I am the type of person that must make every mistake in the book. Every possible mistake that can be made. If there is a mistake to be made, I will do it. But only once!!
I once wore all my birthstone opal jewelry at one time, I fell and tore a ligament in my knee. Nobody told me it was bad luck to wear all my opals at the same time!!
I painted kitchen cabinets without any preparation to the wood underneath. Just slapped that paint right on to the grease, grime, varnish, whatever.
I got pregnant. (way too young)
I got an injection into my heel.
I bought a cockatiel. (No not a cocktail).
I've a few lapses in my memory due to Mr. Adolph Coors. (was it 4th or 5th grade?)
I stole 89 cents worth of fingernail polish when I was about 14 years old.
Some things you just know are such mistakes you will never do them again.
Subjecting myself to humble humiliation. I have presented my alpacas to a judge, umpteen times now. Every time, I get diarrhea, my hands sweat, and whichever animal I have on the lead, knows this! I still have judges thinking, oh yeah, here's another newby. But I've been doing it four years and I can't get comfortable with it. So I have decided that showing animals is just a mistake, and I need to learn from my mistake.
The last time I will ever show an animal was this past weekend. I showed our rather BIG BONED bay black female "Ebony". I delicately brought her out to the center of the ring. I'm saying to myself, "Look at the gorgous animal I have raised from a cria. I have nourished her in rain, snow, hangover". The judge came toward us. Ebony stood on her back legs and jumped and spun like a bull at a rodeo. I swear! Surely this is not the same animal that munches hay quietly in the shed, that we sometimes forget is even there! Did I bring the wrong animal? I remember mumbling to the judge that she doesn't usually act like this. When I was finally able to get a little control of my animal, the judge told me she was OVER CONDITIONED! A nice way of saying Ebony was F...A...T...! And then I had to smile and say THANK YOU, because of course I am appreciative of all this humiliation. Then she gave her a SECOND! OHHNOO!! A judge doesn't have to give a blue ribbon when there is no competition. WHO KNEW THAT!!! Hubster graciously showed the rest of the animals. My diarrhea wouldn't let me show again. I know when I've made a mistake and I'll never do it again!
Today we are going to the alpaca show in Shawnee, Oklahoma. We only go to two shows a year. A show in Topeka in the fall and this one in January. We're taking four animals. Missy, Freckles, Isis, Ebony. When we get to the show a vet will look at our health certificates. Another person will scan their microchips with a little hand held thingy like they use at WalMart. (We might be mistaken as to which of our animals is which) Then we stand in a line with all four animals and get our stall assignments. Then another line to get all the animals color checked. Then we find our stalls .The folks that run an alpaca show provide stalls. In the barn there is row after row after row of stalls. Finding your stall is not an easy matter. We were pretty late signing up so we will probably be at the far end of the rows. Then we unoad the animals and get them comfortable and fed, then we can sit down.
Saturday we'll be up early and to the judging ring for the handlers meeting. This is a little lecture from the judges as to how our animals should behave. They remind us to clean the animals back side of "dingleberries" so the judge doesn't soil her/his hand when checking male attributes. They remind us that the ring steward is the judges helper not ours. Alright already. Nuff said!
Ebony will be the only one that shows Saturday, because browns are one of the first classes. Then we'll watch other classes. On the look out for an appealing sires for all our girls. Including our newest cria we have nine girls. Yes we have been blessed with girls but now we have to pay for all these weddings! The performance class is fun to watch. Youngsters take the alpacas through an obstacle course. I am amazed how some of the young people have such a trusting relationship with their 'pacas that the animals would follow them anywhere! Tomorrow night we'll go to the banquet. They sent us an e-mail telling us they had revived their Saturday night banquet with some kind of a comedien/magician. Gotta be better than the past speakers. A K-state vet talking about alpaca diseases or a person back east speaking about her own prize winning alpaca fleece, yawn. For thirty dollars a person it needed a lift.
Sunday will be our big showing day. Freckles and Missy may be in the same white juvenile class. It depends on what color they put Freckles into. She has light beige spots on her face and legs. Then Isis will be soon after in the older white females. We have made several inquiries into some breeding possibilities for our girls and some of these animals will be at the show so we'll get to see them in person. We have made friends with several farms in the area and some of them will be there. An alpaca show is nail biting while you are in the ring. The rest of the time is spent looking at wares of the vendors, and making our own animals comfortable and having fun.
we'll return home Sunday evening hopefully with a couple ribbons!? I'll let you know how that works for us.
...farm living is the life for me.Sanetha
Saturday we'll be up early and to the judging ring for the handlers meeting. This is a little lecture from the judges as to how our animals should behave. They remind us to clean the animals back side of "dingleberries" so the judge doesn't soil her/his hand when checking male attributes. They remind us that the ring steward is the judges helper not ours. Alright already. Nuff said!
