Bike Prom!

Dan and I went to high school together (Go Impala's!) and ran around in the same circle of friends. We didn't date, but have many shared memories.

Last night we had a chance to go back in time and do what would have been dreamy to look back on. We went to prom together!

This week has been Ft Collins bike week. With events every day,including a crazy successful Bike to Work day. There were approximately 30 breakfast stations set up around the city, and massive hordes of people biked to work and took advantage of free breakfast opportunities.

Last night was the grand finale event, the first annual Bike Prom. It is exactly what it sounds like. People dressed up in their wacky outdated prom regalia, and rode their bikes. The enthusiastic party goers descended upon Old Town just as Brew Fest was wrapping up, which meant that we got many startled stares from overindulging celebrants.

I found the most impressive 80's style prom dress at the thrift store for 6.99. It was challenging to figure out how in the world I made my hair so big back in the day, and the scent of Aqua net (which I could not find, but Suave super hold worked) filled the air as I caked on the eyeliner. Of course I ended up looking much like a lace covered Oompa-loompa, but wasn't most of the 80's bizarre?

We danced to some great 80's classics, slow danced and kissed to a Journey song, and spent a lot of time sitting and watching the entertaining 20-somethings acting like they created 80's fashion and singing the classic songs word for word. Overall a great evening, and a great opportunity to go to prom with my husband!

From Bike Prom

From Bike Prom

The risk of growing food

We have a garden to produce some of our food, and have a share of a small Community Supported Agriculture farm for much of our fresh food during the spring, summer and fall.

Last year we loved coming home each week with 1-2 reusable grocery bags loaded with organic vegetables that had been picked just hours before.

The intense storms Monday night produced a remarkable hail storm, centered over the small town of LaPorte Colorado (which is just North West of Fort Collins about 3 miles). Our CSA farm is in LaPorte. We found out that it hailed for 45 minutes, and left 3 inches of hail on the entire crop. Everything is shredded.

So the status of our farm share is unknown. We are not at all concerned about the payment lost. We knew that having a share of a crop meant that we are taking the same risk as the farmer. We could have a wonderful crop or a sparse crop, and are at the mercy of nature. This year we seem to have lost everything.

Our home garden is not in quite as bad of a condition, but we will likely only produce a fraction of the food we did last summer. Heartbreaking times. Sometimes it feels as if the world is just making it hard to walk out our ideals/

On a good note, Blondie has found a good home. We posted an offering on CraigsList, and had two offers of adoption by families living out in the country. One in particular appealed to us because the family has been showing poultry of all sorts at the 4H fair for 20 years. They have a polish hen (the breed that Blondie is) who is 4 years old so he will have company. They actually thought that Blondie may be beautiful enough to show at the fair this year, so we will keep you posted! We are just relieved to send him to a good home.

She is a rooster, crud!

Yes you read that right. Apparently my second polish chicken is in fact a rooster. the first proved itself to be a rooster early on, and I was so sad to loose my gray bird with a goofy poof of feathers on its head. We sent it off to live happily outside the city limits.

The second polish I had seemed to be a girl a bit longer, but surprised us with a cock-a-doodle-doo last weekend. I spent the week reading accounts found in google of hens that managed to crow in some sort of manner, and I convinced myself that she was just very special.

Until this morning, when the entire family stood with our mouths hanging open in awe in the morning light watching her crow her little heart out, repeatedly.

We do not want a rooster. We cannot have a rooster within the city limits, and we really do like our neighbors enough to want to keep life pleasant for them.

I called the feed and grain where we picked up the cute chicks, and they do buy back roosters but have a limit of 5. They have 5 right now. They tipped me off to the fact that the raptor center will take roosters. I innocently called to find out how the adoption process works, and the news was gently broken to me that they would be food for the birds of prey. I thanked them for their gentle way of breaking the news and said I just might take them up on the offer if I don't find a more pleasant alternative.

So now the offer goes out. I have one really funny looking Polish rooster available for adoption by anyone interested. Ideally to live a long amusing life being the small funny looking rooster of a flock. Anyone needing a rooster?

Please? :)

Brain Buckets

It has been a posting drought here, because we have been too busy working in the yard. Garden is in, and we are hoping most of it recovers from the hail pounding this weekend. (really, my lettuce looks so sad) We finally got roofing material on the coop so the blue tarp is gone. Lots of mulch added, parts of the lawn removed and repurposed (I just can't bring myself to water grass, so we are slowly getting rid of it all) We are appreciating the recent rains immensly but know that a bit of warm sunny weather will really make the garden look amazing.

So the family went on a wonderful bike ride last night, testing the new trail-a-bike we got. (Dan pulls Josh, or Josh pushes Dan)Just as we pulled into the driveway the torrential rain began. Phew!

I also biked to work today. It is an easy 30 minute ride on my cruiser, meandering along the Poudre River Trail for much of it. This is something I want to do more, since my entire family is made up of growing bike enthusiasts. Unfortunately my chronic illness does not always present me with days in which I can commute by bike and have enough energy to work as well. Getting to work is usually fine, but by the end of the work day the ride home is too much. Each day it is a gamble, but I took it today.

I was talking about biking with Dr Whitman in the clinic. (He truly is one of the best Dr's in Ft Collins for kids) We were talking about the importance of bike helmets and the significance of enforcing helmets 100% of the time.

Statistics show that helmets save lives. They reduce life changing head injuries. they are the difference between walking away from an accident and being taken away in an ambulance.

Plus, they are slowly becoming more and more cool. All the cool kids are doing it. Are you? Every single time you ride?