A Blue Ribbon Af-FAIR

This past weekend was the county fair. It's always a lot of fun, a lot of work, and a lot of late nights-thanks to my husband's obsession with watching the truck AND tractor pulls. This year, he participated in the truck pull with his 78 Ford. He didn't win, but he didn't do poorly, either. He was the middle of the pack, which was a little annoying since they ran the carbs with the EFIs. Sure, I understand completely....

This year Alayna is officially in 4H. She is a Cloverbud, which is like being a "trial" member. She attends the meetings and can bring exhibits to the fair, but she doesn't get judged, just talked to by the judges and told how to improve, what she did right, etc. It's more for the experience right now. She brought her rock collection, some soap she made, and a couple of magnets she made at a 4H meeting. Here she is with her stuff, directly over her left shoulder.

She also brought her beloved calf Twister, who's been staying with us at home for a few months now. We were very anxious about how well he'd lead, but he was soooo wonderful! He followed her around like a little puppy. We were very proud of him. We were also VERY proud of Alayna, as she kept her cool every time she was leading him, even when it was time to load up yesterday and Twister got a little excited. He started to run and shy sideways, but she kept hold of the rope, talked calmly to him and kept him under control. She's just growing up too quickly.

We spent the entire weekend at the fairgrounds, and each night was a late one. Here are some pics that I took yesterday afternoon while we were waiting for 4:30, the time we could take exhibits home for good. I think this just proves how tiring the weekend can be.

Congrats, Alayna, on your first fair as an official 4H member! You did so well and we are very proud of you!