Well, we are about halfway through the fair, and I honestly don't even know where to start. Yes, that much has happened.
On Wednesday night I made the mistake of really feeling relaxed as I watched one of the kids I have known for their whole life show her gilt Peaches in the pig fitting and showing finals. It's such a great thing to see the culmination of all the work kiddos put into their chosen path, whether it be academics, sports, animal showing, etc. Watching the end result of years of determination and effort is just beyond cool.
That said, I should have known better. My friends think I am some sort of anchor point for a ley line or the multiverse or something, because every time I leave the farm the bovine fecal matter hits the electric powered air cooling blades.
As I got back to my camper after watching the finals and tucked into a glorious dinner that our dear friend made on her table top smoker (smoked steak and homemade Red Lobster clone biscuits YUM), my phone suddenly started blowing up.
Now, at fair, my phone is always pinging, with all manner of inquiries about class times, where something is at, do I have extra tickets, etc., but when I said my phone blew up it went nuclear.
Apparently, one of my neighbors, who hails from the state that shall not be named and has homesteading aspirations, thought it would be a good idea to start a stacked brush pile on FIRE in the middle of AUGUST.
Now here's the things that got me the most. Now days people seem to think that taking a video of someone doing something idiotic and endangering to other people and posting it on the blue and white social network for a bit of public shaming is good enough, My gods people! A fire during the tinderbox dry days of summer can get out of hand in seconds. Yes, seconds. The man whose wife posted the video lives on top of the ridge above me. FIRES BURN UPHILL IN SECONDS!
So, as I fielded messages, saw the video that showed a not small brush pile burning about five acres away from my farm, I began to work my way through the data and figure out where things were. People kept asking me if they should call the fire department, etc. (YES!). My son was at home keeping an eye on the animals so I had him go outside and verify if there was indeed a fire. He said he could see it through the trees, so I got on the horn with the fire department who told me that a neighbor had called it in but they said it was just a contained campfire.
So, in the midst of being harassed by multitudes of people, I relayed what my kiddo could see and explained to the fire department that I was 45 minutes away at the state fair. After we talked they told me they were going to go check it out.
I am most definitely, firmly in the mind your own business camp. Whatever you want to do at your place is your own business until it endangers others. Burning brush during August in north Idaho is the height of stupidity. And I still don't get why people are so hesitant to call our emergency services? Isn't that why we have them? I've only had to call them 4 times in twenty years, which isn't a lot, because honestly, if I am home and see something dumb, we are going to go talk to our neighbors, it's what you do in the country. Sigh.
So, my son texted me later and said the fire department had rolled in and had the guy put it out. Story over.
The next morning was Market Beef Quality showing. In 4-H you have two days of showing, quality and fitting and showing. Quality is solely about the steer, his overall structure and condition. My daughter did amazing, and got third in her class, which considering the the reserve and 4th place steers overall were in her class made me so happy for her (Those steers both cost over 10K apiece). She was pretty elated! And Pumpkin was too, because he gave us all steer hugs.
If you have never had a steer or cow hug, I recommend it, they are the best!
Anyway, while I was pinning my daughter's exhibitor number to her chest, my phone started blowing up again.
We are not talking a little campfire, we are talking a brush pile with him throwing on branches and shooting embers everywhere kind of fire!
And my neighbor was literally texting me to ask if she should call 911 or the fire department. Sigh.
My son had the tractor all ready to go Defcon 4 around the property if the guy lit another fire, and we have our place pretty squared away with regards to fire prevention and preparation, but still, that was the last dang thing I needed to deal with while trying to get my girl in the showring.
So, after shooting off a text that I would get back to her in a bit, I ignored my phone and watched my baby girl and her floofy chonky boi show, they did so great!
Later, we were all chilling and enjoying a bit of a post show popsicle fest when we saw some dark clouds drifting closer. The weather had said we could get a possible thunderstorm, but as the tornado warning the night before didn't come to fruition, we weren't too concerned.
That said, we all got up and took popup covers off, made sure grain was put in a dry place, and battened down the hatches a bit.
Right as the Extreme Bulls rodeo was about to start, a dust storm blew in on the front of the thunderstorm and blinded us all a bit. It was kinda like being in the Sahara. And then it rained.
Like Forest Gump Big Ol' Fat Rain. We knew it was coming because the storm was coming out of the northwest and my son and other family members let us know just how much thunder, lightning, and rain was going to hit.
Me, though, I was cozy in my camper. Kinda felt for the rodeo attendees, I bet they looked a bit like drowned rats.
In between cells we went over and fed Pumpkin his night feeding and watering. The public was out in force and it was pretty fun talking cattle with some people and letting little kids give Pumpkin scratches.
I did have to run interference once as a rather inebriated twenty-something decided to give the steer next to Pumpkin some hay. I think if she hadn't been so faded due to too many vodka seltzers she would have thought twice about walking up right behind a 1400 lb creature that didn't know her, but thankfully even in her diminished capacity she chose one of the sweetest steers in the barn and I put myself between her and its back legs. People, I swear.
Overall though, aside from all the chaos here and at home, this last fair of mine has been pretty splendid! I can't say I am going to miss it, after a decade it's time to move on to the next phase of things, but the memories are going to be pretty special.
And as most of the time, all of the images in this post were taken on the author's steer barn sawdust dust covered iPhone.
