We all miss being in 4-H, but really, these are the things that keep us up at night.
1. Feeding Animals
Even though all growing up, we complained about having to feed; we actually miss having to do this particular chore twice a day.
2. Making projects
The month before fair, every recent 4-H alumni feels the need to type, cut, and glue together a last minute poster project.
3. Meetings
Getting to see your friends at least once a month, who wouldn't miss this? Meetings are usually a little bit of information and important news accompanied by snacks, games, and songs.
4. Club Leaders
These are the people that have watched you grow from a scrawny first grader into a leader getting ready to graduate. They are basically your extended family.
5. Animals
Many of us don't raise livestock other than to show at the county fair, so once we no longer have that reason, we no longer have livestock. The yard gets a little quieter and less stinky.
6. Walking Livestock
Again, this is one of those chores that we complained about every single day. Walking around in the heat yelling at our animals until they behaved well enough for the show ring is something that will always be imprinted on our minds.
7. Time spent outside
Along with the lack of feeding and walking our animals comes the lack of generally being outside. Unless you work outside, there's just not a huge reason to be outside all of the time in the summer any longer.
8. Preparing for show
Being with our families and having your sibling clean the pen while you clean the animals then shearing them afterward -- it can bring out the worst in us all. This infuriating process is one of the main things that we miss about fair week.
9. Show clothes
People look at you funny if you wear your Sunday best jeans with your favorite boots and most sparkly button down without any particular reason.
10. Purple ribbons
During fair week, all of our favorite colors were purple. We miss chasing those wrinkled purple ribbons because of the intense gratification it gives us as soon as they get into our back pocket.
11. Fair week
Having chores to do and people to talk to during fair week made us feel important. While we still will never be absent during the county fair, we miss being a 'somebody.'
