Showing Clarabelle

On Saturday morning we woke up early and got the morning chores done and then drove to Lake Charles for the Southwest District Livestock Show.  Benjamin would be showing Clarabelle and the show started promptly at 8 am.  We had to get to the barn earlier to feed, hay and water her and to re-groom her. Cows have a propensity to lie in their own poop overnight.  We checked the judging sheets to learn that Jerseys would be showing last. 

Clarabelle's udder was full of milk and began to drip, but we can't put Astro, her little bull calf, on her until the show was over.  Her bag was tight and she moo'd a little bit for Astro as Benjamin walked Clarabelle to the arena.  Tricia spoke calmly to Clarabelle to relax her.  It is important, especially in Showmanship, that the animals are well-behaved.

Benjamin chatted with his Dairy Showing buddies to pass the time while the Holsteins, Ayrshires, Brown Swiss, Guernseys, and AOB and Commercial showed.  Running around having a good time during the shows and missing school are a couple things I fondly remember about the shows when I was younger.

Finally, it was time to get in the ring.  The judge surveyed the animals and paced back and forth in the Jersey Division...

He did the same thing in the Showmanship Competition, except this time he judged the exhibitor.  The judge is always helpful and gets on the microphone and gives praise and constructive criticism to make everyone better.

In the end, Benjamin won Reserve Champion Louisiana Bred Jersey and second place in his Showmanship age division.  We had him pose with Clarabelle and his rosettes for a picture. 

The shows are fun, but they tend to be long days.  We weren't released until almost 8 pm that night.  Clarabelle and Astro took advantage of the "down time" and rested.

Astro was doing what I wanted to do.  Z-Z-Z-Z-Z.....

When released, we loaded the animals up and got them home around 9:15 pm, unloaded them, and unpacked all the showing supplies.  This weekend we travel to Gonzales, Louisiana for the State Livestock Show.

Finding A Better Way

This morning while commuting to work I looked out over rice fields on either side of the road being readied for planting. I began to think back to memories of planting rice.  One of the things I hadn't thought of in a while was the practice of soaking rice prior to planting it.  The rice came in burlap bags and was pretty heavily, especially for a kid.  We had several areas in drainage canals that we'd flood with water and then throw all of the burlap bags full of rice into the water so that they would begin to sprout.

Once sprouted, we'd remove the bags of sprouted rice from the water and bring to the air strip to be loaded into Ag Cat crop dusters to be planted.  If the bags of rice were heavy when they were dry, you can about imagine how heavy they were when wet and the rice was swollen and sprouted.  It was so cold at this time to get into the water!  We would get into the frigid water and feel around for the sacks of rice.  We used a conveyor that we would borrow to get the rice out of the canal.  One end would be lowered into the water and the other end at the edge of a big truck that the rice would be loaded on.  The conveyor seemed mighty high tech at the time.  Our job would have been so much harder without it.  It looked kind of like this, except it had regular truck tires on it:
 

Image Credit

The bags of sprouted rice would be driven to the air strip and we would use pocket knives to open each sack and dump into a big bag that would be lifted by a truck with a boom and would be loaded into the crop duster for planting.  Today rice farming has changed to make things more efficient and less labor-intensive.  Rice is no longer man-handled in burlap bags.  It is lifted by tractor in super bags.  As you can see in the photo below, the very heavy bag of rice is lifted and there is a chute at the bottom that is untied, allowing the rice to flow directly into the plane.

Image Credit

That gets rid of the overwhelming majority of all the hard work.  It also gets rid of the nostalgia of remembering "how hard it was back in the old days."  Things have been made easier, faster, better by working with our minds instead of man and beast laboring with our backs.  There is a good side to that and a bad side as well, as I think about it.  Farming has gotten easier from the time that "Ike" made this memorable quote:

“You know, farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil, and you're a thousand miles from the corn field.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower

Les Miserables - Barnyard Edition

That picture says it all.  We have had an abundance of rainfall and the barnyard and all surrounding areas is a mess.  The cows sink six inches deep when walking.  I swear to you I can see looks of disgust in their big, liquid cow eyes of the mud.  Nothing but mud for weeks on end!  I have a plan to extend a wing on one side of the barn to create a loafing shed to provide the animals with a dry location to get out of the weather and mud.  Right now they all get in the goat barn and that is a tight fit for four cows.  We've tried letting them in the barn with the milking stalls before, but that didn't work.  Let's just say they aren't good housekeepers.

As we slog to the barn in our rubber boots with milking buckets in hand, we try to pick the driest places in the mud in which to walk, but it is to no avail.  The other day I walked right out of my boot and with the next step, I sunk my previously dry sock 6 inches in the mud. 

