Hello from Anner and Aaron!: 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.