I’m not sure what it’s like where you live right now but for us, here in our little piece of God’s country, it’s mud season. We’ve had a couple of good snows. The last one still in the process of melting. And we’ve been blessed with rain. A lot of rain. Leading to So. Much. Mud. Jokes about mud farming are prevalent. So what can we do?
Tips to Survive Mud Season
Wear Dark Socks
So when your boot gets stuck in the mud and you inevitably must remove your foot from the boot and place a socked foot in the mud to have enough leverage to pull the boot from the mud’s sticky grip… At least the sock washing will be easier.
Use the Hose
Clothes, especially farm work clothes are gonna be muddy. There’s really no way around it. Coveralls cover jeans, but then the mud collects on the coveralls making them weigh a ton. They have to be washed. Pants can be tucked in mud boots but they never seem to stay. For a short family like mine, the bottoms of pants get walked on, stepped on, and drug through the mud. BoyChild has a tendency to “fall” a lot, creating even muddier clothes. It’s inevitable. So take a calming breath when one of your crew comes to the house covered head-to-toe with mud and hose those garments off before you let them hit your washing machine.
Muddy britches on our Farmhouse Front Porch. BoyChild fell, accidentally, twice. In the hog lot.
Let It Go
That dream of clean floors, just let it go. In this kind of mud where you just walk in the grass and the sticky brown sludge squishes up around your shoes, not to mention what happens when trying to complete farm chores, mopping is truly a losing battle. Short of making everyone live outside until the land dries, mud in the house is unavoidable. Do your best, but don’t stress yourself silly about magazine-ready floors. And if you must cry about the mess, at least you can use your tears to fill up the mop bucket.
Embrace the Spatter Look
Prepare to exit the ATV/UTV/RTV wearing mud-brown polka dots. Wear a hat, glasses, wild rag… Cover anything you don’t want to be peppered with over-hydrated dirt.
Make Mud Pies
When God makes mud, make mud pies! Lemons and lemonade and that whole thing. BoyChild loves playing in the mud. He can’t resist a mud hole, mud puddle, muddy cattle or sheep lot. He’s not super fond of pig lot mud. It has to be the stink because the kid will waller in the mud just like a pig. Wintertime mud. Summertime mud. Doesn’t matter. Mud is like a magnet to farm kids, all kids.
NieceChild and BoyChild can never resist playing in the mud
Hold On!
The fastest, wildest, rockiest roller coaster in the best amusement park has nothing on a feed truck going pedal-to-the-metal through ruts and muck; sliding, tires spinning, trying to avoid getting stuck. Bouncing. Slinging. Buckle up & Hold on!
Old Blue, the faithful feed truck.
Try To Be Thankful
Sure it’s muddy, slippery, sticky, and inconvenient right now. Yet old farmers say to be thankful for the rain when it comes because one day when it stops, we’ll be praying for it once more.
Everybody has their own talents and quirks. Our personalities can shine in what we do at a stock show. So which stock show crew member are you?
First Call Felicia
Felicia will keep the crew on task, on time, and aware of the schedule. Felicia always knows what class is next and the speed of the judge. If Felicia is in your crew you will never be late to the show ring.
Front Leg Frank
Some Franks may be talented fitters. Some Franks may just be learning. All Franks are in a crew where someone else is just a little (or a lot) more talented, has a touch (or a heap) more experience. So Frank isn’t going to get the back legs, the trailhead, or the top. That’s ok though, the front tires need air too.
Beverage Barry
Barry always has a cup (a can, a bottle) in his hand. Barry is willing to fill his buddy’s cups, even encourages it. Barry may be the best fitter, showman, salesman, or breeder around. He’s also the one who is going to make sure the cooler is full of ice and knows just how many beverages are left. He and Eddie (see Errand Eddie) have a close relationship, in case Barry needs to send Eddie for more drinks.
Errand Eddie
Eddie isn’t the most stock show savvy person in the crew. Yet, Eddie is always down to help. Eddie’s not going to fit or wash. Eddie’s not going to sit and watch the show. Eddie will run any errand the crew needs. Need to go check the classes? Eddie’s on it. Need to feed the sheep while the cattle are showing. Eddie will do it. Need someone to run off-site and get burgers, beverages, or bandages? Eddie is your guy. Every crew needs an Eddie.
Tailhead Tom
Tom is a fitter among fitters. Tailheads and tops may be all he does all day. From calf to calf, he sprays and combs, clips, and perfects. Tailhead Tom’s skill is well known and respected.
Back Leg Buddy
Much like Tom, Buddy knows what’s what when it comes to fitting. He used to be Frank but time, work, and experience have earned him the position on the back legs, show side. He comes with a box of his own clippers and combs. He lines his cans up in perfect order. He’s probably got black paint under his nose. It doesn’t matter what Buddy looks like when he’s done, you can bet the calf looks like a champion.
Tap-Out Trisha
Trisha’s a hard worker…until she’s not. When Tap-Out Trisha is done, she’s done. She’ll pull up a chair with no warning and the whole crew knows that she’s out for the day. If there are still a few animals left to hit the ring. Doesn’t matter to Trisha. Still need to wrestle the kids in to show clothes. Oh, well. When Trisha is done, somebody else has to take on her tasks.
Disappearing Danny
Related to Trisha, Danny seems to disappear when the yucky work starts. Is he there to fit? Yep. Standing ringside? You bet. But when it’s time to load the trailer, pick the stalls, or wash after the show, Danny has disappeared.
Shearing Shiela
Sheila can sheer some sheep. The wool on Sheila’s lambs will always be perfect. The perfect length, no streaks, none of those annoying wavey lines. Sheila will be clipping and shearing wool that no one else sees. She knows what she’s doing and leaves others wondering how she does it.
Foodie Frances
No one will ever be hungry as long as Frances is at the show. Coolers, cookie tins, and totes filled with every kind of snack imaginable. Sandwich makings that would rival any fast-food chain. One Frances even turned a 16-foot trailer into a mini-diner with made-to-order grilled hamburgers and french fries. She had show folks lining up for her treats. Frances is an essential member of every crew.
