Just when I was starting to think I was normal...

Every once in a while, I start to get the misguided notion that perhaps I am just like everyone else, maybe I am not quite as off the wall as I had suspected, maybe I am just like all the conformist 'soccer mom' types living in Pleasantville...........then I get a reality check. I was downloading pictures off of my camera the other day, and discovered that apparently, my charming husband decided to take some pictures (through the screen) of what goes on every morning when I head out the door to do chores. The only saving grace is that he is not a great photographer (sorry honey), so the gory details of my-straight out of bed, no make-up, hair tucked into my baseball cap, lovely morning routine, are not too obvious.

First thing in the morning, I let the 'girls' out the basement door (in this instance 'the girls' refers to the dogs, we use this term interchangeably for the dogs, the ewes, and the laying hens, strangely we seem to always know to whom the other is referencing). Upon opening the door I normally find Cinnamon (yellow cat) waiting, flanked by at least one chicken. In this photo we find (left to right) ; Jordan (Dalmatian), Junior (other yellow cat near barn), White Chicken (self explanatory), Bailie (golden) followed by Cinnamon, above Bailie's tail is Frostbite (named after there was an unfortunate winter freezing incident), and closest to the barn is Brown Kitty. Yeah, we are good at thinking of names. Oh yeah, I am in there too.Anywhoo, everyone follows me out to the back to potty the dogs, feed the rams/wethers and then......
We all make the trip back to feed horses. Now I have been joined by Betty (black chicken to my left). Her name was Ugly Betty, but then her feathers grew back....another story.
Just a glimpse into my strange little world.....I was never meant to be a conformist anyway!

Other goings on. This Saturday, RAGBRAI is going to be traveling right in front of our house. This is an annual bike ride across Iowa (471 miles) in which there are approximately 10,000 registered riders and probably another 6-7,000 that just jump in. Each year there is a different starting point on the west side of Iowa (this year Missouri Valley, Iowa), and a different ending city along the Mississippi river on Iowa's Eastern border. Our daughter Nicole and her boyfriend Andrew are riding this year and they will stop here for a short time before finishing the ride in Le Claire, Iowa. The riders traditionally dip their tires in the river at the end of the ride.

Normally, I do the Farmers' Market on Saturday, but we were informed that we would probably not be able to get in and out of our driveway for most of the day until the riders thin out a bit. So I figured, why not set up a booth out front and sell my cookies and salted nut rolls to the hungry masses? Needless to say this entails a LOT of baking. Nicole has been giving me reports along the way as to what the riders are buying to eat and drink....sounds like some of them have been drinking too much! Sounds like a wild group, should make for good blog fodder.