Why not have a contest?

I was in the mood for a contest, and figured, why not? So here we go!


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Vegetarian and Vegan Soap?

I get a lot of questions about soap on the blog, at farmers markets, and elsewhere. Some folks are content by the notion that all products are natural, and wherever possible, locally sourced. Along with that, there are a lot of questions about whether our products are all natural, vegetarian or vegan, and what that really means.

All Natural
All Natural is one of those terms that leads to misleading information more often than not. I cannot tell you the number of times folks have asked me at the farmers market, "Is this all natural?" At that point, I want to launch into educating people, but also try to be mindful not to go too crazy.  As far as a legal definition from the feds...

 The FDA stated:

“Although the use of the term ‘natural’ on the food label is of considerable interest to consumers and industry, FDA’s intent was not to establish a definition for ‘natural’ in this rulemaking....   The agency will maintain its current policy … not to restrict the use of the term “natural” except for added color, synthetic substances, and flavors as provided in [21 C.F.R.] § 101.22. Additionally, the agency will maintain its policy … regarding the use of “natural,” as meaning that nothing artificial or synthetic (including all color additives regardless of source) has been included in, or has been added to, a food that would not normally be expected to be in the food."

In the case of Patriot's Dream products, the bath products, including soap, lotion, lotion bars, etc, began because our eldest child was allergic to synthetics and preservatives. So even in the cases where you might expect such, they will be omitted on our products, because we expect more from ourselves and the performance of the products we provide. Curious as to what is in something or why we chose to put it there? Just ask! We are glad to make it public!

Vegetarian
Vegetarian is of special import to a number of our clients.  Sometimes folks are opposed to all animals products, sometimes only some products, sometimes to animals fed in certain ways. It is widely accepted that vegetarian will not include products which include animal fats or similar items, but that eggs and milk from animals are considered acceptable. In the case of soaps, goat milk is considered vegetarian, but not vegan. Some folks will like the goat milk, but only if the animals are fed organically or corn free or with other specific diets. Curious? We are open to these discussions, and it is important to honest with our clients! Just ask!

Interested in the origin of certain products? Shea butter comes from a tree in Africa, Cocoa butter comes from a plant. Olive oil comes from a number of sources, but we only use extra virgin, because this is the type which has been scientifically linked to the real health benefits.

While some folks love Emu Oil for their skin conditions, it is rendered from the fat of Emu at processing, so it is definitely not vegetarian or vegan. The same applies to lard and other animal fats often used in soap making, and for some these are excellent options, but not for all. You may find something listed on the site which was originally made as a special request for a customer, and the leftover is still available, so if in doubt, please ask and let us know what your concerns and restrictions are so that we may serve you better! As we often say, we love special requests, so we are glad to accommodate individual needs.

Also read on to the caveats of some less commonly known products rendered from animals in the next section.

Vegan
As I mentioned before, vegan means no milk, eggs, etc of any type from animals. While milk is fine in vegetarian soap, it is not permissible in vegan soap. There are some oils which, while they seem vegetarian or vegan, may involve processes in the rendering or acquisition of the oil which would not be considered vegan.

What names should you watch for? Tallow, suet, and lard are pretty straightforward. But there is more to it, things like oleic, palmitic, stearic, palmitoleic, linoleic and myristic acid can be sourced from animal fats or vegetable fats. If you have concerns, ask. I typically only use straightforward oils in our soaps, as this allows me one quick glance to know EXACTLY what is in a bar or bottle when helping a client at the farmers market.  

I don't believe I should ever need to hide anything from a client.  That is not why I do this. As a rule, I need to be able to look at any product, or my child should, and know whether she can use it safely.  She has me to interpret the label. My clients, or those they gift products to, may only have the label.

Wondering about other label items? Post as a comment, message or email me, and i will tackle that in a coming post! I am so glad you all give me the opportunity to have the privilege of serving you! Have a great night!

More on the law and all natural here:
http://www.natlawreview.com/article/does-fda-have-definition-natural-or-not

Bugs for livestock feed?

Bugs for livestock feed? Could this be the solution? How do you approach the organic question for bugs?