Showman Sheldon
Sheldon is the guy that everyone wants on the other end of the halter. He’s not afraid to show the toughest, the most stubborn, the most ornery animal to ever hit the show ring. When other kids are afraid or just can’t get their animal shown, Sheldon gets the call.
Load Up Larry
Larry is a guy who is there for the show. He’ll work, fit, wash, do it all. But when the show’s over, Larry is ready to go home. It’s not uncommon for Larry to have the whole stall torn down and partially loaded up while the rest of the crew are attending the closing ceremonies, watching the grand drive, or chatting at the picture booth.
Packer Patty
Related to Larry, Patty can pack 2 show barns in one 20 foot trailer. Among her boxes, baskets, and totes there’s just about everything one would need for a few days at the show. The neck of Patty’s trailer is a goldmine of show sticks, neckties, chairs, and feed pans. If it’s needed, Patty will find a way to get it there.
Positive Paul
Paul’s the guy that gives the best pep talks. His motto is to keep a good attitude, work through problems, and encourage everyone. Paul’s always the one cheering for others, lending a hand, and giving advice. Paul is a great guy to have on your crew.
So, Which Stock Show Crew Member Are You
The truth is, we each probably have a little bit of all of them in us.
We’d never trade our stock show crew for anything. Our differences, the way we’re able to work together, is part of the fun of showing livestock.
Meet more members of the crew in future Stock Show Saturday posts.
There’s Something Special about Our Scrapbook Christmas Tree
It’s beautiful.
Flocked branches, glistening red, silver, and gold ornaments. Strategically placed and evenly spaced branches of holly. Twinkling white lights. A gorgeous sparkling star on top.
It’s beautiful. I’m sure. In someone else’s living room.
That’s my dream Christmas tree… not what our family’s Christmas tree looks like.
Our Christmas tree, live and harvested locally from the top of a nearby mountain, is beautiful. Its shape is lovely. It’s full and fragrant. Our tree is fulfilling its purpose bringing joy to our family. The sale of it, and its peers, is providing for the family of the tree farmers.
It’s leaning slightly to the left.
Our tree featuring multicolored lights
It’s beautiful but it doesn’t have that “wow factor” like trees I used to only see in department stores and fancy hotels.
Fancy Christmas trees aren’t just for fancy hotels anymore.
Now my social media feeds are full of photos of gorgeously themed family Christmas trees: snowmen, feathers, red trucks,
Buffalo plaid seems especially popular this year.
Our tree went up just a few days before Thanksgiving. My Farmer thought I was rushing it a bit but hey 2020, I was ready for some seasonal cheer. As I carefully unwrapped and laid out each treasured ornament I realized our tree is themed.
It’s our Scrapbook Christmas Tree.
From ornaments from our childhoods to my grandma’s crocheted angel on top to our kids’ “baby’s first Christmas” ornaments. I can remember something about almost every pretty hanging on our tree.
Our tree tells our story.
Cowgirl Snowman
Sweet Little Cowgirl Snowman
Sweet little cowgirl snowman
She’s just so adorable. My now mother-in-law gifted me this the first year her son brought me home for Christmas. She said it made her think of me. I loved it then. I love it now.
Teensy
Teensy
My cousin made this sweet little sheep ornament for me in commemoration of a lamb I was raising with a bottle after her mother rejected her. I called the lamb Teensy. She was tiny in stature but spunky. I loved that little lamb. She spent a few nights in the house. Her permanent home was a lot just behind the house with another former bottle lamb.
I was pregnant with GirlChild while I was raising Teensy. It was a dangerous pregnancy, landing me on bed rest for the last few weeks. I delivered early and was hospitalized for over a week. GirlChild spent weeks in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. We all finally made it home safe and sound but I was still faced with recovery and trying to get a 4-pound-when-she-came-home preemie to eat enough so she’d grow enough to stay at home and out of the hospital.
Through all that, it had been months since I’d seen Teensy. My Farmer had taken over caring for her. One afternoon, when our new normal had started to take a turn for the better, I decided to check in with Teensy.
“I gotta tell you something about your little lamb…” My Farmer said as he stopped me on my way to the lamb lot.
Teensy, who was ALL girl when I had gone on bedrest months before, now had testicles. I didn’t believe it… until I saw it… them…two of them.
Teensy had developed female and male genitals.
My sweet little lamb had also developed some ram tendencies and gotten MEAN! As in so mean she/he tried to attack me when I entered the lot.
Every year when I pull this ornament out of the box, I chuckle to myself recalling the love I had for that lamb and the absolute shock I felt when Teensy and I reunited.
Bull Riding Santa
Ride ‘im Santa!
Our first married Christmas tree was decorated with hand-me-down lights, some dinky ornaments I’d used in college, the treasured few ornaments I’d inherited from my paternal Grandma topped off with gold and red glass balls my sister’s mother-in-law had gifted us for our wedding the previous May.
I loved the tree but that whole Christmas season I felt like it just wasn’t “us” yet.
Plus, it was pretty bare.
So that Christmas, My Farmer gave me this little Bull Riding Santa ornament along with a few others that felt like we were making the holiday our own.
Bull Riding Santa is cute and funny.
Bull Riding Santa is special.
Special because of the sweetness factor coming from My Farmer. It was a departure from his usual practical gifts like the sleeve gloves and vet lube I got one Valentine’s day because “it’s lambing season.”
Bull Riding Santa has taken a few accidental tumbles. He has the super glue and missing hand we never found to prove it. Still, he’ll always be one of the ornaments front and center. Our kids will always fight over who gets to hang him on the tree.
He’ll always make me smile.
Baby’s First Christmas
BoyChild’s Baby’s 1st Christmas Ornament
My momma’s tradition with the grandkids is to give them the traditional silver Baby’s First Christmas ornament.
GirlChild’s is a jingle bell. BoyChild’s is a stocking.
These ornaments remind me of that trip to the jewelry store. Granny having a meaningful conversation with each infant about what ornament they’d like (those conversations were pretty one-sided) and choosing the perfect message to inscribe on the back.
Our kids already hold these ornaments dear. I imagine that feeling will only grow stronger.
