My living room is filled with gear for our weekend camping trip. We're headed off to the Windsor Fairgrounds at the crack of dawn tomorrow morning for Maine 4-H Days with the girls' 4-H club.
The girls have done most of the planning and organizing of our family's gear for this trip and are darn excited about camping with their friends and taking workshops at the fairgrounds (L.'s hot to trot on taking another robotics class and G.'s doing a silk painting class she is looking forward to).
As for me, I feel badly saying this but I'm not looking forward to this adventure nearly as much. I truly enjoy all my 4-H friends and I don't mind camping but this forecast is really unappealing.
But I can choose to take Girl Talk's "Light at the end of the Tunnel" post to heart today and hope for rainbows -- and that we luck out on the 50% chance of NO rain. Because sleeping in a tent in the rain and being soggy for a couple of days is just not something I'm looking forward to.
The girls are chick-sitting for the next couple of weeks and it turns out that Toddy our blind cat has become a daddy, or so one of the baby chicks thinks after she snuggled in to Toddy's fur for a snooze yesterday.
I'll let L. tell this story (she just posted her own blog entry on MainePets.com and I'm re-posting it below) since I'm snagging the photos she and G. took of this darn cute interaction.
Some days it feels like we have entirely too many animals at our house but then there are other times when one of our little animal friends does something so sweet (and/or funny) that I'm glad we've got them all in our lives.
Yesterday me and my dad went to pick up some chicks to take care of because my dad's friend was going on vacation to Peru so she asked us to watch over her baby chicks.
When me and dad got home G. picked up a brown little chick (I don't know what the breed of the chick is though) and put the chick in her room because she was a very very calm chick. G. let Toddy sniff the baby chick a bit and he did not seem to mind her. Then the chick left G.'s hands and buried herself in Toddy's warm fur and went to sleep under Toddy's chest. Then Toddy fell asleep too.
They became very good snuggle friends fast!
I also let another baby chick sit on my lap watching TV for a while. She was very calm and snuggled with me too.
Here are some cute pictures we took of Toddy and the baby chick.
In tracking down a photo of myself in response to a question posed in the Forum by Raye, "What did you look like as a kid?", I got sucked in to my massive photo album collection developed before the purchase of my digital camera (now I have a 40GB external hard drive to accommodate my digital photography era and it thankfully takes up a lot less space).
Sorting through my photo collection (starting from my college days with only a smattering of me as a child) requires going through many, many books of all shapes and sizes (and not labeled or in any sort of order because that's been on my 'to do' list for more than a decade) to find the photo I was looking for.
But as many things in life happen, it was the journey rather than the result that turned out to be the most enjoyable, which I'll get to in a minute.
First I'll get the response photos out of the way. Below are a couple of photos of myself as a toddler and preschooler. For those who know me, you'll realize the squinty-eyed thing hasn't really changed much over the decades.
While looking for these photos though I ran across Fino's baby album. He has very few photos of himself as a child (he's child #5 in a family of 6) but he has a few keepers. There would likely be a homicide at my house if I ever posted the high school photo of him with shoulder length hair (he had a massive head of wavy hair as a teen in the 80s) that the girls break out into full belly laughs whenever they see (OK, it puts on a smile on my face too but I try to control myself because I've got my share of awkward teen pics in my album). But there are a couple of him as a peanut that remind me of L. I have photos of both of them with a certain glint in their eye that is identical. That little rebel rousing gene that lets you know they're creative thinkers and not ones to sit by and let something pass by without stirring up the pot just to see what happens.
Yes L.'s coloring might be closer to mine than her dad's (which is more obvious in person) but when it comes to expressions/mannerisms/personality traits, she's got a lot of him in her (and a bit of my brother who has his own special spunk too). It was an enjoyable journey down memory lane and confirmation about something I had always thought but hadn't fully recognized until comparing these photos.
Below is a picture of G. as a toddler just so she doesn't feel left out of this baby picture thing. I'm grateful now to have marked the girls' names on the back of photos because with the passing years I now see what everyone else had told me at the time. The girls really did look a lot alike when they were little.
I'm grateful for today's sun because I'm hoping it dries up some of the mud in the pig pen. The pigs, who I mentioned previously have a mission to dig to China in them, have completely destroyed all the grass in their living space. And because of that and all the rain we've had the past few weeks, walking in to the pen to feed the pigs has been a very messy ordeal that absolutely requires tall rubber boots.
