A Lil Something

A little something I'm working on.

Some of the textured stitching does photograph well.

I love sheep!

The Grind

Lots has been going on but I'm lazy about posting.

Here goes...

Pig walking, sometimes at dark or after...

Excessive pig feeding combinations as one is heavy and one is lighter to the tune of needs 75# gain in 3 wks... You do the math  .... Sighhhhh

LN went to 4-H camp this week.

She reading one of her AP Composition

books she needs to read over summer.

We were an hour early waiting on her camp bus so she got busy.

We unloaded a couple ton of shavings in 100* heat before she left .

Teamwork gets it done!

Started a lot of her fair entries.

This is a sock giraffe.

Nothing normal about my kid :)

The quilt is still waiting to be quilted in the background of previous picture.

It's so big I admit I am scared !

We cleaned up storm damage from a tree snapping off.

It was wild cherry so I had to clean as many leaves as I could up since it's poisonous in the wilt stage.

This meant everyone was locked away from burn pile for awhile till all leaves are dead.

This meant I had to start feeding square bales to cows that are nasty ,wet ,messy stuff.

That meant I uncovered a giant snake and screamed like a girl.

Yea I did , I admit it!

I saw the Air Force base flying maneuvers while I hung up laundry this morning.

It always gives me chills.

We trimmed cows feet.

I didn't but I caught and drug them all to him and abused them to go in his chute.

We also bred 2 cows but no pictures for obvious reasons .

Apparently my phone got jacked when I ran inside office supply store and my kiddo R took advantage of my phone being left behind.

Ain't she pretty?

LN gets more pics but R and Z are just as loved.

This was my morning view a few days.

Gotta wash and blow him out frequently to keep his hair in good shape.

And that's all for now .

 I am writing this on my phone sitting behind the barn waiting on all critters to finish eating do they can be untied and let out for the night.

The bugs are crawling on me.

I smell.

I'm going to take my 2nd shower of the day.

Night Ya'll

Peek

An idea of color scheme, pattern is attic window loosely based and modified.

I ll show more after it's done.

Hey

I am here.

Been busy...

Animals being prepped.

Livestock show tomorrow and graduation party for friend after

Not getting as much TLC as needed with soccer and other obligations.

 

Those are all done now so moving onto fair prep.

Summer camp and LN's trip to Idaho with exchange group is coming up.

 

School still going till next week but half days only.

LN only has to go to take 2 exams Wednesday.

She's exempt from the rest.

She's going in Monday to sign yearbooks and finish cleaning her locker out.

 

I'm trying to finish a quilt for the graduates gift.

It will not be done Saturday.

Top is done, back is done, nothing put together.

Nothing lining up, I am not happy.

 

I weeded red hot pokers this morning.

20 min of pulling poison up and a rush to the shower.

How long before I know if it got me?

I have no memory of getting a reaction but I'll find out sooner than later

.

Animals are progressing slower than other years.

Diarrhea has shown up in hogs and steer for no apparent reason.

They are eating fine.

 

S didn't till garden so I am not putting anything in this year.

 

For the anonymous commenter...

Bite me!

I have the right to be pissed.

I do more than my share, more like 90%.

Shut it!

Aftermath

The aftermath of livestock shows involves putting everything away after cleaning it all up.

This means the trailer as well.

So this ...

and this ...

Need this ....

To look like this ...

Until the next show in 3 weeks....

This has become my job somehow.

It required rewiring the pressure washer.

Not my job....

A friend completed that so I completed the trailer.

Now if I could just pressure wash the inside of my house I'd be happier than a pig in the manure and mud I just washed away.

Show 1

 

 

 

 

 

It's over, a long day but decent one.

LN showed most of her animals and tagged the rest.

 

 

Steer was well behaved for her.

Major plus as some have tossed her around.

 

Lamb worked about as good as she could for not having a lot of prep time beforehand.

 

Hogs did fine but one definitely needs to slow his weight gain.

 

Sisters bonded and bro in law too.

R and S2 are such good support  for LN.

Always around and lending a hand.

I love my kids.

quiet

All is quiet in the barn.

 

Pen gates swing open.

 

Head gate is abandoned.

 

LN and her dad headed out at 6:45 am to the show.

S is on the committee so has to go early to weigh in and tag animals.

I'm at the store working till noon then heading down.

LN doesn't show till early afternoon.

The morning show is a jackpot show we don't enter.

She uses the extra time to get animals ready.

Welcome to the show season legs.

Some of it is mud but some is NOT.

LN sheared her 2 market lambs last night.

Their skin is so thin it looks like we cut them but no we did not.

No blood just red bruising.

We use surgical blades so can't get much closer shear but those marks show.

Weirdly both lambs stood fine except their head work.

Usually the 1st shearing is a rodeo of jumping, twisting and general body throwing down mess.

Both have enough hamp in them to have wooly heads that need sheared or at least blended in.

They were not impressed with the blades so close to their faces.

LN was done in record time and was pleased with the results.

You just never know what is under that wool , it's a pleasant surprise this time. 



Getting Ready...

We are getting ready for the 1st livestock show of the season Saturday.

Heavy rain was forecast for today and it is delivering as we speak or read as it were.

So last night we worked....

Stubborn hogs were walked while the Momma cleaned their pen.

LN is shy, cant you tell?

Her steer was washed and blown out and the back up was brushed out.

Again while Momma cleaned and rebidded the pen.

Finally we walked the lambs and LN practiced setting them up.

She's keeping 3 or 4 but can only show 2.

2 are ewes I may put back in the herd so I'm good with her keeping them.

Tonight we shear and get all supplies ready for early morning haul out to fairgrounds.

 

Let the season begin!

 



Happy??? Mother's Day I think

It's not an original but LN sent me this text from her room today.

Gotta love my kids, just gotta :p.

R and LN already gifted me my shoes that I love.

Z left me a card when I was gone. It stuck it in my recipe holder.

My kids are the best. 

Money doesn't matter on this day. 

The best things are the little reminders.

Friday Fussiness

S and I took care of a few fussiness things today.

Things were fine but if I had my druthers as they say...

After weighing the market hogs it was decided to cut rations on one and bulk the other.

If you watch them eat the larger one bullies the other barrow and is the same way about water too.

I don't want to seperate them completely as they are on the only available concrete so they can't tear up the dirt floor areas.

Therefore we will seperate during feedings, sounds good ?

Ya know how when you start a "simple" fix it snowballs?

Yea it did!

We put a small pen outside the main pen which is where the white feed pan is .

But it had to be acessible for humans and strong for hogs.

This gate was left outside and was froze up.

 That meant a lot of wd40 or the like. That meant a lot of bad words. 

That meant "let's heat it up". 

That meant " we need another bottle of oxygen, I ll be right back". 

That meant "hold this bar here and push".

We finally freed it up but man ....

Of course that led to...

Changing this gates lags and hinges so it swings opposite so LN isn't fighting to go around it with her steer on a tiny walkway.

Then....

See the telephone post?

She ties her steers to it to wash them.

But the tin sometimes gets in the way and is sharp on her hands.

Sometimes it would be nice to have their heads higher so they stand still.

So we hung a ring about five and a half or six foot up in the post.

R and Z probably will be upset we didn't fix any of these issues when they were here with their animals .

As soon as all the kinks are worked out I ll be an empty nester I know.

When all was completed as S was putting his tools away he commented " I've done a lot today but none for myself".

Welcome to being a parent!