Proudly Hand-Made
Just a few of our kid’s handmade masterpeices
Many of the ornaments we’ve collected over the years are those hand-made by our kids in Sunday School, Elementary School, and Christmas craft gatherings.
Sure, I feel obligated to put these works of art on our tree. Really, I’d miss them if they weren’t there.
It’s also entertaining to hear the kids critique their former-selves artistic ability when they see their handmade masterpieces each year.
Daisy and Rollo
Front
Back
This was one of the ornaments on that first Christmas tree. Given to us by my thoughtful cousin.
Daisy was my sassy little beagle-mutt. She was abandoned as a puppy at the farm of my dad’s best buddy, a man I considered an honorary grandpa. I’d been looking for a dog and she showed up on my 21st birthday. Perfect timing for the perfect little dog.
Rollo was My Farmer’s dog. Given to him by our best friends, he was an Australian shepherd/blue heeler cross. I named him Rollo because when he was a puppy his belly was perfectly round and the biggest thing about him. Our little Rolly Polly, even though he eventually lost the puppy weight.
Our love for these pups was big. They both lived to ripe old ages. They’ve both passed away. We still miss them so this ornament keeps them a little closer.
Pigtails
Merry Christmas Pigtails
I have four first cousins on my dad’s side. Six of us grandkids total, including my sister and me.
Our grandma was the type of grandmother who had each kid’s most recent school picture in a frame on the wall.
Sometime in the late ’80s, before personalized 1-hour photo gifts were a thing, my older cousin handmade our Grandma photo ornaments of each grandkid.
My cousins looked adorable.
Each one dressed in their Sunday best, lace collar dresses in the finest-for-the-time department store studio photo. My sister’s photo included.
My photo ornament looks like Cinderella discovered pigtails.
I’m standing on a chair in front of a counter of faux woodgrain formica. I’m not sure if 6-year-old me was washing dishes or making brownies. Brownies make sense because there’s something all over my face. I choose to believe it’s brownie batter.
My whole childhood when we gathered at Grandma’s to decorate the tree, each placing on our photo ornament, I was so jealous of everyone else’s stylish photos.
I mean, did my parents not have a decent picture of me?
When my grandparents passed, each cousin got their photo ornament. I still put mine on our tree. Our kids get a laugh out of it every year.
Looking at that little six-year-old, pigtailed, dirty-faced girl hanging on our tree today, I think she’s pretty cute. Even though I used to be embarrassed by her, I can’t imagine our tree without her.
The Angel On Top
Grandma’s Angel
She was my Grandma’s.
I remember her guarding my Grandma’s nativity scene. She now tops our Christmas tree.
She was my Grandma’s. That’s why she’s special.
Our Christmas tree no longer looks bare.
Our tree featuring white lights
It’s full of the memories and moments. The personalized ornaments the kids’ great aunts get them every year. The clay ornaments shaped like corgis, lambs and heifers I made last year with a group of friends in the basement of a community art center downing pizza and cold drinks. The styrofoam and felt elf that’s just big enough to cover the tree’s imperfection.
Maybe one day I’ll have a social media worthy themed Christmas tree.
I’d love silver and gold with red accents of some of those sparkly sprig things. Maybe even sitting in the back of a cardboard old red truck.
Maybe one day I won’t.
Either way, I’ll always have a Scrapbook Christmas Tree.
We’re celebrating by reminiscing on past Halloweens
Here are 12 of my favorite costumes for the un-crafty that my kids wore.
#12 Charlie Brown
Homemade Charlie Brown Costume
I’m the queen of last-minute. Some call it procrastination. I call it working better under pressure. This means most of the homemade costumes my kids have worn have been created just a few days to hours before they were worn.
Such was the case with this Charlie Brown costume. Super easy. Super cute. Just regular black shorts and shoes. A regular yellow t-shirt with zig-zag design painted on the bottom with fabric paint. It was almost too easy…
I really wanted BoyChild to have the Charlie Brown hairstyle. A curly cue in the front. A few whisps in the back. To achieve this I cut the toe out of a nude knee-high stocking and hot glued black pipe cleaners to the front and back. Except I couldn’t exactly figure out where to place the “hair” for the back.
I was home by myself but whatever, I’m an independent woman, I’ll make it happen. So I put the stocking piece on my head and being oh-so-careful placed a dollop of hot glue where I needed it.
I thought I could yank the thing off of my head before the glue set.
Instead, I accidentally glued a piece of pantyhose to my hair…right at the crown of my head.
Momentary panic set in. Finally, I started to carefully and painfully separate my hair from the glue. I couldn’t get it all and, yes, the scissors had to come out. I cut a piece of my hair about the width of my pinky finger. It wasn’t so bad. It wasn’t good either.
Explaining to my hairdresser why I had a few whips of Charlie Brown hair weeks later was really fun.
But hey, that Charlie Brown was a hit! And the hair made the costume.
#11 Baby HolsteinCow
GirlChild’s first Halloween was exciting and exhausting. She was around 6 months old. She was born prematurely so she was still small for her age and got cold easily. My mission was to start a tradition and keep my baby warm. This fleece Holstein cow hoodie/pants combo met all our needs. She was also adorable!
#10 Old Timey Golfer and Caddy
Some of my favorite costumes our kids and their buddies sported were created for costume contests for lamb shows, where the kid and the sheep dress up, usually as a complementary pair.
BoyCousin showed lambs with us one summer. His parents and Papaw love golf. This was one of the cutest costumes. The kid as an old-timey golfer and the lamb as the caddy.
#9 Daniel Boone
BoyChild was obsessed with Daniel Boone. Boone was from our neck of the woods. For that reason and the old TV Show loosely based on the man, BoyChild was determined to be Daniel Boone for Halloween.
I can’t sew. I have absolutely no fabric construction skills. But I can sure make stuff stick together. For most of my kid’s costumes, that’s all that is ever required. Therefore, I have dubbed myself a hot glue seamstress.
I created this costume out of old khaki and brown colored clothing we already had. I purchased brown felt, cut some crude fringes, and hot glued them to the brown clothing. BoyChild already owned the faux raccoon skin cap. The outfit was completed with a pair of GirlChild’s fringe boots.
