State Fair 2010 part 2

Showmanship

In showmanship, the kids are judged on how well they handle their rabbit (or other animal), their knowledge of the animal, and their own appearance and carriage.

Robin's in this group.  They've just come to the table, and are listening to the judge's instructions.  Many times showmanship is done individually, but this time they had the kids in groups.

Robin's checking teeth in this picture. They do a thorough exam of the animal, checking for health, abnormalities, sex, coat condition, straightness of limbs, etc.  The judge may ask them questions about their breed of rabbit to test their knowledge.

He's asking Robin some questions in this next shot.  She needs to work on not fiddling with her hands while she's talking.

 

Robin did well ... except she wore open-toed shoes, which is a no-no.

Next is Katie in action ...

And here she is all done, and waiting for the judge to finish talking to everyone.

The bunny's getting bored and asking Katie how long he's going to have to sit there.

The Starving Poet

Robert Southey, the poet, comments on the rewards of an author: "It was well we should be contented with posthumous fame, but impossible to be so with posthumous bread and cheese."

My daughter, who wants to be a writer and artist, says, "I totally agree with him!"

State Fair 2010 part 1

Quiz Bowl

This is a fun event where teams of 4 kids compete against each other answering agriculture related questions such as:  What is the body temperature of a chicken? ...  How long is the gestation of a rabbit? ....  How many teeth does a dog have?  ...  What is the name for the blood vessels that carry blood toward the heart?

Robin is on the team in the picture above.  Katie is in the next one.

Our 4H rabbit club provided most of the contestants for this competition -- three of the four teams -- and took First, Third, and Fourth place.

Here they all are, showing off their ribbons:

The funnest part (for me) is watching the kids hit their buzzer too soon, and then try to quess what the rest of the question was going to be.  They're pretty good at it too!

Sunflowers

I brought in a little sunshine.

I decided to turn the llamas back into their paddock--which I planted this year with corn, squash, beans, and sunflowers. 

The first thing they did was eat the rest of the sunflowers.

Some stuff grew, but not as well as I'd hoped, and I didn't get anything edible.  In hindsight, it would have been better to plant it to alfalfa, which has the ability to break up the desert hardpan and improve the soil.

I think I'll do that next year.  Meanwhile the llamas are making short work of the half-dried-up 2 foot tall corn and the weeds.

p.s.  I know I promised State Fair pics--I'll get to that soon!  It takes me awhile to recover after the fair.