Just Another Normal Saturday

Just another normal Saturday, I suppose that is what I could title my post today. I guess it will let you all know what we consider "normal". :)

Yesterday was Saturday, the day of the Ingham County show. I had been working all last week trying to get our goats all ready for this show. We took 13 in all but I shaved up a few more. Friday night I shaved all the udders so that Saturday morning all I would have to do is shave them with a razor. Sierra broke my shaver, so I had to use the one Dad uses for his hair.

Saturday morning something happened with my alarm clock and I woke up 15 minutes late. I managed to get the goats that I wasn't taking milked and finished up on shaving, Abigail(bless her heart)did the rest of my chores for me! Mom and Myah decided to come at the last minute, but we all managed to leave around 6:15. On the way, I mentioned to Dad that as long as we get to the show with nothing breaking down it can break as much as it wants to on the way home! We got to the show with plenty of time to spare and Abigail and I finished touching up the goats and later walked around the fairgrounds(walking off the jitters).

The show started at 9:00 with Missy showing in the second class. She got second place! Woopie doop! Gatlin went in right after her and got the same place! Nibbles(yeah, we actually got her out in the show ring once this year)was in the aged doe class and placed 3rd. :( I had hoped for better but there were two really nice does in front of her. They went into AOP, then Nigerian Dwarfs(we don't have any of them.......hallelujah!)and then Lamanchas. Mandie was in the 2 year old class and placed 3rd. Boooohoooo. I was really hoping for better than THAT! Oh well, again some really nice does in front of her. Last of all......Recorded Grades. And everyone, I would like to introduce the new goat to the show ring.........Miss Hannah. Yes ladies and gents, Hannah was shown for the first time at an ADGA sanctioned show and it turned into the laughing stock of the whole day. She runs, stops, jumps and hops just like a little kid and she is in the AGED DOE class! It was really funny, now when I think about it. :) Anyway, she placed 2nd. I think she might have placed 1st if she had freshened more than 3 times.

The junior doe show followed a 5 minute break after the senior doe show. Alpine kids up first, Jessie and Gala in the intermediate class. Jessie placed 1st and Gala, 4th. Alithia and Maggie were right after them in the senior class. Alithia placed 3rd, Maggie 4th. In the line up for Best of Breed, our hearts beating 20 times faster than they are supposed to be, Jessie got Reserve Champion.....AGAIN! We settled down after the excitement and waited out the AOP and Nigerian Dwarf kids. "Mini Mindie" as we call her placed 6th(last) in her class. That goat needs size so badly. Then came the Recorded Grades. Milky Whey was a Intermediate and a single entry. Obviously got a blue ribbon. *role eyes* We had a entry mix-up, but Camilla was in the senior class. She placed 3rd. Then Candy(dry yearling)........drum role......came in first! In the Recorded Grade line up for Grand we had Milky Whey and Candy. The judge really liked Milky Whey, but she really needs length badly. She is short bodied, but is very dairy. He went on to talk about the other goats and settled down on Candy as GRAND CHAMPION! Oh was I ever so excited! She is my first doe to get a Grand. She was out in the line up for Best Junior Doe in Show, but the Alpine doe kid won it. She(the alpine) is a very pretty doe in my opinion.

So we all loaded up to head on home. Within about 15 minutes everyone(except Dad, thank goodness) had fallen asleep. I woke up to us pulling over on the side of the highway with the van overheating. We managed to get a underpass where we parked in the shade and Dad went to a nearby farmhouse and got some water. He was told that there was an exit 3 miles away and when we got there it was closed for roadwork. We got a little further(mostly into the town of Jackson)and it started overheating again, Dad turned off the van and pulled into the parking lot of a store nearby. Right across the street was a mechanic shop, so Dad went over there to ask if they would take the van in. They took us, so we got to spend the afternoon walking around the neighborhood leading goats, keeping them comfy, going to the Golden Arches, looking at lab puppies,.....whatever we could do to keep everyone occupied. We had broken down around 12:30, left the shop around 4:00 and all ready to call it a day.

We got home, unloaded the animals, I changed out of my show clothes and everyone starts yelling that Gypsy had kidded! I suppose I had mixed feeling about that one. This means we have to start the heat treating, milk feeding, raising stuff all over again. Thankfully, it was a doe, but only one kid! That really surprised us since she has had quads and then triplets, but I guess one doe is better than three bucks, so whatever!

Before I could do much with the kid I needed to do our chores and our neighbor's since they are gone for the weekend. It had been a long night before I was in bed. Needless to say, I slept very well last night!

And for now, the baby(name changed to Serendipity though we call her Sara, means unexpected joy)is growing well, chores are going great and we continue to have interesting days. Do you all see now why I need to keep a blog! How else would I remember all these awesome days?!

Till Later,
~Bethany~