Grows Merry In Time

Those who know us well might tell you that we never leave our house. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact we rarely leave our house. Note the difference.

Today we packed up the children and went down to the creek. Yesterday we went to the county fair (Dead Milkmen now in my head.) Growing up in DC I was familiar with the school fair and the church fair and the street fair, but county fairs have remained a sealed book to me until very recently. We took Patrick to one two years ago but between the heat and the morning sickness I failed to see the appeal. The swine barn was no Chanel No. 5 boutique and as for deep fried peanut butter sandwiches... the less said about them the better. But yesterday, my goodness. If there is anything more charming than a shed full of 4-H projects I don't want to know about it.

Caroline was so excited by the animals she started waving the instant we entered the cow barn. Elbow bent, wrist rotating like a fan she greeted each one, "Hiiiiiiiiii!" Actually it is more like "Haaaa-iiiii-ee!" since Caroline has a mysterious Southern accent that adds syllables into otherwise monosyllabic words. She was born Queen of the May. When we read books she will happily identify various and sundry things: "Cat! Dog! Car! Rabb-ut!" but when she gets to something she does not know she gives a slight pause, bright smile still in place, and says, "Seeeeeeee?" This is known as a redirect. Like "Do I support health care reform?" [pause. big smile] "Well, I support sunshine! And happiness! And I believe in peace! And I think flowers and children are dipped in golden innocence!"

Seeeeee?

Here Caroline finds a baby cow who is just her size and kisses it.

Then the cow kissed her back.

Caroline loved the fair.

Edward? Not so much.

I think he thought it was very, very messy. And, unlike Caroline, his desire to greet and embrace every living creature on God's dirty earth is nonexistent. He liked the fire trucks and he really liked it when they got an emergency call and had to race to leave with their sirens blaring and lights flashing. Other than that he morosely ate a hot dog bun for lunch when it became obvious the fair really and truly did not offer a single fruit or vegetable that had not been deep-fried or pickled or both.

Is that all there is, Eddie Lee? Is that all there is to a fair?

Patrick liked the canning display and all the kids' projects. He was especially interested in the judging of the original Lego creations. He was pretty sure he could win something next year and - as it looked like every entrant received a ribbon - it is hard to fault his logic. Have I talked about Patrick's Legos lately? He does funny work. I was particularly fond of his Lego waste water treatment facility which used Lego flowers to remove Lego bacteria... do I have a picture of that one? Aw rats. No. You should have seen my face when I asked, "So what are you building? A school?" and he said "No, I am trying to do something about the sewage in Lego City" with an emphasis to imply that my failure to be part of the solution meant that I was obviously part of the problem. It reminded me of that time an acquaintance attempted to describe her political inclinations by saying, "I think we are fairly conservative. I mean, we don't recycle" which still ranks as one of the most baffling things I have ever heard. I think reasonable people can disagree on the best way to spend tax dollars but surely we all want to keep the planet tidy? Is there not a little Edward in all of us? That is an actual question (not the Edward part; the only-Democrats-recycle part - surely the Republican party is not for pollution? feel free to clarify for me. maybe she was just... misguided?) Anyway, I was surprised the residents of Lego City feel that I am against responsible waste management, although I suspect this is somehow linked to my refusal to allow Patrick to move Lego NASA into my bedroom in his effort to get it away from the town center.

Where... right. County fair. Good lemonade. A cotton candy purchase the size of a large bag of potato chips from which I dealt out tiny pinches to Patrick as we walked. I then closed up the bag and announced we were done with cotton candy for the morning. After lunch Patrick asked for more, which put me in the embarrassing position of trying to explain why the bag was empty.

I love cotton candy.

Conclusion: we are in favor of fairs and have decided to all go to the state fair later in the month with the exception of Edward who very well might have an apoplexy at the Great Minnesota Get Together. He almost punched that baby cow, you know. Right in its sweet little face.

