Tournaments, Banquets, Auctions & Promotions

Here we are just into June already. And I cannot tell you where May went. (Or April for that matter!) It seems that end of the semester slide just picks up speed. And if we are not running along side it, we are sure to be under it! Where do I start?

Rex had a paintball tournament in Las Vegas. Michael coincidentally had a job there so they flew in together. I gather that Michael stayed at a separate hotel from the team but hooked up daily and took photos. They did very well and made it into the playoffs. So, while they didn't come away with the amazing cash deal they did for shutting everyone out in Carlsbad earlier this year, they still well. Rex looks really good. Paintball is definitely his passion. He is quite the marksman as well as the team gun tech from what I gather. He is a Mr. Fixit just like his dad.

Here are some photos of Rex and his team.

 Just in case you don't recognize him, he is the center bottom below.

Valerie's market sheep kept everyone quite busy this spring. She had her sheep for the fair, Stumpi, and her "back up" sheep, Marsha. Marsha was a neurotic mess. As Valerie put it, "She just looks for new ways to try and kill herself." As a result, that meant lots of repairs. Here is Marsha behind the bar Michael had to place in the window through which she broke. She had a knack for getting herself locked into the sheep shed.

Valerie had her end of the year FFA banquet the same night as Amira's open house. Michael and I had to divide and conquer. Michael took Amira to her open house where he met with Amira's teachers. Looks like Amira is being put into a high level math class for Junior High. Yes, I'd like to brag a little. What a smart cookie!

Valerie scooped up some awards at her banquet. She is a Star Greenhand. 

Valerie was also one of two freshmen to be elected to an officer position for next year. She will be reporter. So here she is with the next year's officer team for FFA. They are already planning their officer retreat in August.

 We had such a delightfully wet spring that there was a major frog hatch at Rancho Wilhelm. Michael put together a habitat for the budding tadpoles and mosquito fish. In fact, Valerie won a gold fish at the fair (again) this year. It also resides in the below water feature on our patio. So many little frogs! Amira helped Michael pick out the plants.

Speaking of Amira, she continues to enjoy her horse lessons each Monday. I have been lucky to get lessons with her. Starting in June Valerie will take my place for the summer. In the fall I hope to again resume them. It's such a peaceful way to end the day on Mondays. Here's Amira on Snickers taking a stroll.

Meanwhile, Valerie has worked hard all winter long with her mentor, Carol, and "Drill Sergeant" Hailey to learn how to properly work with and show a market lamb. Here is Valerie at the Silver Dollar Fair with Stumpi. She showed in the 2nd of 9 breaks and was one of the top two people in her break pulled for the final drive. 

So out of all that she placed 6th in the final drive. This is a huge deal as while she was learning all winter long it seemed she rarely made a cut. But hard work paid off! Here she is with her showmanship ribbon with Hailey and John (who helps work and shear the sheep). Valerie was in Hailey's 4-H Club until she moved on to FFA this year. But Hailey is always right there for Valerie and a huge wealth of knowledge and talent. Hailey is almost always grand champion and has the award winning sheep.

 Valerie worked very hard with Stumpi. When he got to the fair he weighed in at 150 lbs, which is the maximum weight for auction. That was ideal. And Stumpi came in fourth in his class.

 Valerie had many long days at the fair between set ups, practices, weigh-ins, shows and auction. Grandpa Alligator came on auction day. Valerie was lot 478 out of 498 which meant she went at the very end of the day. Alligator came at the beginning of the day and stayed for a long while until he realized he was going to be in the stands until dinner time. He came back at the end of the day. 

Bids opened at $10/lb. We do not even know the people who bid on Stumpi, but he fetched $15/lb. She kept coming back to the fair to help her 4-H friends show their market and dairy goats. It's a supportive group of kids and parents all backed up by the amazing Carol Albrecht. We are going to be excited to have Carol and her son Josh in the FFA chapter with us next year.

In the middle of all this fair hoopla, Rex turned 16. I can hardly believe it. Here he is with his boysenberry pie which followed a delicious steak dinner and potatoes and salad from our garden. We had Alligator, Susan and John over to celebrate with the family. Michael took him and his friends go cart racing on Saturday in Sacramento. Again, we had to divide and conquer as that was the day of the auction at the fair. Amira was off with some friends that weekend. There was so much going on my head is still spinning. 

