We have a new National Cluck-Off Champion in the 13 and under category.
First prize was $100.00 which isn't er...
chicken feed.
The
local news has some video of Danny with the winner in the adult competition. Joel is a legend, and he was extremely kind and encouraging to Danny. Actually, the whole family are nice. They're the sort of people you wouldn't mind having for neighbours and you'd never need to explain why your child is crowing like a rooster at the top of his lungs! Anyway, the pep-talk Joel gave Danny was greatly appreciated.
We had such a great time-completely worth the two hour drive to Wayne!
That's my little chicken. I'm a proud mother hen today. I still go to hold his hand, but I have (almost) a teenager and he isn't going to hold my hand. I like how he's just looking at me holding my arm out to him.
We went to the annual quilt show in Wayne, and admired all the beautiful quilts on display. The ladies working the show had to pass my chicken purse around so everyone could have a chance to hold it as though it were a real chicken. That was cute, and I didn't mind. It isn't every day you see a rubber chicken purse, even in Wayne.
I had to take a bathroom selfie at the Masonic Hall because it was like stepping into the 70's. I love the collection of hairspray on the ledge-which makes sense when you see all the roller-sets walking around town. I felt rather sloppy in my sunhat-thank goodness I didn't need to remove it.
Here's something you don't see everyday...
This slide (with a metal surface) is a true relic. We had one exactly like it at the neighbourhood park where I grew up. It is at least from the mid-60's. In an era of "safe" playground equipment, it was really surprising to see a slide like this survive. Aside from the serious burns you could get sliding down it on a hot day, there's the problematic issue of the covered part at the top. Children would (not that I have any first hand experience with this, cough, cough) climb atop the covered part and pretend to ride it like a horse. Then, we'd dare each other to stand atop it and jump down. I'm certain that doesn't happen today as children are never left unattended for a millisecond to play on their own.
"You're not a real chicken, are you sonny?"
Thanks to all the great sponsors and volunteers that make the Wayne Chicken Show a great event year after year.
I bought these toys at the show for a giveaway. Leave a comment between now and midnight CST on the 15th, and Danny will draw a winner from my chicken purse. Good luck.
Congrats to Danny! All that practice paid off and it must have been very exciting for him.
ReplyDeleteLove that you took a chicken purse with you and I think (hope) that those are pie earrings? I was thinking yesterday that you should have some....
JanF
Congratulations to Danny! Does he know what he's going to spend his winnings on?
ReplyDeleteThose quilts are beautiful. A real American art form.
I'm not surprised that Danny won, not at all; however, I am stunned that Danny has managed to grow 6" since last we saw him. Good grief! Alluvasudden, he's big enough to borrow clothes from Mr. ETB! Have you found it necessary to double recipes?
ReplyDeleteThe quilt exhibit reminds me of a phase Gloria Vanderbilt went through back in the day, covering every surface with quilts and decoupage. Your dark cottons (?) were superbly suited for the day, as was your straw hat and those delicious earrings!
The chicken purse has no doubt been the subject of much (jealous) discussion. Not that I want one for myself, mind you, but I can think of at least two of my friends who would carry it on errands.
Bravo!!!
ReplyDeleteWell done, Danny!
So realistic I think I heard our chooks chortling in reply.
(leave me out of the drawng as I can't imagine explaining chicken flingers to a Nepali customs agent)
Love the black & red boho chic ensemble that coordinates with the chicken bag too!
Those silk flower arrangements (as in the hairspray supplied ladies' restroom) remind me of the early 80's in all their pre-shabby chic glory. Dang, those things really collected dust!
Congratulations, Danny. I never had any doubt that he'd win, with all the practicing he's done. He actually sounds convincingly like a chicken! I love that last photo of you two together, but somehow I don't think you will be able to call him your "little chicken" for much longer. Glad to hear you had such a great time. As for that slide, we had a different but equally lethal slide in our local playground, where we went to play unsupervised all summer. Can't remember any accidents happening, though. xxx
ReplyDeleteCongrats Danny!! All that practising paid off!!
ReplyDeleteHaha! Love that picture of you reaching out to hold Danny's hand. There is nothing like the withering stare of a teenager.
Congrats!!!
Congrats, Danny! You're such a cool guy.
ReplyDeleteThe chicken purse is hilarious. We had a big metal slide at school. I'm sure it's been replaced with something "safe" for the delicate kids these days.