I recently listened to a piece on NPR regarding using bugs for livestock feed. It is funny, because we so often hear about the way other countries use bugs for nutrition, and in fact, some insects are considered delicacies. As a matter of full disclosure, I consider anything with more legs than the dog or fewer legs than the children to be a no go. While I understand that might be short sighted, I fully admit to my irrational fears in these areas. In this particular reporting piece, the discussion was not in solving the world's problems of feeding everyone through serving bugs to people, cooked in a variety of ways and farms on large scale in small areas, but instead the focus was in using the insects as protein source for livestock.

One issue I find myself discussing frequently is the use of genetically modified corn, soy and other crops in livestock feed.  What our livestock animals eat is passed on to us in the food, milk and eggs they provide for us to consume. While some of the studies are admittedly small in sample size, there is documented correlation in the health of the livestock eating GMO feed, and also in the insecticides being passed on through use on the crops fed as feed.

When we were in visiting our (sort-of) local organic pest control place a couple weeks back, Wyatt was thoroughly entertained by the fly traps. Funny how that works. Very excitedly, the representative showed us a different trap she thought we would like. She told us to wait on purchasing it, as she felt certain it would go on sale, but we had to admit- it is pretty neat! The trap itself is a metal screen, formed in a cylinder with a cone on top, that works on the principles of which way flies can actually fly.Essentially, flies fly in looking fro the smeely bait, but get trapped, dry and dehydrate. In the end, what is left is shrunken, dehydrated flies that can be fed tot he chickens as treats. I know, it doesn't sound remotely like a treat to me, but the chickens love them, and they are high protein and nutritious overall.

The insects they are talking about for livestock feed are, in fact, flies.  Pardon my squeamish nature, but they raise flies from larvae throughout the life cycle and use the final end product as an ingredient to provide protein in feed. So yes, all the life phases.

So here is my question... how would that work work with organics?

I set to researching this one. Logically, what they eat should be the output. The only research I found discussed that when fruit flies eat organic fruit, they live longer and reproduce better. So I suppose they could establish breeding stock that, having been fed organically for a certain period of generations, were organic. (Yes, I understand this is an odd train of thought.)  Additionally, some baseline would have to be established in order to prevent genetic modification of the flies, as we know there would be some preference to the "horse" flies or other larger flies. (I am far from any type of expert when it comes to organic, I went to the research realm for this one, because I really feel as though I am missing some of the angles.)

Hmmm...

So, what is your take on this one? Animals don't worry about eating flies like we do. Their mamas don't tell them, "No, no, you don;t know where that has been!" But when our food is the end result, we have to consider all of the pros and cons. What do you believe those pros and cons might be?

Hi, My name is Kevin...

Hi, my name is Kevin. The mama human who feeds me seems to think I should be friendly and socialized, so she keeps having me sit on her lap.  Then she proceeds to tell me I don't look like the chickens.  Funny but she got me to do a job the chickens don't do.

Ticks are prevalent in this area, and keep finding their way onto the property. When the mama human and the boy, Wyatt, went to the organic pest control place, they recommended guineas. That opened the door for a new job and a new home for me!  Apparently us guinea fowl like bugs even better than the chickens do. If you ask me, protein is protein, but I guess some birds are picky!

They promise me they are going to pick p a couple friends for me in the next few days. I am looking forward to that, because I am not quite as big as some of the birds here, but bigger than others, even though I am only a little over a month old.  The Wyatt human convinced the mama human that i look like the bird from "Up." I think that should mean treats and a movie, but apparently not.  So being that I am the first of the guineas to arrive here at Patriot's Dream on the anti-bug mission, I get the lead name of Kevin.

Wyatt also says the others will be Snipe and Chocolate, but I don't know what that is all about. I am just trying to grow up and am looking forward to more friends like me to arrive at the farm. Oh, and mama says she will keep you all posted about the progress of the mission, and to tell you that that is food I had in my feathers that landed in her lap. I don't know about her, but those human types are funny! I suppose as long as they keep feeding and being nice to me!

Urban Farming in Our Nearby "Kinda-big" Town of Tucson

Tuesday night, after work and the Farmers Market, I dashed downtown for a community meeting regarding urban livestock and gardening.  This is quite a hot button topic around the country these days.

From back in the historical context of our government encouraging all citizens to have two hens per person as layers and food source, to the modern times where folks seem to have come to believe that chicken comes without feathers on a Styrofoam plate with plastic wrap, there has certainly been a departure from the centrist viewpoint. As small farmers who believe in free range and organic, non-GMO practices, I read the notice talking about the concerns of the community representatives and thought I should go listen ot he concerns and, if needed or appropriate, be a voice for the middle ground.

