Today was our last day visiting the Iowa State Fair.  What a wonderful time we have had!!!

This past week, I have run 41 training miles and then walked 23 hrs at the Fair.  I am very tired.  I has been so much fun!!!

This morning when we arrived, we watched Heifer judging.  What a riot!  There were these little 5 & 6 year old little kids, hauling a yearling Heifer by the nose around the arena.  Those little kids were determined, too!  The ones who won were ecstatic and the ones who did not win broke down into tears and their Mom’s gave them big hugs and comforted them.  I loved it all!

After the Heifer judging, we hurried over to the Sheep Shearing Contest.  I loved watching this as a kid.  There are three contestants, they each have four sheep, the judges start the clock and BAM!  Those people shear as fast as they can!  The winner was shearing a sheep every 2 minutes!  That’s pretty fast shearing!

After the shearing, I wanted another pork chop on a stick and a deep fried Snickers Bar.  It was the last opportunity to have one so I had to make the most of it!

Next on the agenda, we went to the Chicken Washing Demonstration.  I was a participant in that.  I held a soggy chicken wrapped in a towel.  The official State Fair Photographer was there and took a boat load of pics of me holding that wet chicken.  I don’t know when they will load the pics but here is the web site:   www.stevepope.com if you want to see any of them.

Finally, we went to Snakes Alive.  This time it was just #1 Son and myself.  MFH (My Favorite Husband) bowed out of that.  At the end, #1 Son and I held a big Python and had our pic taken.  It turned out pretty good!   Kinda creepy, yes, but pretty good all the same.

Tomorrow at early o’clock, we will pack the car and head back South to Mississippi.  I am missing the warm weather.  I don’t think it got about 75F the entire time we have been here and I have been chilly.  Time to warm up again.

Monday, I will get Paxton (my dog~a Boxer) from Reggie’s house and bring him home.  I need to pay my nephew for cutting my grass and pay the lady for babysitting my chickens, the rabbit and the two cats.  Of course, I’ll have a training run to do before any of that gets done.  Tons of laundry……yup, welcome home!