#8 Smokey the Mascot
BoyChild loves animals and the University of Tennessee. This costume was the easiest. He had the Smokey the Mascot shirt. So I cut black felt into the shape of dog ears, hot glued them to his University of Tennessee hat, painted a dog face on him and he was Smokey. BoyChild loved this one!
#7 Cowboys and Show Lambs
For one of our sheep and showman costume contests, we trained BoyChild’s lamb to carry a small pony saddle. We were so impressed with our ingenuity and creativity! Until we realized our pal and his family had done the same thing. It was totally unplanned. We decided it was a case of “great minds think alike!” BoyChild was a cowboy, easy enough, he just had to wear his regular clothes. Our buddies took it a creative step further as our pal was the Lone Ranger.
#6 80’s Rockers
I loved this one. When our kids decided they wanted to be rock-n-roll stars for Halloween my mind went to the 80’s.
GirlChild wore a dress-up outfit paired with black cowboy boots, both she already owned. We topped that off with a cheap plastic-trying-to-be-leather jacket.
I was most proud of BoyChild’s stone washed skinny jeans. I came across them completely on accident at a chain-but-not-your-typical-big-box-store. They screamed 80’s. I’m not sure why they were on sale in present times but they were perfect for this costume. He had a pirate shirt from a beach trip and an old flannel. We fashioned a spiked mullet out of a halloween store wig. The bandanna around his leg and cardboard hand-made electric guitar set the look.
We added purple hair for both just for fun!
#5 Popcorn and a Movie
This was one costume I actually took some time on. My sister and I were so excited to create our first lamb show costume for GirlChild who was 2 at the time.
The lamb was a movie marquee with the fair theme as the movie title. GirlChild was a box of popcorn.
We used a tall rectangle box and painted red and white stripes to create a traditional movie popcorn box feel. Small white and yellow balloons pinned to the box and GirlChild finished the costume.
It was adorable.
The lamb, named Dora, tolerated her costume beautifully.
The 2-year-old human did not.
GirlChild refused to lead the lamb into the show ring. Coaxed by her daddy, she finally went as long as he lead the lamb. With every step she removed her balloon “popcorn kernels.” When they stopped in their place, she promptly removed the popcorn box.
The crowd thought it was darling. Her mother and aunt did not.
Still, it was a cute costume…for the .02 seconds, she wore it.
#4 Dr. Pol
Due to his love of animals and farming, Boy Child did then and still loves the reality show based on the veterinary practice of Dr. Jan Pol, “The Incredible Dr. Pol.”
This “Dr. Pol” costume was easy. We had all the clothing and boots. To that we added a toy stethoscope, pantyhose cut off to make a bald head, and a 99 cent stick-on mustache.
This cute costume pulled triple duty as a lamb show costume (the lamb was a lamb patient), Halloween costume, and won a contest on social media.
#3 The Golden Snitch
GirlChild is big fan of the Harry Potter series, books and movies. She had been Hermione Granger for Halloween before. She still wanted to honor the series and did so with this super easy Golden Snitch costume.
A gold shirt we already had paired with an inexpensive gold tutu. We cut leaf shapes from gold-colored posterboard and dusted her face with some golden glitter makeup.
Folks who hadn’t read the book or seen the movies didn’t really get it. Those who were fans of the series loved it!
#2 Uncle Si
This costume was based on the comedic uncle of a family who created a reality show based on their hunting merchandise empire.
Again, BoyChild already owned the camo clothing. My mom helped me construct the full beard from posterboard, cotton balls, glue, and little gray paint. The glasses were old sunglasses with the lenses popped out. The tea jug (Granny’s idea) and cup completed this ensemble.
I always giggle when I come across pictures of this costume! I love it.
#1 Thing 1, Thing 2, The Cat & The Hat
The first Halloween for BoyChild and NeiceChild, we knocked it out of the park in the group costume department.
UncleJ gifted BoyChild and GirlChild with “Thing 1” and “Thing 2” t-shirts from a trip to Florida. I fashioned their blue hair from blue craft feathers, toboggan, and … my favorite tool … hot glue. Red pants and some pink make up for rosey cheeks and we were done.
A black sweatsuit with white felt on the front made NeiceChild’s cat costume. Our Aunt, who is a very talented seamstress, crafted the bow tie and hat.
I love looking back on these costumes and more. The memories created make all of the hot glue burns worth it.
Clad in masks to their eyeballs, cowboy hats, boots, and button-downs, it looked like a gang of bad guys from an old black and white wild west movie.
In truth, it was a bunch of stock show kids on their way to the show ring obediently following the Covid-19 protocol required to be able to show.
This show season was definitely different. Maybe the most different was the uncertainty that there would even be a 2020 show season. Shows were canceled. Shows were postponed. In-person events replaced with virtual ones.
When we finally and gratefully were able to get back to the show ring in the early summer, C-19 guidelines and protocol varied from state to state, county to county, and even within counties, depending on the group hosting or the facility where the show was being held. So, in addition to making sure to follow the show rules, families needed to pay special attention to human health guidelines.
At some shows, the pressure to make sure the kids, parents, supporters, show staff, and livestock followed the protocol was stressful. Not just for health reasons but for the very real possibility that this show or the next could be shut down if we didn’t.
Show kids masked and ready to show
It was worth it.
“I’ve missed this!” my friend exclaimed by the show ring in a laughing-so-hard-there-are-tears moment.
BoyChild was in the show ring for a single entry class showing a heifer who just wasn’t in the mood that day. He’d already pulled and tugged her through showmanship. Trying to will her to walk by giving her a look of sheer desperation. It didn’t help matters when her class rolled around and she was the only heifer in it.
Right as the pair passed by the announcer’s stand she stopped. Again. A pull and a tug from BoyChild yielded no results. A little help from the ringman got the heifer walking. BoyChild, in the midst of pulling with all he had, was taken by surprise. He stumbled a bit and the heifer stepped hard on the back of his heel just as he took a step. This caused his foot to neatly slip out of his boot with his next step.
