Monday, July 23, 2007

Less Than a Month to Go

There is very little real time left until it is truck in day for the Altamont fair, August 13th to be exact. As of today I will be washing, clipping, leading, and pampering all my, as my family calls them, show brats. Even though I am only taking four, I have a few others to get ready, as it is always a good plan to have one or two more available in case of emergency. So I will also prep up Foolish and Junie at the least. Today Mandy and Lemonade, my two milkers for this years fair, are getting their baths and first body clips if time and weather allow (we are supposed to get really stormed on later, and I don't know about you, but I don't like washing cows in lightning storms). Mandy, Lemonade, and Blitz are also all getting stuffed with beet pulp and all the hay they can eat when they are in the barn (I need to pull Blink, the baby of this years string, out of the pen so she can be too). The feed should act to drop their bellies, called "bellying down", so they show a good deep springy rib.


Mandy at the 2006 show.


I am most looking forward to seeing what Blink looks like without the hair. Being a September heifer she is carrying a lot of her baby fuzz still. It will be interesting to see how much different a clip job makes her look. With Foolish and Junie I don't have too much to do, being as they are a Jr. 2 yr old and a 3 yr old dry cow respectively. I really don't want to take Junie, as she is due the 9th of September, which is just a bit too close to the show for my comfort, though I did take her last year.



Lemmie this spring.


For the most part it is just busy work with the majority of the animals. Blink is the only one to really need a lot of work, but it is nothing too bad, as she is a sweet heart. I also have to finish doing up the registration papers for all the calves from this year. I have a lot of the applications filled out, I just have to draw all the Holsteins. Jerseys are just so much easier, as all you have to do is tattoo them and fill in an on line form. If only all of life could be so simple. Then again, we'd all probably get really really bored.



Lemmie at the 2006 show.


I am also debating taking Blitz and Blink to Fonda for that show. But school starts the 27th of August. And truck in for the show is, you guessed it, the 27th, with the fair running to the following Monday. I have 21 credit hours worth of classes. I don't know if I can handle a week away to show a pair of heifers. And I am not sure the stress is really worth it this year, as I will be completely done with school in May (for which I am just so glad, I am totally sick of school, have been since I started in fall of 2004), which will mean that next fall I won't have classes and exams and grade point averages to worry over. Ah well, I'll let you know what I decide.




Blitz last summer.

On a side note, everybody should take a look at the calender of events for Altamont. It is totally pathetic what they are bringing in. You would think someday they would listen to us and bring the truck pull and rodeo, both of which packed the grounds, back to the fair as entertainment. But no, instead they bring in more music, and demo derbies, Yee haw, at least the derbies are really fun.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Liz what night will you be showing?? Is it still Thur.?? I hope everything goes well!!!

Paintsmh said...

Hey big bro. It is supposed to be. I believe somewhere around 6:30 or 7 start time. And believe me I hope everything goes well too. Loves yah. You planning to come visit?

Anonymous said...

I wouldn't miss it!!!!!!