In the meeting, were city officials looking at amendments to the city code, their staffers, and other farmers who managed livestock in the county area, as well as community members who believed in the proposed change for sustainable food sources, city livestock owners and gardeners  and community representatives from neighborhoods who were very concerned about the potential problems from  urban agriculture. There were abundant copies of the presentation slides, in addition to the legislation notes they were proposing. They took time to listen to everyone.

The staffers and those from the community who had been involved in the drafting of the proposed changes to the code had come into the meeting thinking they were ready to ask the council for a study session in October. But the folks who had been representing the community representatives hadn’t previously brought forward some of the intense concern being felt in a few of the neighborhoods.

Even in the most law abiding of communities, there are folks who abuse the rules and sometimes. We have a habit of sending eggs or pomegranates or homemade breads over the fences to thank neighbors for putting up with us in the Spring hatching and raising season before county fair. We are so lucky that our neighbors look at our silly little abode as a great neighbor, where they know what is going on and can drop by with grandchildren to check out the baby animals. But it isn’t like that for everyone.

And so, I ask, if this were your community, what would you think? What rules would you think were appropriate?

How many ways can you make 1?

We keep pulling out the fraction manipulatives.  Anything to make something where you can see it. This is sitting at the farmers market, finding as many different ways as possible to equal 1.

And for those of you who like to use scissors when putting together a puzzle- and you know who you are-the math behind the pieces had to work, too! 

Citizenship for the Future

By now, you all know me and my oorah posts.  Well, here is another one.

Citizenship isn't something you do for class credit, or because you know people are looking, or even because it benefits someone who matters to you. It is doing the right thing, without being asked or told to, when needed, often with some or great inconvenience, because it is simply the right thing to do.

The other day, I heard about a little girl who stood up to a bully on a bus. What is right is right, what is wrong is wrong.  While I fully concede that life is not nearly that black and white, how we treat people, the intent and spirit of the treatment and interaction matters greatly.

So we decided that it was time to establish an award. I spoke with the little girl's Dad, who told me that she loved pink and purple, so the hair ties below were designed just for her. I made a couple extra because I liked the design so well, and those will go into the merchandise available, but the two below went in a box with a note to the little girl thanking her for being the kind of person who makes the world a better place, and one to the little girl's mama. As a parent of a child who was bullied, those actions matter.

I know folks often read me quoting Gandhi, and "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." I am also in a position to recognize those who stand up to be that change, and I hope that somehow that helps the positive worldview contagious.

So here is the deal. Know someone we should recognize? Shoot me an email or message. Tell me about it, and we will figure out the best way to recognize them, be it award, or helping them in their endeavors to make the world a better place, or whatever is appropriate to the specific case. 

For tonight, great job to those parents, and to that very strong young lady.  All the best to you!

Black-light, Garlic Juice and other Extreme Measures...

We have been committed to organic practices that keep pesticides out of the Earth and balance the effects of farming as best as possible. Sometimes that can be really hard.
This has been a tough year with flies and snakes, which means that incubators and little chicks have to be in the house, and lots of vigilance must be practiced!

It is so much easier to get all the chores done during the day, and only spot check in the evenings. But those evening checks are important, and are when we catch a lot of those things that "go bump in the night."

Late last week, Wyatt was out on an evening check, after just having had one of those discussions about wearing shoes because of the bad snake season this year. He came in, and said there was something I needed to see.  As he tugged me out of the chair where I was checking his math, all I said was, "Oh, no, who is it?"

When we got out to the big pen, he showed me. There were a couple bugs in the bedding of the hen in the favored nesting box.  "Time for DE." So Bailey helped him clean out the bedding, and he got busy with the DE. He collected several of them, and we took them by Arbico Organics the following day, while Bailey was at Speech and Debate class.

Arianna, the rep who helped us, was wonderful. She discussed ingredients and possible treatments with Wyatt, agreeing with him as to his assessment of the bug, and said the DE was the right initial course.  There is a lot of discussion as to whether DE and organic measures are truly enough in terms of pest management and worming of animals. It takes a good bit of vigilance, consistency, and more work than the other stuff, but we believe it is worth it.

In the end, she completely agreed with what had been done, and with the thoughts others had shared with me regarding the orb spiders weaving near the tomato plants. The presence of the bugs really makes me nervous especially since we are less than a month from the start of kidding season for the year. DE is great, and completely organic, but doesn't do anything when wet. That is a worry in the kidding pen for sure.

