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Have you seen Leanna Warner?
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Recently shared thoughts

Fair memories

Monday, Jul. 25, 2005 @ 3:36 pm
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If you like herbal (or any other kind) of tea like me then check out the new link I added on the right (under links) for Adagio Teas. Even if you don't buy anything I can earn free tea samples, just for you checking them out.

I've noticed in the last couple of weeks or so a few of the people on my buddy list have been writing entries about the local county fairs. I grew up in small farming community, when the fair came to town, everybody and their uncle George was there, people would drive to town from miles around. The livestock, 4-H, FFA, farm machinery, cooking entries drew many people, as did the homemade food served by local groups such as Quarterback club, Band Boosters, and other local civic interests (many of which have probably since been shut down, since most of the goodies were baked in assorted home kitchens). Secondary were all the great rides, games of chance, and assorted food vendors with fried everything on a stick. It was also one of the biggest social events of the summer (the next biggest was the Threshing Bee (hey I said we were rural).

Living only a couple hours from Minot meant we often made it also to the State Fair, and if we were really good sometimes even the Upper Missouri Valley Fair in Williston. I have many good memories of the fair, despite the fact that my mom would tell us scary stories about Gypsy's and carnies stealing children. I was a teenager before I realized this was a total bunch of bull, my mom made up to keep us from wandering off too far for too long, or from trusting transient carnival workers.

Once I moved away to college and then on my own I stopped going to fairs. Once Warren was born and old enough to enjoy rides and petting zoos and so on, I started going again, at least the years I could afford it. He loved it, we had hours of fun going on the super tall slide with the gunny sacks, the kiddy roller coaster, the motorcycles that go round and round, not to mention the all the neat animals to look at, and the exhibits.

Not all my fair memories are such good ones however. I have one very terrible one, which even though it ended happily ever after still haunts me today. It happened when Warren was about 5. We had been at the fair for awhile enjoying some rides, and like most kids he decided he was hungry and thirsty so I stopped on one of those stands with the footlong corn dogs and the overpriced sodas. Warren was standing next to me. I let go of his hand to place the order and give my money to the girl. When I looked down a mere second or two later he was gone. I dropped everything and started looking, thinking maybe he wandered to the otherside of the hot dog stand, but no Warren. I started screaming his name. Within minutes several people were already on the scene asking what happened and what he looked like. A minute or so later the police were notified (they have a station set up and officers work security for the fair in addition to civillians), it only took maybe 20 minute to half and hour to locate him. And I was lead to where he was at in the area the police were using for a makeshift office, and there was my boy, happy as can be playing with a toy police car. Once the cops made sure I was his mom and he was the right boy we were back on our way. With my son asking me why I wondered off and got lost. "I lost you mommy".

I was never so scared in my life, every horror story, every newspaper article, every freaky myth my mom told me all went thru my head at once. I didn't know if I wanted to hug the stuffing out of him, or shake the crap out of him for scaring me so badly. Apparently he had gone around one corner of the stand to look at something and when I didn't see him I went the other way. We were right near each other but couldn't find each other. I thank god he is alright, but the thought of what could have happened still gives me nightmare thoughts. Warren still insists I am the one who got lost (yes he still remmebers). I can't remember going to a fair since.

Even though he is 12 now, and has mastered the art of having me paged in stores, finding his way around the mall or biking to a friends house. I still havea nighmares about him disappearing. I try not to let it stop me from letting him grow up, but every once in awhile it will come back, along with the guilt and the what ifs. I have many many happy fair memories, but for me, they will all be clouded by one short incident, that could have been tragic but ended happily ever after.

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Prequels ~ Sequels

Daily Dumbass: people who can't be bothered to signal or forget thier damn blinkers are on
Thankful For: Warren was found happy and fine
Music of the mind: : some stupid commercial

~*~Have you read these~*~

~ Ode to a child who is no more ~
~ She's baaack ~
~ testing ~
~ Facebook me ~
~ Bleech ~






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Mini-Bio

In every neighborhood there is at least one house that all the neighbors gossip about. This is a diary from the woman who lives in that house. I am a single mother in her mid thirties. I live in North Dakota with my son, Warren.

I tend to be a bit of a slob, and am the opposite of a girly-girl. I am geek girl, who loves Star Wars, Star Trek, Harry Potter, Buffy, Angel, action movies, science fiction, action adventure, Dr. Who, and so on and so on.

I love to write and while I don't post much fiction online anymore I would love to be a writer someday. I am also overweight, bipolar and suffer from allergy induced asthma.

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