Things are happening even with me gone

Well, I am back from 4-H multi-county Camp. It was cool. I had spent the night with Ricky and he drove us to the camp Tuesday morning. We got signed in when we got there and found our cabin. We ended up at the dance hall doing the flag ceremony because it started raining. After that we had hotdogs for lunch and got done in time for Cowboy olympics. We did stuff like cowpie throwing and the stick horse races. We had some cool workshops like “what is?” (which is like Jepordy) and “mule packing” (which is where you learn to pack mules for trips) The first night we ended with a dance after dinner. I had a blast and danced so much I lost count. I don’t even think I danced with the same girl twice. I never even asked a girl to dance but I kept getting asked. I have no idea why! We ended each night with Vespers. It was like little informational tid bits to end our day. The first night we learned to fold the flag and what every fold meant. The next day we were up early, had breakfast and were off to more workshops. We had a large one about shotgun saftey and we learned about our game warden and his job. We did littler workshops through out the day about tracking animals, putting together wagons, sand art and we even got to shot clay disks. Okay we got to try cause all I did was miss. The only thing I didn’t like was that due to medical reasons I didn’t get to play in the water games. Oh well, Ricky sat out with me and we got to chat awhile and laugh at everyone else. For dinner that night we had pizza and another dance. I think I danced more that night then on the first night and I still never got to ask a girl to dance. Then at Vespers we got to vote on our favorite camp councilors. My favorite didn’t win. Oh well, maybe next year. The last morning all we did was pack, clean up, eat breakfast and get gone.
While I was gone Mom had been busy pre-cutting some wood and wire. She didn’t even give me much of a break when I got home. We started putting things together like she wanted and I thought she was crazy. Then I saw why and what it all made and I got kind of excited. Check this out…

I now have a whole new cage system for my show birds. The pen in more open and I have alot more room. Tomorrow I am going to move in all my carriers to put on the top shelf and we are going to put together a new call duck pen with a run. I hope we don’t run out of time like we did tonight. I still have one pair of birds to move in.

And just for Adelaide100 here is a picture to give you an idea of the size of call ducks. The big duck is Huey and she is just 3 months old (she is a normal sized duck) and the little two in the cage are full grown call ducks. Aren’t they just the cutest things??? They look like regular ducks just smaller. I want Ms. Susie to get some for her farm too. She would just love them and they talk all the time.

Chicken Shopping

Okay, last night I got busy and didn’t get all the new chickens posted like I said I would. So because I will be gone to 4-H Multi County Camp Tuesday – Thursday I took pictures so you can see everything.
This is my Sumatra Rooster … I love it

This is my Sumatra Hen

This is a young Frizzle that we think is a hen.

This is my New Blue Spangled Rooster

This is one of my two new Ginger Red Old English

Now for an update. Huey turned out to be Huette. This is the Duck first introduced to Les_the_Mess when she came to pick up her sheep. She is still not full size but she is getting there. She just needs to fill out a bit more.

Mom did some shopping too but I might get to show them. Besides her Bantam Pheonix pair she now has these two pair.
This is Mom’s Bantam Brown Leghorn Rooster

This is Mom’s Bantam Brown Leghorn Hen

This is Mom’s Bantam Black Rosecomb Rooster

This is Mom’s Bantam Black Rosecomb Hen

Summer time

This summer everything seems to be going by so fast and some times I don’t even think I am keeping up. I have been very busy with the calves and making arrangements for breeding them as well as taking care of the other things and keeping up with supporting my friends. I will try to give you a run down of events over the last few days.
First Mom learned to fire Granny’s kiln. It took us alot of time to get it up to temp but we did and I can’t wait to see all the western stuff we put in there. I also got my first pieces that I get to clean. I so hope I don’t break them. Granny says to handle them like you have no thumbs and you will be alright. We will see if that works.
Then my Rodeo was rained out so I didn’t get to go Practice anywhere but here at the house. I did get time to go support a very important cause though. I have a friend who has fought and won the battle against Cancer. Mom and her friend took me to the local Relay for life and I had a blast. We bought lanterns for my Grandpa and supported my friend by walking with him, bidding in silent auctions and eating at the concession stand. To top that off they had lighted wands for sale and live music and pie eating contests and much to much to list everything here. It lasts all night but since Mom had to work the next morning we left at 11pm and I even won a 4th of July party basket in the silent auction.
Saturday was my work day. I went to the sale with Dad and ended up buying a Frizzle. It is a kind of Chicken and they look like they are in a wind storm all the time because their feathers are going backwards. I love them and think they are so cool. When I got home I mowed, mowed, Mowed. First I mowed the shelter dog yards and then I headed up to Ms. purlsandknit’s house to take care of her yard and garden while she is enjoying her weekend. I am sure you can read about it when she gets back on her blog at http://purlsandknit.com/blog I bet she is having so much fun.
Today I am going to Ricky’s house so we can do some bird swapping, moving and mind storming. I want to show him my new Frizzle and see what he thinks and I might bring a pair or two of his home with me but I will keep you posted on what goes on with us today

Official word

Today I got the official word on my Calves. Two of them are ready to breed. I have arranged to take them down the road one mile to a low birth weight Limousine bull for breeding in Aug. That means even though I won’t have Baby Goats this spring, I should have two baby calves. And If chief keeps growing and I get lucky I should have four lambs too. I know it is months down the road but I can’t wait for next spring

Quiet time

Sunday was Father’s Day. Mom had to work so I just hung out with Dad. We found time to take him out to eat and he got a couple of small things he needed for around the farm. We are getting ready for haying season so we spent alot of time working on the tractor. First we have to repair anything that broke last year. There are always bolts that come loose and shear pins that break. Baling small square bales is kind of hard on the equipment. Just for fun I hung my tree seat in the trees out front and went to yelling for Dad. He didn’t think it was funny but Mom laughed.
Today Mom went to cleaning out every closet in the house. I tried to stay out of her way. Since it was windy and I can’t rope off my horse I made a practice dummy. It isn’t much more then a barrel saddle stand saddled up and a hay roping dummy in front of it but it gives me the position I need to practice for Regionals. I did manage a trip to town with Dad to take care of the spraying paperwork for the farm. It wasn’t much but at least I got a break from the house cleaning. Tomorrow I start school for 3 days a week. YUCK!!