But Fino came through with some "upgrades" yesterday that allow for fewer visits in to the pen. He installed a barrel feeder that drops grain in to a box for the pigs eat (a tarp above the pen keeps the box relatively dry). The added bonus of this contraption is that it will save us money on grain since the pigs can't knock over the box (it's secured to the side of the shelter and has a box inside to control the release of grain) like their old feed pans.
To avoid all the spilled water dishes that make the mud even juicier, he installed some reinforced pipes (protected by a 3-foot stake in the ground) for water spigots that release water when the pigs nibble on them (it's nice they have something other than my butt to bite).
These pen upgrades took a couple of weeks because we were trying to avoid buying special livestock equipment (it can be pricey) and Fino needed some time to work out the building details. And after L. measured the pigs and discovered that Pulchra was approx. 130 pounds and Titus was about 120 pounds, we knew we needed to make everything extra sturdy. When pigs at these weights want to push something around they can do it!
L.'s been knocked around a little bit recently (we've been told pigs get more aggressive as they get older and we're seeing some of that) but the pigs like it when she scratches their backs so they don't mess with her too much. Even a few pig "kisses" is a majorly messy affair because these animals are covered from head to tail in mud (and appear happy to be that way) so L. leaves the pen covered in mud well above her tall rubber boots.
I am thankful for today's sunshine and hope that the forecast for the rest of the week is drier than predicted. If not, at least L.'s visits to the pen can be minimized to scooping poop and making sure the feeder and water spigots are working correctly.
Oh, and when you tell your kids to clean their room because it's as messy as a "pig pen" well, now you have some perspective on what that really means.
We made it through busy dance recital weekend and this year it was even more clear to me that my girls are growing up. Both girls kept track of their multiple costumes without much assistance (other than me marking their initials in every costume piece before dress rehearsal).
Usually this is the most stressful part of recital for me because not only am I keeping track of costumes, tights and multiple dance shoes for each of the girls, but I've got my own stuff to worry about too. Thankfully we didn't have as many costumes among the three of us than we have had in years past (a couple of the girls' classes combined in to a production number with one costume so it cut down the number of costumes by two -- and that's significant when you add in all the doodads like hair pieces, tights, etc.) so things in the dressing room thankfully started out easier for us this year.
The other part of this busy weekend that I tend to stress over is the girls' hair. The girls lamented that my bun-making skills were sorely lacking at picture night earlier in the week (I'm lucky to get a brush through my hair most days so they know this is not my forte to begin with). But I had another go at buns for dress rehearsal with some improvement. And confirming the adage the 'third time is a charm,' I was relieved (as were the girls) I got things figured out by the first night of recital so there were no unraveling bun incidents on stage.
The reason my bun-making skills improved was more about utilizing my resources better than my actual skills (use enough gel and bobby pins and you can make anything work!).
In the aftermath of three nights at the theater (dress rehearsal one night plus a show on both Saturday and Sunday), I'm paying the price of our haste -- getting out the door each day and heading straight to bed after each show -- by picking up bobby pins and hair nets all over the house (costumes however were treated with much more care). There was definitely a dump and move on thing going on with hair paraphernalia, especially for G. because she can't handle "stuff sticking in to her head" or "sticky hair" any longer than absolutely necessary.
I estimated I used about 20 bobby pins per bun, plus a few extra for their crowns, and when I picked up a dozen bobby pins off the floor yesterday I did the numbers on how many we likely used over the weekend. Multiply 20 by two girls over three nights and well, that leaves me estimating there are over 100 bobby pins scattered around my house right now.
The girls and I had a fun weekend with our dance friends but I am relieved I'm off the hook for a while with hairdresser duty and costume wrangling (bless those girls and their moms who do this sort of dance show stuff on a regular basis with competitions). I'm really glad this is only a once a year thing for us (I actually kissed each one of my girls on Sunday night to thank them for that).
The buns this year actually had to be below the crown per the dance teacher's instructions. Once I got that figured out the girls did their head-shake test to assess the bun's stability before we moved on to securing the crowns in to place with yet more bobby pins.
My Arabian dancers were part of a multi-class production number of Aladdin, which not only saved us money on costumes but helped moved the recital along to save on empty stage time that usually happens between individual numbers at recital.
The girls and I did a dance called Generations with other families (moms, grandmas, kids, cousins, aunts - every family had a different mix of family members dancing together) that we learned a couple of weeks before recital. Each family was charged with making their own costumes based on an assigned color so the girls and I went with a tie-dye look (a favorite craft project at our house). This year's music included a mix of "Me and My Shadow" and "We Are Family," which made for a fun number for both the families dancing and the audience.
