Green Eggs and Ham: 4-H raised goodness.

So, last Saturday, every one who was participating in the Ham and Bacon end of things this year had to meet at the school to pick up their pork that was coming in on a refrigerated truck.  Me, being the super savvy and ultra cool parent that I am, had the great idea that I would go 20 minutes early to get a good parking space and be first in line to pay.

Well....

I pulled up to find that I was the proverbial tail over the fence.  The last one to arrive.  The parking lot behind the school was filled with parents that were way more 'with it' than I was.  They had chairs, snacks, canopies, and had already divided up amongst groups who had all the information already.  One boy even had time to build furniture out of cinderblocks.   It was abundantly clear to me that not only was I not early, I was practically late!  I wanted to hide in the bushes.

"Hi, Elizabeth." AAAAAAGHH!!!  I had been spotted.  It was too late! I had to engage in conversation with the many parents who were far superior!   Begrudgingly, I responded, "Hello."  Not hi, not howdy, hello.  I said it in as low and defeated a voice I could muster.  I felt low.  It only got worse from there.  I found what was the line.  We waited and waited.  I finally made it to the table, only to be asked, "Do you know your amount?"

Amount?  AMOUNT?  *panic* I didn't know my amount.  I had just braved and survived an epic line to get to this table.  Options.  I needed options.  The answer is C!!!!  No, no that's not right.  I had only two choices.  I hated both of them.  Make up an amount, give them money, and play the price is right with my pig meat, or... be stuck sitting in the green chair of shame on the sidelines because I had failed again, and did not think to call and get my amount.

I shuffled over to the chair and sat, stewing in my frustration.  At that point, several parents were kind enough to tell me that they had called ahead to get their amounts.  I didn't think to call.  In fact, I had thought that they would tell me what I owed when I got here.  I brought extra money for that reason.  They asked for cash.  The Green Goodness.  As I watched one parent after another rip checks from their hatefully cute bound little checkbooks, I had a growing troll inside me banging on my insides, demanding to be let loose so it could cause troll-y havoc.

When the papers finally arrived for those of us rejects who didn't call, and I really think I was the only one, I got back in line and paid for our pork.  Kevin had already loaded it into the car, and since everyone was working their hams on the very same day, we opted to go do some things while we left Tiffany behind to work the hams.

That troll got loose, by the way, when we got to the shop and I discovered our order was not how we had placed it.  Thankfully, the shop is made of cinderblocks and concrete, and the damage was minimal.

Fast forward to yesterday.  We were all hungry.  Starving.  Starving like Chris-Farley's-hair-is-prettier-than-mine starving. 

The fridge was empty, the freezer was not.  We thawed some sausage, and some short ribs.  I fired up the grille, trying very hard not to think about what I was going to do.  I grabbed some eggs that I had gotten from the Tuckwillers.  I made little cups out of the sausage, and cracked an egg into each one.  I seasoned the ribs and oiled them, tossing them on the same grille.  20 minutes later, we took our first bites, and we had crossed the hump.  We made it.  The circle was complete, and everyone felt better.  Did we feel better because we had done our farmer-ly duty, or because we were no longer famished?  Not sure.  But, it had been done, and we were all talking about the beginning of the cycle all over again.