His boot flying in the air caused the whole crowd, including the judge, to dissolve into hilarity. Known for his antics, BoyChild, sock-footed and stumbling, caught his balance, kept his feet, and never missed a beat. The judge, taking pity on the kid, held the heifer while BoyChild wriggled back into his boot. Shaking it off, taking back his heifer and continuing around the ring with his best nothing-happened-here attitude, we all realized, in the chaos, he was walking with his show stick upside down. More. Laughter. And some good-natured ribbing toward BoyChild.
The friend who declared she’d missed this: Since we’d started showing cattle again in July, her son had had a very successful summer. In fact, he earned Supreme Champion at this particular show. Not to mention the success of her daughters, who were both winning classes and had mightly stepped up their showmanship game.
Their success as a family was sweet, yes, but what she really missed was the laughter. The kidding. The silly things that happen, like a bootless show kid, that spark those “remember when…” stories. The joy of being with our people. What my friend missed, what we all missed, was the genuine fun we have with our stock show crew. Those friends we do life with.
And, man, it felt good to laugh with our people.
We missed laughing with our people
Because of What’s At Stake
When we made it back to the show barn this summer, I was particularly happy to see a young showman we’ll call, Tex.
Tex is a kid who doesn’t have access to his own show stock. That doesn’t stop him. Tex travels and shows with a farm that has had a lot of success in their respective breed, spending time in front of the backdrop locally, regionally, state-wide. They’ve even brought home banners from majors like The National Western and the North American.
Tex would probably tell you that he’s lucky to have the opportunity to show with this farm. The best parts of his day are when he gets to head to the barn and help with the daily care of the show stock. He gets to travel to places he may never have had the opportunity to go, all in the name of showing cattle. He’s made friends. He’s felt success. Tex is luckyfortunate blessed to be a showman.
Mr. Owner, the fella who owns the farm Tex shows for, often tells the story of one of Tex’s first livestock show road trips. The parents and show team members were loading up in various cars and trucks. Tex sort of hung back and finally, when it was clear that tires would soon be rolling, asked Mr. Owner if he could ride in the truck with him pulling the cattle trailer. Mr. Owner was a little surprised but happy to oblige.
Mr. Owner calls that a great truck ride. They talked about cattle, breeding, feeding, showing. They talked about a lot of other things too. Tex told Mr. Owner that showing cattle had changed him. Tex didn’t only think about video games and watching silly videos. He was more concerned with helping take care of animals than sleeping in. He was motivated. He had goals.
This 10ish-year-old kid knew the difference showing livestock was making in his life. This kid took the time to tell the man who made it all happen, “Thank You.” That’s a stock show kid.
Yep, if you ask Tex, he’ll tell you he’s the lucky one. Talk to Mr. Owner, and he’ll emphatically say he’s blessed to be able to help provide this experience to Tex and other kids who show with their farm. To be able to help shape young people with the influence of a few Saler cattle.
I watched Tex this summer. Tex can show, sure. Tex also embraces every single ounce of the livestock show experience. He grabs hold of every opportunity. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if everyone in the livestock industry knows his name someday.
Imagine if Tex, and other show kids like him, had missed this summer showing cattle. It would’ve left his trophy case a little more empty. Most all, it would’ve left Tex a little more empty. How fortunate are we all that we got back to showing just in time for a fill-up?!
Just a girl and her daddy making memories and learning about life in a show barn
Because of Family
“If your son doesn’t stop wielding his show stick like it’s a ninja sword, I’m going to cement his arm straight!” My buddy came up and whispered this in my ear during a tough final heat of Junior Showmanship.
Sure enough, among the sea of masked up kids, BoyChild’s heifer was walking perfectly, he was holding her head at just the right height, his posture was on point…and his show stick was wobbling in a way that could be best described as majorette-like. He did not secure a spot in the Top 5.
Leaving the ring, pretty disappointed, BoyChild was intercepted by that buddy. I saw him gesturing and demonstrating the show stick Olympics we had witnessed. BoyChild grinned, nodded his head, and since then has paid particular attention to how he holds his show stick, greatly improving his showmanship performance.
The buddy that helped BoyChild, his daughter is in the same showmanship division. She was in that final heat. In fact, this summer she and BoyChild were many times each other’s biggest showmanship competition (he took Reserve to her Champion at our State Fair). That buddy could’ve kept his mouth shut. He could’ve hoped that we didn’t notice BoyChild’s bad show stick habit. He could’ve used it to his kid’s advantage. He didn’t. He wants to see all of these kids perform to the best of their ability. He wants them all to reach their goals.
Just like his son who is one of the biggest supporters of all his peers. The kid is the first to offer an encouraging word. He’s the voice behind me when my kids are in the ring, whispering for the judge to shake their hand.
Just like at the State Fair when our pals kept winning classes and divisions in the sheep show. A fantastic success, but a problem because they had 3 heifers that were about to show at the same time in a different barn. Except it wasn’t a huge problem, because my husband and I had their cattle ready to go when they came out of the sheep show ring. Just like they had jumped in the night before to help shear our lambs – in the dark – when we were stressed out about the possibility of not finishing before dawn.
That’s what we missed. Showing our kids the importance of jumping in and helping each other. The feeling of being a part of something bigger than oneself. The comfort of being a part of a family.
There are a hundred more examples of this sportsmanship, this helping mentality, from just this short summer. A thousand more through our livestock show years.
We Went Back to the Show Ring
This show season was different. The next may be as well. There are still cancellations. There are still changes, modifications, mitigation strategies designed to help keep exhibitors and families safe.
What hasn’t changed is the heart of the showman. The importance, the advantage, of kids growing up in a show barn.
So Thank You
Supporters worked tirelessly to provide 2020 youth with safe opportunities to show
To all the show managers, volunteers, breed reps, extension staff, teachers, and folks who rescheduled, jumped through hoops, created shows from scratch, kept us all safe, and all the other million things it took to make livestock shows in 2020 happen, thank you.
To the judges who traveled in this travel-restricted year, gave elbow bumps instead of handshakes and judged in masks for hours at a time in the summer heat, thank you.
