Saturday, September 8th/2007

MONKEY MEADOWS FARM RECEIVES TOP HONOURS AT HAVELOCK FAIR

Saturday was rather hectic. On Friday night I'd partaken heavily of my birthday whiskey and was deliciously hung over when I woke up at 9:30AM Saturday morning. This year Annie and I had decided to enter produce from our garden and the deadline was 10:30AM. Annie had been primping, priming, picking and choosing her cherry tomatoes carefully since 6:30AM. I on the other hand had nothing ready.

9:33-10:00
I put on my big, orange chainsaw boots and ran out in my underwear to do the chores. As luck would have it, Mrs. Pycock was at her mailbox as I careened for the barn in my skimpies and flimsies. She began waving hello to me, but then her hand quickly covered her heart and she did a quick shuffle down her driveway as she cast backward glances at my inappropriateness. I could hear many "Oh my goodnesses" as she headed back home with the pornographic image still in her head.

10:00-10:15
Chores got done and I dug taters. The last plant I dug produced a 2 pounder and I wielded the mighty potato above my head and thanked the gods of sun and rain; I knew I was in contention for "biggest and best potato". I also washed a basket of taters for the "best crop" category.

10:15-10:25
Loaded in the car and raced for the fair. Not much time to spare. Lucky Dan Whyte was at the gate and let us park close to the office to register.

10:25
Went to the exhibition hall and was accosted by some mean old lady fair official. She was shaking a rolled up newspaper in my face as she chastised me, "You need to get your exhibitor's card at the office before you can register and you only got 5 minutes before I'm shutting you down sonny, so hurry it up."

10:30
Arranged our produce in the following categories: Best red cherry tomatoes. Best yaller cherry tomatoes. Best potatoes. Biggest and best potato.

11:30
The competition was fierce and almost unlimited as people from all over the Valley enter produce. But we managed to collect first prize for Best Yaller Cherry Tomatoes. First prize for Best Potatoes. Second prize for Biggest and Best Potato (my potato was actually the biggest, however it was not as nicely shaped as the winning one).

I have now been referring to myself as the POAWP (pronounced Pope) It is an acronym for Producer Of Award Winning Potatoes.