The girls and I have spent a lot of time at our dance studio in the past two weeks in preparation for this year's recital. And after seeing the youngest dancers in the show in their little tutus for pictures last night I couldn't help but reminisce about L.'s first dance recital.
L. had a medical issue as an infant and spent several years in physical therapy from the time she was about one year old until she was 4. She didn't take her first step until she was 18 months old and was unsteady on her feet for years.
The physical therapist suggested several activities for us to do with her in addition to weekly visits to physical therapy to get her on track with other kids her age (this is one of the reasons I started writing Kid Tracks because we had to stay active to help her get her muscles in to shape). And by the time she was 4 years old, she tested out of PT.
It seemed like a great accomplishment at the time but shortly after PT ended, L. fell and broke her arm. This was not a shock though because I thought it a miracle we'd gone that long without a broken bone given the frequency of her falls (some were really nasty) learning to walk and climb up and down stairs.
Unfortunately it was summer time and dealing with a cast in the summer on a 4-year-old was a real drag. But we made it through the 6 weeks and all seemed OK.
Then L. broke her arm the following spring jumping off a swing set with her sister. Another 6 weeks went by and her cast was removed two weeks before her first dance recital in June, which we thought was great timing.
But a week later L. fell off a couch chair. It was a standard L.-fall-off-the-couch scenario I'd seen her do many times before (no jumping or horsing around, just L. misjudging her ability to climb off) and should have been nothing to be overly concerned with. But I recognized the crying as being something more serious and took L. to the hospital.
It turned out that she had a compound fracture this time (and I should note that all three breaks were the same arm and the bone in that arm hadn't fully healed from the previous breaks and why it broke so easily again).
Suffice it to say we were questioned for hours by the hospital staff when they checked L.'s records and realized this was the third broken bone in a year. It took lots of explaining on our part and another record check from the PT to confirm L.'s medical condition before we were released from the hospital.
The really unfortunate thing about this break was that the ER doctors missed that the compound fracture needed to be set (they didn't take x-rays from the correct angle to see the mismatched bones of her arm).
So the day before L.'s dance recital during a follow up office visit with L.'s doctor we got the news that L. needed surgery to set the bone asap. Like, the next morning. The day of the recital.
L. was devastated and we promised that if she wanted to, she could dance in the recital after her surgery, never believing it would actually happen.
The surgery required she be put under anesthesia and we assumed she'd be out of it for at least a couple of hours and miss the show. But we brought along the pink tutu to the hospital to appease her.
The surgery went smoothly and L. woke up right afterward wondering why her mouth felt different (L. had a loose tooth that needed to be pulled when they put her under as an anti-choking precaution) and happy to see the tooth fairy paid her a visit during the surgery (her orthopedic doctor was great).
After a few popsicles and much bragging about her $5 bill after the surgery (this was a real pick-me-up for her), she was ready to put on her tutu and go to the recital. I checked in with her doctor and he said if she wanted to dance in the recital I could let her do it. He did warn me that she'd likely be feeling the pain a bit later in the day once all the meds she'd be given during the surgery fully wore off and to be prepared for that with some extra Tylenol.
So we left the hospital only a few hours after the surgery and made it to the recital with less than a half hour to spare. L.'s friends were thrilled to see her (there was much hugging) and she went out on the stage to perform her routine.
But that's L. She's a determined little cookie. If she gets something in her head she wants to do, she's going to do it. It's a personality trait that I believe will serve her well in life but I know all too well that it's not always an easy thing to parent.
So as I watched my now 11-year-old L. (who has not broken a bone since) looking like a teenager in her Arabian girl costume, I couldn't help but remember her in that little pink tutu we dragged to the hospital for her all those years ago.
L.'s surgery was around 8 a.m. as I recall and by noon she was ready to hit the road for her stage performance.
L. today (she's in front just left of the black pole)
Oh, and in case you were wondering, we survived a second summer with her in a cast more easily than the first. Lessons learned included the discovery of a special latex "sock" to cover her arm and cast and it worked like a charm. Just FYI for any of you who are facing a summer with a young child in an arm cast.
We bought this "sock" at a medical supply store in Portland and it worked great. Her cast never got wet with it on.
I believe L. became a stronger swimmer simply from the strength it took to paddle with a lead weight on her arm for two summers in a row. (Swimming had been part of her PT program and her favorite activity as a toddler/preschooler so saying no to it during the summer was NOT an option. The 'sock' was a life-saver and perfect compromise for us.)
