I started 4-H like most women my age with cooking and sewing. I couldn’t wait to pick out my first pattern project. Now keep in mind my mother was a National 4-H Women’s Sewing Champion. She had sewed a Make It with Wool suit with lined jacket and calf length skirt, but she was not my sewing leader. My sewing leader had helped pick me out a strait shift pattern after measuring me and had determined I was a petite. Keep in mind I was tall and skinny. My mother tried to tell me it was the wrong pattern size, but I wouldn’t listen because my 4-H leader told me it was the right one. I made it. It didn’t fit. I got a red ribbon.

After that I decided to take a 4-H Market Beef project. I made a deal with my brother, I thought it was a good deal, he would feed our two steers everyday if I would clean out the stalls. It was a great deal until fair time came. His steer was tame, and I couldn’t touch mine. I used a chain halter, wrapped it around my hand and during the judging, he got away. He jerked his head up, ripped the chain out of my hand along with some skin and somehow got into the rodeo arena. The rodeo had to be stopped until he could be caught. My dad said no more steer projects for me. I got a red ribbon.

My chocolate two-layered cake was due at the fair that afternoon. I made it late that morning. On the way to the fair the top layer slid to the side making a stairway. I tried to push it back into place but the frosting had already hardened and I just left huge thumbprints in the side of the cake and the frosting crumbled off. My cake was decorated with a big fly stuck on the top. I got a red ribbon.

I still believe in 4-H. It is a lot of work, but the rewards are worth looking at. I believe it helps children build confidence and responsibility. I wrote about a few of my funny learning times where I reaped the rewards of my lack of responsibility and learned invaluable lessons.