To the parents, grandparents, and supporters who kept buying and breeding, encouraging the everyday stuff even when the show schedule looked bleak, thank you.
To the stock show kids who followed through, showed in masks, and submitted to every safety request, mostly without complaint, because they wanted to show, thank you.
A man of many names: Billy, Sweetie, Dad, Papaw, Pa T, and – my favorite – Pop Pop.
He stands tall in them all, showing his three daughters, his 11 grandchildren, and 3 great-grandchildren how life should be lived.
He takes his iced tea sweet and his marriage even sweeter. If there are sour lemons he says, “give them to her” because he believes his Sue just makes everything better. She is, after all, his pacemaker.
He believes in doing what he can for others. Selflessness is his superpower. An ear to listen. A hand to help.The shirt off his back. The food off his table. Thanksgiving means Miss Judy and Mrs. Wyatt’s plates are filled first, he even delivers.
He enjoys his treats. Pepsi, milk, and of course, dessert. Dessert is it’s own very important food group. Important because it helps him show his love for us in spontaneous visits of surprise ice cream or donuts.
He also shows his love with his work. A diesel mechanic for forty-some years to care for his family. Still farming the land once his grandfather’s. Raising cattle, raising girls, loving grandkids. That beautiful white farmhouse full of family, full of laughter, full of the fruits of his labor and love.
He can rest easy in the knowledge that he’s given his girls the tools we need, taught us the important lessons, to live our best lives. To work hard, to give of ourselves, to love well and be loved.
Thank you, Dad, for being you. Thank you, Dad, for loving us.
A farmhouse front porch. Where beans are snapped, peas are shelled and kids are raised. Where chairs rock, flowers flourish and porch lights flicker letting us know it’s time to come in. Where stories sound better, laughs ring out louder and folks are always welcome to come sit a spell.
Home
My own farmhouse front porch is my favorite place on earth. I’m writing this, sitting there. It’s a warm Fall afternoon with a view of the Appalachian mountains and the deep roar of a tractor and hay baler. I’m admiring the blooms of my impatiens, knowing I won’t have much longer to enjoy them before cooler weather.
Sitting here on our Farmhouse Front Porch a few years ago my dad’s cousin Bill – nicknamed Butterball though he was a tall, slim man – shared that our house was built sometime in the late 1700s. The “modern” addition of a bathroom and kitchen completed in 1937. This information is verified by the date etched into the concrete of an old cistern at the back of the house. Bill knew some history of the “Homeplace” because as a boy, he called this place home.
My grandaddy purchased the house and farm from his brother (Bill’s dad) sometime in the 1940s, sealing the deal with a front porch handshake. My dad, aunts, and uncle were all raised here just like many of their cousins before them. All of my cousins, me, and my sister spent a lot of time at our grandparent’s house after school, staying the night, and working on the farm. This place always felt like home. When my grandparents passed away, my parents moved us to the “Homeplace.” My husband and I purchased the house from them when they built a new house, making our kids the 4th generation (at least) to call our house, home.
Bringing Folks Together
Our house isn’t the newest, nicest, or neatest house in the family. Yet, no matter who lives here, the farmhouse front porch seems to call to folks as a place to feel at home. Most family functions are held on our front porch and front yard. Weddings, receptions, baby showers, wedding showers, 1st birthday parties, 80th birthday parties, and reunions. Bonfires, cookouts, family dinners, and those times when folks just show up, sink down in a rocking chair, and swap stories on the farmhouse front porch until the lightning bugs come out.
Generations of cousins gathered for a family reunion on the Farmhouse Front Porch
Come Sit a Spell
Yep, a farmhouse front porch brings people together. That’s just its nature. Family, friends, and all of those who will become family and friends. A farmhouse front porch is the best place to swap stories. To regroup and recharge. To spend time with the people that matter the most.
So, come sit a spell on the virtual Farmhouse Front Porch.
We’re relaunching and rebranding our blog space on kellywriting.com… you guessed it… Farmhouse Front Porch. When people read what I write I want them to feel like we’re having a front porch conversation. I hope you’ll come back for funny and engaging stories about farm life, livestock show life, mom life, and more. Find out about services provided by Kelly Writing and read about those we showcase with “Her-Day Thursday” and “Farm Kid Fridays.” Most of all, come back to feel like your rocking in a rocking chair on a farmhouse front porch.
Family legend has it that my grandaddy bought his farm on a promise and a handshake. Sometime in the 1940’s he and his brother were sitting on the front porch of a house that was being auctioned along with the farm on which it sat. Grandaddy needed a farm because the one he owned would soon be at the bottom of a man-made lake that was under construction. His brother commented, “If I had my place sold, I’d buy this one.” My grandaddy stuck his hand out to his brother and said, “Then you better buy it, ‘cause I just bought yours.” They shook hands and the deal was done.
This is just one of the many family stories I loved as a kid. I love to tell them to my kids even more. Word-of-Mouth is one thing… Writing down these stories keeps them alive for future generations.
When people hear the term Personal History they often have the vision of genealogical charts and crinkled photos of unsmiling ancestors. Those things are most certainly a part of one’s personal history.
But when I think about personal history, I want to capture family stories. Those stories that are told time after time, passed down from generation to generation by word-of-mouth…until they’re not.
I want to help preserve those stories from your grandparent’s or parent’s childhood. Stories from your childhood. Stories of your children and grandchildren. Stories of family events, love stories, birth stories… I want to help capture YOUR personal history. I want to help capture your stories, in writing, before they are lost.
There are different ways to capture your personal history.
Sarah chose to honor her grandfather’s memory with a gift to her parents and brothers. She asked for a one-page writing that could be framed. She wanted to incorporate pictures of her grandpa’s items she remembered from her childhood. She wanted the written piece to bring together her favorite memories of her grandpa. So I wrote Grandpa’s Heavenly Joy for Sarah and her family.
Others want to tell me their family stories so I can write the story preserving it for future generations. Like, Mickie, the Maple and Mischief
One of my favorite stories from my own childhood – and I was there for this – The Watermelon.
I will work with you to preserve your personal history. To capture those family stories you want to make sure to remember. Those stories you want to save for future generations.
