It's over

...and I am SO GLAD!!!



State Fair is a fun time, but also incredibly hectic. Add to the mix, we had sold a steer calf to a girl in Medina County, and their steer show was Wednesday night.



So Todd loaded up the pig Tuesday night, got home about 2:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, and I headed out with the kids and an incredibly packed full Durango to meet the camper rental dude by 8:15 a.m.



And then I had to feed said pig several times on Wednesday, and deal with weighing him in at the fair late Wednesday afternoon.



Todd did come down to the State Fair early Thursday a.m. where I was very happy to let him take over the feeding of "Tyler Jr." can you tell which kid named the pig??? Lol....

We started off showing Showmanship on Friday:

the "bling bling girls". What you don't see in this picture is their bling belts, which did sparkle quite a bit in the ring!

Waiting in the holding pen to enter the ring for showmanship. Not sure where she gets the intensity from...

Total seriousness....

Staring the judge down....the idea in showmanship is to keep your eye on the judge or on your pig...she has mastered that part very well.

Not sure where the chewing on her toungue came from....must be all the concentration!

She ended up 5th out of 23 kids in the 11 year old class. Which she was THRILLED with.

Then she had to show market on saturday where she didn't do so hot - 12th place. But....she had fun and enjoyed herself.

On Sunday was the Open Barrow Show. And we let Tyler show "Tyler Jr." in that class. He is going to be quite the showman I think when he is actually old enough to be in 4-h and have market animal projects.

He had fun...didn't place (they only place the top 5 in the Open class and there were 16 pigs in his class)....but he enjoyed it.

And Tyler Jr. was getting tired after 3 days of showing....so he wanted to get the heck out of that ring!

The market pigs are all terminal, so Tyler and Jessie had to say goodbye to him on Sunday afternoon. It was not easy for them but....as they both said, they have other animals at home that now they can devote their time to working with them!

And we get a break next year from showing at the State Fair!!!! It's an expensive week (when you include the cost of the pig and feeding said pig, plus your entry fees, camper rental, parking fees and gate entry fees not to mention your food and drinks), and Jessie and Tyler both said they would rather go to the Medina County Fair and show their heifers and steers in the Open Show.....so I think we are going to do that next year instead of the State Fair.

I'm sure we will go back to showing at the State Fair, but both of the kids want to wait until Tyler is actually in 4-H, and then take either their steers or their feeder calves to the State Fair. Which is a major bummer only from the standpoint that everything you haul down there (including the animals) you have to haul home at the end of the week. We shall see....

All in all? The trip was a success and we got home Sunday night in time to wash and dry her steer, wean all 7 calves, and the kids are busy halter breaking them - which they are doing a fantastic job with so far!

Summer......

It's been a busy summer here so far this year.....I don't see it changing, and I think I've finally got my rhythm and I'm cool with how hectic it seems at times:)








Tyler marched in the Memorial Day parade with his boy scout troop:








Jessie has spent countless hours bonding and working with Tank:

I'm not sure how she will deal with selling him in September, but....we'll cross that bridge in September I guess....

And she spends almost every evening walking her State Fair pigs.

This one ("Chasin") will more than likely not make it to State Fair....he is a little large right now....but he will taste good in our freezer!

And if your pig won't walk at first.....you simply get behind him and PUSH!

The first night was rather interesting, but "Tyler Jr." is learning the ropes and starting to walk pretty well for the kids.

We've since graduated to both kids out in the yard with both pigs. I haven't had a chance to take a picture of both of them out there together, but hopefully one of these nights. It's pretty comical, which is keeping things light around here.....

I do have some knitting and quilting projects finished up - hopefully I'll be back in a couple of days with some photos (if I can convince my photographer to take some decent shots!)

Have a good one!
Kris

Newest Additions.....

Last weekend, in addition to clipping calves until 1:00 a.m. on Friday night, and going to a steer show on Sunday (more on those later, I'm still sorting through the 175+ pictures I took that day), we also went to a pig sale. It's getting to be that time of year again, and if we are going to State Fair, we need to find some pigs.

Meet "Tyler Junior" and "Jason":

We originally were going to buy just 1 state fair pig as a companion pig for a pig that we have coming from Todd's cousin in PA, but it won't get here for a few weeks yet. And as we were sitting at the sale, I mentioned to Todd that we are just about out of pork in our freezer.

So we had to buy a companion pig for the companion pig!

If all goes as planned, Jessie and Tyler will show 2 pigs at the Ohio State Fair in August. And one of these pigs will go in our freezer:)

And when we got home, the kids had to spend some quality time with their new pigs:

Ohio State Fair

We survived.

The kids had fun (heck, we had a blast).

We started off with lots of late nights before show day practicing in the show ring (and a trip down to Columbus for Jessie and I at 5:30 in the morning on Wednesday).....

