what country kids do for fun 6

...head across the river for a night on the town Wilco Farm Store sale.

As some may hit the mall during a sale, this family can make an evening out of going down to the local Wilco Farm Store for the Priority Customer Sale Event. {25% off animal supplies, lawn & garden, clothing & boots, etc. and 10% off everything else} We had more stuff to get, and not even feed this time as we just made that trip the week before hauling over 1500 pounds home in the truck. So, we pulled the kids off the basketball court where they were playing in the rain with the neighbor boys and friends, jumped in the truck and headed across the ferry to Canby. Wilco was maybe as busy as I've seen it tonight. For fun, I shot some pictures of our shopping adventure...which it always turns into because the kids goof around. We left at 6 and weren't home until 9ish. We spent nearly two hours at the farm store; a new record for us! I wonder...? Yep, we may be the only family who does this.

The Canby Ferry

Perusing the deck of the M.J. Lee

           

Troughs of spring chicks

Jess showing her imaginary steer...

...ahhh, and kissing a cow??? Must be her showmanship secret.

Scotch combs are good for a quick fix

We bought some show sprays at 25% off

The Purina feed aisle...the one that guzzles our money

We bought the girls cowgirl belts at 25% off

Here's one tough customer with his cowboy game face on

Pink and sparkles are just right for this cowgirl

The only time you'll catch this cowgirl in a pink hat

Now who wouldn't want that? gotta love Wranglers.

"Pleaseeee, Mom?" "No, we just sold our bunnies."

One spring, we sold three of our chocolate mini rex rabbits at the farm store.

The new wheelbarrow

Nearly two hours later...past dark and we're done.

Besides the wheelbarrow, show sprays, and cowgirl belts, we picked up fertilizer and other lawn/garden stuff, fencing materials, garden seed, and potted herbs for the herb garden I'm planting.

So, in conclusion, I highly recommend a trip to Wilco if you're itchin' for a lil' country fun. Be sure to try on the hats and Wranglers.

Safety First

Here are a couple 'Danger! Falling Cows' signs, which might seem comical, but really are posted in certain  areas where cattle range because there have been instances of cattle falling from the cliffs onto roadways. The top sign was put up in Washington near Spokane where a cow fell on a vacationing Michigan couple's minivan in 2007.

I also came across this report that there were 108 deaths caused by cattle between 2003-2008 in the Midwest. Creepy, but interesting facts, leave you with the understanding of how important safety is when working with livestock. Especially important, is teaching safe handling practices to our children who get comfortable when they are around these large animals day in and day out.  

In the two years we have been raising and showing cattle with our children, our daughter went to the ER when stepped on by her 1200 pound heifer her first year showing at fair, my niece broke off half her front tooth from her goat's horn, and most haunting of all, a friend from fair was critically injured and nearly died in July when he had an accident handling cattle at home.

This is a little embarassing after the fact because her injury was so blown out of proportion. She was in a lot of pain at first, and the paramedics on scene kept telling me she really should go to the ER by ambulance. I ended up taking her in my car because the chief paramedic finally concluded that she did not have a fracture or life threatening injury (I was worried about internal tearing or bleeding the way she was acting). I appreciated the chief warning me that it would be expensive and I could just take her myself. The others made it seem she was worse off that she was and she needed the ambulance.

Love the boots--this photo has 'tough cowgirl' written all over it.

Waiting for the doctor's examination with her little sister and cousin--looks like she's in a lot of pain now, huh?

Diagnosis:  Large Contusion Hematoma (aka--'a big bruise') on the left thigh

Here is the bruise a week later. You can see the hoof print (see below).

Lessons learned; cattle can be dangerous, so it is smart to have a healthy amount of fear and to always be aware and cautious as opposed to fearless. Some of the most dangerous situations are when cattle become spooked in new environments such as at shows, loading/unloading, or when around protective mothers with a newborn calf. We've found our calm cattle showing aggressive behavior when the dog is around, so we make sure to kennel our frisky lab before handling cattle. Selecting and breeding for temperament is important. Culling the crazy cattle that are flighty and spook easily is vital, especially when you are raising show cattle that will be handled by youth.