Ebony will be the only one that shows Saturday, because browns are one of the first classes. Then we'll watch other classes. On the look out for an appealing sires for all our girls. Including our newest cria we have nine girls. Yes we have been blessed with girls but now we have to pay for all these weddings! The performance class is fun to watch. Youngsters take the alpacas through an obstacle course. I am amazed how some of the young people have such a trusting relationship with their 'pacas that the animals would follow them anywhere! Tomorrow night we'll go to the banquet. They sent us an e-mail telling us they had revived their Saturday night banquet with some kind of a comedien/magician. Gotta be better than the past speakers. A K-state vet talking about alpaca diseases or a person back east speaking about her own prize winning alpaca fleece, yawn. For thirty dollars a person it needed a lift.
Sunday will be our big showing day. Freckles and Missy may be in the same white juvenile class. It depends on what color they put Freckles into. She has light beige spots on her face and legs. Then Isis will be soon after in the older white females. We have made several inquiries into some breeding possibilities for our girls and some of these animals will be at the show so we'll get to see them in person. We have made friends with several farms in the area and some of them will be there. An alpaca show is nail biting while you are in the ring. The rest of the time is spent looking at wares of the vendors, and making our own animals comfortable and having fun.
we'll return home Sunday evening hopefully with a couple ribbons!? I'll let you know how that works for us.
...farm living is the life for me.Sanetha
December 22, 2010 my husband's parents 69th wedding anniversary. Pictured here are their son (and his wife me), grandson and great-grandsons. Quite a legacy when you know the way they started out.
In 1938 Jack was medically rejected by the Navy because he didn't have good chest expansion. He went home and stretched intertubes. He was a skinny guy and in 1939 he was accepted into the service.
Jack came home a few times on leave. Once Dorothy met him in Boston and stayed at a YWCA and thought they were going to get married so she brought her best dress and her bible. But he didn't ask and they didn't get married. She went home angry. She admits she dated a little. But Jack never admitted to dating anyone but Dorothy.
December 22, 1941, a meer few weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Jack was again home on leave and ask Dorothy to marry and she agreed. In Wichita, Ks. they tried to marry at a justice of the peace or a judge. This establishment wouldn't or couldn't marry them. Dorothy realized she didn't want to marry this way and told Jack that if he would find a proper church and minister she would marry. Jack made arrangements and they married in the chapel of the Methodist Church of Wellington, Ks. Another couple were their only guests. Dorothy wore her best dress. It was black. A snow storm struck that night. Jack had to return to Boston and his ship the USS Leary. He tried to make arrangements.Was almost arrested for being AWOL. But the ship set sail without him. He traveled aboard another ship that eventually returned him to the USS Leary.
Dorothy settled into the life of a sailor's wife. She lived at home with her parents and worked at a photography studio. One year at Christmas time Jack came into port in Boston Massachusetes. He wouldn't be in port long enough to travel to Ks. Dorothy's boss couldn't be without help during the holidays, the busiest photography season of the year. She cried to her father. He ask her which was more important: her job or her husband? "Well, of course my husband is most important"! She told her boss that she had to see he husband! He said, okay but when you return we will work night and day until we are finished. Dorothy proudly reports "that's just what we did"!
The USS Leary, a destroyer, was launched March 6, 1918. She was patrolling waters North of the Azores December 24, 1943. Jack was a Gunners Mate. The USS Leary took three torpedoes from a German submarine. Ninety-seven men were lost. Seventy-nine survived. Jack floated many hours in buoyed netting. In the middle of the night, nearly losing hope, they were rescued, on Christmas Day.
In Kansas, Dorothy did not hear the news for nearly a week. She spent a harrowing two days worrying about her husband. Then he called.
Jack moaned about the tailor fitted uniform that went to the bottom of the sea. Dorothy tells of the sweater she knitted that also was lost. Many years later, Jack attended a survivors reunion of the USS Leary and met the man that pulled him out of the water. "I was going down for the third time and he lifted me up onto the rigging."
Jack was eventually discharged. Dorothy and Jack bought Dorothy's family's funeral home and together they ran the Frank Funeral Home in Wellington, Ks. for many years. In 1982 Jack and Dorothy retired to Florida and lived a long full life of retirement. Now in their 90's they have recently moved to Oklahoma City to a retirement community.
Oh the stories they can tell!
An alpaca's(?) lesson
They call me Missy. My mom is Sophia. I was born in May (whatever that is). I am an alpaca. My dad's name is Steiner.
I spend my days munching grass .My friend Freckles and I play and pretend we are mama's taking care of our babies. But today was different.
These other things that don't look like me or my mom came into our home. They gave me a bowl of stuff to eat that I really liked. These other things walked on their back legs and made noises that sound funny. They reach out to touch my back which made me uncomfortable and I jumped away from them. But they are nice and kind.