Just another Saturday night

Today was a regular Saturday. I went to the sale barn with Dad and just did chores at the house. So I decided to post working some of my animals in pictures. Here ya go …

Bear, Wyatt and Me

Walking two at a time is hard

Ranger is getting so big

Posing Bear

Bear is okay once he is caught

Wyatt doesn’t like waiting or being tied

Wyatt’s Turn to pose

Catching Chief … So far he won’t pose

These 2 always go to the wrong pans

Break time

Black Berries YUMMMMM

Bringing everything out of the pasture

Storms are back building again

Catching up

Hello everyone, I am back. I am tired but back. First I went to Leadership Rocks. It is a 4-H Leadership Conference. We had fun but we also had to learn alot of boring stuff. Mostly about procedures. We did a mock fund raiser and it was kind of fun. We learned that sometimes businesses need more then just you asking and with a little effort you can get more done then just going some place else. After our formal dinner, we had a dance and then we just sat around playing cards until about 2am. Our rooms where in the college dorns and man where they small. We even had to share a bathroom and showers. The second day we had guest speakers and then headed back home. It was alot of listening to speakers packed into two days but we all had a pretty good time I think.
Yesterday was Awsome. We were up early and to Expo Center by 10:15am. I was the second run of the day on my Break away calf. Ice and I were so nervous and our calf out run us. We tracked him down and back before I threw my rope and missed. After that I got to talk with a few of the other kids and found out that guys I normally rope with and never get nervous were nervous too. That made me feel better.
As the day went on Ice and I both seemed to calm down alot. When it came time for us to run my tie down calf, we were ready. Ice went out there and did his thing while I did mine. We roped and Tied down a calf twice my size. I weigh about 75lbs and the calf was over 150lbs easy. I got it roped and when no one thought Ice and I could do it we got it all done. We placed Third. Not bad for a 13 yr old roping against kids up to 19yrs old and they have horses that are older and trained by people who do it for a living. Ice and I were the underdogs that came out doing okay. A couple of the other older kids told me later that they didn’t know I was that tough but that I have alot of might in me. To them that was the best compliment they could give me after losing to a kid half their own size. I just thanked them, shook their hands and smiled.
My final event was the poles and even though I didn’t have a great time, Ice and I made a clean run and left every pole standing. To tell the truth I did poles at Districts as warm up and never thought I would qualify for State in that event because Ice and I are ropers…. not speed events. Barrels and poles really aren’t our thing but you have to try everything once I guess. As for today I am getting chores done around here and I even mowed the shelter yard to make a few bucks. I will start saving for my Trip to Mississippi but Mom says this is it for the travel this year. She says she is road foundered and wants to stay home …. She said that two other times this year so far … We will see how long it lasts this time. Who knows maybe I will qualify for Nationals ….

Qualified

Tropical Ice Qualified for Regionals in Mississippi ….. Going to bed will blog tomorrow … So tired … Good Night world

Leadership Rocks Conference

I just wanted everyone to know that I won’t be blogging for the next few days. This morning I am leaving for my 4-H leadership conference. I won’t get back until Wed night. Thurdays I have my state horse show and we will be leaving early and getting back late from that too. I hope to come back Friday and catch you all up on all the happening

Introducing Dad

Today Dad and I worked around the farm while Mom worked at the shelter. I even turned the sheep and Goats out into the new run Dad made when I got the sheep.

I love my Dad and like most kids I want him to be proud of me. Dad is a bit different though. First off he is nothing like Mom. Mom laughs at everything while Dad finds nothing funny about anything. He is Grumpy and grumbles alot. He finds humor in things that aren’t funny to most. I remember one time I got run over by my horse. Dad thought it was funny but when the same thing happened to him, He didn’t think it was funny and got mad when I laughed. Dad works hard and I know he loves me but he is a small town man, born and raised here. It is the way it has always been and it is the way it will always be. We live in the house he grew up in. His best friend lived a quarter mile down the road and still does. When my Dad was a kid there was a real town here. They had Rodeos that people came from Miles away to see and every weekend there was a trolly to Coffeyville. And when you started to drive it was cool if you got to go to the drive in and see a movie. There was a school and a small store and a few churches. Now everything has just about died away. Only the church is left and the old school is now City Hall, the community center, the senior Citizen’s center and even a church on Monday nights. It is just one building but it wears many hats. As for Dad he doesn’t like the changes and says the town can change but we won’t. We will stay and bring in the hay crop just like every year and just like every year before that.
Mom says Dad has changed over the years too and that there was a time he laughed and carried on too but now he has the worries of life on his mind. He isn’t mean or anything he is just grumpy, You know like one of the seven dwarfs. He would do anything for you but he just would be grumbling the whole way. There is one time each year that I love to hang out with my Dad though. Haying season. That is the time when he takes over the duties of the farm and Mom gets a break. Last year Dad taught me how to drive the tractor while running the sickle. He didn’t actually let me do it but he taught me how. He takes all his vacation time and spends it haying. He helps our neighbors and friends through out the season and he really seems to enjoy it even though he doesn’t let on like he does.