Skip to main content

A Week at the Fair: Monday

Today was the first day of our county fair. Two of my children show livestock through the 4H program. This afternoon was the sheep show. We had a beautiful day for it; breezy and near 80 degrees. Both children won awards: J. won "rate of gain" for one of his sheep (having to do with how well his sheep packed on the pounds), as well as 1st and 3rd in his class for sheep quality. Notice the ribbons around the lambs' necks and the trophy on the ground in front.



S. won "rate of gain" for one of her sheep, as well as 1st in her class for sheep quality. She also won "showmanship" for her class. While the other awards have to do with the quality of the sheep, this award is more about how well she showed her sheep. Did she pay attention to the judge? Did she smile? Was she relaxed? Did she handle her lamb well? Could she answer basic sheep questions that the judge asked?


We of course are proud of both of the kids, whether or not they win awards. And, frankly, with such a small county fair, awards are easier to come by than if there were 50 others competing.

J. asked, after it was all over, if we would pick up pizza on the way home. "After all," he said, "We did really well today and I want to celebrate." His logic persuaded us.

I brought in vegetables to be entered in the "Farm Crops" portion of the fair. We co-garden with my parents, who live across the road from us. My mother and my daughter, R., helped pick the veggies this morning before we headed in. I snapped this photo of some of my goodies.



Fairs seem to be a dying breed. I am one of the few people who bring veggies in for judging. Or maybe it's gardening that's dying out. Either way, I stand a good chance at placing in several categories.

Each of us (except The Farmer) entered handmade items in the fair for judging. We all won ribbons for several items. I entered the twin to the wedding rug I made a few weeks ago. I had enough material prepared to make two rugs. So I gave one, and then made another, which I entered in the "Loom-Woven Rug" category in the Home Ec Department.

S. really took the prize, though with her self-portrait. Here's a photo of it, along with the ribbons that hang beside it in the "Best of Show--Youth" section. I think I need to get this girl in some art classes.




Labels:

Comments

  1. PamJuly 24, 2007 at 11:01 AM

    Wow! Kudos to all of you Lona! That self portrait is really beautiful, and I love your veggie table. When we go to the state fair the food building is one of our family's favorites! Glad you got the pizza to celebrate!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousJuly 25, 2007 at 9:18 AM

    Lona,
    I am impressed. Your vegetable table looks great and you entered when few people bother. A great example to your kids! I am glad they did well with their animals. Art classes? Yes, a good option.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bloggy Giveaway--Now Closed

**This bloggy giveaway is now closed** Thanks to all who participated and gave such great comments. Janette is the winner of the $15 gift certificate to our etsy store . I'm participating in the Bloggy Giveaways Quarterly Carnival . Click the link to go to the carnival where you can enter to win literally hundreds of things. The good news is that even if you have no time to play on the computer trying to win hundreds of things, you can still enter to win one thing right here. This week, I will be giving away a $15 gift certificate to be used toward the purchase of an item in my etsy shop . This contest is open to residents of the United States or Canada only. The winner will receive free shipping on whatever item they choose. Items in my etsy shop include handwoven rugs, wool yarns and roving from our farm, and the ever-popular cotton dishcloth! To be entered in this wonderful drawing, you must go to the etsy shop and look around a bit. Then come back here and type a comment that ...
132 comments
Read more

Haying 101

A few posts back, "deep end of the loom" (love that name!) asked me to tell a bit more about the haying process. If you want my version, read on. If you'd like to read the official wikipedia version, click here . Haying happens in three steps: cutting, raking and baling. This process takes several days, as the hay must be dry when baled. Moist hay molds and heats up and has even been known to spontaneously combust, burning down the barn. Gotta have dry hay. This first photo is of our haybine. The haybine not only cuts the hay, it also crimps each piece of long grass in several places, to allow for faster drying. We usually cut hay in the early afternoon, when the dew is gone. When we're done, long row of cut grass lie waiting. The hay is allowed to dry for two to three days, depending on wind and sun conditions. Obviously, the more wind and sun the days hold, the quicker the hay will dry. When we feel like the hay is nearly dry, we go out with the rake. There are diff...
1 comment
Read more

This Giveaway Is Now Closed!

Today starts a giveaway at Farming in the Shade! I am happy to contribute this complete hat kit (needles not included) to someone who has a knitting obsession and a small person in their life. Here are the rules (contest open to US or Canada residents only): Giveaway ends May 1 at 9 p.m. EST. Winner will be announced by Sunday, May 3. Enter by posting a comment on this blog post. Tell me something about your knitting--who taught you to knit, your favorite yarn, the coolest thing you ever knitted. Make sure you leave contact information! Earn extra entries by: 1) Following me on twitter. (If you don't know what twitter is, don't worry. It's another way to waste your time on the computer.)  Add a comment here so I will count it as one entry. 2) Tweeting this giveaway (no more than once daily). Add a comment here so I know you did it. 3) Blog about this giveaway. Add a comment (with link) here so I can go visit your blog. 4) Follow or subscribe to this blog (or tell me if have...
45 comments
Read more