The East Texas State Fair

Not to be confused with THE State Fair of Texas, the East Texas State Fair is regional.  It's more for "home folk."  Students in the FFA (Future Farmers of America) bring their animals for judging, women bring their pies and canning creations, arts and crafts for judging, kids get to ride the rides and dads get to be suckered in by the carnies to play a game of chance.  This is good stuff!

The first East Texas State Fair was held in 1915.  That means this is it's 97th year!  There are certainly plenty of people to entertain.  The city of Tyler had a population of 96,900 according to the U.S. Census Bureau in 2010.  Their Tyler Metropolitan Statistical Area shows a population of 209,714 in that same year.

With those kinds of numbers any entertainment venue is bound to be a financial win for businesses.
The estimated spending in local businesses by area and out‐of‐town visitors to the fair for last year was in excess of $4 million dollars.  No wonder the city embraces it!!

One of John's favorite things to do is volunteer to help out at one of the booths.  With the medical traveling it's been awhile since we could join in the festivities.  This is an extra special treat because of that.

One of my favorites has always been the animals: Angus, Brahman, Hereford, Limousin, Santa Gertrudis, Simmental, Texas Longhorns, Beef Heifers, Dairy Cows, Steers, also, Lamb, Meat Goats, Rabbit and Swine.

Seems this Texas Longhorn brought her own kid to the Fair!

Miniature Cow

John has a growing interest in miniature cattle.  With just the two of us we could manage a gallon of milk a day instead of seven and a few pounds of beef come butchering time instead of a few hundred.  They eat less feed, can use smaller pastures, and produce less poop.  There's also less chance of an old man or woman getting accidentally crushed by a miniature cow! 

I'm inclined toward a miniature Hereford.
 
Our daughter-in-law loves goats.  She has nine dwarf goats here on our land.  They sure are hard-headed critters!  Tis a good thing we have an Australian Shepherd dog, Junior... except that he's afraid of the goats...

And there are sand sculptures...

The really neat thing is that it's FREE if you go before 1:00 in the afternoon.  Getting into the State fair isn't free or cheap - but it is enormous, and it could take three days to see everything.  There are, however, a LOT of free things to do once you get in the gate.

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I'm Back!

Sorry if you missed me, friends.  Sorrier still if you didn't !!

I've been under the weather for about 10 days.  Today I'm feeling almost human again, so I will begin trying to catch up to myself.

Thank you for your patience.  I hope you got to read some posts that you had missed in the past, or got to re-read some that you particularly enjoyed.

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Wedding Bells

Our youngest son called one morning and said, "Hi, Mom!  I wanted to let you know that we just got married..."

WHAT?  Wow!!  That's fantastic!  I mean, they've only been together for 6 years?  7?  and we love Michelle!

So I sent Granpa to town to buy a wedding cake.  It never occurred to me that I should coach him on what bride-n-groom topper to get.  This is what he came home with !!

Does Granpa have a sense of humor, or what?  And obviously, so does our son and his new wife!

Truth - absolute truth - be told, though, Michelle was the hesitant one so this bride and groom should switch places.  I suspect, however, that that would look pretty Neanderthal and not sell very good.

So we celebrated with what we had, and Michelle loved it.  All our sons have wonderful wives now, and wonderful families.  Granpa and I will rest easy.

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Look What Was Waiting For Us At Home

My eyes and my heart are aching for home.  We really, really love our home.  Being away for so long and living in someone else's home always underscores for us what we think we did right in building our own.

But coming home also means a small window for repairs.

Yes, we lost an old pine tree while we were out of town.  One of our sons has taken our two chainsaws home for maintenance so all we can do right now is look at the mess.  Ah well, just adds to the rustic charm of country living...

We also have a huge oak tree that was struck by lightening and the electric company will have to come deal with it because it's too close to power lines.  All we can do with it is look at it and wait patiently for the electric crews...

However, we may be able to get a bonus out of the oak tree.  Sometimes the power company brings a chipper and creates mulch as they clear out their easements.  I've asked that they empty their mulch trucks on our land as they move through the fall clean up season.  We can use all that mulch to "bed down" the garden and flower beds for the winter.

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Buffalo Diplomacy with Russia

How would you like to have gone on a hunting trip with the likes of Custer, "Buffalo Bill" Cody, "Wild Bill" Hickock, AND General Sheridan?  Well, that's exactly what happened in January 1872 with the 21-year-old Grand Duke Alexis of Russia.  Visiting Denver, Colorado that year he was promised an exciting hunt with these amazing personalities.

After arriving by train in Kit Carson, Colorado, they headed for a valley between Rush Creek and the Big Sandy.  The Grand Duke, armed with a brace of pistols, a Bowie knife, and rifle, killed a bull and two cow buffalo (well, bison, really).  Since buffalo can run up to 35 miles per hour - and can maintain that pace for fifteen MILES,  I'm thinkin' the Grand Duke Alexis did good!

The entire expedition was a tremendous success, especially when accompanied by free flowing champagne and whiskey.  Relations between Russia and the United States were greatly improved!

Kindred Spirits

John and I never cease to be amazed at the wonderful surprises that pop up during our travels.  We found this in a teeny-tiny town at a sort-of rest stop.  I thought it was beautiful, and I thought it spoke volumes about women of all times.

KINDRED SPIRITS

Their lives made kindred spirits of these women of the west.

They shared the pain and joy of America's conquest.

They prove their strength and courage with raw intensity;

Raised a family in the wild through great adversity.

I'm proud of every ounce of blood that comes from them to me,

The example of America as it was and is to be.

We found this beautiful piece of artwork and verse on US Highway 287 in Colorado just a few miles from where the Sand Creek Massacre occurred in 1864.  U.S. troops killed over 150 Cheyenne and Arapaho men, women and children at Sand Creek.  Movies have been made about it.

You know, there were a lot of people who were wronged back then --- and there are a lot of people right now that are being wronged.  I think that's why my faith is so important to me.  When all is said and done, "Is that all there is?"  With my faith in Christ and the salvation for eternity that He gives if we just believe in Him and His sacrifice, no, that is NOT all there is.

Man's inhumanity to man will continue for all time, but I have Christ in every fiber of my being - and will for all time.  You can, too.  All you have to do is Admit, Believe, and Confess your sins.  Ask Jesus to forgive you and to come into your heart.  From that day forward you will continue to struggle with right and wrong, but you will fight with the strength of God Almighty.

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