Sarah Nigbor

In case you didn’t know, though I’m not sure that’s possible, it’s Pierce County Fair Week! For families who have kids exhibiting in the Junior Fair or Open Class, you know this week is insane – fun, but insane. The chaos has begun.

My daughter, who is 14, is in 4-H and has traditionally shown an enormous number of projects at the fair. This year, she opted to tone it down a bit. She’s going from about 50+ entries to 12, concentrating on her favorites. Today (Monday), we started Fair Week with the cat show.

I must say, I learned so much from listening to the judge and I hope the kids did too. Who knew that calling a cat orange is wrong, that the official color term used by national cat associations is “red.” I knew gray is usually called “blue,” due to the blueish hue (thank you rabbit project). I also had no idea that 80% of “red” cats, always some form of tabby, are male. Or that true calico cats don’t really exist anymore.

After the cat show, we hightailed it home to pack up Carolina’s Mini Rex bunny for check-in at the fair. While Carolina was getting his food dishes ready, I decided to find the carrier. To do so, I had to look in a bin perched atop the bunny cage. Little did I know that that bin was weighing down the front of the cage, which is on a rickety set of legs (we got the cage for free from a friend). The instant I moved the bin, the cage up ended, crashed to the floor and flipped upside down, legs in the air. I sat there in stunned disbelief, terrified to look. Rabbits are sensitive animals. Though rare, it’s possible to send them into cardiac arrest if they’re suddenly frightened. The bunny was in his hutch hideout at the time of the fall, so I couldn’t see him. I gingerly opened the top of the hutch and saw him blinking back at me, calm as can be. He had to have done a somersault or two on the way down. Relief coursed through my body. That would’ve been just fantastic, to murder Lake the Bunny the day before the rabbit show.

After depositing Lake at the fair without any further mishaps, it was time to race home again so Carolina could begin her baking. I don’t have to help her anymore, which is bittersweet. It’s awesome to see her put her skills to work creating delicious treats, but it’s sad that she doesn’t need Mom to help anymore. I miss the days when my input was valued, not met with an eyeroll and impatience. I cheered up a bit when I realized that I didn’t have to do the dishes after she was done. Every good baker needs to know how to clean up their kitchen, right? Trapper the Dog had a grand time helping her clean up the floor. I know this because I saw butter on his whiskers.

So if you see me wandering around the fairgrounds a bit bleary-eyed, don’t worry. I’ll just drink more coffee. Happy Fair Week to all the exhibitors and a hearty thank you to all the club leaders, project leaders, superintendents, volunteers, fair office staff and 4-H office staff for making the week a favorite tradition each year.