As Wyatt looked at products and asked about the ingredients (one treatment for a specific bug included dried blood), he came to one to keep the mosquitoes off of him. Arianna was so funny! She said "That's it!" And she made Wyatt feel so smart, and they agreed we could use that on the pen, and if need be even treat the animals with it so that there would be no bad bugs latching on to the animals. I might out to warn you, though, it is made from garlic juice, and by the time we got back to pick Bailey up a couple miles down the road, the car smelled, shall we say, interesting?

So far, the DE seems to be working. We are in the middle of the post monsoon season deep clean around here, so we will reevaluate Sunday afternoon to see whether we need the secondary treatment now or can continue with DE and reevaluate over the next couple weeks as we lead up to kidding day. We shall see, those special little lives that look to us with trust deserve our best.

This week, we also went through chasing the tomato horn worms again. We could spray the garlic based stuff on them too, but with the orb spiders and the like, Arianna felt that we could do just as well with black-lighting- using a black light to illuminate the works and picking them off- especially since our hens like to be hand fed the worms! Bailey and Wyatt really seemed to enjoy that chore, they volunteered and started in while I was still watering!

If you look closely, you can see them working closely as they light up the tomato plants. Below, there is also a ladybug they found on one of the pichu fruit plants. I love knowing that the system is bringing int the beneficial bugs to help the organic efforts!

We have gone in spurts lately, we will find several grown worms munching away one night, then not see any for a couple weeks.

They were so determined, but didn't find any that night. Seeing that only some bugs lit up with the black light made it even more fun for them!

We did learn about one other product we eventually want to try- I will tell you about that later in the weekend! It comes with a whole set of curiosity of its own! Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! For my fellow Arizonans, are you planting your fall gardens yet?

A Big Weekend at Our House...

Well, to begin our weekend, the kids were assigned to clean the tack shed! Funny note, they were required to get along to get it done, no mama intervention! Why yes, it did take all day, but they did a pretty good job,

and when I couldn't find the big black funnel today to fill my feeder, Wyatt could lay his hands on it immediately. The show box was even cleaned out!

If that didn't dub me the mean mama, Bailey came inside this afternoon, and asked if she could leave a brand new bantam Cochin baby with the mamas who really wanted to raise it. But after the four foot snake being found dead in the buck pen Saturday morning, with no explanation and us knowing that we have so many snakes this year, I had her bring the baby in. It settled in right away, cuddling up with the other little Cochins in the brooder in the living room.

What a sweet little face! It definitely looks as though we have a couple roosters in the bantam Cochin group.  Oh boy...

I still haven't gotten much done on the big sewing project, or caught you up on our neat adventure at Arbico, but I did get a nice big batch of soap made tonight- Orange-Vanilla Dreamscicle Goat's Milk.  It smells wonderful!

Wyatt and Shadow were cuddled up all sweet when I went in to turn off the light Wyatt had forgotten. Just as I went to snap the picture, Shadow picked up her head.

Well, it is definitely sleepytime for this mama. Have a wonderful week!

New little one!

Hi there!

I don't have a name yet. There are lots of snakes at the farm this year, so despite my mama hens fighting to try to keep me, Bailey and people mama  brought me in the house with three other little ones about my size.

I hear there are other babies a little bigger than us nearby, and soe a little older, too, because my friends say they all used to be together until they needed more space.

People mama tried to get good pictures of me, but I kept turning around and giving her the rear end! =)

Then I looked up at Bailey and talked. I told her to hurry up, because even as nice as she is, I wanted to see the world!

Today calls for a little reflection, and a dream for the future...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KwEuNapzt0&list=PLD7019FD242C5F51D

This might seem like an odd song choice for this post. Read on.

12 years ago today, the towers were attacked. I don't think about that once each year, it is a part of our daily life. That day, my husband was away on his annual elk hunt with his buddies. We didn't know what was truly behind the attacks at first, so the unit told the boys to finish their hunt, no one knew if or when they would get a chance to do it again, once they knew who had carried out the attacks.

We didn't know it, but Wyatt was already on his way into this world.

Charlie spent much of the next eleven years travelling, in support of the conflicts or the border mission, or whatever. We have been through lots if ups and downs, a bizarre economy, crazy bullying of our daughter at the hands of youth and adults who worked together to carry it out, but in the end acted with impunity, and learning to take charge of the children's education and stand up for what we believe in.

