Michelle & The Country

Even though I'm not really a big city girl (like NYC or anything), I would still consider myself a city girl none the less. Well, Clancy is on the other side of the spectrum - he grew up a country boy (which is one of the things I love so much about him!). This weekend we made another trip back to his hometown to visit his parents, fill the blazer with more free stuff, and make a trip to the county fair (my first!). I'll set the scene:

• Population 5,000.
  
• C's parents grow veggies, own a tractor, and have more land than I would know what to do with.
  
• Most roads are county roads or state roads and are named using numbers.
  
• The nearest Wal-mart (or pretty much any national chain) is a good 20 miles away.
  
• Barns, silos, corn fields, and live stock are always in your field of vision.
  

Before I dated Clancy, this was all foreign to me. Well it still is - sort of. I used to think of 'country folk' as redneck, hillbillies. Now, I'm not saying that those people don't exist (in fact we saw many at the fair). But his family is so normal. And they're all really, really great people. Every time we visit, the country grows a little closer to my heart. What I like the most is the quiet. The privacy. The fact that your neighbors' house is more than 10 feet away. The fresh, new smells (even the bad ones). Seeing EVERY. SINGLE. STAR. in the night sky. It's wonderful. And knowing that one day C wants this all again makes me want it that much more.

We spent a lot of time chatting with his parents Saturday night upon our arrival. Hearing stories about his nephew, his sister (who's expecting again!) and his other sister who's starting her first year of college. Lord, if I could get that girl alone, the ADVICE. I. WOULD. GIVE!

On Sunday we awoke to the sound of the birds whistling, calling for the dogs "Here Molly/Maggie", "No, Jack!" and their latest "What does the kitty say?" Then his mom & I watched the boys try to fix the riding mower (and I must say DAMN! Clancy's sexy when he's concentrating). Later, we ventured over to see his sister's new house. It is gorgeous. And god is his nephew adorable. I love that little guy. He has so much energy it is contagious.

Then - fair time! Even though all we did was people watch, chat, and mainly EAT, we had a blast. The smorgasbord of fair food consumed included: an elephant ear with powdered sugar, fresh-squeezed lemonade, cashews, fried cheese, a cheeseburger, and a walking taco (AKA 'Frito Pie' - Fritos, chili, cheese, and sour cream eaten with a fork from a half-open Fritos bag - DELICIOUS). Clancy also filled me in on the 4-H Club, which I have heard of but never really understood completely. We walked around most of the barns to see the animals entered in the fair. Cows, sheep, goats, rabbits, guinea pigs, and the BIGGEST. HORSES. I'VE. EVER. SEEN. IN. MY. LIFE. Seeing them made me want to ride again even though the last time I rode a horse was in Girl Scouts - age 10.

We couldn't stay late enough to watch the combine derby (which secretly I kind of wanted to see sssh). We headed back to the car for our 2 hour ride home. Hopefully it won't be too long until our next visit.

This year's fair was brought to you by :

• The Tilted To The Side Cap

Additional Sponsors:

• The Fat Lady
  
• Kids On Roller Shoes
  
• And People That Are Just Plain Fugly

Holding hands at the fair made me feel 17 again :)