Day 3 & 4 - A splash of color (if you count white)

Its always fun to see pieces go from brown, to white, to COLORFUL!!  Monday was no exception.  Ryan arrived excited to take the Candyland players to their next level.

Grant was in a prime time slot today.  His acting skill were not required for this gig however. He base coated lots of cardboard and the backboards for the games.  Thanks to all his work we can finally start with the stuff that is a bit more interesting...adding color.

Day 4 - brought in some new (to prep this year), yet very familiar faces. 
Carolyn, Angie & Ann immediately went to work figuring out what needed to happen.  They organized, glued, painted, and then streamlined the process for turning shirts into bags. If only they could spin straw into gold, think of the decoration possibilities.

Alyce, Liz & Lydia jumped right into papermaching candy pieces with Christy.  

This prompted a long talk about the goo chromosome. We have determined thru somewhat empirical(ish) evidence that children seem to be born either goo + or goo -.  People seem to wind up polarized on either end of the spectrum with either a deep connection to the gooey process of papermache (It's so zen...) or an equally deep adversion (aaaaack!). There have been, on rare occasions, observations of a few genetic mutations that result in goo neutral.

Alyce, Rylie, and Liz had just returned from NBTSC and regaled us with their adventures. Ellie was a willing participant in everything that needed an extra hand, including toting Katelyn. It was really great to see everyone.  I feel like I am at a much needed family reunion each year when this time rolls around.

After priming lollipops for the afternoon, Elizabeth, Molly, Louisa, Lydia, and 

Kristen spent time trying to assess their goo factor.  Elizabeth was surprised that her girls 

(covered with paint) had apparent symptoms of goo negativity. 

They gave it a shot, but there's always tomorrow - I'm a gooeyvangelist :)

Day 2

Friday was rainy, windy, and very productive.  Ordinarily rain during prep days can be a bummer and a logistical challenge. This year it is a chance for me to reflect on what really matters and be grateful for all that I take for granted, like rain. Green is my favorite color, and now even more so after such a devastating drought. 

While we were small in numbers, the day was also perfect because of that.  We had time to get to know each other better and I always appreciate be reminded of the strengths of this amazing group of families.  I am impressed with everyone's willingness to jump in and try a new skill, to be open about what you like, or don't like to do, to run spur of the moment errands, and to remind me of the importance of taking breaks to feed the chickens or watch a turtle eat some watermelon.

Rian traces Candyland players

Grant learns to use the jigsaw. Instant master!

Cindy and Rian caulking details before painting
We all found out that we don't want to caulk for long periods of time :)

Waiting for paint :)

Day 1 - Setting up

After calling off Prep on Tuesday due to heat, on Thursday we finally began the journey.  Hawkin and I got an early start and went down to pick up cardboard from Western Container who has donated for the last 4 years.

DAY 1
They even loaded it :) Thanks Mark & Kendell!

The first "real" day of prep included the not so fun job of setting up and taking inventory of supplies.  The troops arrived and immediately got to work.  It seems that over the past several years many folks have been moving their homes.  In the process, much of the paint that had accumulated in their basements has joined forces to invade mine. This provides the opportunity for us to create all the decorations from this stash.  We started by assessing viability of the paint (you don't even want to know how old some of that paint was) and combining partial gallons.

We went from this...

                                                   

to this...

to this...
Thanks for saving rags Tori :)

to much more manageable!

Newcomers Elizabeth, Molly, Louisa, and Noelle got a quick tour  -

Molly and Louisa visiting the turtle sanctuary

- and brief explanation of Unprom. I realize it it an event that is kinda hard to describe.  Kind of an art project, kind of a carnival, kind of a dance, but sometimes it is about stopping everything to make a zoo.

Come and join in the fun.  We need someone to entertain the zebras.

Way late wrap up

As too often happens, I have let time slip its spiny fingers in between myself and the event I truly intended to record.  I wanted to follow this event through to the end and wrap it up nicely with a bow matching the theme.  

The reality of setup, tear down, and the subsequent search for space to store things that are too valuable to trash took over. Now, 9 months later, I am finally getting around to the wrap up.  No pretty bow, no thought filled narrative, just some great pictures thanks to Monica. I acknowledge that there is always room for improvement and I choose to focus on the fun-filled event and all the pleasure the prep contained.  This year I at least got the blog started :)

Monica finishes up Lunar Module controls

Here are pictures from the last 3 days before the event. Final touches and set up paired with finished products.  Use your imagination to add glitter (lots and lots), white twinkle lights, live music, fantastic costumes, and good food and dear friends. Until next year :)

                             

Shhhhhh

Today Unprom prep was very, very quiet. I figured it was the day after classes slump and took the time to catch up on computer research for the timeline, LEARN business in general, and a few chores that were lurking on the horizon. Kristen and Lydia arrived at noon and chose to sit outside in the beautiful Fall weather and began adding color to the clocks.