G. showed her cow Sparkles at the 4-H Jamboree this past weekend and things did not go quite according to plan. G. was nervous (this was her first show ever) and that in turn made her already spirited cow nervous which made for a challenging combination. But even after the initial antics of her cow and G.'s tenacity in getting control of the 1,000-pound animal in the ring (G. has an innate sense of how to handle her animal and good upper body strength from working with this particular cow), they finished with a blue ribbon for their efforts.
And there was a big sigh of relief from G. (and her cow she believes) that the show was over.
After some jumpy behavior, which I knew G. could handle because Sparkles has done this sort of thing before at the farm, both G. and Sparkles calmed down and did OK in the end. Here's a short video clip of her and Sparkles in the show ring.
In addition to showing animals (beef, dairy, sheep), there were workshops for kids to learn new skills at Jamboree. L. participated in a poultry showmanship class that taught her how to bathe a chicken, which was really simple actually -- just a pan of water and a few drops of castile soap. There were a few "ewwws" in the group when it came to washing the chicken's vent (i.e., butt) but L. was really interested because she's been wanting to do this for years (my kids love grooming animals of all kinds). The kids also learned the things they would be required to do in the show ring with their chicken and by the time the class was over, L. was excited about showing her chickens at the fair this year.
L. also spent some time with her pig club to learn about board training. Since pigs can not be halter-trained like other livestock (their bodies aren't conducive to halters), boards are used to guide the pig in the show ring. Upon first glance it looks easy but there are some finer points to making the pig go where you need it to and that includes taking it slow and easy as well as staying calm. L. is not generally an easy-going, calm type around animals (she's her mother's daughter in this respect) but she did really well working with the pig (his name was Snuggles) at this workshop and was eager to try this at home.
When L. applied the skills she learned at Jamboree on Pulchra and Titus, well, let's just say that things did not go quite so smoothly (and will likely be the subject of a future blog entry).
G. was all about cows at Jamboree and she and the other kids involved in beef projects participated in a clipping contest. Several cows were put in crates and teams had an hour to make the designated cows ready for the show ring. G.'s favorite part of the beef project is grooming her animal and although she's still learning the finer points of using the clippers (a moving object requires a practiced and steady hand), she enjoyed working with her team to get the cow looking her best.
Not knowing much about showing myself, I was unaware of the number of hair products used to get a cow ready for the show ring. The supplies brought to the fairgrounds include shampoos, conditioners, gels and sprays. One of the moms of a more experienced showman said she gets funny looks at the hair salon (for people) when she buys multiple bottles at a time and not sure she wants to offer the explanation they are actually for a cow. And she said that most women she knows who are primpers would be put to shame in comparison to her son's array of products and primping for his cows.
It was a busy day at the fairgrounds but a great learning experience. G.'s not sure she'll be showing Sparkles at any fairs this year but she's exploring some ideas that will take her to the barn stalls at a couple of fairgrounds this summer.
With pigs, chickens and cats we've got a lot of waste disposal duties distributed among family members at our house. Some days I feel like there is no escaping animal poop, especially when one of the chickens decides to leave a present on the front door stoop (I always look down before taking that step now because I've stepped in a 'present' on my way to the office in my nice shoes more times than I care to remember).
Or when one of our three cats leaves a present on the rug next to the litter box (and it's never our blind cat's mistake as we could understand if he missed his mark but our female cat who is persnickety about her litter box).
But the mounds and mounds of pig waste L. deals with every day is probably the worst of the disposal duties.
So it's no surprise that L. has poop on the brain these days and decided to make an outhouse out of recycled cardboard for her Webkinz animals ("all animals have to poop mom").
Last night she decided to spray paint her outhouse metallic gold and added the final details, including a mini toilet paper holder. I questioned the gold color choice but L. explained that this was a "stylish outhouse" and I was reminded yet again of her unique and creative spirit.
"It's a bling bling outhouse, a stylish way to pee."
"It's a bling bling outhouse, a stylish way to store your manure."
I only had my cell phone handy so I used the voice recording option to capture her explanation, which I posted with a photo of her creation on YouTube (it's not really a video but was the easiest way to post it). This short clip is quintessential L. -- aka an "L-ism" as referred to by friends and family.
Being this child's mother is a test of my sense of humor as well as damage control to explain comments made out of context and just plain stamina because I never know what will come out of her mouth next. But one thing I do know (and appreciate) is that life with L. is never dull.
