MEET MISTY!

Last week I got an email from an art co-op in the Greenwood neighborhood. It was advertising an artwalk on Friday night that included "Art Penguins". Art AND penguins!!! We HAD to go!!

The Woodland Park Zoo is doing a March of the Penguins fundraiser, inspired by their new Humboldt Penguin exhibit. You know how you can find the art Snoopys in St. Paul, Cows in Madison, Pigs on Parade in Seattle.... this was plaster penguins decorated by artist and then auctioned in a silent auction. Oh! What fun!! There are pictures of them in this link to the zoo:

http://www.zoo.org/penguinsonthemarch/

We checked them out and almost immediately went from "I guess we should at least just look at the penguins" to "Which penguin are we taking home tonight?!" We judged the penguins on overall coolness and ability to live outside in our garden.

We narrowed it down to about five and then decided to go for a walk. Why bid up your own penguin??? Best to wait until the last minute. So we did. We came back 10 minutes before the bidding closed, along with our city's mayor. Then with the final countdown in swing: 10, 9, 8,.... I put my bid number on the sheet and just like that we were big winners!! (As was the mayor, which, sadly, is more than he can say for his latest primary.)

Meet Misty our new penguin art!!

She was created by the "Misty City Morris Dancers" (we have no idea who they are)

Materials: Hand-made ceramic tiles, anchored in blue grout, wheel-thrown bowler hat, vest embellished with glass buttons and Peruvian worry dolls.

She was definitely a hit at the ice cream social and a wonderful addition to the back year.

CROW MEETS JUGGLE BALL

Aaron and I have found a semi-effective crow deterrent. Last Saturday I was watching the crows try to unpry an advertisement that had been stuck in our chain link fence. It was pretty funny. The worked as a team twisty and turning every way they could but the pizza coupons were juuuuust out of reach for them. Honestly, they were pretty funny to watch and I reveled in the fact that they couldn't get what they wanted so bad. "HA! Take that crows!!" I thought to myself.
Then I walked past the window a few minutes later and they were on the grown about to snap off some more pretty little flowers from our pants and another crow was burrowing under the dirt in the yard, no doubt causing havoc in it's path! I was MAD. Damned crows. I threw open the door and grabbed the first thing I saw; my juggle balls. I flew throw the screen door with more than the usual "gitt" they've grown accustom to. This time the colorful ball went flying in their general direction. I'm a pretty horrible thrower but it was enough excitement that they went caw, caw, cawwing away as they flew a few houses away. We didn't see them for the rest of the day!!! Can you believe it??!!!
Aaron tried the same technique a few days later with the same outcome -- no crows for the rest of the day. I now keep the juggle balls stocked next to the door.

I SCREAM YOU SCREAM

The second annual Ice Cream Social was SUPER FUN and we have a freezer full of ice cream. We had a crazy number of toppings and an fine turn-out. It also doubled as Misty's coming-out party.

FLOWERS from the Ice Cream Social:

Amazing Dahlias. They are just do cool and you never know what to expect.

This is Aaron's favorite combo-pot of "thriller, filler, and spillers"
A very happy begonia:

Happy Birthday Aaron Barr!!!

Last night Aaron's dad says, "Two words, son: Pushing 40."

Aaron replies, "A few more words, dad: Better than pushing daises."
With that --- let the birthday begin!!

Birthday Eve:

• I bring him chocolate covered strawberries and homemade brownies at work.
• Co-workers sign a hilarious card and sing "Happy Birthday."
• Then, back to work.
• Aaron comes home to see birthday presents wrapped up like the house from "Up".

Must say, of all my really great wrapping jobs, this was pretty special.

See, it's shaped like the house with balloons out of the chimney.

After dinner we frost Aaron's bday cake. It's a two person job. It's also his mom's recipe. Talk about pressure...trying to live up to a guy's memory of his mom's baking. Oiy! Don't know how it tastes, but it looks good!

12:01 AM: I serenade him with "Happy Long-Life" song

9:00 AM: Aaron serenaded, almost as beautifully, by the Crows, "Caw caw caw caw caaw caaaaaaw! Caw caw caw caaw caaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaw!"

Back to sleep for him / I get up.

Aaron knew he was off to good start. To honor him, the crows picked flowers for him. They picked all the adorable little blooms off of the low lying plants and ran then around the yard in celebration and then in their excitement flung them into new places for Aaron to find. Thank you Crows!

10:00 AM:

• Aaron gets out of bed.
• Receives phone calls from family.
• Aaron's dad says, "You should really get a humming bird feeder for your yard."

11:00 AM: Pancake breakfast with fresh blueberries and fried tattors (including extra tasty seasoning, I'm told)


12:00 PM: Time to nap


1:00 PM: Head to Carcreek Park for Seattle Metals Guild picnic.


