It's Fair Time

Hello blogger friends....it seems that I have dropped off the face of the earth....well not really, life has just kicked into overdrive. We have just finished our first Fair as 4-H'ers and WOW we learned alot. The first thing that I learned is that it is really not that easy to get a pig into a trailer??!! Last Thursday we had to take the pigs to weigh in and check them in for fair. I got up in the morning and did a few things then headed for the shower. The mister says why are you taking a shower...oh I don't know just thought I would, why. Well, we have to load the pigs....so...you have never loaded pigs before have you...no, how bad can it be? (haha). So we decide it is time to head out to load the pigs. We get the trailer ready and head into the pen to catch the pigs and convince them to walk into the trailer. They really do not like to walk up the grate because it scares them, there is really not a lot of traction with those little piggy hoofs. So the mister and I try to get the first one in the trailer...umm not working...finally he grabs it by the ears and tries to drag it up into the trailer...umm not working. We send gigi out for reinforcements...the neighbor..who is a former 4-Her her self. She comes over and we grab the pig by the ears and tail and manage to drag it into the trailer. Once we get it up in the trailer I use a board to block it in. They try to grab the second one since it was squealing, the one that is in the trailer gets upset and basically charges me. He about knocks me on my bottom and escapes...back to square one! Now we decide to get the other one instead because he is bigger...not moving...here comes the other neighbor...I wonder what tipped him off, maybe all the squealing. Now there are 5 adults trying to get these pigs loaded. Finally we tie a rope around the middle of one, the mister grabs the ears, neighbor on the tail, neighbor in the middle of the pig, neighbor pulling the rope, and I am holding a board to try and trap it. Heave ho and he is in, now we tie him off so he can't move and I stand and block him with a board. They grab the second one and basically do the same thing. Lift the ramp and lock them in!!! Yeah they are loaded...umm....let's just say when pigs get upset well, they poop and we are all covered in it. Now I see why I didn't really want that shower. So, I check the time to see how long before we need to leave.....well, that only took 2 hours!!! So I have decided soccer moms...4-H moms can kick your butt anyday!!! I actually think that I am going to talk my SIL into making me some 4-H mom T-shirts on this really cool website called cafe press. If you want to make your own t-shirts you should check it out. Any way, the kids had a blast at fair and it was all worth it when my little man took 3rd place for one pig and 2nd place for the other. He took 2nd place in his class for showmanship and 4th place overall. Woo Hoo! I have a whole new respect for 4-H kids, they work so hard! The whole thing was worth it when I saw the smile on his face in the picture above!