This afternoon I read a post from a friend on Facebook whose daughter had stepped in to stop some bullies on a school bus. What better way to create a better world than to stand up for what is right in simple evryday life.

My dream... that we raise our children to be leaders who know how to stand up for those who cannot, but without being pushed around themselves.  I hope that when we pass this world on to our children, that our world will have the opportunity to be still filled with promise and possibility, that they will take the lead  in the traditional prayer that recognizes that all our neighbors are a part of us. That life is a circle, where whatever someone does to someone else, they do to themselves.

There are good people, and scary unkind ones, in all walks of life. I dream that on a day like today, the good can lay down the expectations of what neighbors should be, and to be those people themselves.

Whether you believe in the same things as him or not, to essentially understand and to live by the commandment to "love one another", to also" Be the Change you wish to see in the world."

d'Uccle and Daddy and mending, oh my!

This is the only d'Uccle that came along in the recent hatch. We have been working with it, and it was inside for a bit this afternoon. Later on, we will have to catch up on the d'Uccle. I am hoping that comb doesn't get any bigger...

I did lots of mending today, made a fun batch of Pure Arizona Prickly Pear and Agave Nectar Goat's Milk Soap, and some school work with the kids, trying to get things caught up after coming home so tired from the goat show and having a lot of extra teaching this coming week.  After getting his history paper to the last stage, Wyatt got to enjoy the Dallas game with his Daddy tonight. The boys had a blast!

They even dress up nearly alike!  Silly boys!

Well, I have an online class to get up and finish early tomorrow, and lots of teaching, and tomorrow we plan for an algae unit!  For now, bedtime for this mama! Have a great week!

Chick Capers and Projects

The little chicks on the back porch have been up to hi-jinks. You can see two of the feeders I added yesterday. They now have two feeders and waters hanging, and today I will try again on the nipple waterer. Why? Well, the nipple waterer for the obvious reasons- keeping the water clean and switching over to clean water  from nipples in the pens over time. The feed cup? They went underneath the cups there had been, lifted them up and dumped them out. The feed cups weren't even hooked to the cage wall anymore!  Goofy animals, where do they come up with this stuff? 

So I moved them all lower to the floor and double what they had, so far that seems to be working...

Yesterday I made this headway on what will e the base to the farm stand sign. The right side is sealed, with two coats of chalkboard paint over the top. The left is prepped with things we grow. Lesson learned: do not discuss the spelling of the word romaine with Wyatt Clay while painting the word rosemary.  I know, I should know better that that by now, right?

Well. I hope today to get this finished and up and functional with the top,  The boys are going to be headed off before long to pick up the new goat house components, so that should keep me busy, too! I just cannot seem to put the old metal doe barn back together and make it last anymore, so I will use the metal for roofing when the new components arrive. This is Charlie's first day off in a while, so I have to dive in to productivity!

Here's to hoping for rain when we are done and success which some projects for us and all of you too!

How ya' doing? Oh, swimmingly...

This morning, I checked on the new babies born yesterday. The Cochin mamas had been doing so much better with these two than the one they dropped so far from the nest, that Bailey was tempted to let them stay out there, yet with the current influx of snake incidents, we didn't dare.

I peeked into the brooder to find one of the new ones standing in the water bowl, shivering. Bailey came to help me clean it up and get it dry and warm, so I cleaned the brooders along the way, and we separated the older chicks to the brooder I moved the juvenile Brahmas and d'Uccle from yesterday.

The juveniles, by the way, did well overnight, and were running and playing in the large cage on the back porch.

Once everything was clean and reset, the smallest of the little ones settled in for a nap, with our little fledgling "swimmer" on the far right. At this point, no incubators going, but I hope to get them cleaned later today, and just a few eggs under three very determined Silkie hens and two goofy Cochin hens. Oh, and a little over a month until the first goat babies are due!

The larger of the babies in the brooder moved out to the juvenile area this afternoon.  They weren't too sure what to do with the different flooring, 

The six of them are feathering out nicely, I do believe there are a few roosters among them...

Oh, and I hear there are two new babies in the bantam Cochin pen...

Just right of the center in this photo is the beginnings of a cucumber.See the little flower at the end?

Here is a bit larger cucumber down lower in the garden box. This plant really struggled when I transplanted it, so I am thrilled to see it doing so well. Now to not let Wyatt see them until they are big enough to pick!