We said going down there that we weren't going to win it all but were going for the learning experience and to have fun.

I think we succeeded.

Jessie ended up 12th in showmanship out of 26 and 10th in the market hog class out of 17. And she ended up 11th out of 30 on the swine skillathon.

And no - I didn't get lots of pictures. I was to busy enjoying it. And biting my nails while watching her show. We rented a camper for the days we were there - which was such a blessing. There was 15 people in our "group" - we ate way to much, stayed up way to late and had way to much fun. We also rented a golf cart - it was a very, very long way from the campgrounds to the pig barn - a 5 min. trip one way on the golf cart.

Tyler did get to show in the open show on Sunday - he didn't place but he is ready to do it again.

I think he could end up being a better showman than his sister.

The best thing about the past week? Jessie came home last night fired up to work with her pigs and her steer for our County Fair. She knows what she needs to work on now and is anxious to get started......

Our new rules.....about going to an auction

1. Kris does not get control of the bidder number...ever.

2. Kris does not sit next to Todd while he is bidding....ever.

3. When Todd gets done bidding and goes back into the barn to help get the rest of the pigs to the auction ring... he MUST take the bidder number with him and tell everyone sitting around me (and the ring crew taking the bids) that I am not to bid...on ANYTHING.

If we follow those 3 little rules, a) We won't get the pig we really, really want (when it hits the $1150 dollar mark we are so beyond done bidding and then we aren't the ones paying $1350 for a 45 lb. pig) b) Todd's sides will be safe from brusing as Jason and I are elbowing him from each side "bid higger....just once more....bid some more" c) we will end up with 3 very nice fair pigs for almost the same cost of the pig that we really wanted and d) I won't just randomly bid on pigs and almost buy us a gilt - which can not be shown as a market animal at our county fair. Fortunately, a good friend of ours was sitting next to me and he clued me in that it was a gilt I was bidding on and not a barrow before I had the winning bid.....

In my defense though....it was a crazy auction....prices were super high and I was really, really worried that we would not even get 1 pig brought. As for the bidding I did on my own - it was simply a fun evening....

We have 1 more pig auction to help with next weekend. Todd will not be there.....I will be helping with assigning bidder numbers and checking people out when the auction is over.....our friends are already trying to figure out a way to get me to bid on 2 pigs for Lousiville this fall......I will not bid. I will not bid. I will not bid. There is no way we can afford to go to Louisville this year....maybe next year.

We'll see how well THAT goes.

P.S. I could not get pictures of the other 2 pigs we brought friday night - there were too many in the pen and it was late (12:30 a.m. late) by the time we got done cleaning up and the majority of the pigs were loaded out. And then we headed out to PA as soon as the kids were done with soccer games Saturday morning....and we got home at 2:15 yesterday and spent the rest of the afternoon getting pens ready to bring the piggies home tonight or tomorrow night, washing a steer and showing the last horse I own to a prospective buyer.

Have a great one!
Kris

I should NEVER be allowed to go to an auction!

On Saturday afternoon, a good friend of ours was having the first of his 3 4-H pig auctions. This one was a board sale that went on for 4 hours, and you gave your bids to 1 person who put it up for everyone to see. The kids had soccer games in the morning, and I had to run to Home Depot in the afternoon. But I drove right by his house.....3 cars there.

I call Todd, who is working. We'll go over there about 4 and see what is what. The last thing Todd said is ....we are agreed that we aren't going to State Fair this year, right?....absolutely....

We actually got to the auction about 4:45 and it was over at 6. As we walked in the door, I picked up a list of pigs he was auctioning off, and I get a bidder number... you never know what will happen....we don't have to use it.

Um....yeah....

At 5:55, I look for Todd - out of 35 pigs there were only bids on 11 pigs! Where do I find him? At the bid table of course, putting in bids on 2 pigs!

This one will be Jessie's State Fair pig:

The other one we picked for a companion (the one on the right).

So we now have 100 days to pack about 240 pounds on both of these guys, find a affordable camper to rent and get our entries into State Fair. Jessie's been after us for months that she wants to show something at the State Fair. She will get her wish. And even Tyler will get to show in the open show - if not Jessie's pigs one of the other pigs that will be down there that friends' of ours are taking (you can take up to 5 pigs to Ohio State Fair).

They came home about 10 last night. Actually, Todd went over to pick them up after we built a pig box to haul them in, and when they walked into the barn a heat lamp plug was smoking in the outlet! So Todd helped them put out the small fire that errupted and re-wire the outlet. I'm just so thankful that the barn and pigs didn't burn down!

And Jessie? She was out in our barn at 7:30 this morning sitting in the pen with the pigs making friends with them.

Kris

Sounds like life......

Things have been rather quiet around here. That will all fly out the window with a beef 4-H clinic, skillathon and field trip to go on next week in the evenings.