After a three day weekend of fair, birthdays and friending Rex came back to school for final exams. Valerie went back to Carol's for "sheep camp" to prepare the wool sheep for their trip to Eugene in a couple of weeks. Michael took off for New York. Amira returned for her 6th Grade promotion ceremony. She got a new dress and shoes and jewelry for the occasion. Neni came down to watch the ceremony. Following the ceremony all the 6th graders went roller skating for the rest of the afternoon. Then after school she went to a swim party. This was an action packed week, I tell you!

Here is Amira with her friends Sarah, Marissa, Juliana and Ally after the promotion ceremony. In another week they will be the station aids at the Girl Scout camp for June Jamboree.

In other news, Rex officially has his driver's permit. He has put in many hours of driving this week already. I think he likes it. He does not like driving the van (or, the Swagger Wagon, as we call it) and seems to prefer the Leaf. I have to agree with him. The Leaf is much more comfortable and a little more zippy and responsive.

 There was a nifty display outside the 6th grade classrooms on the last day of school that had photos of all the students with their career goals. An interesting one was"bread delivery guy". That's not pictured. But here you can see Amira in the upper right with her dream. To her left is a girl who has already been on national television more than once for her dancing ability.

 Amira and her friends doing their last walk at 6th graders.

 Junior High, here we come!

It's a Boy!!

Life, Death and Life and MORE Life on the Farms

I thought surely my next update would not be until May as I was either going to be so busy that I wouldn't have time to update the blog or that there would be nothing to report so soon. But then an interesting story unfolded. 

Originally I had decided to not share the below story on the blog because it seemed too sad. But there have been very recent developments (like in the last couple of hours!) that have made the story more interesting. Enjoy.

Back in March Valerie's wool sheep, Bambi & Forbes, got sick and we sent them off to Carol's farm to recuperate and get sheared. Also, Valerie had been trying to breed Bambi so that she should have lambs this spring.

For your reference, here is an older photo of Valerie walking Bambi & Forbes with her cello teacher.

The word that we got back from Carol's was that Bambi was not pregnant but did appear to be really, REALLY fat. So, they kept her out on pasture with the other Ewe's and their lambs. Forbes was off frolicking in another pasture under the olive groves with a different set of sheep and sheep dogs. And she was going to keep them there until Valerie finished working with her market lambs at the end of May.

About a week ago Valerie was out working on Carol's farm, like she usually does. I got a call from Carol asking me if I had heard from Valerie. I told her that I hadn't heard from anyone. She said she had some sad news to share with me. Apparently one of their electric fences ground out and the barn manager asked Valerie and Hailey to walk to fence line to find out what happened. Well, the girls happened upon a sheep that had been caught in the electric fence and expired ... probably days prior. Hailey did not recognize the sheep but Valerie did. She identified the sheep as Bambi and surmised that she fell down a hill and rolled into the fence. Also, she was so fat that she could not get herself upright. There were some tears around the house here knowing that Bambi was not going to be coming home.

It seemed too sad to post this information on the blog so we just quietly resigned ourselves to the situation at hand. I was only just beginning to share this story on a case by case basis rather than this very public forum. Most people didn't know this story or were only just hearing about it privately.

In fact, I had just shared this story with my sister-in-law today when within that hour I got this text from Carol:

OK so if you or anyone in your family dies DO NOT let Valerie identify the deceased. You could be lost on a street corner somewhere for life and no one would ever know thinking you were in a cemetery.

Bambi lives??

Yes. And she is about to give birth.

This was an unexpected development to an otherwise sad story. The lesson we take away from this is not only do we not let Valerie identify the deceased ... but always, ALWAYS check the ear tag!

And so after school today Rex and I picked her up, along with a companion Ewe, Ettabelle, and a lambing kit from Carol's today after school. Ettabelle will be a friend to Bambi for a while. Once the baby gets big enough to not get stomped by Forbes, we will trade Ettabelle back for Forbes.

Valerie came home tonight from an FFA conference where she has been the last several days. I snapped this photo of her looking a bit like a flight attendant in her FFA uniform swinging like a professional baggage handler.

It took Valerie at least 15 minutes to realize there were more sheep in the yard than when she left. Her friend Madelyn was over and Amira and I were also milling about. It's like everyone but Valerie knew her sheep had risen from the dead. She must have walked past their pen at least three times without batting an eye.

