Farm Fair Fun

One of the things I can instantly recall each fall just through the sense of smell is the local Farm Show. When the temperatures take a dip and the evenings grow dark earlier and earlier, the air around this area smells different. There's the smell of harvest first of all, the drying corn is cut down and used for silage, the soil is tilled one final time before the first frost. But it's the combination of all of that and...well, the smell of tractor fumes or someone smoking a pipe to bring it all together.


It's Farm Show time folks!


Last night was the annual parade, and it happened to land exactly on my brother Joe's birthday. My cousin Laura and her husband live along the parade route through town and she invited the relatives to camp out on her section of sidewalk.


My family joined the gang after fighting the crowds for some Fair Food. Let me tell you, the milkshakes and french fries are simply divine and worth the wait in line. :o) Then we settled down for the parade...along with homemade cupcakes for the birthday boy. My mom made her favorite white cupcakes with frosting and sprinkles (YUM), and I took the kind that have many names: "black bottom", "yum yum"--whatever you call them they are chocolate with cream cheese and mini chocolate chips inside.

Natalia wasn't too sure about the fire truck sirens at first. There were some tears. But after Mommy persuaded her that they were just saying hello and that they weren't trying to be scary she decided they weren't so bad. She snuggled with me for most of the parade (I was eating it up because she just doesn't sit with me like that anymore!) and had fun waving to everyone who went by. The bands had her clapping and so did the candy being tossed. :o)


Just at the conclusion it started to sprinkle...but since we were at the beginning of the route we were home by 9pm! Laura, you may be seeing us on your front lawn every year!


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This morning I took Natalia in again to see the animals. She got to pet some piglets which had her absolutely fascinated.

Here are a few shots of our morning:

I could barely pry her off of the tractors! Yep, there's a little bit of country in that gal!

Look at me Mom! :o)