The girls have been teaching me a variety of jumping moves and it's clear to me that they have enjoyed bossing me around on the trampoline. I've been offered a lot of expert advice on technique and the rights and wrongs of my jumps this past month.
So go ahead, have a good laugh because I am aware I look ridiculous (especially next to my 11-year-old since I sink down a whole lot further into the trampoline than she does). My consolation with this however is that I've also had a darn good time jumping around.
And just for the record, I am aware that I was overly enthusiastic after doing some of my jumps. I need to keep this sort of thing in perspective but I just couldn't help myself. My teachers seem quite pleased with my progress so far and it's been an entertaining month for everyone at our house.
After a couple of years of biking with my kids, who are now 11 and 13 years old, I am still not a fan of road riding, even when there are shoulders. My mommy brain starts worrying when we're on the road together and I just can't seem to shake the "what if" scenarios.
What if my 11-year-old swerves on to the road so she doesn't run over a caterpillar?
What if my 13-year-old decides to look at the birds flying overhead or simply daydream while riding and crosses the shoulder line?
What if one of the girls hits an unexpected dip or pothole and takes a tumble into the road instead of onto the shoulder?
What if an inattentive driver swerves onto the shoulder and into one of us?
To more experienced bike riders, I may sound overly worried, but since each of the above scenarios has happened (except the inattentive driver scenario, thank goodness) while riding in our low-traffic neighborhood, I err on the side of caution while riding with my kids. That's not to say I have never taken them road riding, because I have (the ice cream store two miles from our house being a favorite destination). But I find I don't enjoy the ride nearly as much as I do when we are on bike paths, out of the line of traffic. And because I really would like to enjoy myself and not stress about cars whizzing by, I have been motivated to find trails that keep us off the road.
So here are a few off-road suggestions we've enjoyed that have put my mommy brain at ease. Other than road crossings, there is no on-road riding on any of them.
EASTERN TRAIL, SCARBOROUGH
This trail is a lot of fun for my birding enthusiasts, who enjoy frequent stops to look at and take pictures of the marsh birds. The smooth, packed-gravel surface and lack of hills on this path make for a very easy and pleasant ride with kids. The one downside is the lack of places to sit down to have a picnic lunch, something we usually like to do. We found a spot near the trail head to spread out our picnic blanket for a few minutes (the dampness of the marsh soaks through blankets, even nylon, pretty quickly) but stayed clear of the "No Trespassing" sign on one side of the parking area.
TRAIL: Scarborough Marsh (part of the Eastern Trail that connects trails from Maine to Florida) LENGTH: About three miles one way TERRAIN: Packed gravel TRAIL HEAD: The trail head is well-marked on Pine Point Road, with a sign for the Eastern Trail about a quarter-mile east of the Scarborough Marsh Audubon Center. BATHROOM: None DOG-FRIENDLY: Yes, on a leash 13-YEAR-OLD: "I liked how smooth and even it was. I liked looking out on the marsh when we were bike riding. It was really nice. I liked watching all the birds around the marsh and I stopped to take some pictures, too." 11-YEAR-OLD: "I liked looking at the marsh. I liked the trees on the trail that covered it and made it nice and shady. I liked all the birds, too. They flew right over our heads. It was fun to ride and look at everything. I liked skipping rocks in the water at the trail head, too."
BACK COVE, EASTERN PROM TRAILS, PORTLAND
To avoid road riding, we only spend a short time on the Back Cove trail before connecting to the Eastern Prom. There are hills on the Eastern Prom trail, but nothing too difficult for bikes with gears (younger riders with gearless bikes might opt to walk their bike in some spots). My youngest daughter first rode this path when she was 9 years old without difficulty. There are plenty of things to look at, including a colorful graffiti wall, wastewater treatment plant (the roiling brown water is quite a site), the Narrow Gauge Railroad and East End Beach. When we ride here, we usually make a detour off the main path to visit Fort Allen Park's cannon and enjoy our snack sitting atop the hill at the picnic tables above East End Beach.
TRAIL: Back Cove Trail to the Eastern Prom Trail (part of the Portland Trails) LENGTH: About three miles one way TERRAIN: Packed gravel on Back Cove Trail; Eastern Prom is paved TRAIL HEAD: We use the lot off Preble Street Extension. BATHROOM: At East End Beach DOG-FRIENDLY: Yes, on a leash 13-YEAR-OLD: "I like this trail because there is a lot to look at. I like seeing the train pass by, too. I don't like the hills too much, but there are not too many of them and they are not too hard. And I like going to see the cannon. You can see Fort Gorges from there, too." 11-YEAR-OLD: "I usually see lots of birds there and it is a nice place to have lunch. I also like the cannon, but not the riding up the big hill to get to it. Seeing the train
is cool, too."
