Show day at County Fair!

Neighbor kids Sally and Samantha in the Beginner Lamb Lead, with the middle one wearing a wool vest and hat, and lamb wearing matching blanket and hat that I'd made for our older girls when they showed sheep many years ago.  It's kind of hard now to find 100% wool like this.  Sam was the winner and so proud of her trophy.  I love to see their excitement.   Love the look on the boy - his eyes!  cute! 

So busy keeping their eyes on the judge.

Granddaughter Amanda and her dad talking before she was to show one of her pigs.

Coming out of the show ring with a Championship Trophy!  Amanda had a good day today with her animals, and also won showmanship.  Good job kiddo!

Now to sign up for the state fair trip and decide which pig to take.  I think she'll be taking her barrow.

On Saturday we have a Livestock Auction for all the blue ribbon market animals, so our work isn't done yet.  Also before the auction, there is a Round Robin Showmanship contest with all the senior showmanship winners of each market animal.  That is fun to watch.  Amanda will start out showing her own pig, then rotate to show a beef steer, dairy steer, and lamb before getting back to her pig.  Our 3 girls each won that showmanship contest.   When our girls were showing, they'd make sure they practiced on someone elses animal before going into the show ring.  Sometimes these steers know when a novice is trying to show them, and they can misbehave.  That's alot of muscle moving and pulling when you don't want them to.

Neglected flower garden!

Here's pics of my flowers this year.  I have totally neglected my flower beds, but they still have bloomed some nice flowers.  Don't mind the weeds you see.  I 've only watered flowers once this year with a soaker hose;  but we have had some decent timely rains this year.  Since that one time I've been too lazy to pull the hose from the barn to the house and hook to this soaker hose.  The past years I probably wouldn't have had any flowers if I hadn't watered.  When in my garden areas, you can really tell they're not taken care of as nice as in the past.    

I'd thought when I was retired I'd find more than enough time to do everything I wanted.  Not so!  Seems like we're always busy.  Guess I'm not as stressed out as I used to be, as spending time pulling weeds, and holding a hose to water plants was soothing for me!  Think next year I'll make some changes to my gardens.  Actually, I've found that most of the plants take care of themselves, as long as there has been enough rain.  They just don't know how to get rid of the weeds and grass that grows with them!

Love these!!!!!

Most years you can't see the little fence because these were so high.  Maybe that's what the watering with the hose nightly did for them, just made them taller and woodier, as these flowers seem to be doing fine.  Earlier I'd thought the flowers themselves looked like they weren't going to be very big, but they seem fine now.

Lots of berries on the flowering ornamental crab trees.

An old rickety high chair I painted in bright colors.  Sometimes I put a potted plant on the seat!  It adds

more color out there!

 Have a great weekend! 

Thumbnail pics all over!

The past two days, I've been busy cleaning up my desktop on the computer.  I'd been trying to make some discs for the kids of all the pictures we taken, and some how, about 300 showed up on my desktop instead of the disc.  I couldn't click and get all off at one time, because then the other icons on the desktop got highlighted even though I think I did it right.  click on first pic that I don't want any more, and then went to the last picture I didn't want,  held the shift key, and then clicked the last picture.  Well, then everything got highlighted, even after the last picture.  So I did only 5 or 6 at a time and deleted and they went into the wastebasket.  But then we had a power outage going to happen, so I shut off the computer, and then when I powered it up again, all those darn thumbnail pics were back.  This has now happened 3 times, and I'm at a loss as what to do, because I'm sure it'll happen again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  Got any ideas, anyone?

Meeting the animals!

Sophie, hiding under the old stock trailer.

Daddy holding Renee while Grandpa holds Sophie the soon to be momma barn cat.  For a barn kitty, she is pretty tame.  Wonder where she'll have her babies when that happens!  So many places for her to hide them.  Renee liked kitty.

Kayla and Ashley went for a ride on Jack with Jessica.  Jessica got Jack 18 years ago as a yearing; so Jack is now 19 and is now our other granddaughter's Amanda's horse.  Jessica rode him home here for the week.  Jack loved being in the pasture by himself!!!!!

Renee got a ride too!   She wasn't afraid of anything.

When they got up to the sow pens to look at the pigs, they sows thought that it was time to eat, and they were grunting and making lots of noise.  Real piggy noise!   We won't have any new babies until later this summer and fall. 

She likes playing in the dirt!  Or should I say gravel!

Cute dirty hand.  She had sand in her hair and all over by the time she was tired of playing there.

Hi Odda!

We forgot to get pictures of the cows, unless someone else did on their camera.  A week almost past and things are getting back to quiet normal.  Sure wish they lived closer so we could see them more often.

Now planning a trip to go see them late this fall.  We'll drive instead of fly.  A long drive, but I enjoy the scenery.    I need to go to town and replenish the frig today.  Out of milk!

Back to blogging!

Hi everyone! I think I'm back - have been so busy with getting ready for kids coming to stay for the week, and having a big yard party, but now they're gone, and we're back to just Dad and I!   Boring old selves!
Our week with baby Renee was the greatest.  Steph and Cullen and Nick and Marcus came for the weekend too, so we had a houseful.   Jessica, Floyd and Renee left on Wednesday, and have been trying to rest up since they left.  Did start mowing the yard again yesterday.  Have to get caught up on that again.

When they got off the plane in Fargo, ND.  Then we had a 2 hour drive to our farm.

We had wonderful weather while they were here!  She loves the water.

Grandpa and his little love!

Big Blue Eyes!

Just a few of my pictures - more to come, but can't show them all at once!   We all went out for supper for our 40th Anniversary while everyone was home.  Leah took some wonderful family pictures, so we'll be seeing those when I get some.   

Now I have to take some time one of these nights and read up on everyone elses' blogs to catch up on everyone.  I don't know how anyone busy with kids and family still home finds time to do this.  They're wonder-women to do so!  Until later, jo

Beachhouse Fireworks!

We always sit in front of the old beach house to watch the fire works across the water.  Here are a couple of my pictures.  The same fire works that Far Side went to, only we were about 3 blocks south of where they were.  Always a good show and our family gathers there every year after the parade and orders in pizza; sit and relax; listen to the Community Band play for 45 minutes, and watch the fireworks. 

I like the reflection in the water.  See the boats there, and peoples heads in front of us.

The fireworks light up the whole sky!

Love the fireworks, and now we'll wait until next year to do it again.

We're getting ready now for our big family gathering this coming weekend.  All of our girls will be home!! Yipee!!!  Big gathering on Friday evening, and a smaller one on Sat evening.  This will be a busy week and weekend!  Can't wait to see baby Renee!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDDAUGHTER RENEE!

From a tiny little 3 pound girl to a wonderful 1 year old.  We are are so happy you are celebrating your birthday today!

Happy Birthday little one.  Grandma and Grandpa love you!

A special day for mom Jessica and dad Floyd celebrating this 1 year birthday for Renee.  We celebrate with you in our hearts, and will see you next week to  celebrate here with us.  Have a great weekend with friends and family in Louisiana!  We thank the Lord for all our blessings this day and every day.