@Everyone-
ReplyDeleteDanny thanks you all for your kind congratulations.
@Jan
They're berry baskets, but I did find some dollhouse pies I'm going to decorate a hat with-maybe I'll do earrings too.
@Mim
He's going to save the winnings and see how he does at the fair (that's serious prize money). I know he'd like a better camera for bird photography so I might pay half, or something like that if he'd like. He tends to save his money, but he's grown up around yard sales and thrift shops and isn't eager to spend foolishly.
@Beth
Between the Ukrainian peasants and Pennsylvania Dutch genes floating in his DNA, Danny was destined to be a giant. He's not interested in (American) football, but he'd make one hell of a linebacker. His dad is 6'4 so there's a precedent.
@Bibi
During the contest, the nearby chickens in their cages would call back at the contestants no doubt saying, "You're NOT a CHICKEN!" I'm kind of relieved I don't need to listen to his calls all day and night-until next year's contest rolls around. Our neighbours were too polite to say anything.
@Ann
Awww, he'll always be my little chicken ;)
I did break my arm on a slide once, but not that one. I wasn't even doing anything reckless. Go figure.
@Thrifty Parka
Thank you. Yeah, he's started the whole eye rolling thing too. I still have five years until I can throw him out of the house ;)
@Bobbi
I seem to remember kids throwing sand on the slide to cool it down, but I'm not sure how that helped?
Well done, Danny!!!
ReplyDeleteThe dress you chose was stunning, love the selfie in the retro loo! xxx
Well bugger me, I am going to a Chicken Show this weekend! Tell Danny he was great, I shall not be doing any clucking or crowing, just looking and no doubt through my camera. You have the CHICKEN bag out again, I am in love with it you know. Now I have to go read all your posts as I have not been checking in on anyone lately.
ReplyDeleteWell done, Danny! Could hog-calling be next?
ReplyDeleteI long to play on that slide, hot or not.
Go Danny! How awesome.
ReplyDelete@Vix
ReplyDeleteThank you. As soon as I saw all those flowers I had to photograph it.
@Sue
Aw, go on and crow! Will you be showing your hens at the show?
@Propagatrix
Argh, don't give him ideas!
@Miss Magpie
Thank you. We're proud of him.
Oh, your dress is great - I love a garment with careful pattern placing. Well done to champion Danny!
ReplyDeleteThat slide is amazing, takes me back - in England in the 80s slides were still metal - it never got so hot that it was a problem;) I was pretty disgusted to find, when my own kids reached sliding age, that the plastic they make them out of nowadays makes it impossible to slide. I remember the slide in my favourite playground was really high - it was like a whole flight of stairs to go, and there was a little rooved wooden hut at the top. A few years later, on a visit after having moved away, we discovered there had been an accident involving a broken arm, and it had been removed. My pre-adolescent reaction was that, just because a very few people were really stupid, doesn't mean no one should be able to have fun any more...(I guess preteens are rarely very p.c.) but don't get me started on swings these days ;)
Oh, no! I didn't at all mean that anyone who broke their arm on a slide was stupid - the details of that particular accident involved great stupidity, and definitely had a guilty party - even in remembering my preteen angst I seem to have been terribly rude and said what I didn't mean at all. Goodness! Sorry! Please don't read my former comment as it wasn't meant! I was about to go to sleep when I realised what I'd written. Gah.
ReplyDelete@Radostin
ReplyDeleteno worries-I didn't take it that way! I'm aware that comment threads on the internet don't leave a lot of room for nuance (with or without emoticons) so please don't ever lose sleep thinking I'll be offended by something. I consider the source of the comments before reacting. Please know that I have a pretty good track record of having things come across differently than intended.
I must say though-I WAS generally reckless and stupid as a kid, though my worst stunts involved bikes. That could be a long post! I don't know how I made it to adulthood.
Phew, thank you! xxx I'm sure we all have stories... (that one on the inner London slide involved an irresponsible adult (too big to have been on the slide) & a toddler (too small to have been on the slide). Very sad. It was so high that even having been on it, one was a bit nervous going back up) I wonder what kids today will be able to reminisce about when they grow up?
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Danny!
ReplyDeleteThose quilts are really beautiful and I love how the chicken was passed around!
I hadn't thought about getting burnt on hot slides for years! My first school had a plastic one on a hill, so no safety issues there but I recall multiple kids sitting on it in a train and the line reaching right to the bottom!