I'm Blessed

My friend Gretchen hosts an

I'm Blessed

series each Monday.

I'm always blessed to read all her posts;

we share many common interests

and hold the title of a dying "breed"--

farm wife. 

She and I both like wide open spaces, 

just like where we live.

After attending the State Fair on Saturday to see Isaiah show his heifer calf,

I'm feeling especially blessed that I live rurally

because this:

(throngs of people at the  MN State Fair)

makes my skin crawl

and causes my breath to come in short gasps.

I'm blessed that we were able to step away from the farm for a day to 

go see our #2 son show his animal.

Dairy farming is a 365 day a year job.  

There are no holidays or times when we're "closed" so a day when Dennis and I can both be away comes VERY far and few between.

We barely made it in time to see the show.

When we got there, our (exhausted) son was already in the staging area

and when I went to find him to let him know we'd arrived,

I walked right past him!

I didn't recognize him without his ever-present cowboy hat;

 I'd also cut his hair just before he left on Wednesday

so that no one would mistake him for a member of the Beatles.

Before you think I'm a horrible mother for not being able to pick her child out of a crowd,

you should know Dennis couldn't spot him right away either.

Dennis' cousin was able to milk for us along with Andrew's help.

Linnea and Nathaniel came with Dennis and me

which was another blessing.

I don't know that we've ever done anything with just those two kids.

The younger four children stayed with my wonderfully willing parents

and had THE BEST time.

(As I watched stroller after stroller pass by at the Fair

with screaming toddlers and babies,

I looked to my husband and said,

"Goodness Dear, why ever didn't we bring our little ones along to partake of this insanity today?")

Anyway,

back to the dairy show...

the Coliseum is huge.

1/4 of the show ring

The judge conferring with an exhibitor

Isaiah's class was HUGE.

Isaiah leading his calf

I'm blessed that Dennis and I both like to watch this kind of thing.

My farmer is super-smart about cows.

He can nearly always pick out the top ones in any class.

One day, in our less-busy years

I see us attending dairy shows just for fun.

We both feel more comfortable in the agricultural section of the fair

and had to make sure we showed Linnea and Nathaniel the largest boar.

I was disappointed that it wasn't Reggie again like last year.

That big guy weighed 1450 pounds.

This years' reigning boar was nearly 300 pounds less.

 Husky Lee was still a pretty big pig, though.

We wondered if Reggie had perhaps contributed to the 

Big Fat Bacon on a Stick booth.

Who knows.

So, we made our big trip down to the Big City

and back again

all in one piece and still willing to be married to each other.

Our kids were well taken care of, and then some.

Even though this farming gig sometimes drives me crazy,

I really am glad that we live on a farm

and that my husband does what he does.

An 8-5 just wouldn't be him.

Today, I'm back at it with the housework,

laundry, and such.

The sun is shining and washing windows is on the list;

I actually like that job.

How have YOU been blessed?