Barb Bierman Batie

It has been a hectic week at Hof Batie. Although we no longer have children in 4-H, as third generation 4-Her’s Hubby’s and my blood run green at county fair time. This year between our various volunteer duties we each spent an average of five to six hours a day at the fairgrounds.

Monday was livestock setup day and Horseshoe Bend, the 4-H club we are both assistant leaders for, was responsible for putting up stall cards in the beef, swine, sheep and goat barns, setting up the small animal, poultry and rabbit building, and moving around and putting up various signs.

With many hands, we were able to complete that series of tasks in about two hours. However, once I got home, I had to work on sorting out my canning to take to the fair and figure out what produce and floral exhibits I would take.

Tuesday Hubby concentrated on getting the last of the irrigation pipe and poly pipe out. I had to head to the garden as with all our rain the produce has been producing well. After picking and sorting out cucumbers, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, zucchini and yellow squash, cutting basil, and picking spinach and cutting lettuce, I was wiped.

Wednesday we were back at it. I was 4-H Miscellaneous Superintendent, and that afternoon Hubby came in to pinch hit at the 4-H Café. Somewhere mid-morning I managed to sneak away to enter my open class exhibits and grabbed lunch from the café before launching into the ribbon placing and exhibit display organizing.

As we each sank gratefully into our electrically controlled recliners that night Hubby asked, “How did we survive as a human race before recliners were invented?”

A fair question after a long day at the fair. I replied that there probably were plenty of sore backs and swollen feet with no way to lean back or properly elevate the legs.

Thursday Hubby was up and gone by 7 a.m. to fetch ice for the 4-H Café, filling in for cousins who usually bring it to the fair, but who were traveling to Arkansas for a family funeral. He would repeat the ice runs on Friday and Saturday.

I had women’s group at church, but after it was over headed to the fairgrounds where Hubby was going to serve as ring-man for the 4-H bucket calf and dairy show. We met for lunch, sampling some of our favorite 4-H Café foods, including the day’s special of homemade cabbage burgers and our favorite – homemade pie. We then headed to the Stevens arena for the show, and I grabbed photos for the paper while Hubby made sure reluctant calves made it into the arena for their walk before the judge.

It was another recliner night after all that work. Friday I was a day co-chair at the 4-H Café, and it was busy. Between locals coming to support the 4-H p program, businesspeople happy to have a different spot for lunch for a few days, to all the 4-Her’s and their families either prepping for or watching the livestock shows that day, we were swamped.

Hubby came in about 4 p.m. to help with the closing shift and by the time we had cleaned up, put away and restocked everything it was almost 9 p.m. We both gratefully sank into our favorite chairs when we got home, and it almost took a crane to lift both of us out to get to bed.

One final push on Saturday and this time our volunteer time was spent helping with the 4-H small animal, poultry and rabbit show. After the girls were done showing poultry in 2011 we decided to sponsor the poultry trophies, so try to be there to present those each year.

When the show was over I headed home, but Hubby had a shift at the FFA barn and so he headed there for the remainder of the evening. He found me crashed in the recliner, that life-saving piece of furniture which seems to rescue many of us from crazy days, especially during the county fair.