We walk through the woods. It's a pretty day to be born.


3:00 PM:
Back home for granola bar, fresh strawberries, and book reading.Sitting on the couch with me, "Dad says I should get a humming bird feeder."
I say, "Hum? What's that?"
Aaron explains......
I respond, "Sure. If you want one..." (then turn away so hopefully he can't see me giggling)


4:00 PM: Present opening!!!
Aaron successfully guesses 2 for 5 gifts. (He gets to keep them even if he guesses wrong.)

New ice cream scoop and toppings.

Last present from the Up present sculpture?
Aaron guesses, "Is it a hand sander?!!!" as he shakes the box.
You know what is though. You guessed it! A Humming bird feeder from me. HILARIOUS! I couldn't have paid his dad to tell him he needed one!
His dad must have the Sight.

Aaron opens the "hand sander" and realizes IT'S A HUMMING BIRD FEEDER!! HA!!

Birthday Aftermath

5:30 PM: Anner gets pizza for dinner.

8:00 PM: Watching baseball

8:30 PM: Planning to eat cake and ice cream (using his new ice cream scoop -- can't have enough of those)

That's the birthday in a nutshell. It was really fun. Thanks for all the cards and good wishes.

KILLER CROWS

Hands down. We must offer the most interesting yard in the neighborhood. At least according to the Crow Family.

Cawww

Cawww

CaaaaaaaaW!

Is how we awake every morning. (Actually, that's true for Aaron. I wake up too early for even crows on weekdays.)

Things are escalating here at an alarming rate. A couple of weeks ago I noticed that the crows had yanked down our blue lantern, crushed it and then shat upon it. I figured, maybe they don't like "blue". At least I thought that until the red lantern met the same fate.

Lantern attack area.

We're busy people and sure we're not so happy with the crows but there seems to be a real limit to what one can do to deter them. This week the crows crossed a line. We're NOT happy any more. I'm growing weary of mother nature's crow pranks!

This week, on the week of our first wedding anniversary, the crows took aim at the wedding tree!!! GASP! They've completely stripped the bark from the tree in one day. Boy am I mad!! I'm glad I married the man and not the tree, but the tree was doing great and we thought for sure it would live a long life in our back yard. Growing old with us. Now it seems pretty likely the tree's days our numbered and we've resorted to trying to find a way to "take a graft" to see if a new tree can be saved.

I wish I could say the same for the crows.

Wedding tree this past May. His little leaves had just unfolded.... *sigh*

Caw
Caw
CaaaaW.


For more information about how smart crows are, check out this link to NPR. Scientist have found out that crows can recognize faces and they certainly recognize us. They go crazy when we're in what the perceive as their play land. Damned crows....

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106826971



CAMPING -
Last weekend Aaron and I went our first ever weekend camping trip. Our mis-matched work schedules really preclude us from doing fun things like camping but thanks to Aaron (and his boss) he was able to get a Saturday off. We heading about an hour from here and had a great time with a couple other couples. It was weird though -- there's been no rain in Seattle in weeks and yet it did manage to spend 1/2 a day raining on us. We don't get it. What did we ever do wrong to deserve rain-while-camping and wrath of the crows all in one summer? Makes no difference, we were determined to have fun no matter what. And after my four summers in AK a little rain wasn't going to stop us!

We went on hikes both days. We ate gourmet smores. We did Mad Libs. We told stories around the campfire. Safe to say: a good time was had by all!! Aaron probably most liked the hiking (I was pleased that it wasn't too strenuous) and I liked the pizza over an open fire the best. Yummy! We're re-seam-sealing the tent and hoping we can maybe go one more time this summer. Wish us luck! Maybe I need to take the extra day off of work this time. Fair is fair.

Aaron hiking moves.

Fire roasted pizza.

View from hiking.

View from the car.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO US -

Flowers from mom!

Today is our first anniversary!! We can't believe it! It's been one fast year. We're both pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to move in together and meld our lives. We were both prepared for some problems but instead it was all good. We spent the day at the EMP looking at the Muppet exhibit. I like Ernie the most and Aaron likes Beaker. We saw both of them up close and personal (or in sketch form). Then off to Sky Nursery to buy more plants --- can't have enough (especially on the eve of the second annual Ice Cream Social --- things have got to look good!). Finally, we met Martin & Cynthia, Ed & Brigit, and Wolfe & Christa for dinner at Marchellos. It was great fun. Marchello remembers us. He kindly set up two tables for us to choose from; one in door and one out door. We took the patio.

DAHLIAS ARE BLOOMING -

This week the dahlias started to bloom. So far they look great!! We dahlias.

I think I can bloom; I think I can bloom; I think I can bloom....

I CAN BLOOM!