In other news I started a new food related sub-blog and I began putting up posts/recipes this weekend. I love food. I like to cook. But that hideous hour before dinner irritates the fuck out of me and, frankly, lunch with two toddlers and a Steve and Patrick home for the summer isn't exactly a magical time in fields of gold either. My plan is to write about what I am making and what we are eating and to talk about what you are making and eating. My theory is that it is always less boring when we are in it together. I could stick up a million caveats about my limited skills and my appalling photography and my unsophisticated palate (I don't like duck. I like chicken) and my picky child limitations (although if I do say so myself some of my work-arounds for food aversions are quite clever) but I am not going to do so. I mean, beyond that sentence. It is what it is and I am excited about it, so I hope you will check it out.

Comments

[Tine]

If Edward hated the county fair, he will loathe the State Fair. It is not as stinky overall (unless you're in one of the barns), but I gather he does not like chaos? The GMGT is nothing if not chaotic.

On the other hand, Caroline will love it. So will the rest of you, so pooh on Edward.

Hooray for the food blog! Bookmarking.

[MomVee]

But I didn't get arrested because my dad's the mayor!

Every time my son points out a Camaro I correct him: "a _bitchin'_ Camaro." And then he looks vaguely frightened.

[MomVee]

I feel compelled to add that my son is nearly 14, so I am not corrupting him unduly. Right?

[Allie]

Anyone else get an attack of the "aaaaawwww"s when Edward's pic came up? Such an expressive kid. Love him.

[Elizabeth]

I do hate people who are all 'I'm conservative so I pollute without guilt!'. For the record, I'm apparently conservative (I consider myself moderate, but have been told by family members and former boyfriends that I might as well be a card carrying conservative), and I'm super environmentally conscious. It goes down to whether you want to leave your children a healthy earth. (That being said - there are a lot of crazy annoying super far left environmentalists that make people like me recoil from the label environmentalist. You know the ones who say that we all have to be vegan because MEAT IS KILLING THE EARTH, and I'm going to hell because sometimes I buy a bottle of water instead of using my Sigg bottle.)

[cee]

Recycling is for hippies and gays. Duh.

[Shell]

My brother-in-law and his wife are super conservative Christians of the republican sort and she said to me - with a straight face - "Recycling uses way more energy and resources than just throwing garbage away does." and proceeded to throw away a party's worth of aluminum cans. I thought she was kidding. She wasn't.

[kris]

if the democrats are for it than the republicans are against it. at least that is the way it has seemed for the last couple months. i listened to some republican senator mocking the clunker program (you know the one that enabled me to actually get a new car yesterday and replace my 2001 one with 130,000+ miles and bad bearings) and if i had been close enough (like in the same room and not watching on tv) i would have been hard pressed not to bitch slap him. i would love to know what he drives.

[bethany actually]

I think some conservative Christians perceive that environmentalism is a sort of religion for some liberals, and they therefore regard it warily.

I personally *am* a conservative Christian and I recycle and try to use resources responsibly. I'm a moderate environmentalist, if you will. I take reusable bags to the grocery store, but I use paper towels all the time because they seem more sanitary than cloth towels that get used by everyone in the house over the course of a day. I use containers rather than zip-lock bags whenever I can, but I used disposable diapers when my daughter was a baby. And so on.

[Jennifer]

I'm conservative, and I recycle :)

[Kristin]

I'm relatively conservative and I recycle.

Caroline is so freaking cute with that cow.

Love the new food blog.

[Jen]

Lovely post, though I wasn't going to comment, but that little string of conservatives in a row made me feel like I should say that I'm a liberal, and yes, I recycle. Of course. Otherwise they take the card away from you.

[akeeyu]

"You know that carnival that comes into town every year? Well this year, they came through with a ride called The Mixer. The man said 'Keep your head and arms inside The Mixer at all times', but Bill Junior, he was a daredevil, just like his old man."

Um. Or were you thinking of a different Dead Milkmen song?

[plunkie]

re: appalling photography... i'm not a professional but try turning off the flash and shooting in natural light. works for me.

pic of edward... what an old soul in there, no? what treasures you have.

[minni]

i love your blog! thank you for the laughs! i'm going through a really bad time right now, but i haven't laughed this hard today as i did when i read "you love cotton candy!"
i should add a footnote - i have 3 very young kids and they keep me laughing all day long, in spite of the other messy stuff.

[Amanda]

"Seeeee?" ... what a sweetheart.

