4-H Roundup...

This weekend is the 4-H Roundup at our local fair grounds...

It's a practice fair for the 4-H members to show their animals...a great way to get experience with showmanship and also to see how your animal is doing overall.  Since this is Jenna's first time showing goats, she was eager to participate!

A lot of preparation goes into showing animals.  Earlier this week the goats were washed, clipped and washed again.  Jenna's 4-H leader came out to do the clipping.  Today they were washed one more time before we headed over to the fair grounds.  Thank goodness they enjoy it!

After weighing in, Jenna put them in their pen and had a few finishing touches to do...she put baby oil on their horns and baby powder on their knees to cover up the grass stains that wouldn't wash off...

And of course if there are treats involved, the goats are happy!  Jenna brought along some maple tree "helicopters" for them to eat...their favorites...

And then it was time for the show...



There are two competitions.  The 4-H'ers are judged on showmanship...how well they handle themselves and their goats, and then the goats are judged individually. 

After walking the goats around the ring in front of the judge, they are "set up", to show off their best qualities....

The novice class was for those who had never showed before, and Jenna placed near the middle of the class.  The judge gave lots of helpful hints to the kids to help them know where they were doing well, and where they needed to improve.

As for the goats themselves, she was a little disappointed at how they placed.  The competition was tough, and April didn't cooperate too well.  But then Dot did better than we expected...it was a fun learning experience!

So...now we have seven weeks to prepare for the real thing at the Lampeter Fair.  It's hard to believe that fall is just around the corner!

A Difficult Season...

You may have noticed that I haven't posted quite as often over the past week or so...or made many comments either...so I thought I'd give a short update on life at our house...

Over the past few years, we've become close friends with one of our elderly neighbors, a widower who has no children or family close by.  He spent some time in the hospital recently, and is now back at his home, under the care of Hospice.  He has named us as his primary caregivers...so we, along with another neighbor couple, and a close friend of his, are responsible for his daily care.  It is an honor that he trusts us with his care, but is exhausting at the same time; both physically and emotionally!

Please pray for our neighbor as he finishes his earthly journey, and for us and the other caregivers, as we try to honor him while continuing with our busy lives the best that we can!

Thank you!!

A Good Reminder...

I must admit...this past week was just about all I could take!

Yes, I am a fair weather fan...I complain when it's too cold!  I complain when it's too hot!

This thermometer hangs outside our shop door...

We saw record breaking temps like this for at least four days this past week.  And this is what Jim and Eric and my nephew were doing on Saturday morning...

I will admit...I was feeling pretty sorry for us; having to work outside in the miserable humidity when others could be inside in the air conditioning, staying cool and comfortable. 

And then I read the status of one of my facebook friends...

"What if we woke up, with only that for which we were thankful for yesterday?"

Was I thankful for the electricity that runs the fans that keep the cows cool?

Was I thankful for the way the cows hung in there in the heat?

Was I thankful for the shower I could take when I was finished working...and the air-conditioned bedroom that I could hibernate to for a while?

Was I thankful for those loads of beautiful hay that Jim baled?

Was I thankful that our kids were happy to have cousins visiting?

Was I thankful that we are healthy and well fed?

And the list goes on...

Do I enjoy being hot and sticky and smelly and dirty any more than I did before I read that?  NO! 

But was I reminded to be thankful for the blessings that we have in the midst of all that?  YES!

What is it? The answers...

On Thursday, I posted a collage of some of the items we use on a regular basis, asking for guesses as to what they might be...

I got several responses, and got some great guesses.  One of you, a fellow dairy farmer, guessed them all correctly, except for #3.  That one was a little tricky!  Here are the answers...

#1.  Pill gun - used to administer pills to a cow  (it doesn't help that the end of the pill gun is off the picture in the collage!  Didn't notice that until it was finished)

#2. Calving chains - used to assist a cow in giving birth. 

#3. Milker plugs - sometimes we have a cow that is a "3 - teater" , and we put one of these plugs in the "extra" teat cup on the milker to keep it from taking in air, sawdust, or something even less desirable

#4. Spray bottle with teat spray.  After we take off the milker, each cow's teats are sprayed with an iodine based solution to seal the ends of the teats and keep them clean.  This helps prevent mastitis infections.  (if you look closely, you'll see that the bottle sprays up, not out...this way we can easily spray her thoroughy)

#5. Kick clamps.  Sometimes we have a cow that has an attitude, and just doesn't like to be milked.  These clamps fit over her hips to keep her from kicking front and knocking the milker off.  (or kicking us!)  They don't hurt her...just keep her in line for a few minutes!

#6. Ear tagger.  Think of it as getting your ears pierced.

Thanks to those of you who submitted guesses!

Now it's back to trying to stay cool!  Yesterday's temp of at least 105 was record breaking, and the humidity made it feel much hotter!  Today is still hot, but a little less humid with a slight breeze. The barn (with all the fans running) is cooler than the house these past few days!

What is it?

Just for fun...

 I took a few pictures of some of the "tools of the trade" that we use regularly, for you to guess what they might be...

Just post your answers as a comment, and in a day or so I'll post the correct answers and explain how we use each item.  This was Eric's idea...have fun!

*Linking up today to Farm Girl Friday at Deborah Jean's Dandelion House.

Heat Wave...

After a week of unseasonably beautiful weather, July is finally showing her true colors with an overabundance of heat and humidity. 

I wonder if it's cooler up there...?

I really don't like heights, but someday I'd like to find out!

A Challenge...

Finally...a good week for making hay!

So far this year, making hay has been challenging! 

We depend so much on the weather, and it has not been cooperative in the least...we've had very few dry stretches long enough to get the hay mowed , dried and baled for the hay mow.  We have more round bales of "balage"  (when the hay is baled and wrapped at high moisture) than ever before, and it's only mid-July! 

Jim is now a little more than halfway finished with 3rd cutting.  This week was just about perfect hay making weather...hot, sunny and breezy, with lower humidity.  This morning he and Eric unloaded a load that was baled last night...

Eric was on the wagon, tossing the bales on the elevator...

 Jim was up in the mow, just under the eaves, taking the bales off the elevator and stacking them...

It's wonderful to see the hay mow getting full again.  Although it's time consuming to get good qualtiy dry hay, there's nothing quite like it for keeping the cows well fed, healthy, and making lots of good, quality milk!