I'm 46, but typically I feel like I have the energy and spirit of two twenty-three year olds.
Not lately though. I don't know whether it is the change of season, troubles at work or a good old case of the blahs. I've been crabby, missed a huge NUVO deadline and generally no fun to be around.
The National FFA Convention starts tomorrow. Thousands of FFA kids have been in town since Monday and several volunteered at Second Helpings yesterday. The rest of the 55,000 delegates start pouring in to town tomorrow. The convention is the largest the city hosts. Indianapolis really rolls out the red...um....blue carpet for them. Seeing the sea of blue jackets walking down the street (renamed FFA Way for the week) was good for my soul.
I was invited to the convention kick-off lunch today (with 1000 of my closest friends). It was a real feel-good, made me smile event. All of the tables were sprinkled with FFA kids. I sat with students from New Hampshire, Montana, Colorado and Oregon. They were polite, well mannered, clean scrubbed and impossibly good looking. And smart as whips. Ms. Montana's family are cattle ranchers (2000 heads), Mr. Oregon was telling me about a group of farmers that grow things specifically for food banks and community kitchens and his sheep business, Ms. New Hampshire talked about fisheries and agricultural education and Ms. Colorado told us about how the FFA convention works and about her local chapter.
As a 4-H kid I was always jealous of the blue FFA jackets. I always search thrift stores for them. I was seated next to the guy who owns the business that provides and embroiders the jackets. They started doing it in 1936. He was teasing the kids at the table that he will know who their next president is before it is announced, because he embroiders their name on the presidents jacket.
I wish I would have brought my camera -- blue blue blue!
8 comments:
Wow. I didn't realize the FFA convention was that big. That's a lot of blue corduroy in one place. I hope they are not packed in too tight. The friction from those jackets rubbing together could start a fire.
I remember those cool jackets now!! I haven't seen one in ages though!
I was a 4-H kid too when I lived in Oklahoma, because that's all there was to do there!
I made a yellow gingham tote bag for the fair. I won a "thanks for participating, this looks like your mama helped you make it" ribbon. Heh.
I've heard of the Organization, of course, but never have known anyone connected to it! That is one HUGE Convention! Very exciting, I think...!
Thanks for your visit and your kind words about The Fires...It is pretty ghastly goings on, I tell you....Every area of our country is subject to some kind of "Nature's Angry Hand"...We have Earthquakes and Fires...
Nine of it is good! If we would just have a break in this HEAT and The WINDS...And the hunidity is in the single digits,,,,Lack of rain this year has left everything dry as a bone.
You have 1000 closest friends!!
That means you have like 5,000 casual, kinda close friends.
Okay, Miss Popular, I bet you can't name them all.
About our little thingy...
I started a food log to keep track of what I stuff in my mouth each day. Hopefully, this will help. I'll let you know. Also, I need to buy a scale because I have no idea what I weigh. Maybe I don't want to know.
I'm glad you have a nice lunch and got all pepped up by those kids.
I was in band, drama and Spanish club. I also was a member of FHA but if I had it to do over again, now that I'm a chicken farm girl, I would join FFA in a second. However in the 50s and 60s I don't think they let girls in FFA???
Nora,
I work right next to CONSECO so I can email you some "Farmer-gang" pix. I just need a reason to snap a few so that I dont look all pervy when I start taking pictures of those fresh faced young kids.
I attended the convention a couple of times when it was held in K.C. I was President of the local chapter for a couple of years.
The organization is really much more impressive the older you get. I was at the state conv. a few years back when Tom got some state awards and the handling of the meeting by the young folks was unbelievable.
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