Well it is almost Fair time, so we are scurrying around getting all the stuff ready to go. Our Fair starts July 31 with animal check-in that day.
Has been a peculiar summer with DD working almost every day. For what I thought would be a part-time job, she is really putting in the hours! Glad she is making the money, but I didn't know she did so much outside too! I am pretty whipped at the end of a day. This heat is not helping either, not what I expect for July.
She said she is going to leave her trunk purple, makes it easy to find in the cow barn. She is working on a show halter for the Hereford calf, because her head is too small for the other show halter. I got her some buckles and rings, a short chain for under the chin. So she has to cut and sew the leather straps, to make the halter. Saves her about $30 in buying a new halter. I already had some older reins for straps so no extra cost there. When she gets done, I "get to" put the crystals on the leather, to make halter "cutting edge in style" as cattle halters go! I was very surprised last year to see the glittery halters, but that is what girls are using in the big shows, so that is what we did for last year's halter. Black leather with blue crystals made the calf look pretty cute. That calf was a Dutch Belted steer, black and white. The black halter fits DD's Holstein steer calf fine, but too big for the Hereford. I think the Hereford will be getting clear crystals for the diamond look on brown leather. Funny how so MANY colors don't look good on bright Hereford red-orange calves!
Both calves have been practicing tying and staying put. They will have to stay tied in the barn at Fair, but at least they will be together. I have to put some stalling dividers in the stuff-to-go. Didn't know we needed them last year and calves were VERY crowded, eating each others food and getting tangled up. I WILL insure we have adequate space this year. Got a new collar and halter for 2nd calf, since Fair rules require them to be double tied with a neck rope or collar. There will be a general last minute clipping on Sunday AM, before leaving. Gets the calves extra close, horse will need trimming as well for her showing. Already did a full body clip on the Holstein calf, took off all the frizzy, sunburned hair. He is again VERY black and white, with a surprise little brown spot on his spine. He now looks quite shiny. She has been bathing them weekly, to prevent stains because they seem to like laying in poop outside. So far, working OK.
Hooves will get smoothed up at the last minute too. Calves are quite good about holding feet up for her.
Horse stuff lives in the trailer at Fair, so is a bit easier to deal with. Cow stuff is in another barn on the other side of the Fairgrounds, so you can't share between them. At least no lambs going this year, one less bit of work. Fair rules say kid can only sell 2 large animals, so she went with calves this year hoping to make more money at the sale. For some reason lambs are included in large animal catagory. Her lambs always sold well, but when an animal weighs 400 pound you make way more than if it weighs 130 pounds. I guess our family will have to buy a lamb at the sale if we want to have any in the freezer this year!
I am still working on the packing lists, so everything is ready to load into the trailer. A list is ALWAYS better to have, it gets confusing with all of us trying to get ready to go. I have to think Hannibal had less stuff than we do when he crossed the Alps!! We do get better each year though, too bad this is probably her last year. Next year would have been really SMOOOOTH!!
Now I just have to corner DD to see her try on her show clothes, to find out if they still look OK. Haven't done any shows this year with her working, so she hasn't put them on since last year. And what was FINE last year may have gotten "ugly" hanging in the closet over winter! Hope she has something that will look nice with the Hereford's colors, I can't remember what she still has after we cleaned out last Fall. Cattle girls wear blue jeans and sleeveless cotton shirts. Sheep girls have short sleeves on plaid cotton shirts with blue jeans. Horse girls have long sleeved shirts and jackets with jeans in all colors EXCEPT blue!! Lucky that the fancy crystal belt works for all animals!! I think the hair will be French-braided for neatness in all showing. She doesn't like pigtails anymore, which kept hair out of her face.
My cattle job will be mostly holding extra items, extra calf, pinning on numbers, taking LOTS of photos. With the horse I do more in the "get ready" part, but once she is riding I am mostly done except for photos and dust off before going into the ring. She doesn't have as many horse classes this year, since she is riding the mare. With losing her old horse last year, she hasn't been able to teach the mare as much as he knew in just the summer and working so much. Kind of bites because he was so good with her after their being together so long. And he keeps getting more perfect "back then" as time goes on or if the mare makes DD frustrated!
We do all our Fairgrounds preparation work this next week. No paid employees, so everyone has to work shifts to get things done ahead and during the Fair itself. Have to say I NEVER pictured myself as a "carny", but I can coax people in to spend money on games pretty well now! I also can run a cash register, total a tray of food in my head, speak with knowledge about all the baby animals to keep the little kids smiling. And sandwiches, I can DO SANWICHES by the HUNDREDS, all exactly alike. Not sure what job I got this year, but it is bound to be interesting and teach me something I didn't know. Saturday I am taking my new-to-us tractor over to move dirt with the loader at the Fairgrounds. Horse barn floors are dirt and need refilling. So if I move sand to the barn, kids can move it into stalls, fill aisle holes. I bet I am a lot better with the loader by the end of the sand pile!
