Who know the words to the children’s song? I may not have humanoid offspring, but I do have extremely human-like pugs. 🙂 And their most human characteristic??? They love that song. I find myself singing the words, my eyes and mind, fighting to remain asleep, but the pugs are screaming (and yes I mean screaming, because barking is for lesser animals, not my furry children) for their bedtime story/song. It has become one of those automatic reactions, but usually only for pug related problems. My trip to the Boyd County Fair forced my reactions into overdrive, no pugs necessary. Driving down with mom, okay … the entire previous week, I found myself singing the little ditty at the drop of a hat.

We arrived as soon as the gates opened, the crowds yet to arrive. Our first order of business ???? an extremely unhealthy dinner, but that is alright. It is considered sacrilegious to participate in a fair or carnival of any kind without the ingestion of at least one artery clogging snack. We started our meal with a Fair corndog, which always taste better than any other corndog. But why stop there??

Next up, we enjoyed a bag of free popcorn from one of the 4-H ladies located in one of two indoor buildings. The building was full of homemade quilts and other crafts, including a table dedicated to baked goods. It would have been rude not to support the ladies sitting at this table, diabetics be damned. We showed or support with the purchase of homemade cookies. It was a hardship to swallow each delicious bite, but we were able to forbear our need to locate healthier snacks. hehe The other building held seating for the nights entertainment, as well as table to promote businesses and political groups. By this time, we had enjoyed the surroundings for a little less than an hour, but mom and I both have issues with extended walking adventures, so, baked treats in hand, we moved along, looking for a place to rest.

Locating a bench overlooking the area containing the animals, we watched the far away view of young horse riders. I was already done in, believing that we had already seen all that there was to see. I mean, it wasn’t like mom or I were likely to jump on one of the rides. But sitting there I began to feel excitement growing in my heart. I love animals, in all there shapes, sizes, and breeds, but horse are my absolute favorites.

Feeling better after sitting for bit, I left mom to continue resting as I ventured down into the animal area of the fair. The entire walk, the song ‘I went to the Animal Fair’ playing through my mind. Over and over, I found myself humming:

I went to the animal fair,
The birds and the bees were there,
The old baboon, by the light of the moon,
Was combing her auburn hair.

The monkey he got drunk,
He sat on the elephants trunk,
The elephant sneezed, fell down to his knees,
And that was the end of the Monk … the Monk … the Monk

Fully aware that I was unlikely to encounter Elephants and Monkey, or any typical zoo animals, I continued my song. I blame the pugs. Perhaps if the little furry monsters enjoyed a song about farm animal, I would have been better prepared, but alas, that was not to be.

I found horses, and goats. Pigs, chickens, and rabbits. There were even a few llamas. But the horses were by far my favorite group. Even the baby calf, though cutie and friendly (all the animals were friendly and willing to accepting any attention that came their way) paled in comparison to the horses. I knew that I had a horse addiction but going over my pictures on the way home, proved beyond a shadow of a doubt where my loyalties lie. As you can see, horses win hands down every time. I hope that everyone enjoys the pictures, and don’t forget to check out your own locate fair.

Happy writing, Tracey