A Day in the Life of a Showman (and their family)

I've come to realize lately that many people do not understand what it takes to show an animal. I was there. I grew up in town. The closest thing to livestock I owned was my dog...Muffy.

It's not easy, and it never ends. It's every day, from the time you wean the calf until the day you are done showing it. The calf may only go to one show all year, or it may go to 20. It doesn't matter. The work is the same. It still needs to get done.

We may not make it to every family gathering, birthday party, church event, or sporting event, but this is what we live for. We love it. There are moments when it would be easier to throw in the towel and be done. We could be like other families and spend time at the pool, take a vacation, or go fishing. But the thought is fleeting...and we get right back to work.

Here it is...our day...in a nutshell...

5:30 am - Wake up

6:00 am - Halter calf and take for a walk; put calf (or calves) in cooler room

**For those that don't know, a cooler room is an air-conditioned room for your calf. They stay there during the summer months during the heat of the day. This prevents hair loss, producing the "Fluffy Cow" look**

6:30 am - Feed calf (or calves) in cooler

7:30 am - Feed sheep and other animals

8:00 am - Walk sheep

9:00 am - Wash calves

10:00 am - Work on breaking new calves

12:00 - Wash calves

1:00 Random chores and/or break time, depending on the heat

4:00 - Wash calves

5:30 - Feed sheep and calves

7:00 - Feed calf (or calves) in cooler

10:00 pm - Let calf (or calves) out of cooler, depending on the temperature. If it is a very hot day, it may not be until midnight.

Why do we do this? For our girls...






For the smiles...





For a chance...




At a win...




Ultimately, it is all about our family time together...

Our four legged friends...

We've had cats...

and cows...





and sheep...





Now, for whatever reason (I must be a glutton for punishment) we have decided to add to our family of four-legged friends. Meet Bubba...





Bubba is a Lab / Pyrenees mix with so much energy I can't even explain. He's wonderful. He's lovable. He's ours. He's super smart - he's already learned to "sit", "shake", and to tell us when he needs to go outside. I love him.





We've spent every hour of every day trying to figure out Bubba's mind. Sometimes we can tell exactly what he's thinking... (I really like chewing on this bone)





Most times we have no idea. We have, however, figured out some things about him.

He sleeps a lot, but only after he's played as hard as he could.

He LOVES his treats.

He LOVES chicken flavored raw-hide chews.

He is very interested in the cows and sheep.

He's not sure what to think of the cats, and they aren't too sure what to think of him.

He's fascinated with dried poop.

Bubba won't be satisfied until he has "marked" every square inch of our 8 acre acreage.

When he sleeps, he is the cutest puppy around...




I love our Bubba!