State Fair, Part Deux

Dear Ravi,

Happy early Monday morning! I am not certain why I am up at 4:30 am, but here I am. Daddy and I went to the State Fair again, yesterday. Why did two complete introverts return to the Great Minnesota Get Together? Easy, draft horse barrel racing. Yes, it is actually a thing. Since I have been in college, I have been in love with draft horses. My roommate, Etta, had a lovely draft horse named Joe. She, her sister Celia, and I could ride him 3 at a time, bareback. This was fine until Joe would decide to swipe us off in the lilac bush or come cantering around the side of the barn with 3 riders clinging desperately to his back like little monkeys. Good times. Since I was a kid, I have been fascinated with barrel racing. When I found out that the fair had both events folded into one, we had to go. Basically, barrel racing is very fast race where quarter horses race around a loop of 3 barrels without touching them or kicking them over. Draft horses are used to move carts or other heavy equipment on farms. So, what you have is large, slower moving horses trying to move fast. The results are hilarious. A world record barrel horse can clear a course in less than 14 seconds. A draft horse can take well over a minute to do the same. There were riders from ages 17 to 74. They all did really well. Only one horse had a DQ because she failed to make the turn. Apparently, barrels are scary and not to be trusted. The entire venue was full of equestrians and equestrian fans and it was a blast. If there is barrel racing in heaven Mommy advises you to run, not walk, to the nearest angelic barn and check it out.

Of course, there are lots of other things to do at the fair. People watching is always fun. There is live music. I am not a huge fan of fair food, but a lot of people like it. There are tons of art work, textiles, baking, and just about anything else you can imagine. We spent several hours just wandering. Introverts have their limits, so eventually we made our way home. We walked a mile or so to our parking placer and drove back to Ashland Avenue in complete silence. We were done. I fed the animals and for a long time we just sat on the couch and did not say anything. The fair was wonderful, but it may take us a few days to recover.

Two sad things happened last week. The music and entertainment industry lost both Dolly Parton and Tim Curry. I fell in love with Dolly in the early 1980’s when her song 9 to 5 was on the radio every morning before I went to school. I have always admired her for her generous spirit, her true nature and her beautiful singing voice. Did you know that at Dollywood there are safe sensory places for autistics to go if they get overwhelmed? Dolly wanted everyone at her park to feel loved and included. And, don’t even get me going about her Imagination Library! She is responsible to getting millions of books into the hands of young readers. Truly, she was a gem. Last week we also lost Tim Curry from the Rocky Horror Picture Show, and countless other movies and productions. Millions of us came of age watching midnight viewings of Rocky Horror. Tim Curry took the idea of normal sex and sexuality and turned it on its head. Daddy says that when he was a projectionist in college, the first year Johns Hopkins showed Rocky Horror few people came. A year later it was so popular that students tore the doors off the theater hall to get in and America never looked back. If you see Dolly or Tim in heaven, please give them a high five or a hug because they are sorely missed down here!

So, my friend, it is now 5 am and I am wondering what to do next. Jack Jack’s allergies are still driving him nuts, so I just gave him a bath. He is wondering what just happened to him and is racing about the house, shaking, rolling, spreading water everywhere. The two female dogs have wisely gone back to bed. The kitty is napping on the back of my chair. Catherine is running on her wheel. All is well, but I am missing you. I hope that there are state fairs in heaven and Dolly and Tim are singing there. I hope that you are flying free. Love you forever, Mom.