This is a volunteer plant that loves to creep up in this planter box each monsoon. I will try to look it up later, as I need to double check what it is (again.)

Here I go with sunset photos again. The storms were back, and parts of town got it good! We got a few sprinkles, but nothing much, it went around us. This is actually to the East, there were really good storms about twenty miles that way, as the crow flies.

This was to the South West, where there was actually a storm. As if on cue, it came back to drop a few more random drops after I took this photo. Still, nothing new in the rain carrels!

Anyone need prickly pear? In heavy production presently are the pomegranates and the prickly pear. We also have lots of spineless prickly pear plants available and herbs, too!

This barrel cactus is cute!I think it looks like it is trying for a cactus shaped like a snowman contest. Although he is really leaning over! leaning tower of cactus? 

Oh, well, time to get some work done! On a positive note, the missing goat registration paperwork has been found in another part of the state. A long story as to how it happened, but the folks where it was sent by mistake contacted me for the address today, so hopefully they are on their way soon!

By the way, these two items came home with me today from town. Any guess as to where this project is going? Stay tuned for updates, and have fun guessing along the way!

On a sad note, one of the old hens in the show pen, Annette the Silver Phoenix passed away this morning. Such a sweet, silly friend. She retired from showmanship a couple years back, since she only wanted to sit and nap on the table, but was very instrumental in keeping the young roo in the pen in line! I will make her a post a bit later.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

EEEK! YUM! and others silly interjections...

Funny! The little green egg is just an anomaly from a full sized adult chicken. No yolk, though sometimes the little eggs do. I thought it was funny, especially since the mama hen didn't want to give it up!

Yum! This was a batch of strawberry chia jam. Was, because it is going fast!

I also made regular strawberry jam, got two two pint jars and a quart, that should be great when the fall bread baking starts!

Double YUM!

EEEEEEK! Anyone who knows me well, knows that I am not fond of anything with more legs than the dog or fewer than the children. Spiders and snakes have, however, been in abundance this year! These have been webbing in the back by the container gardens on the porch.

ESCAPE!

This hen cut her eye open diving after the last sunflower seed, not wanting to share with her friends. She spent a little over a week in sick bay, she is now back with her friends.

AWWW...

We have eleven baby chickens here right now. Such fun.We are already telling a few boys in the group, but also some great personalities!

Got any great shots and interjections to share? Post them in the comments! We love to see them!

Have a wonderful Friday!

Our Wild Weekend!

Bailey and I headed out on an adventure this weekend, and left the farm in the capable hands of Charlie and Wyatt, with help from my parents who were in to help auntie move.  All the way up to Cottonwood we drove, but had to be home in time for me to teach this morning. After class, the kids and I did a walk around to make sure we hadn't missed anything with all the rain overnight.

Look what we found!

This new baby Silkie is actually black for now, but of partridge lineage, and settled right in to the brooder, taking a nap just a few minutes after meeting "her" new friends!

While we were up in Cottonwood, we participated in three goat shows, one on Saturday and two on Sunday. We participated in showmanship, a competition of our goat knowledge and skill in showing, as well as breed classes. The majority of the does stayed home to keep everything on track for the coming kidding season, but little Versie came along. Since she and Powerstroke didn't get their paperwork changeover in time to truly compete this weekend, we were fortunate to have wonderful judges that helped Bailey look at where they would truly stand and work on herd planning. Great folks and fun!

Bailey even challenged me to compete in adult showmanship...

This is a common sight when competing in open shows where breeders bring lots of their top animals, and end up looking like big city dog walkers! Sometimes there are ten goats in hand waiting to go in, just from one breeder.Then they have to figure out which lead to separate. The youth are always glad to help show and learn.

Obediah was hungry from being crazy and vocal with all the other testosterone in the barn.

The kids enjoyed hanging out with and showing with and against their good friends. 

A favorite activity in the down time- cuddling babies! Sure makes us ready for the next batch of babies here!

This was the last youth showmanship class. The youth are really amazing with their knowledge and poise!

The big boy bucks. So many different body styles represented! It might seem subtle to the naked eye, but the scorecard reveals a lot of fine detail aspects in breeding.

Another thing awaiting me when I returned home- posting the contest winners for the fall contest! Here it is:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congratulations tot he winners and a big thank you to all who entered!