Pig Show

My sister Sue had invited me to come to the Clifton Fair and Rodeo last week to watch her grandaughters, Tara and Krista, show their pigs. Sue drove from Cranfills Gap. I came over from Waco, and we met up at Johnnie's Place, a nice little restaurant in Clifton with good food and lots of cool air, to first have a bite to eat before going to the Fair.     

When we got to the fairgrounds, most of Clifton and the surrounding countryside were there. Though temperatures had been lower than normal ----an actual record of the coolest July ever recorded--- due to all the rain we have had, the good old Texas humidity was super-high--but that didn't stop folks from coming out to support the FFA kids.  We parked near the Show Pig Barn, where Tara and Krista would soon be showing their pigs. This was Krista's first year to show an animal...Tara had shown before, but Krista was a little nervous. Little brother, Cody, and mom and dad, Amy and Chad Warren, were there to offer help if needed, but Krista did just fine.

Sue and I found all of the Warrens at their RV camper where they had spent the previous night. The girls were inside, getting ready for the show. The camper is  nice--so nice, in fact, that when Chad was showing it to Sue, she said it was a perfect "mother-in-law pad"-- Chad got a real funny look on his face 'til he realized Sue, HIS mother-in-law, was just kidding him. It is very livable-- if you like really small spaces. I enjoyed talking to old friends I had not seen in a long time. As we sat around, waiting for the show to start, I got an update on Marvin Payne's niece, Tammy Finstead, who I'd worked with back in the '90s, and a few other old friends.

With the pig show about to start, we went back to the barn and stood talking to dear friend Ruth Tucker, who had been smart enough to bring a folding chair to sit in. The bleachers were full of folks supporting the kids. Sandy, Sue's best cattle buddy, showed up and stood with us, too. Sandy and Sue are some of the few women who run cattle at the Gap and do most all of the work themselves. They are fixtures at the local cow sales, Clifton and Meridian. Sue is a good cattle buyer with an eye for a great cow and a good deal.

The show pigs were pretty----so shiny and clean...though I have never understood why that big fat pig respects that skinny little stick pointer that keeps him in line. Not one pig misbehaved the least little bit. Too bad my kids, grown now, never behaved that well, though I must admit I never tried pointing a stick at them. I do recall shaking a stick at them a time or two, but that didn't work either!  

 My oldest son, Jimmy, had shown a pig in FFA when he was about 15 years old and really enjoyed it. The good thing about the pig show is that, if your pig is good enough to get in the sale, the money the pig brings goes to a scholarship for you. Most kids buy a better prospect for the next year, as the pigs bring thousands of dollars given by businesses and individuals, rather than the measly $84.00 they'd normally bring at market. (I don't know how pig farmers stay in business, or why bacon and pork are so high-priced--just doesn't make sense!))

Tara ended up winning the showmanship award.  Krista's pig took third in its class, beating more experienced big sister Tara in lightweight pigs. The judge seemed to like black pigs better, and the girl's pigs were both white---there is a name for their breeds, but I confess I don't know them. Both pigs got into the sale and brought excellent prices the following Saturday.  Tara and Krista are now getting ready for next year. Oh, and Tara's chocolate praline cake won a prize, too.  Sue and I had sampled it on her practice run, and it was a delicious and unusual cake, definitely worthy of a prize.  

The show was over, and the pigs bedded down for the night, so the entire Warren clan and several little friends headed for the midway to enjoy a few rides. The  "old-fogeys"--Sue and I--headed back home--she to Cranfills Gap, and me back to Waco. It was a little outing thoroughly enjoyed by all.