Step Right Up!

As one of the few Snag family traditions not firmly entrenched outside the mainstream, we go to the State Fair most Augusts. When I say "we" I'm referring to the boys and me. The Lovely Bride tries to avoid this forced march, leaving to me the joys of three children wired on sugar, grease, and the peculiar attractions of the midway.

Like most Snag family traditions, this one typically involves bickering and demands that I spend money. I had no particular reason to think yesterday would be any exception.

We got to the fairgrounds mid-morning, made our entrance, and started shoving mini-donuts in our pieholes. Coincidentally, the Democratic party's booth was near the donut stand and when we stuck our head in to say what was what, we found to our delight (i.e. to my delight) a Senate candidate was about to speak. And what a populist stemwinder he gave.

"The Democratic party has become the liberal party and the conservative party," he said.

"There's nothing conservative about billions of dollars of deficits!"

The crowd cheered.

"There's nothing conservative about spying on American citizens!"

The crowd cheered louder.

"There's nothing conservative about torture!"

The crowd roared.

My kids, bored at first, started paying attention. They listened to the rest of the speech, applauded with the rest of us, then took an Obama '08 button to bring home as a gift to a neighbor.

From there we wandered off to more traditional activities. Foot-long hot dogs, turkey legs, deep-fried cheese curds, the swine and poultry barns, farm implement displays, games of "skill." Everything you could want.

Only one thing was different this year. The kids didn't complain. At least they didn't complain much by their standards.

Why? I don't know.

Maybe they're just getting older. That didn't make much difference this morning, though, when they were at each other's throats.

Maybe they were well-rested for a change. They were still up when I went to sleep the night before, so that's probably not it.

Or maybe they were just thinking about the speech, and how "some people can't pull themselves up by their bootstraps because they don't have any boots," and maybe for a change they appreciated, just a little, what they have.