We are going for the play on words "time flies when you're having fun". There is always tomorrow, there is always a chance that we can make the wings look more wingish, and of course there is always glitter. But right now the more appropriate saying would be "time flies when you have big ears." Please give us a break when you see the clocks, Or better yet, please give us an idea for transformation of this anatomical calamity.

Carolyn and I took advantage of the quiet time used it to expand our research into a hunt for cheap posters. We found a slew on Amazon but if it looks too good to be true... Just because a poster sells for $.08 doesn't mean that this will be the actual cost of course.

We had hoped that several posters from the same retailer would give us a price break for shipping...nope. An $.08 poster only sells for $.08 if they charge you full price on s&h. We bought several knowing they would add alot to the decorations and we will stick with the original plan of make photocopies, enlargements, and original work to represent the bulk of the entries.

When Kristen and Lydia headed for home Jaya and Liz took over. They took adding color to their lives very seriously.

I love the process of Unprom prep. I love the days of chaos and productivity and I cherish the quiet time with individuals where I get to learn about what they value in this activity.

I met Liz when she was still a babe in arms and she has literally cut her teeth on this process. Jaya and Liz are two amazing young Goo+ women who bring creativity and a very strong work ethic to prep. Having them join me in the quiet spaces of the day was a very special gift.

Sew what

The quiet of Monday was replaced by the hum of sewing machines and the happy sounds of productivity. The bags had been screened and heat set so it was time to start the construction process. Ann, Claudia, and Monica started sewing and the bags look fantastic. They are sure to be favorites and a nice break from the tote bags we have done for so long. I'll say no more so that I won't spoil the surprise for those who prefer a mystery.

Sponge painting the volcano quickly became sponge painting each other. Creative license takes all forms, right?

Painting a base coat of white over the brown paper we use to paper mache really helps the color stand out on the finished project. Boy is it tedious work though. Carolyn and Kristen put the finishing touches on the white base coats after all the kids lost interest.

Liz and Victoria started adding paint to one of the Dr. Seuss entries for the timeline. Liz is planning to contribute several pieces in honor of the 50+ years of writing that Dr. Seuss has given to the world. Liz and I share a love for all things Seussish. I can't wait to see what she chooses to present.

We are big Dr. Seuss fans out here at the tiny farm. One of our favorite car games is reciting the ABC book one page at a time. Each player takes a turn reciting the rhyme that he wrote for each letter. I never get tired of that book, or many of his others. What does it say that I am 49 years old and one of my favorite books is by Dr. Seuss?

And now to bed. Sweet dreams all...

Big D, little d, David Donald Doo, dreamed a dozen donuts, and a duck dog ,too

Monday, Monday

Monday was very quiet. It started early with an 8 am trip down to Western Container to pick up some cardboard that they had generously donated for the 3rd year in a row. Here is a picture of Kendall loading the cardboard onto the truck for me. Now if he can just come home with me to trace and paint we'll be in good shape :)

Hawkin took care of prepping for the day since I had to pick up supplies. Our mornings start with chores that include chickens, goats, dogs, and horses before we can get to paint brushes or making papermache paste. I am always grateful for Hawk's pitch in attitude. She is Goo- , but oh so very willing to take on my load of work around the tiny farm so that I can take on her share of goo projects. The strange thing is we both feel like we come out with the good end of the deal.

Schees, Pajors, Jaya, Kavanaughs, and Millers managed to finish the bag screening, get some papermacheing completed, and start work transforming the cable reels we got last year for the Unreel event into the Tardis.

Yes, I said Tardis, not tortoise. I have received several requests for Tardis centered decorations. I have NO IDEA what a Tardis is or does, but I know I need to make one for this event.

Dan and Alyce have led the charge in requesting and thus manifesting the Tardis.

They headed up the transformation process with pictures, plans, and a willingness to take on power tools for the betterment of the community. We scraped around trying to find parts that could be repurposed into the heartbeat of this time machine.

I always love the challenge of manifesting an idea into a 3 dimensional creation. But there is an added twist when I haven't seen the item myself. I am more of a Grey's Anatomy girl than the Sci Fi sort but think it is time for me to watch an episode or two of Dr. Who.

Everyone involved in the Tardis project is accepting the parameters of a limited budget, looming deadline, and knowledge of materials. I think those parameters actually make for a more interesting piece.

Stayed tuned, the vision is revealing itself more all the time and I like what I am seeing. And (dr.) who knows... maybe I will become a scifi fan after all, then I will finally know the difference between Star Wars and Star Trek (sorry Carolyn :)

Also, never forget... glitter fixes everything.

TGIF!

Friday was a productive day at Tiny Farm USA. And the first full week of prep is complete! With 4 more weeks we should be able to pull this off without too many late nighters.

