Postcards from Nowhere

Do Not Forget Glory

This is the painting I took to the fair.

It's time for change

I am going to be redoing the front page of this. The one up right now is just temporary. It might be up for a month or so... it all depends on if I get the new one done by the time I leave for the State Fair. I don't like it completely, but I don't want to put any more time and effort into it.

It is funny how my father can wrap and twist every problem so it is someone else's fault.

my brother, Eric

I talk about him a lot so I figured I should put a picture up. Of course it is about ten years old... but he doesn't look much different!

Life is not quicksand

Have you ever had things happen to you that it just does not feel like that they actually happened? They just don't sink in? That is how I have felt all this week. Things have been going on, I have been participating, but yet- it just does not register.

First, the 4-H fair does not feel like it is over. It feels like there is another one really soon and this one was just a preview.

Second, on Tuesday, one of my sheep died while we were gone. I had to bury him on Wednesday morning. I don't really want to talk about it of course, but Wednesday morning felt like a whole different day from the rest.

Third, things that happened just days before the fair seem like a LONG time ago. Even going to see the movie on Saturday. That seems like it was a month ago.

Maybe it is because I have been so busy these last few days that it feels like they were really long. It is not as if they felt long when they were happening, it is just that it seems ages ago from say- Monday.

All in all, the fair went well. My communications 4-H promotions poster will be going onto the State Fair. My painting, which I will post sometime, got a blue ribbon (that's good). Did I already tell you that?

On Tuesday we took the llamas. I won Senior Showmanship, and did really well on the Obstacle Course. Not really well, but better than I thought I would....
Eric, my brother, won third Intermedite Showmanship.

On Wednesday Eric won best commercial rabbit, so he finally got a trophy. One of his chicken pens won second. I won at extemporaneous speaking, so I get to go to State for that. Extemp. speaking is when you go, get a topic, and then have half an hour to prepare a 4-6 minute speech. My speech was 5 minutes and 52 seconds long. The judge was impressed by that.

So all the excitment has sort of shadowed over the loss of my sheep, but that is okay. My dad was not happy about it.

Oh, and I may have sold two of my llamas. I've been wanting to sell them for quite a while. So, sorry, Mike! That also has made my dad in a much better mood. He had been in a really bad one for a few days, and then the sheep.... boy, I am surprised that he didn't explode even larger than he did...

4-H fair- I am free! Free at last!

Well, not quite. This was the very last non-livestock judging I will ever have to do. I did pretty good. Two blue ribbons. (hint- that is good) I also think that one of my projects will be going to the state fair, so that is double good.

I still have three more days of fair to go. Llama show tomorrow, speaking and family fun night on Wednesday, Rally on Thursday, and THEN I am free!!! Until the state fair, but the state fair is fun.

My county fair sucks. No rides, no good food, just a few cows, pigs, sheep... horses... and projects. Not very much fun. They don't even call it the county fair. It is the 4-H fair.

The county fair never really mattered too much. We had the World Cattle Congress in the fall every year. People used to bring their cattle from ALL OVER the WORLD to this town in Iowa. It was a big thing. If you have ever read Sleeping with the Enemy, they go to Cattle Congress. Cattle Congress is pretty much dead now. People just don't raise cattle like they used to... let alone go overseas just to show it...

I suppose I am boring you with the Cattle Congress thing so I'll talk some more about Sleeping with the Enemy. I grew up in the town that it is set in. I know all the locations, and I even have ideas of who some of the people are. In fact, if you read the Cattle Congress scene- she mentions glassblowers. Those are my parents, of course before I was born.

I know the house that she lived in, I have played in the park that she lives across from. I have even been to the costume department at UNI. I even know a man that would fit the description of the leading man. He raises llamas now instead of theater.

When they filmed the movie out east, people here were outraged, or so I have been told. My mother told me that they had to tie the crab apples on the branches when they filmed it. It was silly. I really should see that movie again. I really enjoy the book.

I suppose I have yacked enough for tonight. I MOST LIKELY will NOT be making an entry until at least Thursday. I'm too busy with fair, but check in once in a while. You never know....

OH! I forgot!

I went and saw Matrix Reloaded last night. MAN- WOW!! That movie was GREAT! The only scene that I didn't like, and quite frankly got bored at, was the dance/sex scene. I know that it was supposed to be artsy... and it was, but I guess I just was not in the mood. I came for a different kind of action... lol.

Seeing Trinity looking all great gave me the boost for exersising again that I needed. I'm back on track! Okay, that is all I want to talk about it for now, but if you have not seen that movie- GO! NOW! It is great!

Speedy Delivery!

Well, David Nevell, AKA Mr. McFeely, is- well, strange, old, different. He is really nice, but NEVER gets out of character. LOL I suppose it is just that Mr. McFeely isn't much of a character anyway that he really just acts like himself. He's not the most friendly person, but it may be that he shy. He seems to like talking to adults more than kids, but that may just be because he finds adults more interesting. I really liked meeting him, and in fact, I was in too much of in awe of him to say much to him anyway. I managed to blurt out that I like his part of the show the best. I tripped over my words doing it like I do when I get nervous, but he did understand what I was saying. He replied by saying that most people say that, but really... do you think that they are going to say, "I really hate your part of the show, I only like (fill in part of show, eg. Make Believe Land, Feeding the Fish, etc.)"?

You can tell that he is getting up there in years. It's not really that he looks different because he does look exactly the same except a few wrinkles. You can tell that his mind is not working as fast as it used to. That is all.

Someone asked him about Mr. Rogers dying. He said that it was very sad, and in fact that the watch that he was wearing right now was given to him by Mr. Rogers at Mr. McFeely's last birthday.

It seemed that adults enjoyed seeing him more than the kids. Afterall, they have known him for much longer. There were quite a few teenagers also in awe. It was all really funny to watch. You don't normally see people acting as goofy as they were. LOL

Besides seeing Mr. McFeely, the art fair all in all was good fine. It is much too small, but I did see a lot more artists that I enjoyed than normal years. This is my favorite artist. I really want to do this type of art. Of course you can't get the whole picture as well on the Internet, but it is neat to look at.

Well, I'm not going to be around much for the next few days because I have my 4-H fair. For once I'm not taking very many projects, but I am still going to be really busy. I'll try to be around as often as I can, but I doubt that will be much.
Probably see you all on Friday after the fair,
K

OH! My picture from Mr. McFeely. Too bad I forgot my camera....