“Your son is standing on my front porch in his underwear.”
This is an actual text I sent to one of my best friends. It was 7 am on a Saturday. Her son, around 8 years old at the time, is one of BoyChild’s best friends. This was the morning after a sleepover for the kids. It was summer, he was wearing boxer briefs and we live in the country, so it wasn’t a big deal. It was just really funny.
His family is part of the group of friends we do life with. Among acquaintances, coworkers, friends, and even best friends, there are those people that are truly a part of our lives: Those Friends You Do Life With
They’ve Seen Your Messy House
You know the feeling. A friend texts and says they’re in the area and planning to come by your place. Maybe they’re dropping off something. Maybe they want to see the new farmhouse decor you’ve raved about on social media. Maybe it’s just a visit… It doesn’t really matter why. Cue the panicked flight of picking up toys, clothes, books, shoes, and throwing them in the nearest room with a door that can be closed. You run a cursory route with the broom and hastily wipe up crumbs. Grimacing at the sink full of dishes, you let your friend in the door apologizing for the mess. You’re embarrassed, you’re mad at yourself for your lack of housekeeping skills, and you can almost hear the mental judgment from your friend.
Those friends you do life with won’t judge.
Once my friend was going on a business trip with one of my neighbors. The neighbor was picking her up at my house where she would leave her car parked while they were out of town. I wasn’t home during the meet-up. My friend texted to tell me she was going into my house to use the bathroom before she was picked up. (Bonus: They know how to get into your house when you’re not there.) I quickly texted her back to suggest she use the bathroom in my bedroom instead of the main bathroom, mostly used by the kids. I knew my bathroom was freshly cleaned. I also knew she would have to step over the mountain of clothes that were piled up to donate. I knew she would walk past my unmade bed, have to dodge good-natured kisses from the English shepherd while following a trail of shed corgi hair all the way to the bathroom.
I also knew she wouldn’t judge. She would be grateful I redirected her from a toilet privy to a little boy’s lack of aiming abilities. She would see the pile of discarded clothes and know that her daughter was about to gain some hand-me-downs. She would scratch behind the dog’s ears and refresh the water bowl for me. This is a friend you do life with.
They Love Your Kids
Like, truly love your kids.
All parents have been in a situation where their kid is in a mood, does something embarrassing, repeats something inappropriate, vomits in public, or any number of happenstances with regard to offspring.
Those friends you do life with are in elbow-deep with you during those kid-centered situations.
GirlChild sometimes gets nervous before entering the livestock show ring. Experience proves that my well-intentioned pep talks just make her more anxious. We have discovered that one of our friends, also the dad of Girl&BoyChild’s friends, has the perfect approach to calming her down and getting her to focus. If I’m being honest, it stings just a little. I’d like to be the one instilling that self-confidence. But I’m very thankful we have friends that understand what our kids need and are eager to support them.
There are truly countless examples of our friends stepping in to help parent our little brood. Like the time BoyChild was bouncing in an inflatable at a cookout only to exit the toy with his tooth through his lip. He came running to me with tears, snot, and mouth blood. I do not do well with mouth blood. Knowing this, my friend grabbed my kid, pressed a stack of red-checked napkins to his mouth, and then turned him into my arms. That’s a friend you do life with. (BoyChild was fine by the way, and bouncing again in no time.)
Those friends who will correct, encourage, stand up for, laugh with, cry with, take care of, feed, and love your kids are the people worth having in your life. If you have friends who can truly step in for you with regard to your kids, hold on to them.
Only a friend you do life with would clean ear wax and dirt (ok, probably manure) out of your kid’s ear.
They Have Shared Interests
The friends you do life with could be the parents you spend countless hours with on back-breaking bleachers while rooting for your kids’ travel ball team or cheer squad. Maybe they are the people in your church small group. Or a particularly close group of coworkers. Perhaps you’re part of a lucky group of high school or college buddies that manage to keep their friend group together through all of life’s changes.
Our friends we do life with have agriculture in common. We’re all farm kids and current farmers. Many of us grew up together and all of our kids show livestock. Our conversations center around cows, sheep, and inside jokes. It’s very probable that passersby will hear us talking about semen tanks or manure. We love to hang out but we all know it’s not going to happen during hay cutting or calving season. We also work together at livestock shows. We travel together, eat together, haul one another’s kids, you know, basically do life.
Friends pick each other up…sometimes after they are through laughing.
You Let Down Your Guard
Forced conversations with people you don’t feel comfortable with are the worst. The kind with a not-so-natural smile plastered on your face. You might nod and “mmhhhmm” every now and then. Maybe you even add some insight or opinion to the conversation, but you are uncomfortable or at the very least bored. And the awkward silences… cringe!!!
Those friends you do life with don’t require you to be guarded.
One of my life-long friends and I were on a group conference call. We were both trying to express our opinions on the matter at hand, while being on our best, most professional behavior. Once the conference call was over, my friend immediately called me back privately. When I answered the phone, he was laughing – hysterically. We didn’t exactly agree with the decisions made by the group on the conference call, so I was a little confused at what he thought was so funny. When he finally recovered enough from his hilarity, he said, “You sounded so FAKE!”. I was shocked. “What?!!” I countered. “I did not!” I thought I had been very thorough and professional on the call but I did have my guard up. He wasn’t used to hearing that from me so he was able to pick up on my restraint by just the tone of my voice. And found it highly entertaining.
They Show Up
“If there is anything I can do, just let me know.”
How many times have we heard a statement like this from acquaintances, friends, or well-wishers? How many times have we said it? Often the person making this statement truly means it. Other times, it seems to be an automatic response to someone who has expressed how busy they are or has endured a life-changing event.
Those friends you do life with show up to do those “anythings.”
Every five years we host a huge multi-generation family reunion at our place. There are a lot of great-aunts & uncles and cousins of every age. At the last reunion, boasting around 150 attendees, the youngest was only a few months old and the oldest was 96.
