As luck would have it, the Westmoreland County Fair just happened to be during my week at home. I know this not because we went, but because we drove past on the way to the mall. The site of the fair never fails to bring a smile to my face. You might think the smile is due to fond memories of the fair. The rides. The food. The demolition derby. The animals! Not so much. My fond memories are of avoiding the fair— and the money I made in doing so. No joke. You see, the county fair taught me the art of making a deal at a very young age. DD hates the county fair so much that he would offer me $20 to NOT ask to go. It was brilliant— and one of many money-fueled incentives he offered over the years (“I’ll give you $5 to pet the neighbor’s dog… $10 if you hold him.” “I’ll give you $5 if you are good at the funeral home… $10 if anyone compliments your good behavior.”) The bribery always worked for DD— and I made a lot of money. It was a win for both of us. I’d be lying if I said the idea of striking up a county fair avoidance deal with DD on Arabella’s behalf didn’t cross my mind.
Needless to say, we didn’t stop at the fair. But we did stop at Westmoreland Mall. We got Arabella a few outfits and took a walk around. The mall isn’t quite as happening as back when I worked at American Outfitters (remember that place??), but it’s always nice to see what’s there. Sadly, there isn’t much there these days.
After the mall, we went to Parkwood for dinner. We indulged in some deckers (freshly made potato chips) and I got my first Pittsburgh salad of the trip. Iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, eggs, olives, beets, cheese, grilled chicken and— most importantly— FRENCH FRIES. All topped off with Parkwood’s house made balsamic vinaigrette dressing, which is quite simply the best. We sat on the patio and enjoyed every minute of people stopping by to admire Arabella.
Arabella was pretty tolerant of our shopping trip and dinner, but earlier in the day she was a bit fussy. For some reason this drove me to introduce her to the Baby Shark song. She was MESMERIZED.
I’ve never seen her as captivated by anything as she was by this video. And when it ended? She screamed. Blood curdling, I haven’t eaten in two days screams (not that I know what those sound like, but you get the point). Curious if it was really the end of the video she was crying over, I played it three more times. Each time it ended? She screamed a little louder than the time before. If you know the Baby Shark song you understand a) how this could happen, and b) why this is a problem. If you don’t know the Baby Shark song, here’s the link:
Also, if you clicked the link, I’m sorry… doo doo doo doo doo doo…
Trina Orlando 