Today’s post comes from Verily Sherrilee

I love the Fair.

I’m unapologetic about my love of the State Fair. I know that it’s not everyone’s cup of tea but from the first time I walked through the arches on Snelling, I was hooked.  I love the animals, I love all the educational buildings, I love the butter heads, I love the art, I love the parade.  But most of all I love the people-watching.

This year I went to the Fair three times: once all by myself, once with Young Adult and once with friends for Garrison Keillor’s show. I have a fun memory from each day.

On opening day, as I was sitting on the curb, waiting for the parade to start, a father and son came to sit in the space next to me. As they sat, the son (probably 11 or 12) let out a huge groan.  I couldn’t help but laugh and so did the dad.  I said to him “I expect to hear that kind of groan from myself or from your dad, but not from someone your age.”  Without missing a beat, the kid leaned over and said “I’m a catcher.  I have old knees.”  I almost snorted by water up my nose.

On the day with Young Adult, we did the Bunny Barn first. I call the Young Adult “The Bunny Whisperer” because she has a way with the rabbits. Most of the rabbits sit near the back of their cages so that they can’t be reached.  Young Adult slips her hand into the cage and then waits.  One after another, the bunnies move to her side of the cage and let her pet them.  She probably has an 80% success rate.  It’s amazing.   Of course this means that we spend A LOT of time in the Bunny Barn and she usually suggests that we go home with a rabbit.  At one point I turned to her and said again “No, we can’t have a bunny.”  She replied, “I know, it would just be fodder for Guinevere.”  I was so excited that she knew the word “fodder” that I almost wept!

On Friday I got to the fair in time for the parade. As the little kids’ farm train went by, in the last car I noticed a little boy (probably 8 or 9) doing the Vulcan salute.  I quickly flashed the salute in return; his face lit up and he gave me a huge thumb’s up.  Finally my ability to do “live long and prosper” has come in handy!

It was the best fair ever!

 Are you a fair person or not?

Today’s post comes from Verily Sherrilee

One of the places that Young Adult and I like to visit together is the Zoo. We like all kinds of zoos and animal parks, but our favorite is what I still refer to as “the new zoo”, meaning the Apple Valley Zoo. Even as a small child, YA loved the zoo and was always well behaved as well as pretty flexible about changing schedules, mealtimes and even nap time.  I wish I could take credit for her great behavior, but I think it was all about her!

Unfortunately many babies and toddlers aren’t up to a long hot day at the zoo. I feel a lot of sympathy for these families that are melting down and I stay out of everybody’s business. Nobody needs a stranger telling their children how to behave.  I even keep my mouth shut when people nearby are spouting nonsense like when we were standing at the moose exhibit and the woman next to me said to her child “Look at the reindeer.”  (I’m not making that up.)

So it surprised me when an adult started knocking on the glass of the Amur Leopard enclosure and I immediately turned and said “Don’t do that!” in a loud voice. It just flew out of me and when he immediately said “OK” I felt bad that I’d been so quick and loud. Then he turned to the group he was with and groused “There aren’t any signs saying not to do that” in a voice just loud enough that it carried over to where YA and I were standing. My bad feeling evaporated immediately and my behavior started to circle the drain.  As we walked out of the area I said “What kind of ADULT needs a sign to keep him from knocking on the glass and disturbing the animals?”  Of course I raised my voice for all to hear.

As we walked back down the Grizzly Coast, I wondered if Young Adult would give me grief, but as she always does, she took the stranger’s AND my bad behavior in stride!

When do YOU want to correct the behavior of others?

I’m not a sports person. While I know the difference between the teeny white ball (golf), the small white ball (baseball) and the large white ball (volleyball) as well as few of the other kinds but that’s about it. Don’t ask me about drafts or leagues or even what team plays from what city or state. With the exception of the Vikings and the Packers, I’m clueless.

So it surprises me every four years that I love to watch the Olympics. When I was a young married person, we had a little bitty TV in our little bitty apartment and we actually rented a big console job for the 2+ weeks of the Olympics. I usually root for the USA, but if we’re not in a particular heat or contest, then I go for the underdog. Over the weekend, I cheered big time when the Serbian rowers came back after their catastrophic boat sinking the day before and I really want Catalina Ponor (the only Romanian woman gymnast this year) to do well.