And Cee, you made me laugh out loud. "Recycling is for hippies and gays. Duh."

I would recycle but I live in one of the square states, in the middle of said square state, and they honest-to-god don't offer recycling here. Because not so long ago, people in these parts were living in houses made of dirt and cow shit, that's why, and about everyone around here would be inclined to take Cee seriously. Except me. But I don't say so in public because there hasn't been a good tar-n-feathering in the neighborhood for a while, and I don't want to be the one to break the streak.

Also? Edward and Patrick crack me up.

[Not My Mother]

Oooh, a Julia blog about food! I may have died and gone to heaven.

(Have you found http://wordstoeatby.blogspot.com/ ? A foodie new yorker with a toddler, and many posts about how to make great food in the time you have in between your children. She even runs a course. I have started studying even though I don't have any kids yet.)

I'm going to have to come back to read this again because it was all too funny. Edward! Patrick's lego world! Caroline's future in politics! Bwahahaha.

[Susan]

Eh, I don't worry about recycling. Sometimes I do recycle, sometimes I don't.

Plenty of what you put out for recycling ends up landfilled or incinerated anyway, due to marketplace gluts meaning no one wants to take it (newspaper) or due to cross-contamination (wrong kind of plastic, industrial containers, etc) making it unusable with the recycler's current methods. And the process uses a lot of energy, from the lumbering trucks used to pick it up to the sorting and processing, and in most cases the end product is inferior to the original and has the potential for low-level nasty contaminants along for the ride.

I would never by anything with recycled content for use around my child. Better that you don't acquire so much waste material upfront - buy in bulk, use reusable containers.

[Pam L]

Poor Edward. Yeah, the county fair, I remember the ultra stinky livestock area. My Dad took us through the tent with the full size cows and I was afraid of them, they were LOOKING at me and were so big, and stinky. I did like the rides and the treats but they don't mix and my sister always got sick on them. I am POSITIVE Patrick will win the Lego contest next year, in more than one category. Funny about how NASA cannot be close to the town. Glad to hear all the Legolians are concerned with their sewage-finally!.
I use the basic Betty Crocker pie crust recipe, flour, salt, shortening, water, comes out perfect for me. The cobbler with the sugar cookie dough sounds perfectlyyummy. Have you ever seen some of those pictures people take on Allrecipes? If I thought it was really going to turn out looking like that, I wouldn't make it. They should use a stock picture of anything close rather than some of their horrible submissions.

[rosie_kate]

I love county fairs (more than state fairs, which are big and bewildering) and I love your writing about it! I spent every summer all about "fair" doing ever 4-H project under the sun (except legos-- wasn't really into legos...). Fond memories... I can definitely share Caroline's enthusiasm. And Edward is just too cute for his own good. That displeased frown! Adorable.

[Allisone]

Methinks we need a "I'm conservative, and I recycle" t-shirt.

I'm a liberal democrat so of course I recycle, have a compost bin and belong to an organic CSA.

[T]

I'm a Libertarian, and I really should be recycling... It's just that I was waitlisted for a bin, and then the City never delivered it, and then... I got lazy and forgot to follow up. But, I've been guilt-tripped and will meekly call for a bin this afternoon...

Love the pictures of the babies (Edward's face and his tidiness always makes me laugh)... and Patrick! Patrick with the Lego Waste Treatment Center...! I am still cracking up.

[Shannon]

This is one of the things that annoys me about politics...I feel I am conservative in many ways but NOT when it comes to environmental issues. It annoys the piss out of me that conservative politicians who I would otherwise want to support let businesses get away with spewing out toxic waste everywhere because God forbid we do anything to discourage big business, even if it means our children get cancer. Anyway, I recycle.

[Cookie]

I love fairs! And am not surprised about the either Caroline or Edward's feeling on the fair. Their personalities are so developed.

I love Patrick's Lego creations. My 4-year-old is just starting to get there. He will present me with odd Lego buildings and then look at me like I'm dense for not instantly understanding what they are. Recently he built a contraption that not only sprays water to wash things, but also has a vacuum to suck up all the water when it's done washing.

I love that you have a new blog and I am adding it to my reading list.

