Creekistan County Fair - Hogs Heaven

Its county fair time for Creekistan and it's surrounding areas. I don't know how much of a big deal it is for everyone in this county, but I can imagine the kids in 4H are excited. This is the time where they get to see how their project animals compare and possibly sell. One of my goals was to enter something into the fair, and I did manage to enter 4 things: a Halloween decoration, a Christmas apron, a submission for next years fairbook, and a photograph of my neighbor's 1949 tractor.

I visited the fair today with my children and my neighbor, Jody. She's been to the fair many times, and has even participated in 4H with her children when they were young. We saw the hog weigh-in, which was actually pretty exciting. Young people would poke their fat hogs down the row to the scale, hoping that they "make weight" (whatever that means). The hogs were not too thrilled to be away from their comfy pens--some pens even had fans. We'd ask the kids what they named their hog, and most said that they didn't name them. I guess it's because at the end of the fair they hope to sell their hog, and then the hog will become someone's dinner, breakfast, or sandwich meat.

We watched the Pig Scramble. That is the event where small pigs would get soaped up people would try to catch them and coax them into a pen. It was a lot of fun. My 2 1/2 year old daughter loved the pigs and enjoyed watching the pigs getting washed. I guess I may have to get a pig when she is older.

By the way, I did get two blue ribbons for my Christmas apron and Halloween decoration! My photograph didn't get anything, but I was glad to see that many people participated in the photography contest. My son also got a red ribbon for his decoration. I don't know about the fairbook cover. I guess I'll find out on Saturday when I pick everything up.

We spent most of the day at the fair, looking at animals, riding rides, and talking to people. It was a lot of fun and I look forward to next year. I'm going to enter more things, and I'm going to look into entering into the Powderpuff Demolition Derby. My driving skills may prove to be a benefit. Anyone want to sponsor me? Donate a car?

Thursday Thirteen #57

13 Things That I've Found Interesting Lately

1. Moths attacked my sparkler on the 4th of July.



2. When I have the track lights on near my kitchen window, hundreds of moths and other light-seeking insects gather there. Some are so big that they make a "thump" when they hit, making it unnerving when I'm alone.



3. Hundreds of millipedes are crawling around my front porch. It reminds me of the scene in "Raiders of the Lost Arc" when all the snakes are crawling on the floor of an ancient tomb, only in miniature.



4. I have a toad that lives on my front porch. I suppose he likes to eat the moths and hopefully the millipedes that accumulate there.



5. Spiders are really bad right now. I have one in my bathroom that actually made a web across the sink. When I went to wash my hands, I broke through the web. Then she made a web across my hair products, making it look like I haven't touched them in years.



6. A gigantic spider visited us and scared us. He must have come down from the ceiling through the space that will eventually get covered with crown molding. It was a wolf spider about the size of my hand. I tried to vacuum it up, but it wasn't going to go easily. So I left it alone and we left the room for a while. Hopefully it went back to it's dark space and is hunting bugs. With it's size, I'm sure it has to eat lots of bugs and perhaps a small mammal.



7. A Super Wal*Mart opened up nearby, replacing the regular Wal*Mart. Now people around here can shop for fishing bait and spaghetti all at the same place.



8. Thankfully, the Kroger around here, in competition with the new Super Wal*Mart, is undergoing an upgrade. They now have the areas first Starbucks, a sushi counter, and a pizza parlor. While all the "riff-raff" are shopping elsewhere, those of us who appreciate good things will shop at the Kroger.



9. For the 4th, I gave glow sticks to the kids to play with. We used many of them to attach to the dog and to play glow fetch with him in the dark. It is funny to see glowing bars running around the forest.



10. My husband has been running a fever and experiencing night sweats for the past week. During that time, I'm forced to sleep in my son's bed. I've been having strange dreams and actually sleeping better then if my husband had been using me as the human pillow.



11. I'm getting ready to submit a few pieces of art/photography to the county fair. I'm entering a Christmas apron, a Halloween centerpiece, and a photo of my friend's 1949 Ford tractor. Wish me luck!



12. I'm potty-training my 2 1/2 year old daughter. I found a potty that lets me record a message after the flush sound. Just think of the possibilities!



13. Grape Cool-Aid makes poop green. I don't understand this phenonamon, but it makes for dirty diapers/training pants.