikes and pretty sunrises, though.  Our temporary stay in an apartment has stretched on for many months, since we haven't yet found the right property.  Being in such a small space is tough, and being without my 'extras' is even tougher.  One thing that's extraordinarily hard is not sewing and quilting.  My fabric - and machine - are in storage, and I'm starting to feel a little surly about it.  Buying new fabric helps. 

Recent favorites include May Belle fabric from Penny Rose...

...Guest Room by Moda (the pinks are not nearly as bright as they appear here!)...

...and Garden Variety, also by Moda.

Check out this amazing quilt made with Garden Variety!

Not only have I been purchasing bundles, but I've been picking up random fat quarters at a steady pace.

More than any other color, I have accumulated a lot of mint.  But I've also been drawn to reds and navys, which will make an amazing quilt someday.

Our apartment is so full that I'm resting my feet on sacks of fabric while I work at my computer, so I'm trying not to buy too much more until we move...but I can't resist a thrift store, and I definitely have a fondness for strawberries.  This bone china cake plate was MINE for $3.

I think it's so cheerful for spring and even early summer.  I can't wait to put it in my (future) kitchen!  That day cannot get here soon enough!

The cats don't mind our cozy quarters one bit.  They always seem to find room to stretch out, usually in my lap.

Every day, Tabitha snuggles in for "biscuits and gravy" - kneading and sucking - usually on my arm.  She hasn't changed much.  The photo on the left is from her kitten days...the one on the right is from last week.  ;)   

My sweaters all have little yarn snarls at the inside elbow bend, because she kneads vigorously there for sometimes 10 minutes at a time.  I don't mind, though.  Totally worth it.

Have a great week! 

...and then there were three

These first peonies are fading fast...

...but I planted many different varieties.  Ruffles and more ruffles.

Peonies are such great old-fashioned flowers.  I'm going to have a massive bed of them when we finally settle somewhere!

Our house finches are growing quickly.  Do you see the feces around the edge of the nest?  For the first week or so of their lives, the adults eat the feces of the young, but after that, the babies void at the rim of the nest.  The rim of feces grows and grows until they, at last, fly away. They're considered pretty messy birds, although so far everything is staying in the fern.

The big news around here, though, is...GOZ. 

The nest I've been watching is still occupied, but ANOTHER clutch of eggs has hatched in an unknown location, probably a week or so ago.  First we had four little goslings, but now (gulp) there are three.  And we love watching them!

I was weeding by the pond this weekend and the adult geese brought the babies, bumbling, over the bank.  I sat quietly and watched as they fed all around me. 

Actually, it's quite wonderful to just sit outside with a camera.  I did the same thing in Indiana and there's so much to be seen.  This weekend, the weather was mild, and I worked quietly as the goz padded around.  Small brown birds skimmed the water for gnats and mosquitoes.

A pair of ducks preened and swam in lazy circles.

A slug, disturbed by the sudden loss of weed cover, headed for darker pastures.

A black rat snake popped his head up in the ivy to watch my progress.

It was so peaceful.  The weather has been so delightfully cool around here, mostly in the 60s and lower 70s, so it's been the perfect time to get outside and work in the yard.

Everything is fully green now...

...and maybe the long, hot summer won't feel quite as long, since spring has been so good to us this year.

Have a great week!