I actually made it to the fair.
It is a wonder to me just how delighted I was to trundle in through the main gate with a majority of the kids and all of the grandkids. They were a glory of tie-dyes. We hit the Education bldg first off and something about Toni's dark hair mingling with Anika's blond tresses reminded me vividly of going there with my mom, so long ago. It's my favorite activity at the fair and Anika was in fine form, so it was about perfect. By the time they could drag me out, Corwin had to dash off for his meeting, so Dee and the little ones drove him in and headed home for a nap. The girls took Anika on a whirlwind tour, ending up with Midway games. Toni outdid herself and Anika ended up with a huge selection of stuffed animals, most of which had names and personalities by the time I caught up with them. Since Dee is fabulous, I had Anika's lunch in my stuff and met up with them just as she remembered it and wanted it. Then the ladies headed home to prepare for 3-day fest fun.
A new feature of the fair for me this year was people saying: "M'am, can I help you sit down?" The answer to that question is always yes. If people around you are concerned and think you should sit down, then you probably should. I pushed myself way too hard. I was totally caught in the moment and not thinking about my lungs at all. But it was delightful. I made cornhusk dolls with a charming elderly gent and a sweet young pre-teen girl leading the show. I mistook a blue change button and had a sparkfilled healthcare argument with a dedicated GOPer. I was quite surprised by his views and I could tell that some of my points were unexpected for him. His wife calmed knitted non-stop. We acquired a small crowd, but nobody said anything. When we were shaking hands at the end, I finally noticed that his button was put out by the GOP and it was complaining about change, not endorsing it. It's probably just as well, though. If I had known, I would never have bothered to talk to him about it and it was probably good for both of us. I am so sick of the GOPers that I interact with on the net, that I feel no connection to them at all. Talking in person got past that. And I met a lovely woman who was one of eleven kids, the survivors and off-spring scattered all over MN and beyond, so they meet at the fair. I found a five dollar bill and was quite upset that I couldn't find the owner. I asked five or six of the most likely candidates, but they all said no. Finally a little old lady hobbled over and told me to sit down with her and have a cigarette. When I finished it, she pointed out that I'd been sitting with it, where I found it, for about half an hour. If the owner hadn't come back to look by now, he never would. She clasped my hand and told me that I was very sweet, but that I should accept that the money was meant for me and that I should enjoy it. What a delightful woman, she made me feel a lot better and I took her advice. The fair is always a poignant reminder of how wonderful Minnesota folks are.
I hit the traditional haunts. Science and Technology was called the Eco Building this year. The 4H bldg was buzzing and filled with kids learning different things. The free trolly was handy. The seed art in Horticulture was fabulous. So impressive. The butter carvings looked luscious. The Miracle of Birth was a wonder. So much cute. I arrived at the FFA room at a really slow time. The teenage pair of workers were truly delighted to have someone come by. They weren't a couple and the atmosphere was getting pretty thick by the time I happened along, so I received their best tour-guide efforts. I heard quite a bit about the future of farming. I have to admit, I loved their passion and had sympathy for their social akwardness, so I stayed quite a while. (Until I could capture them another target, actually. The room reeked of cow and most people steered clear of the doorway.)
I hit all the tv stations and NPR. A lovely elderly couple, dressed in fancy cowboy clothes decorated with a fine collection of fair pins, saved me a seat at the Chanel 4 six pm newscast, just in case I showed up, which was so sweet. Our end of the bleachers didn't get any of the food samples, but we got the CDs from the featured musical group, Marcoux Corner, an a Cappella group. I won a large french fries, but I'd already shared one with the girls and had eaten a ton of them. I started to give it away, but then thought of bringing them home to Salli. What was another two pounds with all the junk I was already carrying?
I appeased the dogs by collecting a Sweet Martha's cookie pail full of dog treat. Dropped corndogs, cheese curds, assorted street finds, and filled to the brim at the end with pork chop bones, many with large chunks of meat. It took several hours for the two of them to work their way through it all and by that time, they had known my exact whereabouts for hours and had worked off their anxiety by knawing on all the bones. It was a rare long absence for them, but the treats worked like a charm. The only sour note all day long was during a seemingly endless wait downtown for the 11 bus home. This gorgeous young man sat down next to me on the bench and asked if he could come home with me. The shocked disbelief on my face was probably answer enough, but I heard myself saying that none of my kids were home, so there wouldn't be anything for him to do. He was even more embarrassed than I was and quickly fled, but it freaked me out. Over the years, I have brought home more kids than I can count, but there was something different about this. He wasn't in danger and seeking help. I don't know what he wanted. I just hope it wasn't a Tarot reading. But something about it was too weird for me, so I didn't talk to anyone else. But still, a fabulous day at the fair. And even though I be paying for it physically for a while yet, I am really happy I managed to go.