We were washing Clarabelle the other night at the livestock arena before the show and I noticed that her hooves were showing the beginning signs of hoof rot.  I talked to others at the barn who told me that their animals were experiencing the same issues.  A lot of it is due to them standing in mud for long periods of time around the hay circle.  We'll keep a close eye on their hooves and treat them, if necessary.

We'll also keep an eye on the weather forecast and hope that we have days of sunshine to give us (and the animals) a respite from the mud and muck.

2018 Southwest District Livestock Show and Rodeo

The calendar flipped over to February and once again, that time of year for the livestock shows.  After showing in the Parish show, we brought Benjamin to the Southwest District Livestock Show & Rodeo in Lake Charles.  We brought Clarabelle and her little bull calf, Astro, so we wouldn't have to milk Clarabelle while at the show.  The weather proved to be as it usually is for the shows - cold, wet, and grey.

On Thursday, we got Clarabelle and Astro settled into the barn with the other Jefferson Davis Parish exhibitors and families and then got her all washed up, fed, and watered.  The day wasn't over, though.  Thursday night is Exhibitor Night in which all the kids showing livestock get free tickets to the rodeo.  We always like to go.  It is Americana at its finest - an opening prayer, Old Glory being ridden into the arena by a pretty cowgirl on a horse.  Funny thing, I didn't notice a single person kneeling during the Anthem.

We like all the events, but one that stands out to me is the Calf Scramble.  This is where they turn a bunch of 4-H exhibitors loose on an arena containing 20 wild calves.  The object of the event is that the kids are to catch a calf, put a halter on it, and push, pull or drag it into a square roped off in the center of the arena.  Actually, many of the kids are the ones being dragged by the calves!  The first three exhibitors to do so win $1,000 that they are to use to purchase an animal to show next year.  Here is a photo of the first exhibitor that got an animal into the square.  Good for him!
 

The final event of the night is always bull riding.  I say it every year, "These guys are crazy."  For the life of me, I can't see what would entice someone to get on the back of a bull weighing between 1,200 - 2,000 pounds and try to ride him for 8 seconds. 

While a few ride the bulls, many get thrown into the air and into the dirt.  It is then that the equally crazy clowns save their lives by placing themselves between the fallen cowboy and the angry bull.



Benjamin had the opportunity of walking out on the arena floor during the middle of the rodeo and be recognized for his achievements showing Clarabelle.  Tricia and I were very proud!

Back when I was showing, they had what they called a "Parade of Champions" in which exhibitors got to walk out all the champion and reserve champion livestock.  I think they changed this somewhere along the line so that it is only the kids (and not the animals with them) that walk out to be recognized - probably that it made the rodeo last too long.

Before the rodeo, many of the people that attend walk across to where the animals are located with their kids and grandkids and view the animals.  We let the kids pet the livestock and talk to them about the projects.  Many adults rekindle old memories of milking cows, raising pigs, showing sheep or beef cattle and re-connect with their past.  The livestock show, while being a LOT of work, is a LOT of fun, too!

Making Do With What You Have

The other day my mom gave me an antique memento from my great-grandmother on my Dad's side of the family.  There's no telling how old this thing is, but something about it just makes me smile.  So what is it, you might ask?  Well, the best we can figure, is that it is a homemade nutmeg grater.

In THIS ARTICLE on the Internet, I found the following quote:

The systematic production of silver graters for nutmeg began in the late seventeenth century. A revolution in manners then gripped colonial America, as sophisticated Britons on both sides of the Atlantic began serving punch - a brew of rum or brandy, fruit juice, sugar, and water laced with grated nutmeg and sugar - and a nutmeg grater became an essential addition to the ' punch equipage '.

A photo from the same website

Although the nutmeg grater from the website is made of silver, mine is not!  But the idea is basically the same.  Notice the attention to detail in the craftsmanship below.  There are 11 nails that hold the 'grater' to the carved piece of wood it is attached to.

If you are wondering what the nutmeg grater is made of and think you have an idea, you are correct! It is made out of an old tin can - the #10 sized cans that they use at school cafeterias.  I think they call them institutional sized cans.  Rather than throwing out the can in the trash, someone saw a "diamond in the rough."  Someone had a vision and some creativity and rescued the can from the trash can.  They painstakingly used a nail or a punch to drive a huge number of holes from the backside of the can to the front.  This must have taken them hours!  In so doing, the nail pushed out sharp pieces of tin that serve as the grating mechanism against the nutmeg.

When all was said and done, a kitchen utensil was created that was used, I'm sure, but more importantly, has stood the test of time.  It hangs in our kitchen as a reminder of the ingenuity, thrift, work-ethic, and vision of our forebears.

In the disposable world we live in today, it also stands as a testimony of the truism that "one man's trash is another man's treasure!"

