Fair September

The first day of September was the last day of the Oregon State Fair. I drove down Thursday, August 28, but when I arrived Rick was in the middle of treating a horse who had gotten loose, slipped and fallen on the pavement, so the majority of my time there was assisting him with vet work. Afterwards we dashed over to catch the end of the Battle Between the Breeds competition, got falafel and salad for supper, walked through my favorite building, and just started taking in the photography exhibition when that building closed. I hoped to go back to the Fair one more time, but it didn't work out. So the following are my last photos from this year's Fair.

The Battle Between the Breeds competition. I was too overcommitted to volunteer.

The Morgan team, which won the class. Stella would have been black horse #3!

The Mustang team, some of whom are my riding buddies. The person at left works for Rick.

We sat and watched this entertaining mix of skills while we ate.

And on to my favorite building! Entries were down this year.

Loved this representation of how many people each farmer feeds, and the quilts in the background.

Artistic, all-edible cake decorating

"The Beat Goes On" marching band, always a favorite feature.

With September has come a shift in the weather. Not every day is relentlessly sunny and hot now; summer is faltering and fall is summoning change. That makes September fair as well! Yes, the days are getting shorter – and I am running out of time to find and freeze some peaches. I also need to continue making applesauce and start dehydrating our prunes. Our older tree lost two big branches this year due to heavy fruiting. We're working on firewood; Brian has cut and brought home two loads, and Rick has been dropping dead firs in our lower pasture. It's hard work putting up our abundant blessings for winter, but it is also satisfying.

The first load on the ground and split; the second load was removed and split Monday.

This morning's sunrise shining through the gaps from removing dead firs.

Chuckie says, "Take time to pet the barn cat."

My sister texted me the following photo and daycare note, perhaps from among the things the neighbors found and sent after my mom moved. There are more photos she wants me to help sort through when I visit and more daycare notes; what 'treasures' await? 😉

I was not a comely child!

Hilarious last sentence! Mom thinks I was not yet 2 1/2 at this time.

That's it for now from . . .