Back to Life...Back to Reality

Pretty sure those are song lyrics from some 90's song I remember hearing.  Couldn't tell you the title or artist, but they pretty much sum up this last week.

I know you're tired of hearing about the fair...heck I'm tired of hearing about the fair...but

when I walked out to the mailbox to get the paper this morning, and walked back up the sidewalk to the front door, noticing all the weeds in my flowerbeds, the suddenly luscious green grass that wasn't there a week ago (due to much rain in the last week...Praise the Lord...my brown grass is suddenly green again...),  and the drooping flowers on the porch...I thought, Oh yeah, back to reality.  Back to the real life.

It's like we've been in a bubble, a fog if you will...this last week.  Trying to survive the endless laundry, endless packing of lunches and drinks, and endless fatigue that goes with fair week.

The kids would say it is the best week of the whole summer!

Sure, they are with their friends, riding rides, eating junky fair food, but I guess we are too.  The parents of the friends they made, we hang out with too.  This IS the biggest social fest of the year for our County.

Even though the kids work with their 4-H pigs from April through July on a daily basis, feeding, washing, walking them...I think each year it gets easier to let go.

But maybe not.

Probably because of the money they get at the auction on Friday, which goes directly into their savings to pay for their pig the next year, and to save for college, car, etc.

They did well this year, netting more than they have in previous years.  We felt blessed.

To end fair week, yesterday we had to work in our club's food booth.  We enjoy this part every year.  We sign up to work with friends for a 4 hour shift, and at the end of the time, you even get a free meal.  That's Brent and Evan's FAVORITE part of the whole deal.

After working, Grace rode rides with friends, and the rest of us sat in the grandstands...get this.....4 hours BEFORE the start of the demolition derby.  It's THAT big of deal.  It's a little bit hillbillyish.  Who doesn't like to watch cars and trucks slam into each other for fun, huh?  However, our butts revealed to us that after the event was over, sitting in the stands for 7 hours was a little much!

Today is all about relaxation.  Today is about recharging.  Yes, we skipped church this morning.  I feel bad, but we are all EXHAUSTED.  The kids had to get up this morning and feed the 3 pigs we brought home to be butchered tomorrow.  They thought their pig chores were over.  Ha!

Tomorrow...it's all about weeding flower beds, mowing, and grocery shopping for my totally empty fridge, and putting away sweet corn in the freezer from my budding sweet corn patch.

Ah, back to reality.