These other things that don't look like us shut my family into our little room we stay in at night. They separated Freckles and I from our moms which was distressing. We kept humming for our mom's to come, but these other things that don't look like us wouldn't let us out. They put something in my mouth that tasted sweet. I pretended I didn't like it, but it was kind of good. Then I felt something sting in my neck. They held me really close and I could smell everything about them. They told me this was medicine and would keep me from getting sick. When the sting was over they let me go.
These things that don't look like us fastened a cage on my face. It had a long rope they held in their upper foot. When they pulled on the rope my head moved. At first I was scared but I looked at that thing holding the other end of the rope and it was smiling. So I followed her. She seemed glad. Soon she said something soft and looked me in the eye and took the cage off. It wasn't so bad. My mom was very proud of me.
Now it is time to play. I'm glad I have my nice fleecey coat to keep me warm. Love to all the things out there that don't look like me. I should remember that. To love things even though they don't look like me!
...farm living is the life for me,
I spend my days munching grass .My friend Freckles and I play and pretend we are mama's taking care of our babies. But today was different.
These other things that don't look like me or my mom came into our home. They gave me a bowl of stuff to eat that I really liked. These other things walked on their back legs and made noises that sound funny. They reach out to touch my back which made me uncomfortable and I jumped away from them. But they are nice and kind.
These other things that don't look like us shut my family into our little room we stay in at night. They separated Freckles and I from our moms which was distressing. We kept humming for our mom's to come, but these other things that don't look like us wouldn't let us out. They put something in my mouth that tasted sweet. I pretended I didn't like it, but it was kind of good. Then I felt something sting in my neck. They held me really close and I could smell everything about them. They told me this was medicine and would keep me from getting sick. When the sting was over they let me go.
These things that don't look like us fastened a cage on my face. It had a long rope they held in their upper foot. When they pulled on the rope my head moved. At first I was scared but I looked at that thing holding the other end of the rope and it was smiling. So I followed her. She seemed glad. Soon she said something soft and looked me in the eye and took the cage off. It wasn't so bad. My mom was very proud of me.
Now it is time to play. I'm glad I have my nice fleecey coat to keep me warm. Love to all the things out there that don't look like me. I should remember that. To love things even though they don't look like me!
...farm living is the life for me,
Christmas and New Year's are over.
When I was growing up my grandparents were old. They didn't keep toys at their house. One set of grandparents had 26 grandchildlren! The other set couldn't mess up their house with a bunch of toys! So I have always tried to make my house a fun place for my grands! We've done craft projects, scavenger hunts, fireworks, birthday parties, made cookies and I have a slot machine that everyone puts tokens in when they come. And oh the HOLIDAYS!!!
I love having everyone here on Christmas Eve. Usually it is just an unwrapping frenzy and then everyone goes home with their treasures. This year I wanted to draw it out a little longer so we played a little game. Left, Right,Center. We provided everyone with $3. We went around the room and everyone rolled the dice. If they rolled a 1 or 6 they put a dollar in the center. If they rolled a 2 or 4 they gave a dollar to the person on their right. If they rolled a 3 or 5 they gave a dollar to the person on their left. Whoever had money left at the end got the center. Oh those naysayers who didn't think this would work out, get the wet noodle!!! The winner was G.G.! It was fun. Then the paper frenzy started! May make this a tradition!!!
Then on New Year's Eve almost all the grands came to our house. We watched wrestling for awhile which I can really do without, but the kids enjoyed it. Littlest princess was doing her commentary " ...ouch! ...eeeeeew! ...poor man!" We played Guesstures and Black Jack (some of them learned it now from us). We blew horns and toasted the New Year with sparkling white grape juice Outside on the patio we threw those little popits that snap when they land on the concrete. The prizes for the games were big chocolate bars. So everyone was on a big sugar high at 1:00 in the morning! But I loved having my grands have a grand time at their grand-ma's house!
I love having everyone here on Christmas Eve. Usually it is just an unwrapping frenzy and then everyone goes home with their treasures. This year I wanted to draw it out a little longer so we played a little game. Left, Right,Center. We provided everyone with $3. We went around the room and everyone rolled the dice. If they rolled a 1 or 6 they put a dollar in the center. If they rolled a 2 or 4 they gave a dollar to the person on their right. If they rolled a 3 or 5 they gave a dollar to the person on their left. Whoever had money left at the end got the center. Oh those naysayers who didn't think this would work out, get the wet noodle!!! The winner was G.G.! It was fun. Then the paper frenzy started! May make this a tradition!!!
Then on New Year's Eve almost all the grands came to our house. We watched wrestling for awhile which I can really do without, but the kids enjoyed it. Littlest princess was doing her commentary " ...ouch! ...eeeeeew! ...poor man!" We played Guesstures and Black Jack (some of them learned it now from us). We blew horns and toasted the New Year with sparkling white grape juice Outside on the patio we threw those little popits that snap when they land on the concrete. The prizes for the games were big chocolate bars. So everyone was on a big sugar high at 1:00 in the morning! But I loved having my grands have a grand time at their grand-ma's house!
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