Thursday, August 14, 2008

Me and the Mountain Man

We went to the state fair yesterday and it was the 'same old, same old.' Our day began as it usually does with a walk-through of the grounds, ending at the animal barns. We got to see the rabbits and chickens and ducks. There was a pair of peacocks and a lot of geese. We didn't go into the sheep barn and did a quick run-through of the swine barn--they were moving them in and out for the judging and I wasn't in any mood to be mowed down by a 200 pound pig, so we got out. We didn't do the dairy barn and went through the beef barn quickly, also. I like seeing the very large animals and, again this year, there weren't any that caught my eye. I went into the miracle of birth tent, but there weren't any females in labor--however there were a few newborn lambs and newly hatched chicks. I don't know if I could handle watching a calf be born, though, so it probably was good that birth wasn't imminent. As usual, I had to go and say hi to the llamas and alpacas--they are neat.

As I have said before, my main reason for going to the fair is the food. Again, I wasn't very pleased with the offerings. My main focus this year was to find a deep-fried Twinkie. While I found the deep-fried food tent, they didn't have any Twinkies. So, I had to settle for a Snickers bar. This is a Snickers bar on a stick, which is dipped in batter, then deep-fried. After frying, it is sprinkled with powdered sugar. You bite into this concoction and you have a melted Snickers bar inside of a fried donut--and the chocolate and caramel and nougat is all melty and gooey. NOT hard to take, but it wasn't what I had my heart set on, so I wasn't happy. I really think you have to go specifically for the Snickers bar in order to enjoy it to full capacity, otherwise it is just kind of okay. One of these days I WILL find my deep-fried Twinkie AND I will find deep-fried Coke--I think those will be the ultimate disgusting and nummy things I will be on the lookout for.

The other reason I went to the fair was to buy some fur. For many years, I would go to the 'mountain man' booth and buy bags of fur scraps for my cat. She always 'adopted' these as her babies and I get her new pieces every few years. A also wanted some for her cats and C wanted some for her kids--it is really good for sensory skills for her son and if one of the kids has something, the rest want it, too. :) Well, for the second year in a row, there were no fur scraps. However, when I asked about them, the older of the 'mountain men' said I could call him and he would send some scraps for me--and he remembers me from years past when I asked for the fur pieces. So now I guess I will begin a relationship with a 'mountain man.' It is a little scary.

If you don't know what a 'mountain man' is, remember the movie Jeremiah Johnson. (And if you have never seen the movie, by all means, do--it is really good.) Montain men are trappers who live hermit lives--or at least they did in the early years of the US. The ones I have personally met--at least the older ones--have long hair and full beards and have a 'wild' look to them--very stereotypical. And 'my' mountain man is no exception. We lives in an extremely rural area around here and--if the picture on his brochure is any indication--lives in a log cabin. He isn't completely socially inept, so I would assume he doesn't live the life of a hermit. But, his life revolves around furs and making items from the fur he 'catches.' And I am about to start a relationship with the man. Oh, my. The things I will do for my animal and my kids. :)

5 comments:

  1. Anonymous10:51 AM

    I am really disappointed you did not get to have the deep fried twinkie too.

    I was counting on living vicariously through YOU to eat it and describe it to me. Lord knows if I ate that myself, it would be the death of me!

    xxoo

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  2. When I FINALLY get to have one, I have to make sure I remembered to take my acid reflux meds--otherwise I, too, would be in a world of hurt after eating one! ;)

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  3. I used to try everything I could to get a llama to spit at me. I don't know why.. I'm nuts I guess.

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  4. The closer I got to the llamas, the further away K got--and THEN he yelled to me: 'They spit like camels, you know!' So gallant--wouldn't even THINK of stepping between me and a spitting llama. :)

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  5. Anonymous9:39 AM

    I can't believe the things that get deep-fried! Keep looking for the Twinkie-maybe next year you can bring a package with you and ask them to fry it for you. ;-)

    Yep, we'll do things we normally wouldn't for our pets! I just hope they appreciate it.

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