I told her the market lambs were out of alfalfa hay and that she needed to go into the other sheep barn to replenish the stock. She stopped just short of the gate as she was about to open it. It was at that time the sudden shock hit her. She saw Bambi in the corner eating her favorite, grape leaves. "Wait! My sheep is not only not dead but she is also pregnant? I went from having a not pregnant sheep to having a dead sheep to having an alive pregnant sheep! How does that even happen?"

And then there was this other sheep that was not Forbes ... Good ol' Ettabelle!

Welcome home, Bambi! We missed you, Old Girl!! 

I tell you, these sheep are a lot of work - mentally and emotionally!

In other news, last night her market lambs busted out of their pen and broke the gate and bent the wire. I don't know what scared them. But I spent part of the evening putting a splint on the fence. My dear husband will be horrified when he sees my lack of construction skills. But at least those sheep are once again confined. I'm a helper. I'll be down at the award shop picking up my trophy if anyone is looking for me.

Meanwhile, the little chicks and turkeys are enjoying a nice day on the grass and bugs. 

Amira and I have continued horse lessons. Amira got to work with Snickers yesterday. What a fun horse! They looked awesome trotting around. This is kind of a fast horse.

I got an easy day on Jewel. No bit! Just a hackamore - because she is just that amazing. She is training be to be a better rider. Good job, Jewel! Because, heaven knows, you've had your work cut out for you.

Meanwhile in the yard, I have the coolest salvia out front that looks like a banana tree. Check this out.

We are now full to bursting with life again. We'll let you know when that baby lamb shows up!

Catching Up

Well, it looks like I haven't posted anything in a long time! It seems that if we are busy with activities, then there is no time to post. Conversely, if I have time to update the blog, it is likely because there is not much going on!

I just looked back at the last two posts and it seems the photos have disappeared. I don't know why or where they are now. And I am less enamored with this blog venue as I am rarely able to upload photos from my phone and the video links don't seem to come through. So, that said, I apologize for any technical difficulties and will try to capture our doings with descriptive words in the case that the photos are absent.

Let's catch up on March since I seemed to have dodged that month entirely. March was spent, for Valerie, showing sheep (as usual). This year she is working on market sheep (as opposed to the wool sheep she had been showing). It's a whole new game, I tell you! It's like a Miss Universe Pageant for sheep. None of these critters are on a "normal" diet. There are all kinds of supplements and constant weigh-ins, shearings, special clothing and conditioners and techniques. The sheep don't seem to mind it much. But these things are a far cry from the cute wooly things we see grazing in the fields. 

Here is Valerie prepping Stumpi for a show.

And here she is showing him. She is lucky to have an amazing mentor who takes her around to all the shows and gives her lots of experience. Our friend, Carol, who runs a real farm is Valerie's former 4-H leader and now her "handler". Valerie gets all kinds of experience out at Carol's farm. She's like a young Dr. Pol.

A couple of weeks ago when I dropped her off at the farm they were driving cattle and vaccinating calves. Carol's kids were on horseback taking the cattle down the road. These kids are in 7th and 8th grade and have such incredible daily experiences. Now THIS is homeschooling!

Valerie spent the day vaccinating them. Big fun! Love this type of "school day". 

Michael had a job in Phoenix not far from Scott & Dawn's home so we dropped in for a quick 24 hour visit. They are delightful hosts. Here is our night out. It was gorgeous and we dined on the patio. And, mind you, we are happier than we look. It's just that we are over 40 now and the sun has set. In another 20 years we will be meeting for the "early bird special"!

The following week we went for a family spring break vacation. We only have those high school students a few more years. So, we have to squeeze these adventures in while we can. These kids are such great travelers.

April came round and I was reminded that this was my 48th trip around the Sun. Susan and John and Alan came over for dinner and provided many gorgeous flowers for the garden. Thank you! Now I look out at the amazing colors planted with my veggies and herbs. And I have spruced up a lackluster area with lilacs that I hope will bloom again next Spring.

Michael and I spent some time amending the soil in the garden again. We now have potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, chard, basil, cilantro, lettuce, cucumber, summer squash, cucumbers and loads of sweet potato slips in there. Also a gopher. So, we'll see how this plays out. Thanks again for the marigolds!  It is my hope they will repel some pests. Also I love their look and scent.

Did I also mention the artichokes? Mmmm! We are going to have to eat them all up this week as they are going to be beautiful flowers soon if we don't. Yardychokes!!!

