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. :)