Are frogs stock?

When I worked at the Greeley Trib, I used to have to cover the National Western Stock Show. This is a terrible thing because I suffer from horrible allergies from all the animal dander in the air -- which makes me sneeze, cough and wheeze with my asthma.

But every few years I forget how bad my reaction will be and I think, "Oh, the kids will love it" and so we go.

Well, this year I was given free tickets to the Mexican Rodeo at the Stock Show. And we went on Sunday.

What happened?

Lots of people, cows, pigs, sheep, cowboy hats, sombreros, beer I couldn't drink, free crap vendors handed out, screaming kids, animal dander, sneezing, coughing, not breathing...

And my kids were bored during the rodeo, thought the cows and pigs were smelly and had no interest in the free crap from the vendors... But then they saw the frogs. Yup. Frogs. Some vendor was selling African dwarf frogs that actually swim in regular aquariums (they can't live out of the water -- so much for that whole amphibean evolution thing, huh?).

So, the kids decided to spend their money on getting frogs for their aquariums. We now how two gigantic fish (Henry and Andy 1) and two small, really scared frogs (Herman and Andy 2).

I asked the kids, "What was your favorite things about the Stock Show?"
"The frogs."
"Other than the frogs, what did you like?"
"The frogs."
"If the frogs weren't there, what would you have liked?"
"Wishing there were frogs."

I am posting this as a reminder to not go back!