All's Fair

Today the countdown to surgery began with a light breakfast followed by clear liquids until Thursday when, I assume, some alternate route for nourishment will be established as I recover. To celebrate our family went to the Lynden Fair. This has been a favorite summer pastimes for me since we have lived in Western Washington. I love the color and busyness of the fair and delight in watching other fair goers. Today, one highlight was watching two-year old quadruplets pet some young calves as they lay down in the dairy barn. Dressed in matching pink and white matching shirts, the quads were a major attraction. In the crafts barn, the three nativity banners designed by Joan Roley for our new sanctuary were on display. We toured the poultry barn watching the strange breeds of chicken and admiring a turkey tom who puffed up his feathers magnificently as we passed by. The real reason I attend the Lynden Fair, however, is to pay my respects to the draft horses in the horse barn. This small regional fair sports seven or eight matched teams of these magnificent beasts: Clydesdales, Belgians, Percherons. These gentle giants are beautifully groomed, harnessed and hitched to elegantly painted wagons to demonstrate their prowess as teams. Somehow an annual visit to these fine animals provides a certain epiphany. This afternoon I got down to business and toasted the upcoming surgery with a magnesium citrate cocktail. As it works its chemical magic I feel myself preparing for a time of cocooning and incubation. I shall be as helpless as I was in infancy and as completely dependent upon the care of others. This too, will be a new experience. How fortunate I am to have such magnificent resources at my disposal. Posted by Donel at August 16, 2004 05:54 PM