grace grits and gardening

ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

Fall is…

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This post is Day 3 of the BLOGtober Fest challenge with Arkansas Women Bloggers. Theme is Fall Traditions…

Easy peasy…

In our family, we have several fall traditions, but my favorites are …

  • That first eye-rolling-back-in-my-head bite of corn dog from the state fair, hot from the grease and dripping with mustard. A trip to the state fair is always on the agenda. 
  • That first weekend of college football which pairs perfectly with the season’s first bowl of chili. (My husband makes amazing chili…) A house divided, we claim many teams cheering for Arkansas and Arkansas State (always), other SECteams when it benefits Arkansas, and Texas when they play Oklahoma. We almost support LSU when they play Florida. Florida, never. Although it rarely happens since the fall of the Southwest Conference, if Baylor should play Arkansas, I cheer for whichever team has the ball. Yes, I graduated from Baylor and LOVE the Hogs…  Conflicted.
    My handsome Razorback
  • Cotton Harvest! The holiest of times. The fields are transformed into a sea of white, thick enough to walk on. My favorite smell, the smell of cotton. 
can you smell it?

talya
Musical Pairings:

Arkansas Fight Song

Don’t be late!

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Our State Fair is a great state fair. Don’t miss it don’t even be late. Rodgers & Hammerstein
The top 5 reasons I go to the State Fair of Texas….
5. Pig Races
4. Car Show
3. People Watch
2. Crazy Mouse Ride
1. Corn Dogs!

I’m counting down the days to September 28…. when people from all walks of life and all corners of the state and beyond, eagerly gather into a hay-filled rodeo barn sitting side by side squealing for their favorite pig like its the Texas-OU football game. Big-haired women, mullet-haired men, even Oprah was there a few years ago to feast on the deep fried butter.
The parking lot is crammed with expensive tiny foreign cars and dirty farm vehicles driven in from Groesbeck, but once inside the hallowed fairground gates everyone is reduced to the lowest common denominator, standing in long hot lines for piles of tornado taters. People come together. Totally non-partisan.
The presidential election should be held during the nation’s state fairs. 
Crazy Mouse ride!
Talya, Taylor, Zach, Staci 2011
Each year there is a contest for the best tasting and most creative new fair food to feed the famished fairgoers. This year’s winners, Deep Fried Jambalaya and Fried Bacon Cinnamon Rolls. Another new food for 2012, Chicken Fried Cactus Bites, proving people will eat anything as long as its battered, deep fried in lard, and served on a stick.
Don’t even be late!
fried margarita 2010

talya

Musical Pairings

State Fair – 1962

Food. Farm. Garden. Life.

THANKS FOR READING!