But I do have a few questions:

Beach volleyball.  Why do the women’s teams wear what are basically Band-aids as their uniforms but the men’s teams wear big long shorts and tank tops?

Gymnastics.  Why do the women wear leotards that look like they’re painted onto their bodies while the men wear loose baggy shorts or long pants?

Diving.  And reversing the trend, how do men keep on those little tiny speedos when they’re hitting the water at 30 miles per hour?

Grunting. Why do men tense up their arms and shoulders and grunt/yell when they win a point or match like Maori warriors? (I’ve noticed this is a man thing – very little grunting/yelling from women.)

Commentators.  Why don’t they vet the commentators before they go live?  You’d hardly know that Nastia Liukin is there; seems like she doesn’t speak unless asked a question. Why is Ryan Seacrest in Rio? I didn’t realize he had beach volleyball knowledge to impart. And don’t get me started about Al Trautwig and his adoption comment.

Waiting around. Why is so much TV coverage spent watching athletes wait around?  I really don’t need to see 15 minutes a night of Michael Phelps wearing his headphones and scowling off into space.

What questions do you have about the Olympics?

Today’s post is by Verily Sherrilee

When Chris from Owatonna announced on the Trail a couple of months ago that he had published his novel, I was thrilled – as a member of our blog community and as a reader. I couldn’t wait to get a copy and when Chris mentioned he was having a kick-off signing I asked for the afternoon off right away.  tim and I  both went down for the occasion.

It was a perfect day for a drive down to Perfect Day Cakes where Chris’ signing was held. The bakery was all set up, including a delicious-looking array of cupcakes and fancy doughnuts.  Chris signed several books and then spoke a bit about how he got to today.

During fundraising for Big Brothers/Big Sisters, an organization he has volunteered with for many years, Chris used to write long letters describing his own experience and the progress of his Little Brother.

Many of the recipients of those letters commented on his writing ability and eventually several folks encouraged him to write a book. While he was writing he was also researching the independent publishing industry which has evolved greatly over the past decade. Now that he is published, he hasn’t forgotten how he got his inspiration.  For every book that he sells, $1 goes to Big Brothers/Big Sisters; after he re-coups his hard costs, then he’ll raise that to $2 per book.

Castle Danger is a thriller with mystery, suspense and romance set in northern Minnesota during the height of blizzard season.  Chris is thinking about re-visiting an earlier unpublished book that will be a pre-quel and then maybe a sequel to Castle Danger as well.  Eventually he’d like to spread his wings a bit more and try some tween fiction as well.

I can’t wait to finish this blog piece so I can start reading my personal signed copy!

What author would you like to meet and get an autograph from?

Today’s post comes from Verily Sherrilee

One of the bylaws at my workplace is that it be a fun place to work. Every summer we have a splendid program called “Summer of Love” with some afternoons off, food trucks out on the lawn, bands and a relaxed dress code.  We even have a party room in Building 2!   The rest of the year is sprinkled with other fun events and this week we celebrated the Kentucky Derby.

To get ready for the event, my department decided that we wanted to make Derby Day hats for the celebration. Instead of our regular department meeting, we gathered in one of the rooms here with our hats, silk flowers, ribbons, toile and glue guns.  An hour later, we were transformed from everyday worker bees to queens (and kings) of the hive.

The party room was set up with a photo both, bean bag toss, beer pong and ping pong. We had mint juleps (a little strong – I could hardly get through just one), finger sandwiches and little pecan pie tartlets.  There was also a fun set-up for “betting” on the Derby horses.  The top ten forerunners each had a sheet with their picture, their stats, their jockey, etc.  Then they each had a big glass vase; there was one glass vase for all the long shots together as well.

As we entered the party room, we each received two tickets to bet on our choice.  I bet one of my tickets on the long shots and my second on Destin, a three-year old gray born in Kentucky.  His jockey is Javier Castellano.  I chose him because I follow a science-blog done by a guy named Destin. If there had been a woman jockey I would have chosen her or if there had been a really interesting jockey name, I could have dumped a ticket in that vase.  So even though I was adorned like I was ready for a day at the races, I still placed my bet based on the name of a science jock.

How do you pick `em?