The bag screening was nearly completed and the screens didn't put up too much of a fuss. Let's hope that Monday's screening goes as well.

New faces joined the ranks which made for both a fun time and new friends. Many hands make light work and that was apparent today since we:

finished putting wings on all the clocks (time flies when you're having fun)

much research was done for images to add to the timeline decorations

t-shirts and bags were screened

the Tardis was discussed in detail

After completing the screening process the ink needs to be heat set. We must have looked perplexed about how to solve this problem. Rushing to our aid was Cameron, quickly dubbed Iron man. When Gideon came to take over he donned the title Iron man II. After they finished they returned to the mere mortals they were before the task. Sigh, and just when I found my list of heavy lifting chores...

During the time that wings were being added to the clocks we had a lengthy discussion about paper mache. It seems that folks are born with a goo gene. They are either goo positive (Goo+) or goo negative (Goo-). I have repeatedly see very small children dive, sometimes literally, into a vat of paper mache paste and revel in the glory of goo. Others sit outside that same vat, lips quivering, as they hold a piece of paper gingerly between their tiny fingers trying to decide if they dare dip the tip into the goo. Goo+ vs. Goo- Brad says that while he understands the benefit of using the medium he doesn't crave the paste, as many of us do... He identifies as goo neutral (goo+/-)

So today I wonder, What goo are yoo?

The BIG screen

Today, Day 3, went quite well.

Hawk and I left early to make a quick stop at the grocery before heading out to Independence to pick up the screens. I had had a lovely conversation with Meredith yesterday when she agreed to do the screen burning job. We arrived at 10 as she had suggested and spent 45 minutes listening to Radiolab (great podcast BTW) and playing Boggle.

I started to question how well I knew Meredith after our 20 minute conversation. What if she had flown the coop and was on a plane to a foreign country with my 2 cheapass screens? She could probably get $7.50 each for them in a dark alley in Prague. I started to wonder how long it would take me to call all those who had RSVP'd for today.

Meredith arrived the way I see many of the women in my life arrive to places; later than they intend, more harried than they deserve, and carrying a large tote full of something heavier than they ought carry. Being someone who is way too fluid in my allocation of time I couldn't hold much of a grudge. The woman was doing me (us) a HUGE favor and after all, she informed me apologizing, she had to feed 3 puppies and 3 snakes before heading to work!

The screens were fine, not the quality they we have come to appreciate from the Thermofax but no worse than we have dealt with when I burned them at home.

Claudia, Josh, Christy, Dakota, and Hawk me set up for a day of silkscreening of spectacular proportions, Ok, I am really exaggerating. The silkscreening was more frustrating than awe inspiring but that seems to be part of the practice of that art form.

Alot of folks arrived just as the setup was done(ish). Angie had sent shirts for screening and had cleverly devised a system for us to help those doing the screening determine which print would go where. It made things much faster and there was much less guesswork required. I will be writing that down in my handy, dandy notebook.

Screens were primed and the first couple of swipes of the squigee onto the test fabric seemed like we were off to a good start. As often happens in the screening process, prints started to come out uneven. Grrr!

Claudia, Monica, and Dakota saved the day. The screen was acting up but the 3 of them figured out what was wrong, corrected the problem and went on to do the bulk of the screening. Ann K had brought by some of the fabric that will become the bags so a few of those were completed as well.

Ann B and Christy filled a clothesline that was hung around the trees and the driveway was dotted with a colorful array of happy shirts and bags fixings. Everyone got to screen what they brought and the finishing touches will take place tomorrow. I sure hope the 3 Musketeers are coming back just in case :)

While folks took turns screening their shirts Pat, Bennett, Allison, Delayna, Cheryl and I helped to make time fly. Literally, we spent the afternoon making the wings for the clocks that families made last week. Mason and Dane uncoiled wire from the bales of hay consumed by the horses which served as a great framework for the papermached wings.

Tracie, Jonah, Zane and James as well as Katie, Kai, and Miro joined in prep for the first time. They jumped right in and seemed to enjoy themselves. BJ and Cade came as well which gave James a chance to meet a fellow guitarist who might be able to collaborate with him for the live music portion of Unprom. Cade was not as interested in taking part in the silkscreening as he was in understanding the anatomy of the hen from whom he had recently eaten eggs. Who says Unprom prep can't be counted as Science?

My ever willing partner in paper mache Mieke took the prize for the most creative wings! I'll take a picture tomorrow to share the fun.

The younger set played together well and made sure the playhouse in the basement didn't feel unloved. Come play when you can. There is still much time left.

What I learned today: Be patient. Good things come to those who wait, and wait, and wait.

To any and all of you who have had or will have to wait on me. I never mean to take advantage of your time and I don't mean to take you for granted even tho it may feel that way while you are waiting. Also please know that I will never sell your posessions in a dark alley in Prague.