Oreo is getting bored with his daily rinsing, blowing, walking sessions. And of course, true to form with me feeding the animals, he's just about finished out 62 days before the county fair.

Her pigs are being watched closely. If I'm not careful, they will be horrendeously overweight and unable to show at the fair.

Tommorow is our actual trial with the neighbor who does not like farming, animals or anything agricultural and is making it his personal mission to wipe out any sort of farming in our county, which is the number 1 agricultural county in Ohio (some say). We feel positive about this, and are ready for it to be over. So the other night I was trying to take some pictures of views of our place in relation to his to show the judge just where everyone sits in relation to one another.

I just like this picture, so I cropped it down.

Let's just say I almost had to break out the telephoto lens to see his place. From the corner of our pasture where we keep the cows. But I didn't because I wanted it to be as acurate as possible to try and convey the sheer distance we are from him. The white mobile home and semi in the middle of the above picture is his.

And my rhododendrons are coming out this weekend. I'll cut the clematis back next spring and train them correctly. My sewing machine should be operational in my house by Saturday (somehow it got knocked out of time). And my sweater is just about done - 1 sleeve, 2 inches on the botton and the collar and it will be complete. I cannot wait.

I'll be back after tomorrow's circus.

Kris

Pig Love

Yesterday it was chicken love, today it's piggy love.






Jessie's been working hard with these pigs - and I am sooooo glad we started early:) A lot of kids wait until 2 or 3 weeks before the fair to start walking their pigs - but because Jessie's are about 40 lbs. ahead of schedule, we started now so we can get them to the point of walking every day for 30 to 40 minutes to help with weight gain.




I am just thankful that we have an advisor who is willing to come over and spend time with her - he was here early yesterday afternoon to show her how to start training them, and then last night she tried it on her own. I think he's been over at our house helping her 3 or 4 times in the last week.









She is supposed to keep them away from walls and out in the open - but I think at this point it is more "fun" than "work" for her. She does better when Jason is around - what does Mom know anyway????

Tuesdays

Well, the Durango has a cracked radiator - and with any luck I should have it back tomorrow -and be a whole lot poorer in the process ($575). Ouch. I called our insurance company - and if I knew who owned the dog, I could turn it in to insurance - but since I don't know who owned him, I can't. And I'm thinking I don't want a claim on our insurance where they will only pay about 1/2 of the bill due to our deductible.

I did go back yesterday afternoon and knocked on some more doors and drove around - no one is claiming him. I am assuming he is fine as he got up and ran off.

Pig walking is a real challenge. I'm still working on getting a good video - it is very hard to hold the camera steady when you are rolling on the ground laughing your head off. Even harder when the girl who is supposed to be driving them is running around laughing cause they follow her everywhere. Oh well - she is having a blast doing this. And we are definitely making this fun for her.

Saturday Todd had to work late (7:30 late) so the kids and I packed up and went to the in-laws for dinner and to do some swimming.

Sunday we spent helping a friend bale hay. If we both could help him move round bales around, he will come custom bale our hay at no cost to us. Of course, Tyler figured out real quick he could drive the tractor, so Jessie and I didn't have to work very hard at all.

See you later,

Kris

I never thought it would come to this

Yes, we have to weigh the pig's feed morning and night. Apparently that is what happens when: a) you buy pigs that are about 20 lbs. to big for your county fair to begin with; b) the person who feeds them cannot stand to think that they may go hungry, and so for the first 3 weeks you have them feeds them constantly (guilty as charged here...); and c) I think these pigs are genetically disposed to gaining weight at alarming rates - they could probably eat dirt and gain several pounds a day.

Jessie's 4-H advisor is coming over tonight if the weather cooperates to teach her how to walk these pigs - so I'm going to be taking LOTS of pictures and videos.

And last night, the chickens got out. So they may become modified free range chickens if they keep this up. Although we have a real coyote/wild dog/hawk problem so I'm not sure how that will all work out.

1 more corner to go on my table topper - I'm having to make up mesurements as I go along (and then I forget to write them down for the next corner and have to start all over again). Pictures to come....

Kris

Life

Happy Belated Mother's Day everyone!

We had another wonderful weekend. Which wasn't very stressful either - how did I luck out?

I did have to work for about an hour Saturday morning, rather last minute but....it got us up and moving before soccer games. Tyler's team won (5-3 and Tyler scored 3 goals). Jessie's team lost 4-5, but gave them a run for their money at least. Then in the afternoon I cleaned the house really well, and worked some in my flower beds.

Yesterday we spent most of the day outside. We are putting in another flower bed (which will make 11) and so Todd and the kids spent quite a bit of time hacking down the weeds that had grown up and leveling off the dirt. We had great plans 3 years ago to put a rock garden in that corner of our yard, but never got around to it. I think it's finally happening! Whooo Hooo! Although the rocks I want out of our woods - everyone's saying it should be the boulder garden hehe.

