What does a gal like Norm want to do on her birthday?

Why, go to the county 4-H fair, of course. I got to spend my day with my kids and a bunch of goats and chickens and cows and stuff.  We started off with a fabulous lunch of hot dogs and cheese fries, then off to see the critters! (My kids didn’t really understand my excitement, either– it’s not just you.)

First up, the sheep . Most of the sheep were out being judged but a few were hanging out in their barns to say hi to us. By the time we got there, all the sheep were sheared. I’m betting they were really happy for that haircut. It was really muggy this week, and I’d hate to wear a bulky wool sweater in this weather.

Poultry were off limits to us, because the judges were in there. I was really disappointed. But then we went to the bunny barn, and I got happy again. This guy wanted to smell my camera. (But see all the poops on the ground below? That’s why I don’t want a bunny for a pet. Also, my cats asked me to please not bring any new babies home.)

The goats were in the other side of the bunny barn, and they were my favorite part of the fair. My only real interaction with goats was when the one at the zoo bit me on the head when I was 7-ish. My fascination with them is a mystery. Tell me, wise readers, is it the Bill Brogan song? The marionette number from The Sound of Music? Anyway, I love goats. See how cute they are? I don’t even care if they eat tin cans. I want to have goats when I grow up. My mother tells me that “any fence that will hold goats will also hold water,” which tends to make me think that owning goats is a bad idea.

But I’ve never been one to be scared off by things like sensibility or common sense before, and it doesn’t scare me off now either. They are so little! Have you ever see their little underbites chomping on hay? How could anything that fabulous be a pain in the tuches??

After we had our fill of farm animals, we headed over to the project building, where my proud Cloverbuds (the “brownies” and “cub scouts” of 4H) posed next to their painted birdhouses. It’s the boy’s first-ever ribbon, and he’s very proud of it.

By the end, we were pretty tired, and wished we could plop down on this fabulous Adirondack chair made by a high-school-aged girl. I think that in the future my kids should do woodworking as projects, and then I’ll make them give me the fruits of their labor….

After Mr Deplume got home, he washed dishes and made supper while I played Bejeweled. It was lovely. Now that I’m officially in my late 30′s, I can be at peace with the fact that I would prefer to wander around a country fair with the kids for my birthday than go out to a nice dinner or get a bunch of lovely gifts. It’s not the average person’s wish, but I’m pretty abnormal. And proud of it.