Don't miss it, don't even be late...

I've been enjoying some much-needed time away before school visiting the great state of Iowa. Today we decided to take a family day trip to the Iowa State Fair. We visited the Varied Industries Building, where I was tempted to buy a Hawkeye cookie cutter, but decided against it on account of the price tag. I was a big nerd and got a free pair of ear plugs and my name written in Braille (color dots added for visibility).


We tried Iowa Soy Oil and Corn Cob Syrup, and I went to look at textile arts with my mom on the second level. There were amazing quilts, with the most intricate patterns. I also enjoyed looking at knitting and crochet.

The big fair food this year is "cookies in a cup." Not wanting to miss anything important from the fair, we all split a cup. The cookies were good. The cup was unremarkable. "Cookies in a cup" lived up to its name.

In the Family Food Center, we saw all of the winning entries for cake decorating, cookies, bread, and canning. A slice of each of the winning breads was placed on a plate and behind glass. I've never seen so many single pieces of different kinds of bread, but it was interesting.

Lunch included a somewhat frustrating search for cheese on a stick and a deep fried pickle on a stick. We eventually found the cheese, but we never found the elusive pickle. For the main course, my brother and I each got a veggie corn dog, and I tried deep fried macaroni and cheese (both shown below).


After checking out the dollhouse exhibit, viewing all kinds of crazy-looking chickens, goats, and cows, and seeing the "big boar" (weighing 1,117 lbs.), we headed for home.

-吴碧芙

A Scientifical Study of Giant Birds by Roscoe

I want to write about our recent findings in the field of giant birds. For about a year, I've lived with my companion Kavi, and we have a giant bird who helps us. Kavi observes the giant birds and explains his findings about their behaviour. My work focuses on gathering information about breed and coloring. From my observations it is obvious to me that our giant bird is a giant green Conure, although Kavi doesn't agree. I have seen strong evidence for my hypothesis:
Exhibit A: Brilliant green fathers


Exhibit B: Another instance of green feathers


It's hard to say why these feathers change depending on the day. That's why Kavi says we can't tell which breed it is, based on feathers that are changeable. For a long time we didn't know if it was a girl or a boy. Eventually we found out that it's a boy, because he has a mate, and they are obviously of a dimorphic breed, with the female (left) having less brilliant coloring than the male (right):


The last observation is about head and face feathers. The male's head feathers are bright, like his other feathers, but the female has cheek feathers, that match her head feathers, obviously for camoflaging her in the nest.

Good luck foraging!
Roscoe

Catching Up

This weekend was a mini-vacation, as 文大猊 and I made the trek to Eastern Iowa for the hometown celebration. Highlights included the 5k run/walk early Saturday morning, riding in the parade with my high school classmates, playing and exploring at the Farm with my cousins, my 10-yr high school reunion, and introducing 大猊 to the extended family.

The first event was the 5k. Our team was 大猊, my aunt, and myself. We each got a number and a medal.


The parade included a few entries worth mentioning: my reunion wagon, the Beastmaster with a ferret in his pouch, and the first-place entry (below).


The first place float in the parade was a giant rotating Jesus Taco, from one of the local churches.


In the afternoon, we went to the Farm, caught the kittens, played the game Pit, and explored the Farm, including the creek, the hen house, the Ancestor Room, and the small attic.

The reunion was Saturday night, and went off without a hitch. We left Sunday morning, but not without my aunts, cousins, and uncle coming to say one last goodbye to 大鲵 and two emergency haircuts--the first from my mom and the second from my aunt who is a trained professional.

-吴碧芙