We also cleaned out Jessie's steer pen and both kids' pig pens and bedded everyone up with fresh straw, fresh water. And we weighed her pigs.

And we have all decided Jessie will be turning heads at the pig show at the fair in September. She has really been putting forth a lot of effort with her animals, and has her pigs to the point they follow her around (kind of like the Pied Piper). She is supposed to walk behind them driving them where she wants them to go in the ring - but they prefer to follow her. Her advisor says "I'm sure she is going to catch the judges eye at the fair if she takes them in this way".

Sorry for the blurry photo - but she has to walk really really fast so they don't catch up to her and trip her up, and she was trying to walk backwards to boot.

Tonight I am going to a flower and vegetable garden about 5 miles from our house - Todd told me to buy something for my mother and his mother for Mother's day, and while I'm there get a few things for your new flowerbed. So I'm sure I'll come up with a few things. Which I had better empty out the back of the Durango so I have plenty of room.

Have a terrific Monday everyone!

Kris

Tuesday

I guess my tendencies to overfeed are transferring to the animals as well......hehe

We've had the pigs for a week now, and have gone through a little over 100 lbs. of feed. We should have gone through about 60. So I call a friend of ours, who has been a BIG help in working with the steers, getting things going for these pigs...... And they are WAY bigger than they should be. Which I never weighed the feed - and apparently what I should have been feeding to 2 of them, I've been feeding to one of them.

Ooops! So we spent an hour last night modifying their diet. And they are actually fuller and happier after eating. Although I've been instructed and warned NOT to feed them until he stops over to see how much they ate this morning - and we will adjust accordingly.

Even if they start telling me they are hungry. (which they shouldn't be as when I went out to feed them this morning they still had food left from last night).

On other news, my bleeding hearts are blooming up a storm. I really, really wish they would bloom all summer! I have (or should have) white ones somewhere.....in amongst the weeds in the 1 remaining flower bed I have to clean out!

The local produce market starts up this Friday - I think I'm going to see what I can find. Maybe some flowers, maybe some early veggies......we'll see what comes home with me.

Pig heaven

Our whirlwind trip went wonderfully. We could not have asked for better weather (high 80's).

We left Saturday night a little after 6 - pulled into the farm at 9:05 - which included stopping for Wendy's at a drive through. 195 miles down. Much thanks to that trucker we got behind that was moving. ahem.

Sunday morning we were up, had breakfast and out in the field looking at calves. Hopefully, one of these 2 will be coming home with us later this fall:

I tell you though, we were in a polaris wrangler (?) and going straight down and straight up some of those hills - pretty scary. Todd's aunt and uncle live on top of a mountain - no two ways about it - and I guess when you have to get to the bottom, what do you do?

They had a couple calves that needed capturing and ear tagging - so Todd helped his cousin Adam while I drove the wrangler (we won't mention the downed tree I drove over - Adam did tell me it could go over anything). Although I'm glad I was in charge of driving rather than catching calves. This momma was the calmest one. I was laughing too hard while they were getting chased by momma cows to take any pictures of the other ones.

We loaded up piggys about 10:30, and hit the road for home. Another just over 3 hour drive, and we pulled in. Got piggies unloaded, in their respective pens, and headed to Todd's parents to eat dinner and pick up the kids. The kids of course wanted to come right home and see the pigs but I told them I wasn't cooking so they agreed to wait until after we ate.

Tyler is not real thrilled that his pigs didn't want to come right up to him. But they are only 5 weeks old so hopefully they will get friendlier towards him soon. And he wasn't thrilled that they are girl pigs - apparently he wanted boy pigs - but then decided he was cool with it.

Jessie's pigs are a pain in the BUTT! Knocking over their water pan, their feed pan, etc. So we had to quick build the pig waterer as they are into everything.

Hopefully tonight we can get the barn cleaned and organized. It's looking a little full right now since we had to quick empty out another pen for the pigs - Adam thought the little ones wouldn't grow good if they were in with the bigger pair.

Have a great day!
Kris

Not very motivated.....

Of course, with doing the whole steer show thing this weekend, plus soccer I am a little behind on the necessities like clean laundry and a clean bathroom.

I've done 7 loads of laundry between yesterday and today, I have about 5 loads folded and put away, and 4 more loads to do. One of these years I will get caught up.

We've had a change of plans for the weekend. APPARENTLY, we need to have Jessie's 4-H pigs in our possession by May 1st. So Todd and I are driving the 3 1/2 hour 1 way trip to PA on Sunday. And his parents are watching the kids for the day. I don't know that I am looking forward to driving 7 hours in a single day but.....I certainly don't want someone from the swine committee showing up May 2nd to see if we have our pigs and them not be here and she get disqualified!

Have a great evening!
Kris