MOUNTAIN DIVISION TRAIL, STANDISH
We have biked this trail from Standish to Windham (about 10 miles round-trip) but have also taken less ambitious rides that only cover a few miles as well. There is one big hill near Otter Pond in Standish, but overall it's a fairly level, packed gravel trail ride. There are four road crossings from Standish to Windham and all but one are lightly traveled roads (one road may take a couple of minutes to cross with its faster moving cars). There are benches along the trail for pit stops and picnic lunches. Very often we share the trail with horses (near the Standish end) and my kids think that makes this trail extra special.
TRAIL: Mountain Division Trail LENGTH: 4.7 miles one way TERRAIN: Packed gravel TRAIL HEAD: We use the trail head off Route 35 in Standish, but there are trail heads in Windham and Gorham as well. BATHROOM: Porta-potty at Standish trailhead DOG-FRIENDLY: Yes, on a leash 13-YEAR-OLD: "I like seeing the horses on this trail. It's pretty easy except for the giant hill at the railroad tracks. I don't like that hill too much, but I like this trail." 11-YEAR-OLD: "This trail is a looooong ride but I like to see the horses and I like to look at the river. I was happy the first time I rode the whole trail when I was 9 years old. It was almost 10 miles! That's a lot for a kid."
Today I am hosting a Guest Blog that was written by my G. Her 4-H club hosted a demonstration night and her presentation was about getting her cow, Sparkles, ready for the show ring. She's been working with Sparkles for a couple of years but this June will be the first time she'll walk in to a show ring with her. G. prefers to simply be with the animals at the farm and isn't interested in the competitive side of showing but agreed to give it a whirl this year at the 4-H Jamboree (mostly because she LOVES to groom and that's a big piece of getting ready to show). This is a low-key event geared more to teach the kids the finer points of the show ring rather than the formal competition of a county fair. G. is a bit nervous Sparkles is going to show her spunkier side and be unruly in the ring but Sparkles' owner (G. leases the cow from the farm she works at every week) thinks G. can handle whatever Sparkles dishes out. G. has some good upper body strength and instincts when working with large animals so even when Sparkles bucks or tries to run, she gets her under control without ever losing her hold on the halter rope. And having seen the antics, this is much easier said than done.
So here's G.'s explanation of how a 4-Her gets their cow ready for show....
Getting My Cow Sparkles Ready to Show
I have been prepping my cow Sparkles this spring to show her at June Jamboree.
The first thing I learned is how to set up her feet and posture. I do this with a show stick. The stick is hard to use at first because you need to use one hand for the halter and the other hand for the show stick. And sometimes I have to switch hands without letting go of the halter. But now I am getting better at using the show stick than I was at first.
There are 2 different postures your cow has to know for the show ring - Square and Western. For the Square posture the front legs are lined up together and so are the back legs. For the Western posture the front legs are lined up but the back legs are uneven. One back leg is more forward than the other.
I use the show stick to set up Sparkles’ legs for both postures by poking her feet to move in place. This sometimes takes a few minutes to do.
Another part of showing is learning how to shave and bathe the cow. I shaved Sparkles for the first time this spring. I shaved her neck and her face. Shaving is not very easy because the cow does not always stand still. I put my cow in a crate so that she can’t run away or move too much when I am using the clippers.
I also gave Sparkles a bath for the first time this spring too so she that looked nice and clean. Before I bathed her I brushed her a little bit to get some of the loose hair off and the mud that was on her. After I did that I got her wet and scrubbed her down. I got just as wet as Sparkles giving her a bath. And I’ll be giving her another bath the day before Jamboree.
I practice every week walking Sparkles around in a circle with the show stick like we are in the show ring. And I groom her so she is used to being groomed all the time.
I hope with all this practice that she does good at the show ring at June Jamboree.
This is the Western posture.
This is the Square posture.
And I have to offer the disclaimer that these photos were taken in early spring before G. had a chance to give her cow a bath or use the clippers (it was still too cold for that).
Sparkles loves her grooming sessions with the curry comb. G. likes it too because she can tell how much the cow enjoys a good scratch. G. said Sparkles' favorite place to be scratched is underneath her chin.