Starting the Garden in January

Early January is cold - even in the deep south - but it is time to get the tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant growing.  On January 3rd, I filled my little seed pots with seed starting medium and began planting.  I generally plant two seeds per compartment.  Usually, I'll have close to 100% germination and I'll simply separate the two seedlings and re-pot each individual plant into a larger cup so they don't get root-bound.

After all the seeds are planted, I cover them with about 1/8 inch of seed starting mix and use a sprayer to moisten the soil.  This will make the seeds swell and they'll begin their transformation from a dead seed into a growing plant.  As many times as I've seen it, the way the seed transforms into life is a true miracle from God to me.

Now obviously seeds don't need light until they sprout and begin getting leaves.  Until such time, I bring the containers inside and cover tightly with a plastic bag.  This keeps the soil warm, but most importantly, retains soil moisture so the seeds will swell and begin doing their thing.

In less than a week, we have seedlings springing forth!  They now want light and they jump out of the ground to get it.  You have to be careful or they'll get 'leggy.'  I take the shop light inside from where it normally hangs over my workbench and I position it above the tiny seedlings, propped up by some canned goods.  The grow light has a special fluorescent bulb for growing plants in it.  It gives off a pinkish-colored light.  My growing area is in the utility room above the cabinets.  It stays warm up there and the plants seem to like it.  I keep spraying the seedlings and keeping the soil moist so they plants are never in stress.

The seedlings all germinate at different times.  First the tomatoes, then the peppers, and then the eggplant.  I move them from where I have them sitting in the foyer to the utility room as soon as they sprout.

After about two and a half weeks, the tomatoes all have their true leaves and are growing vigorously.  I have to be real methodical in my watering as the soil dries out fast in the little seed pots.  Probably this Sunday I'll separate and re-pot them into bigger cups that will give their roots room to stretch out.

They are some healthy little plants right now.  Usually after I re-pot them, I'll water them with some diluted fish emulsion.  This gives them a little fertilizer and gives them a nice, healthy color.  We want them to be at their very best when we put them in the ground.  We still have a ways to go, though!

I almost forgot to show you.  As I said, peppers germinate a lot more slowly than tomatoes.  Here are the seed pots of pepper plants.  They are just getting started, but they look pretty good.

Unfortunately, everything doesn't look good.  These are the remaining seed pots in the foyer.  They haven't sprouted yet and if they don't soon, I'll give up on them.

As I was going through my inventory of seeds, I ran across seeds that I had saved from various open pollinated varieties back in 2012 - 2014.  Yes, they are old seed, but I wanted to see which seed I should keep and which I should remove from inventory.  Now, I know!

Even though it is too cold to do much garden prep outside, there's still some gardening to do inside.  And that is a good thing, indeed.

Onions... Worth Their Weight in Gold

I heard a story about a man who heard that there was a country that did not have onions!  Can you believe that?  The citizens of this land never got the opportunity to enjoy this savory bulb that enhances every dish and provides great flavor to any meal.  The man loaded a sack full of onions and departed for the Onion-less land.

Upon arrival he visited with the king and showed him his great cargo.  He even prepared a meal for the people of the kingdom. Of course the people loved them!  They were so appreciative for his introducing them to onions, they paid him with GOLD equivalent to the weight of the sack of onions.  When the man got home, he boasted about his good fortune. 

An entrepreneur soon headed to the land with a sack full of garlic.  If they didn't have onions, they didn't have garlic.  What is better than garlic for flavor?  What could be more valuable than gold.  The man was sure that he would be paid in DIAMONDS!  He arrived, introduced the king and commoners to garlic and naturally, they were impressed.  They were so grateful for this discovery they did pay him.  What could be more valuable than gold?  Why, onions, of course.  The man headed back home with a sack full of onions.

I love onions and we like to plant them in our garden.  The first week of January, I received my onion sets in the mail.  Oh, Happy Day!

I always order from Dixondale Farms their Short Day Sampler.  This year I ordered 3 bundles.  Each bundle contains about 70 onion starts consisting of 1015 Texas Supersweet, White, and Red Creole Onions.  I don't know if this box is worth its weight in gold, but the contents are indeed valuable to me.

I pulled up rows, made a 4 inch trench in the middle and filled it with composted chicken litter.  then on either side of the trench, I planted the onion sets 4 inched apart from each other.  It is important to plant them only 1 inch deep.  If you plant them too deep, you risk them not bulbing and then you only have green onions - which is not a bad thing, but you want your onions to bulb.

I sat on my blessed assurance and rolled and planted until the box was empty.  218 onions in the ground when all was said and done!

One week later, temps dipped to the upper teens.  I hope my onions are okay.  I think they are.

They better be.  I only intend on crying over these onions after I harvest them and begin to cut them up.