Pork Chop Downs

If you think a funnel cake and rides are the only reasons to get yourself to the fair, you're wrong! As I mentioned yesterday, my 2nd favorite thing about the fair is the pig racing! They have 20 pigs. 5 pigs in each heat...which if you do your math, that means there are 4 different heats.

The first heat had wild pigs. These pigs had names like "Shakin' Bacon."

Here you can see them running for the finish line.
The second heat had domesticated piglets. These had great names like Britney Spareribs and Christina Hogulara.
The 3rd heat...well I can't remember what kind of pigs anymore but they were cute enough to take pictures of! Their names were more like Nascar racers- Tony Stewmeat and Jeff Gortham,
Then they brought out the fastest heat....the Asian Pot Bellied Pigs. These sizzling sausages were quite the sight! This was the fastest guy out there. He was pretty much pork lightning! Can you see how difficult it is to get a good picture because he is moving so fast? I think he finished in 5 minutes.
And here he goes getting to the final turn and then straight to victory lane...but that's not really saying much! After all, the other 4 were still back at the start using the bathroom and eating!
2nd place pig right here...wait til you see the side view.
That is 315 lbs of bacony goodness! :)
These are the three little pigs. They had the hardest time getting anywhere. I think they were too hungry to make it all the way around the track!
Can you believe they actually moved? Not #4 in the blue...but #1 is really working it!
Finally, to get the rest of them back in, they had a 7 year old huff and puff and blow them to the finish line. Well, maybe he just gave them a tap on the rump roast to get them moving in the right direction.

If you've never seen the pig races at the fair...do yourself a favor- go out and root for a pig! You will at least have a good laugh!

Clay County Fair

I was invited to the fair with my family. I can't deny the power of fair food! If a carney doesn't make a funnel cake, its just not the same! I don't go every year, but when I go...I GO all out. I go with plenty of cash and an empty belly. Going thru the gates with me were: my little brother Jo-Jo (a.k.a. Steak & Potatoes), his daughter Madison, my mom Faye and my dad Big John (Mammaw and Pappaw to the kids). Madi is pretty much my mom made over! She has the Rhoden side eyes for sure! I was trying to keep her from falling. My mom was trying to keep her from eating dirt. Does dirt really hurt? I consider it a filler! I know dirt happens!

Here we are cheesing for the camera.This is Madi posing for me. She is almost 16 months.Of course the hat tent is an important part of the fair! She loved this cowgirl hat...but who doesn't?! I wish you could've seen her take it off! I wish even more that I could've caught it on camera.
I was very surprised that my big brother John was there with half his kids. Left to right is John, Brittney (14) and little Johnny (10) getting their selves scrambled! I can't believe the amount of fun I had watching them ride the rides. Being the thrill-seeker that I am, I always thought that would be lame. I was wrong!
Pappaw, Mammaw and half their grand kids...at least until this year. They currently have 6, before Halloween they will have 8! Not so spooky! Currently we're even, 3 girls and 3 boys. Cassie is having a girl next month...will we even up the score with a boy or will the girls win with another little lady??
Who can resist trying to knock the annoying clown into the dunking booth? Brittney got really close, then Little Johnny threw a few his way. Jo-Jo went two rounds. He was SOOO close! Actually hit the bullseye once but evidently not hard enough. Even the power of the Braves shirt couldn't bring down the clown!
What day at the fair is complete without ice cream??? That's my mom having a small vanilla cone! My medium was the same size. If you go, save your extra dollar and get a small- unless you want a waffle cone!
Little Johnny is enjoying his chocolate cone. Don't you love his red hair? All 3 of our nephews have red hair! Each a different shade and beautiful! Thanks to Mammaw for passing it along!
Brittney and I had the swirl...although our swirls were mostly vanilla.

I've always loved the fair! The smells, rides, carneys, slides, fish in a bag, carnivals, animals, friends, concerts, fun, shows and memories. Tomorrow, I'll post some pics of my 2nd favorite thing at the fair- Pig Races!

Its Raining, Its Pouring, the old man is snoring

I don't believe he bumped his head on the way into bed. When it rains, I sleep WAY better too!

My mom always taught me to love the rain. She talked about having a tin roof growing up and how they would listen to the rain hit it. It was like music. There was always a reason to enjoy the rain. I even remember being in Yellowstone Park camping out in the rain. We woke up and found My dad and my brothers all sleeping in the van. Us girls slept just fine! We always made the best out of any situation. My dad would tell us we were making memories...and boy did we do plenty of that!

Being home was a little different. Each time there was a storm we had a family plan: turn off the big tv, all the lights and everyone jumped into Mom's bed. We'd cuddle up and watch her tv in the dark and listen to the rain. Days like these make me want to call her up and jump in bed with her.

I certainly hope one day Mom will get her tin roof, a nice rocking chair and a great rain storm- even if she's just stuck at Cracker Barrel!

What did your family do during different weather conditions?