A new feature of the fair for me this year was people saying: "M'am, can I help you sit down?" The answer to that question is always yes. If people around you are concerned and think you should sit down, then you probably should. I pushed myself way too hard. I was totally caught in the moment and not thinking about my lungs at all. But it was delightful. I made cornhusk dolls with a charming elderly gent and a sweet young pre-teen girl leading the show. I mistook a blue change button and had a sparkfilled healthcare argument with a dedicated GOPer. I was quite surprised by his views and I could tell that some of my points were unexpected for him. His wife calmed knitted non-stop. We acquired a small crowd, but nobody said anything. When we were shaking hands at the end, I finally noticed that his button was put out by the GOP and it was complaining about change, not endorsing it. It's probably just as well, though. If I had known, I would never have bothered to talk to him about it and it was probably good for both of us. I am so sick of the GOPers that I interact with on the net, that I feel no connection to them at all. Talking in person got past that. And I met a lovely woman who was one of eleven kids, the survivors and off-spring scattered all over MN and beyond, so they meet at the fair. I found a five dollar bill and was quite upset that I couldn't find the owner. I asked five or six of the most likely candidates, but they all said no. Finally a little old lady hobbled over and told me to sit down with her and have a cigarette. When I finished it, she pointed out that I'd been sitting with it, where I found it, for about half an hour. If the owner hadn't come back to look by now, he never would. She clasped my hand and told me that I was very sweet, but that I should accept that the money was meant for me and that I should enjoy it. What a delightful woman, she made me feel a lot better and I took her advice. The fair is always a poignant reminder of how wonderful Minnesota folks are.
I hit the traditional haunts. Science and Technology was called the Eco Building this year. The 4H bldg was buzzing and filled with kids learning different things. The free trolly was handy. The seed art in Horticulture was fabulous. So impressive. The butter carvings looked luscious. The Miracle of Birth was a wonder. So much cute. I arrived at the FFA room at a really slow time. The teenage pair of workers were truly delighted to have someone come by. They weren't a couple and the atmosphere was getting pretty thick by the time I happened along, so I received their best tour-guide efforts. I heard quite a bit about the future of farming. I have to admit, I loved their passion and had sympathy for their social akwardness, so I stayed quite a while. (Until I could capture them another target, actually. The room reeked of cow and most people steered clear of the doorway.)
I hit all the tv stations and NPR. A lovely elderly couple, dressed in fancy cowboy clothes decorated with a fine collection of fair pins, saved me a seat at the Chanel 4 six pm newscast, just in case I showed up, which was so sweet. Our end of the bleachers didn't get any of the food samples, but we got the CDs from the featured musical group, Marcoux Corner, an a Cappella group. I won a large french fries, but I'd already shared one with the girls and had eaten a ton of them. I started to give it away, but then thought of bringing them home to Salli. What was another two pounds with all the junk I was already carrying?
I appeased the dogs by collecting a Sweet Martha's cookie pail full of dog treat. Dropped corndogs, cheese curds, assorted street finds, and filled to the brim at the end with pork chop bones, many with large chunks of meat. It took several hours for the two of them to work their way through it all and by that time, they had known my exact whereabouts for hours and had worked off their anxiety by knawing on all the bones. It was a rare long absence for them, but the treats worked like a charm. The only sour note all day long was during a seemingly endless wait downtown for the 11 bus home. This gorgeous young man sat down next to me on the bench and asked if he could come home with me. The shocked disbelief on my face was probably answer enough, but I heard myself saying that none of my kids were home, so there wouldn't be anything for him to do. He was even more embarrassed than I was and quickly fled, but it freaked me out. Over the years, I have brought home more kids than I can count, but there was something different about this. He wasn't in danger and seeking help. I don't know what he wanted. I just hope it wasn't a Tarot reading. But something about it was too weird for me, so I didn't talk to anyone else. But still, a fabulous day at the fair. And even though I be paying for it physically for a while yet, I am really happy I managed to go.