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Showmanship instincts

I think I had one of those "you can take the girl out of 4-H, but you can't take the 4-H out of the girl" moments this evening.

Photographer Lukas Keapproth and I were setting up a portrait shot of Austin Lynd and his steer, Chunk.

And Chunk had a booger.

Well, technically, it was a piece of straw stuck to his nose. But close enough.

I dusted Chunk's furry, black forehead and searched my pockets for a tissue for his nose. Unable to find one, I was apparently overtaken by my long-unused showmanship instincts. I just wiped his nose with my hand.

He'd been having a nap, after all. If I was having a nap, I'd want to get spruced up a little before my picture was in the paper.

Chunk didn't mind, but I heard someone behind me say, "Ugh! What are you doing?" as if wiping a steer's nose with one's bare hand isn't an everyday occurence.

At that point, Chunk sneezed, the camera snapped, and my efforts were for naught.

It turned out to be a picture of a happy boy and a steer, which is exactly what it was supposed to be.

Look for it in Friday's paper.

I expect to spend a good part of Friday in the sale arena getting caught up on writing during the meat animal sale.

I also want to spend some time in the Craig Center before my shift at the fair ends. I've met an awful lot of nice kids this week and I want to get a good look at the things they've made.

Anything I should be sure not to miss?