August and fair time

How do I know summer is waning? Because it's fair time. I've been competing for ribbons and prize money at my local fair' s home show for 24 years. That's a long time as evidenced by the collection of ribbons hanging on my sewing room wall like a trophy pelt. Some years there are lots of projects that get entered and others, like this year, that I have very few to enter. Sometimes there are rare surprises--like winning a grand championship of a division. My first fair ribbons were as a 4-Her in a sewing club. As an adult, I competed in open divisions with my sewing. Then I branched out into crafts, floral, and finally baking. I'm a cook--baking isn't easy. This year I entered my cranberry-almond scones, bacon-biscuits, and chocolate chip cookies--and all three took first place ribbons! Writing is like baking, you start simple and work up to complex recipes (more complex stories). Publishing is like entering a fair with a "project"--there's competition, the judging is subjective, and you may not end up with a ribbon even if you have tried your very best. But you learn by doing, by baking (or writing) and striving to, as the 4-H motto says, "to make the best better."