Has been a peculiar summer with DD working almost every day. For what I thought would be a part-time job, she is really putting in the hours! Glad she is making the money, but I didn't know she did so much outside too! I am pretty whipped at the end of a day. This heat is not helping either, not what I expect for July.
She said she is going to leave her trunk purple, makes it easy to find in the cow barn. She is working on a show halter for the Hereford calf, because her head is too small for the other show halter. I got her some buckles and rings, a short chain for under the chin. So she has to cut and sew the leather straps, to make the halter. Saves her about $30 in buying a new halter. I already had some older reins for straps so no extra cost there. When she gets done, I "get to" put the crystals on the leather, to make halter "cutting edge in style" as cattle halters go! I was very surprised last year to see the glittery halters, but that is what girls are using in the big shows, so that is what we did for last year's halter. Black leather with blue crystals made the calf look pretty cute. That calf was a Dutch Belted steer, black and white. The black halter fits DD's Holstein steer calf fine, but too big for the Hereford. I think the Hereford will be getting clear crystals for the diamond look on brown leather. Funny how so MANY colors don't look good on bright Hereford red-orange calves!
Both calves have been practicing tying and staying put. They will have to stay tied in the barn at Fair, but at least they will be together. I have to put some stalling dividers in the stuff-to-go. Didn't know we needed them last year and calves were VERY crowded, eating each others food and getting tangled up. I WILL insure we have adequate space this year. Got a new collar and halter for 2nd calf, since Fair rules require them to be double tied with a neck rope or collar. There will be a general last minute clipping on Sunday AM, before leaving. Gets the calves extra close, horse will need trimming as well for her showing. Already did a full body clip on the Holstein calf, took off all the frizzy, sunburned hair. He is again VERY black and white, with a surprise little brown spot on his spine. He now looks quite shiny. She has been bathing them weekly, to prevent stains because they seem to like laying in poop outside. So far, working OK.
Hooves will get smoothed up at the last minute too. Calves are quite good about holding feet up for her.
Horse stuff lives in the trailer at Fair, so is a bit easier to deal with. Cow stuff is in another barn on the other side of the Fairgrounds, so you can't share between them. At least no lambs going this year, one less bit of work. Fair rules say kid can only sell 2 large animals, so she went with calves this year hoping to make more money at the sale. For some reason lambs are included in large animal catagory. Her lambs always sold well, but when an animal weighs 400 pound you make way more than if it weighs 130 pounds. I guess our family will have to buy a lamb at the sale if we want to have any in the freezer this year!
I am still working on the packing lists, so everything is ready to load into the trailer. A list is ALWAYS better to have, it gets confusing with all of us trying to get ready to go. I have to think Hannibal had less stuff than we do when he crossed the Alps!! We do get better each year though, too bad this is probably her last year. Next year would have been really SMOOOOTH!!
Now I just have to corner DD to see her try on her show clothes, to find out if they still look OK. Haven't done any shows this year with her working, so she hasn't put them on since last year. And what was FINE last year may have gotten "ugly" hanging in the closet over winter! Hope she has something that will look nice with the Hereford's colors, I can't remember what she still has after we cleaned out last Fall. Cattle girls wear blue jeans and sleeveless cotton shirts. Sheep girls have short sleeves on plaid cotton shirts with blue jeans. Horse girls have long sleeved shirts and jackets with jeans in all colors EXCEPT blue!! Lucky that the fancy crystal belt works for all animals!! I think the hair will be French-braided for neatness in all showing. She doesn't like pigtails anymore, which kept hair out of her face.
My cattle job will be mostly holding extra items, extra calf, pinning on numbers, taking LOTS of photos. With the horse I do more in the "get ready" part, but once she is riding I am mostly done except for photos and dust off before going into the ring. She doesn't have as many horse classes this year, since she is riding the mare. With losing her old horse last year, she hasn't been able to teach the mare as much as he knew in just the summer and working so much. Kind of bites because he was so good with her after their being together so long. And he keeps getting more perfect "back then" as time goes on or if the mare makes DD frustrated!
We do all our Fairgrounds preparation work this next week. No paid employees, so everyone has to work shifts to get things done ahead and during the Fair itself. Have to say I NEVER pictured myself as a "carny", but I can coax people in to spend money on games pretty well now! I also can run a cash register, total a tray of food in my head, speak with knowledge about all the baby animals to keep the little kids smiling. And sandwiches, I can DO SANWICHES by the HUNDREDS, all exactly alike. Not sure what job I got this year, but it is bound to be interesting and teach me something I didn't know. Saturday I am taking my new-to-us tractor over to move dirt with the loader at the Fairgrounds. Horse barn floors are dirt and need refilling. So if I move sand to the barn, kids can move it into stalls, fill aisle holes. I bet I am a lot better with the loader by the end of the sand pile!