[Aunt Becky]

I nearly peed myself readin the "we don't recycle" comment because really, what else is to be said to that? What can you possibly say to follow that up?

[Aunt Becky]

Also, my "g" key is being temperamental.

[terri c]

Love. Love. Love. the photos and Patrick's Lego waste treatment plant. Your kids are too wonderful. Must check food blog though I do not cook.

[SarahB]

Oh, the county fair!!!!

4-H would be perfect for a kid like Patrick. You get to enter projects of whatever subject and as many or few as you want. It's very self-directed, but there's the fun of meetings with other kids in your club and talking about all your projects!

And, no, you don't have to raise livestock! I think 4-H starts around age 8 or 9, but there's mini-4-H as well? Worth checking into.

[Krissa]

I recycle - I think more people would recycle if it was more convenient, honestly. Most people aren't that fussed about the environment in their day-to-day lives, but if it's convenient? Sure, why not put all the plastic over here away from the rest of the trash?
Actually, it really appeals to my organizational nature, to have a specific place for different kinds of waste. I often sort my recycling bin. Maybe that's weird. :)

[Amy]

Poor Edward - he looks SO displeased.

I, too, taught my son to call any Camaro a "bitchin' Camaro". When he was four. Ooops.

[Elizabeth]

My husband votes Republican and not only recycles and takes reusable bags to the store, but he gives money to Greenpeace. People who don't actually think about each issue on it's individual merits make us a little crazy. Another example: my husband gives money to both the NRA and the ACLU, a stance that actually makes perfect sense if you actually think about his reasoning: the NRA will protect his second amendment rights and the ACLU will cover the rest of the bill or rights.

[Ruthie]

I am thrilled about your new blog. One of my very favorite recipes is that lentil & sausage soup that you had in your sidebar for awhile. It had the all-important trio of "I actually enjoy eating this," "I can easily find all ingredients during a shopping trip with children," and "I can prep this during naptime" - yay!

Going to check it out now!

[Sarah M]

Hi there! I have read your blog for ages but rarely comment. I just wanted to toss in my two cents - my husband and I are politically conservative but we recylce, have a fuel-efficient car in which we carpool to work, and I recently walked up to a lady and handed her back the trash she had littered which embarassed me to no end but made my husband exceedingly proud. I actually consider myself more environmentally conscious than my very liberal mother who recently said she kind of thought she'd like to have two cars in case one has to go in the shop and doesn't recycle glass because it's not picked up curbside. Anyway!! I'm off to read the other comments...

[Mrs. Sprinkles]

Hello, I'm a Conservative Christian Republican and I recycle. And Freecycle.

[Rebecca]

Are you kidding me? Julia AND food related topics? Color me intrigued!

[winecat]

Only Patrick would have the creativity to have a sewage treatment plant in Lego City but I wonder why Nasa can't be nearby?
Caroline and the cow the cutest thing going. How can you stop yourself from eating her whole? And poor Edward, he looks so distraught being held captive in a dirty, noisy place.

[Nancy]

I'm conservative and recycle - my husband threw a scare into me a few days ago - suggested that we turn in my 20 year old Mustang convertible as a "clunker" so he could buy a little runaround truck. Thank Goodness my little 2.3 liter did NOT qualify. I love that car. The picture of Edward was precious.

[Ruth]

We're headed to the Iowa State Fair (it's a Great State Fair ... don't miss it, don't even be late) in two weeks, and we can.not.wait. At the moment, the plan is to leave WB at home. Missed naptime = not a lot of fun for the rest of us.

[Tess]

I am also an environmentally moderate Christian conservative. I bring re-useable bags to the store, but use paper towels and bleach wipes because I think it is more sanitary. I don't recycle or buy into the far left climate change is ruining the planet nonsense, but my husband and I donate money to a local wildlife reserve.

[Suzi]

OK kids - Susan was right in her comment above - And for the record - I am fiscally conservative, and socially liberal, and occasionally irrational.

but I am an engineer, a chemical engineer, with a background in energy and environmental systems, including running a waste incinerator.

I do NOT recycle.

