Falanis goes to the Fair!

If You Give a Hen a Spa Day

(with apologies to Laura Numeroff)

If you give a hen a spa day she's going to ask for bubble bath.

After the bubble bath she's going to want to be dried with an oversized Turkish towel

The towel will be insufficient, so she will require a hair dryer. And a comb. You will have to draw the line at styling products.

"Take me to the County Fair!" she will cry when the treatment is done, "So that my loveliness may be gazed upon by fowl far and wide!"

And you will have little choice but to comply.

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"How old are you, Mom?"

"Thirty-seven, Honey."

Sigh.




She's right. It is an awful lot of roadside flowers to pick while waiting for the school bus to drop Big Brother off at our stop.Follow @nicole_mcinnes

girls rule, boys drool

That's the word on the playground, apparently. Also, the other way around.

Yes, school is back, and all the hubbub therewith. I find myself with more free time than I've had in almost a decade (though "free" may be an overstatement. It would more accurately be described as time to put a dent in the mountain of tasks, large and small, looming before me. Can you hear the sad violins playing in the background?).

Yesterday I worked for hours on the new and improved Chateau Chicken, since some friends are giving us their pair of Leghorn layers (that's "Leggern" to those of you interested in improving your Chickenese). This could work out well for a couple of reasons: Leghorns are big layers (and I mean BIG - have you seen the size of those monsters?), but they're not so much into going broody (sitting on the eggs). Silkies, on the other hand, rarely get around to laying because they go broody so easily. They love sitting on any eggs they can find, even those of other hens. Silkie roosters are apparently the same way - they'll keep the eggs warm and help raise the chicks. How's that for the "sensitive male" so many women dream about?

Last weekend we did the horse show thing, and tomorrow's the County Fair show. Don't know if we'll be going though, since Zzari stepped on the boy's toe this week and it's still sore.
That's about it for this Friday - short and sweet. I'd like to add "like me," but I'm more the tall and cranky type.Follow @nicole_mcinnes

dresses all up and no place to go

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bite the wax tadpole

Okay, just this once I'm going to ask you to trust me. Do yourselves a favor and hop on over to Moronland.

And why is it that I suddenly have this song in my mind?

And...oh, heck, why not. Long as we're twangin' and redneckin', let's just check out ol' Bocephus as well.Follow @nicole_mcinnes

hand gallop, please. hand gallop.

That's what my weekend was all about - and I mean ALL about. From Friday morning at about 6:30 until Sunday afternoon I was Ms. Ring Steward, thank you very much. It was fun. I've done lots of different horse show stuff over the years - showing, judging, spectating, being there for students, etc. - but working as ring steward at a class A show was one thing I hadn't done. It was labor intensive, detail intensive and trying-my-best-to-take-care-of-our-top-notch-judge intensive, but it was also lots of fun and of course I learned a ton listening to Madame Judge and watching the exhibitors (the rider on the right put 60 days our young stallion who is now owned by a certain - ahem - photographer who felt compelled to take pictures of me in my funky Eddie Bauer hat). Hey, at least I didn't come home sunburned after three straight days in intense sun. So, here:

The turnout was pretty good for this show, too. Not as big as it's been in years past, but not as small, either. I like to think that Hubby and I were members of the local club back in its heyday, when it had a vibrant membership and show barns busting at the seams. We always get some great trainers from down in the Valley (Phoenix), and there were also several barns from New Mexico represented. One of the things that apparently hurt numbers a bit this year was the fact that Youth Nationals just recently got over with, and folks are still burnt out. The judge was super, though. She'll be judging at U.S. Nationals this year, so it's always good to know we can attract that caliber here at our little 'ol Flagstaff show. Now, of course, I'm itching to find me a young mare to bring up through the ranks. Here's another pic:

Our weather held off until today, when we've had multiple power outages, hail and rain slanting sideways. Some day I'll try to find some of my own glory days show pics and share them here. I hope y'all had a great weekend, too.

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blik

Generally used as a word for things I don't like. So, why do these wall decals make my heart beat a little faster? If only they had a horse-themed set. Well, they and Threadless come close with this. (via Neatorama).

So, now that the links in this short little post have officially reached the status of overbred, I will also include another one. Because, shortly before we left California this summer, a friend and I met with our kids at a local outdoor mall. There's a great toy store therein where they have a hunky-dory Hello Kitty display. The girls weren't half as interested in it as we moms were. So, while I feel for this poor guy, I also not-so-secretly wish I could come over and check out his wife's collection.

And then there's this. Ah, to be twelve again.Follow @nicole_mcinnes

I know why the caged bird sings

This is "Mathilda":

whose very life was nearly required of her this morning when she found herself trapped within the Jaws of DEATH:

(aka "Angel.")

Fortunately, we spotted the rotten cat trotting past the kitchen window with her new toy, then headed outside and found her under the horse shoeing trailer. The hummingbird (I think that's what it is, anyway) was predictably in shock. So, we put her inside the Last Chance Saloon (aka a big wire cage that's been useful for all sorts of things lately). After about five or ten minutes she was looking vigorous and healthy, with two clearly functioning wings and no puncture wounds to be found anywhere. So, we took her to a far corner of the property, faced the cage door toward the prairie, opened it up and watched her fly away toward a distant group of trees. Much better ending than we've been experiencing lately, but I still have to ask:

What the heck is the DEAL with birds around here lately?

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soap of the day

The holiday craft show season is rapidly approaching, which means I'll be soaping like a ... like a .... What IS the right analogy for someone who's going to be making a lot of soap?

Pictured above are some freshly-cut "I Love Lavender," bars which are very popular with people who, indeed, love lavender. I don't tend to be one of those people, though the scent grows on me as I get older. Well, it doesn't GROW on me. I mean, it's not like I just wake up more and more smelling like lavender or anything. You know what m'sayin'.

I do love the color lavender, and I do adore the flowers. Here's some I put in a big container outside recently:

So far the plants are surviving the direct sunlight and occasional monsoon hail.

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