Let's see, in other news Amira went camping with the Girl Scouts ... AT THE MALL! I'm going to comment that there were no badges for orienteering or building fires. There was dancing, shopping, hair braiding, candy eating and crafts and not a whole lot of sleeping. Well, I slept. I can sleep anywhere. I slept out front of Aeropostal with the troop. I fell asleep by 11pm and left the other mom, who is a night shift nurse, to be in charge. I might have narcolepsy which, in this case, is a blessing. Now, I cannot claim to be well rested as they kicked us out at 7am. But I was better rested than most. Here is a photo of Amira and some friends at their "camp site".

Rex continues with his paintball activities. He's really into it. And his team will be traveling again next month to Las Vegas for another tournament. Michael, coincidentally, has a job there at the same time. So I am hopeful that he can get some action photos. When he is not paintballing, he is at school or sending me texts of funny things he found on the internet. He's also been keeping up with the lawn mowing around here and is extremely handy with the tools if you need anything fixed, assembled or disassembled. He's a chip off the old block. Michael's block, that is. 

We also couldn't help ourselves on the poultry front. We don't presently have a rooster and Michael (the best darn chicken farmer in Chico) has been thinking about setting up the operation so that we don't have to order chicks from a hatchery in the future. We bought a dozen fertile eggs from a local place set them to hatch out on 15 April. (Can we use these to pay our taxes?)

We had a good hatch. We got 9 chicks out of the batch. One of them needed help out of the shell in the end. I was too traumatized by my memory of doing that a few years back. So, Valerie (resident Ellie May Animal Wrangler) volunteered to do it. And she did it successfully.

One night Michael and I were out to dinner and the kids were at home with the critters and I got a text that said "another chick just hatched out of the white egg" and the below photo.

Man, they look like they are not going to survive when they first come out!  But they are tough little critters. Here is a blury photo of most of them now at just under a week old. We have 4 blackish ones, 3 brownish ones and 2 yellowish ones. They are living in an old bunny cage under a light in Valerie's room.

In addition to these critters, we have 25 baby chicks and 4 turkey poults under the heat lamp in the garage. (They take up a lot of realestate). I wish had taken some photos of them all out in the "chicken tractor" yesterday as they frolicked in the sun and chased bugs and grass. It's too chilly for them to go outside today. But as they get older, they get more field trips into the yard until they ultimately move out there. 

Well, that's all the news from Tifftown for now. Catch you up in May (I hope!)

Rex's Team Takes It Home

After several days playing in a paintball tournament in Oceanside, Rex's team wins big!

They won 1st at WCPPL. 8-0 undefeated.



That's his index finger. The glove gives it another look.




Congratulations, NorCal Kings!

Manteca

Valerie is working on showmanship with market lambs this year. It's very different from showing the wool sheep.

This weekend she is down in Manteca.

It's Spring!

Michael just sent me the cutest picture of the chickens in our orchard with blossoms all up around the place and said, "It's Spring!" 



It certainly is. I have watched the Magnolia and Almond blossoms come and go. The forsythia and quince, peaches and plums are bursting now. Soon we will see the dogwoods and then it will be time to plant our gardens.

Too much going on here to keep up with posting about it. Amira has been very busy with Girl Scouts and horse riding. It's Girl Scout cookie season ... so you can imagine we are standing out in front of the grocery stores just about every week. Rex and Valerie have been especially good customers.




Amira also turned 12 recently. She's on the cusp of becoming yet another teen in the house. She and a bunch of friends got together for lunch and a movie.




Valerie has been crazy busy with FFA and all the sheep showing. She is gone this weekend (again). I suspect she will be all spring. Koa has gone back to the kennels from whence he came. He was fun to have around for a few months. We miss him. But there is so much to do even without him. And it was a good time for him to go back since Valerie is gone most Thursdays through Mondays now. 

But when she is home she squeezes in a little time to goof around. Her friend, Madelyn, sent me this photo.



I have gotten out a few times to our Upper Park for walks. It's astonishing and gorgeous right now. The flowers are just coming out and we can see the tips of buds on the Blue Oaks.




Rex has just taken off for a weekend with his paintball team in Southern California for the weekend. I snagged this photo he posted to Facebook.



That is all the news for now. We are all holding up well and spinning quickly in our orbits!