[SeptemberMorn]

Three of my grandkids (John's babies) showed their animals at the fair yesterday and today. Here are the results:

Granddaughter - Double Breasted Tom Turkey - Grand Champion
Natilda - replacement turkey hen - Reserve Grand Champion

Granddaughter - Pigmy Goat - Grand Champion
Second Pygmy Goat shown by someone else, Reserve Grand Champion
Grandson (5 yrs old) Baby Pigmy Goat - First Place

Granddaughter - Guinea Pig - First Place
Grandson - Guinea Pig - Second Place

All of these animals were raised by the kids with very little help from the parents.

Sad note: Matilda thought my chair was a turkey because it's dark grey and black. Not sure whether she thought it was the love of her life or her mother, but she followed me around everywhere I went. Even tried to go to the bathroom with me! She will be sold at auction on Friday, no doubt to be eaten for Thanksgiving if not sooner. Regardless, I'll never see her again. WWWAAAAAAAAAA! No more turkey following me around gobbling. Sob!

I'm so proud of my grandkids I can hardly see straight!

[bebop]

that is great! woo hoo! now being followed by a turkey now that would be freaky lol

[SeptemberMorn]

It was! I tried to scare her away at first but she'd squat on the ground and wouldn't move! She finally got it when I gently shoved her out of my way once. She wasn't thrilled when I'd try to pet her but she'd sqwak when I'd leave and she hadn't realized I had moved away from her.

I think I'm going to buy me a baby turkey next spring. LOL

[sabby]

Wow!! Awesome jobs by your grandkids! Way to go!!!

Are you sure it was the chair the bird was attracted to??? :-D

I once owned 2 geese....great watch geese but yuck...what a mess! Not to mention they can be quite mean and nasty and do physical harm. Oh well...lesson learned


sabby

[SeptemberMorn]

Well?... She didn't like it when I petted her. She'd sorta move away. When she first started following me, she say the back of my chair first.

When she first started following me, I didn't like it... maybe because I knew that one of the Toms was in love with my DIL. Besides, I don't swing that way! Not attracked to females, especially when they are BIRDS! HAHAHA!

It was funny, though. Both my son and hubby called her "your daughter." Yeah... I have a daughter that is a "turkey"! hehehe Now I had two! ... ... Never thought of calling the turkey "your sister" to my son! HAHAHAHA! He'd probably agree, though. She (the real sister) used to agree that she was an airhead by pressing the end of her nose and making an air escaping sound.

Anyway... I don't have to worry about Matilda following me anymore.

[sabby]

Sounds like you had a fun day Tomi....


sabby

[froggie2]

Congratulations Gramma. I love the old fairs with all the animals and the crafts.

[SeptemberMorn]

FROGGIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Where have you been????

The livestock area is the first place we hit. Then I went into the crafts building and found a new way to paint on T-shirts! Don't know why I didn't think of it myself.

PM me, will ya? Catch me up! I've missed you!

[SeptemberMorn]

Friday was Auction Day at the fair. My granddaughter was the only one in the family that had a market animal up for auction. Remember she was the proud owner of the turkey that took grand champion? Was that one expensive turkey! It brought $1000! He was big, but c'mon! One thousand dollars? I think I will work at being my granddaughter's best buddy! LOL Nah... just kidding. It was the company that my youngest works for that bought the turkey. Matilda, "my daughter", brought in $600. Not shabby for a Reserve Grand Champion, I guess. "My daughter" or not, I still wouldn't pay that much!

Two of my grandkids got belt buckles (hubby calls them small hub caps LOL) as trophies for their placings with their animals. A girl from another group also won a belt buckle for her "chincilla display". My son's ex 4-H leader made the comment that she expected a fur rug next year. Everybody laughed and I turned around to her and said "Shame on you, Karen!" I got a good laugh, too. We're a group of people that are just fine with the fact that some animals just have to give their lives, some to feed us and some to clothe us. There wasn't one person there that cares much for Political Correctness. We're a tough bunch.

After the fair closed and the kids were taking their animals to the collection areas for the trucks to transport them to the slaughter house, we got caught in the middle of the steer parade. They were being taken to rodeo arena.

When they got turned loose, they realized their moment of freedom in about a year. They started running around the arena kicking up their heels, pushing each other around and every now and then, they would take off running across the arena. My husband, always ready with a smart remark, yelled out to them to take it easy with each other, one of them very well could be his next steak. My son laughed and said "Would you look at all that hamburger, filet mignon, ribeye, running around?" My husband responded with "I should go out there and get my steaks before they lose the body heat!" He likes his steaks just barely brown on the outside. When he's asked at a restaurant how he wants his steak done, he says "Just restore the body heat, please." Even I have to say "EEEWWWW" after all these years. Maybe it's a good thing that the Fair Board doesn't allow kids under 10 to have a large market animal. It was different when my son was in 4-H. They only had to be eight and the last day of fair was always heart wrenching for the kids. I didn't see any tears this year.

As usual, our family was one of the last ones out after helping others load their trailers and collect the animals that were going back home. They still had their own cages and animals to collect. We finally made our way to the RV where my son and his family stayed. I hadn't realized that they were parked right next to the beach. I took a very slight detour to look at the ocean...
and for the rest of the story, you'll have to read it in the spirituality forum...

[sabby]

I just love the atmosphere at the fairs. The smell of the food and the treats....the sounds of the animals and the kids having fun. My favorite thing to watch is the horse and oxen pulling contests. It amazes me how much weight they can pull......wow!

I'm glad you had a good time at the fair ((((((((((((((( SM ))))))))))))))))))))) and to gather some time at the beach was a definite added bonus

I love what your hubby says at restaurants for how he wants his steaks cooked... I always tell them I still want the meat to moo when I stick a fork in it So, I guess I like mine cooked the same way


sabby

[SeptemberMorn]

Sometimes he says what you say, too. You guyses steak would have mooed last night for sure! In fact, it was! LOL

[sabby]

[SeptemberMorn]

Oh, lordly! I just found out my DIL, the mother of these winners, bought herself a couple more goats! Guess we're back in the goat breeding business. She's as bad as I was when we lived on the farm! Got the animals first and THEN built a shelter/pen for them.

Also found out that my son wants to resurrect our old goat herd name. Good luck to him! I think it's GREAT!