I think its a crock of crap as it is currently administered in the cities I have lived in (Seattle, Atlanta, London, Vegas, rural NC). They sell it as a feel good alternative, but its really much less effective and environmentally "friendly" than you realize.

recycling is not automatically a GOOD thing. In many many many many cases (glass, plastic and paper specifically) the energy it takes to break down the materials and then reprocess it is substantially more than creating the material from raw materials. So you're using and burning more carbon products (gas, electricity, etc...) to recycle than you would if you started from scratch - that's not exactly earth friendly, especially since fossil fuels and electricity are more in danger of running out than paper, glass, and aluminum.

The smart option is waste to energy incinerators - and that only works for combustible product s(plastics and paper) - many of the "recycling" programs in your cities don't acutally recycle those materials - they burn them to make electricity.

I said that was the best option - but its the best of a crappy list - because the paper and plastic have chemicals that are highly toxic when burned, and the ash often becomes hazardous waste.

There is no good answer except to conserve and reuse what you have. Anyone who is trying to tell you that recycling is ALWAYS the best option is drinking the kool aid.

Do your homework. Do not become a mindless sheep in the herd, whether its taxes, environment, and morality. Find out for yourself - ask questions, demand answers. And don't EVER assume.

suzi, your friendly neighborhood engineer....

[Hetty Fauxvert]

I'm pretty conservative, but I still follow my parents' dictum:

Use it up, wear it out,
Make it do, or do without!

and I throw things into the proper recycling bins as indicated by our county, though Suzi's post has given me pause for thought. But we are using disposable diapers since we have freakin' TWINS and trying to wash them (the diapers, not the twins, though that can be a challenge too) would make me battier than I already am!

[LMM]

Ahh...the Minnesota state fair. They have started showing commercials for it and all I can think of is cheese curds and super hot fresh french fries with a side of malt vinegar.
Unfortunately, I'm 10 weeks pregnant and on bed rest with no end in sight. And you just know that food isn't going to travel. Damn.

[Pam L]

Obviously NASA cannot be too close to the city because ...hello? rockets, fuel, noise, security etc. which is all better handled in your bedroom , of course!

[pdxem]

haha! "morosely ate a hot dog bun for lunch"

I think I have done that before. Poor Edward.

[sozzled]

I love the state fair! come to the PCR booth in the grandstand to get a condom on a stick. and go on a weekday in the morning (I'll be there Sept 2nd)to avoid the worst of the chaos.

[PiquantMolly]

My sister is very graciously giving birth to a baby this month specifically so that I may use that as an excuse to head home to Minnesota and eat fried things on sticks at the Minnesota State Fair. Well, perhaps she had other reasons for bearing a child, but, you know, whatever.

Bacon. Sauteed in brown sugar. On a stick. Seriously.

[Jen]

Not only am I liberal I also live in Seattle. So, of course I recycle! (Please see PEMCO's "Were a lot like you" Northwest Profile #17, Relentless Recycler http://werealotlikeyou.com/). My husband will tell you I recycle TOO much, but really, what is too much??? :)

Edward's little scowl just melts my heart. Though I'm much like Caroline, I ooohh and ahhh at all the baby animals and drag my husband through cow barn after cow barn.

[Crowley]

Does not "conservative" mean that you want to conserve something?
Like in "conserve" the Earth.
Or "conserve" the values of our forefathers when everything on a farm (or on the prairie) was used for something, because resources were scarce?

I think there are a lot of conservatives that still think like that, but there are others who do not.

[mimimouse]

I'm a liberal and I recycle, compost everything I can, but I also didn't feel bad when I stopped when the baby was born cause it really was n extra burden. But my parents are pretty conservative and they recycle too, so go figure.

Really wanted to post to tell you, you should check out Leonardos Basement in the Cities for Patrick, they have Lego robotics classes and many other science classes. My friends son loves it and when my guys old enough he'll be going as well.

[Cathy]

There seems to be a lot of random opinions being offered about whether or not to recycle.

Of course, it depends upon the locality and materials involved, but most of the time, recycling is better for the environment.

"In an international study published last year by the Waste & Resources Action Programme, a British group, researchers compared more than 180 municipal waste management systems. Recycling proved better for the environment than burying or burning waste in 83 percent of the cases."

From National Geographic, January 2008.

Recycling metals is particularly energy-saving.