April 15 – “A Fair Experience”

The random song stuck in my head for the day?  It began sometime before I woke up.  At least it seemed that way, since I was literally singing it to myself as I came into consciousness.  We used to have this classic on one of those antique CD things called a record album.  Awesome song.  Purple People Eater.  "One-eyed, one horned, flyin' purple people eater.  Sure looks strange to me."   Yesterday I went to the Galveston County Fair with the students from Seaside Christian Academy.  I drove the car with the three older guys and one little girl who was still in a car seat.  Great kids.    The fair itself didn't take very long to experience.  We started out in the petting zoo, of course.  Always the highlight of the day when available.  This one had the proverbial goats who tried to eat clothes and a donkey strolling around and a pig in the corner taking a nap.  But there were a few real surprises.  Just on the other side of a fence, so he wouldn't accidentally step on one of the smaller children, I'm sure, was a camel.  Very stately and regal in bearing, he didn't even spit on anybody.  And he didn't smell near as bad as the pone I sat on when I went to Egypt back in college.  I thought camels were naturally stinky.  In the pen next to him (or her, I didn't really pay that much attention) was a kangaroo.  And that one was a female.  Not that I am some kind of specialist on Australian mammals.  It's just that when we got there, the momma kangaroo was passed out like she was exhausted after a long night.  And sticking out of her pouch was an extra little tail.  Later on the joey was hopping around the cage, entertaining the guests while the mom … still slept.  Wonder if any of the human moms out there could relate?   We went from there into the exhibit barn where we were blessed to see row after row of pigs and chickens and turkeys and sheep and goats and cows.  We were looking for the animals raised by the Stone family from our church.  Jason won something for his goat.  His picture was in the paper.  There were also some Stone chickens there.  I'm sure there's some specific name for each type of animal, but I was happy to be very general in my approach.  I did get asked several times what the animals' names were.  I started out answering with confidence when we were with the pigs.  "That one is Bacon.  There's Ham.  His name is Pork Chops."  For some reason, after that, no one asked me.    We left the fair and made a stop at the nearest playground so the kids could expend some energy.  The favorite spot there was the tunnel slide.  I didn't go in, but from comments I heard, there must have been a phone book in there.  One of the girls was slow in reappearing after she entered.  The others called out to here, and she responded, "Wait.  I'm trying to read all the phone numbers."  Another one of the kids entered the tunnel and cried out, "I'm struck."  So to the rescue came … all of the other eight kids.  Every one of them jumped into the tunnel to free the stranded explorer.  It worked.  Each one eventually emerged at tunnel's end, laughing and celebrating the victory.   The excursion ended with a trip to McDonald's (where else).  The sponsors were vigilant, and the kids were well behaved.  I even received a stern warning from Mrs. Brandy, "No horseplay until all the food is gone."  Hmm.  I must say that left us wide open for some food fights or wrestling matches or creative approaches to using leftover ketchup packets, as long as we finished our food first.  I also must say that I might have been the only one thinking about it.  And it was a struggle, but I managed to keep my behavior in line with the rest of our great students.    Micah 1:3-4 says, "Look! The Lord is coming from his dwelling place; he comes down and treads the high places of the earth.  The mountains melt beneath him and the valleys split apart, like wax before the fire, like water rushing down a slope."   Father, Thank you for animals and mountains and sandbars and oceans and especially for children.  They all make life, life.  Amen.