Our place isn’t the most centrally located, we are not the wealthiest family members and we don’t have the most modern home of the bunch. We do have a farm with room to roam and opportunities our cousins may not have where they live like hayrides and snuggling with baby lambs. Our place is also a “home place” where many relatives grew up and others have very fond childhood memories. Plus, we love being the hosts.
I’ll admit, though, it’s a lot of work. Landscaping, pressure washing, cleaning, and home improvements ramp-up heavily during the year of the reunion.
I was particularly stressed before the last reunion. I was worried we wouldn’t get done with everything I wanted to accomplish between little league, livestock shows, farming, work, and all things life. I lamented to two of my best friends, who happen to be sisters. They said they would help me landscape the next weekend. I told them they didn’t have to help. They said, “We know we don’t have to, we’re coming.” And they did.
They showed up the next Saturday with five kids in tow (one has 2 kids, one has 3 kids). Their kids played with BoyChild and GirlChild all day. The mommas shoveled pea gravel, spread mulch, raked, toted, hauled, and even helped build an arch for our grapevine.
These friends worked with me on my landscaping all day long for a party to which they weren’t even invited. The only things they got for their trouble was a huge, very appreciative thank you and steak dinner grilled by the husband.
Though this looks like a class of market lambs, it’s really a group of show kids and show mommas practicing. They’re competitors. They’re friends. They’re family. The friends we do life with.
It really just boils down to….
Those friends you do life with make it a little bit easier to do life well.
Another livestock show canceled due to Covid-19 concerns. It was the news we knew was coming, a decision to help keep our community safe, but it was still disappointing. There were tears from GirlChild and a silent, dejected walk from BoyChild to the other side of the barn. A mumble of “I just want to show Miss Mae one more time” from GirlChild.
Family, friends, acquaintances, and folks all across the Stock Show community, like us, are excited to get back into the show ring. Not for the banners or the glory of the backdrop. Not for the over-market-price sale of a steer or the premiums gained. The desire to get back to the show ring is because this is our “thing”. For Stock Show folks, a livestock show is in their blood. A part of their DNA. For Stock Show folks, a livestock show fuels the soul.
If absence makes the heart grow fonder then, when it’s safe to reopen the country’s show rings, we’ll have a better appreciation of this thing we all love.
We’ll appreciate our people. Our friends. Our livestock show family. The ones we see at every show. The ones we hang out with outside of the show ring. The ones we only see once or twice a year at regional or national shows. We’ll appreciate talking cattle, or sheep, or hogs or goats. We’ll appreciate the “carry on” of our kids when they can’t contain their excitement of being together again – and maybe their behavior won’t aggravate us as much. We’ll appreciate the inside jokes and the laughter. We’ll appreciate meals together, eaten in the barn and served out of slow cookers.
Show kids joyfully sloshing in the river together after a show is just one of those experiences that can’t happen virtually.
We’ll appreciate the whole crew jumping in to fit one animal, transforming it together in a delicate dance of spraying, combing, and clipping. We’ll appreciate stepping back and admiring that animal in all its Sunday-go-to-meeting glory. We’ll appreciate the extra time we had at home to get said animal to this point.
We’ll appreciate the grins on our kid’s faces as they lead their favorite animal around the show ring again. We may mourn the steer they didn’t get a chance to show or the heifer who was going to take her last turn around the ring during one of these canceled shows (hence GirlChild’s reference to her beloved heifer she raised “Miss Mae”). But we’ll try to appreciate that there will be another steer, there will be another heifer and in a few months, we pray we can appreciate her calf on the ground. Maybe that calf will take her mother’s place in the ring.
BoyChild was worried when one of his favorite former show heifers, Ladybug, was past her calving due date. He walked right up to her in the pasture, slipped on a halter and led her through the field, across the road, down the driveway and to a lot behind the house where he could keep a close eye on her. Like so many other kid/animal pairs, their bond was forged in the show ring.
We’ll appreciate the way our hearts beat a little faster when we inhale the sweet scent of pine shavings mixed with pink oil. We’ll appreciate the beauty of a smooth show ring. The sponsor banners and flowers decorating a backdrop. We’ll appreciate the post-show scattering of shavings like glitter in trucks and laundry rooms… Ok, maybe we won’t exactly appreciate that one, but maybe it won’t bother us as much.
We’ll appreciate the first ribbon, or trophy, or banner, or premium won when we return to the show ring. That’s the nature of sport. The nature of competition. But that’s not what we’ll appreciate the most. Not even close. We’ll appreciate just being back in the barn. Being back at the show. Getting back to the thing that fuels a part of our soul.
Until then, we’ll keep feeding. We’ll keep rinsing. We’ll keep leading animals in the barn or down the driveway. We’ll keep breeding. We’ll keep logging in to online sales. We’ll keep the hope that one day, hopefully soon, we’ll be back at the show.
Until then, we’ll pray. We’ll pray for the show managers who have had to follow a directive or make the difficult, surely heart-wrenching decision, to cancel a show. We’ll pray for the show mangers and sponsors scrambling to put together virtual livestock shows at this time when it seems to be the best alternative. We’ll pray that those show managers understand that when we are all able to be together again, a virtual show will never be able to take the place of being together, taking it all in, learning in person from the veterans, seeing the exact moment when a novice finally gets it. We’ll pray that next year the shows that have been canceled, postponed or modified will be back, in person, stronger than ever.
Until then, we’ll pray. We’ll pray for those whose health has been affected by this virus. We’ll pray for those who have lost loved ones. We’ll pray for those who’ve lost jobs and all the other ways this virus has affected folks in ways that are much more imperative than missing the show ring.
These girls (and a steer if you’re really paying attention) will eventually get a trip to town.
Still, we know it’s okay to miss it. It’s okay to grieve that animal that didn’t get shown. It’s okay to be disappointed that we’re not loading up the trailer this weekend. It’s okay to miss our buddies, to text and video chat them too much. It’s not about the money (seriously, if one can get rich just showing junior livestock, we missed the memo). It’s not about glory. It’s about the people, the experience, the way of life. When show after show has to be canceled, if we weren’t disappointed, if we weren’t a little upset, I’d worry we didn’t love it as much as we thought we did.
Until we all get back to the show ring, stay safe.
