What about that sister anyway?

It has come to my attention that while my blog is full of quirky anecdotes about the exploits of my merry menagerie and my little brother Obie (the snowball throwing, rabbit raising 9 year old); there is little mention of my little sister Brenna ( the sheep raising, music blasting 15 year old).  So it's only natural for you to be wondering things like, "is this girl real?" "Does this girl do anything besides sheep" or even "Do Brenna and Allie even get along? Or are they like those sisters who are not on speaking terms".  This should hopefully put your questions to rest, as well as answer the key question.  What does Brenna do for fun?

Well isn't it obvious?  I mean we live in the desert.

She skis of course! I may be an Ag Girl, but my sister is a bonafide snow bunny.  She is part of the high school alpine race team, and has a membership card and everything. Frequently Brenna uses words like "powder" and "GS" in daily conversation,  when clouds cover the mountains that border the valley she and her excellent friends start to radiate energy and reek of anticipation, she gets alerts on her computer when new snow falls on her "home court" and when she asks me to sheep-sit her ewe Bugonia and brood.... It's because she is on the mountain... Carving it up. 

And now you know.  Brenna the desert snow bunny.  Sking in the desert.  It's true.

Not as different as you would think

Since selecting my excellent steer Stewart (or Beef Stew for short) I have received many comments on how perfect we are for each other.  He has been called my mini-me, what I would be like if I were reincarnated as a bovine, and Allie-The-Steer. But no matter how you put it, I have to admit there is a certain...er... similarity.  This similarity is heightened by the fact that, in addition to both having copper colored hair (or in Stewey's case fur), we both currently have colds.

Now, until now I had never even considered how to treat a 700 lb steer that's coughing and sneezing and I now know that it is quite the process, and quite different than the way I treat my own colds.

Step One: Steer- Move sick steer out of his pen, down the hallway and into the squeeze shoot.  It helps to have some help from the big boys for this step.

                Me- Leave room and drive 40 minutes to Dr's office.  It helps to have a parent to help with the driving part if you don't feel good for this step.



Stewey poses in the squeeze shoot! I was glad to have help getting him in there!



Step Two:  Steer- Find soft cloth and wipe mucus discharge from steer's nose
                  Me- Find box of tissues and you know....

Step Three: Steer-Measure out the appropriate amount of medication according to the weight of the animal.  Remember to follow all directions on the medication, especially any instructions about splitting the dosage.  Stewey needed 20 cc of antibiotics, but could only have 10 in one site, so he needed a shot in either side of his neck. OUCH!

Mrs. Lacey Measuring Antibiotics for Stewey

                  Me- Measure out the appropriate amount of medication according to the prescription.  Remember to follow important directions like "Go to sleep after you take this"

Step Four: Steer-Lead Steer gently back to pen and brush him well.  Make sure to scratch his belly and apologize profusely for the above indignities.  Then leave the pen with soft words and let the poor thing rest and eat lots of hay.

                 Me- Go home and rest as much as possible.  This might take up to an entire week.  Make sure to watch cartoons sparingly and be nice to the rest of your family as they feed you Popsicles and chips 'n salsa. Try not to think about your sick steer.



I'm REALLY glad my shots don't come from needles like this...



Anticpation Rewarded

I am so excited, after weeks of anticipation and several nights spent tossing and turning, wondering when my very own steer will arrive, he is here.  When I got the text this morning, telling me that the steers would be at the FFA farm and ready for picking at 2:15.

Now, because I have been having a sick week this week ('tis the season), I came up with a brilliant plan so that I would have optimum energy for steer selection.  I would take a nap until 1:30, throw on my boots and start driving by 1:45.  So I started my brilliant plan and was in bed at 12:20. 

At 12:37 I double checked the text to make sure we were meeting at 2:15 not 1:15.

At 12:43 I tried to run through potential steer names, an effort that I declared useless by 12:55.

At 1:04 I reviewed key things to look for when choosing my steer.

At 1:16 I received a text from my incredible FFA advisor explaining that "they are beautiful!!!!" Unable to wait any longer, I jumped out of bed, threw on my boots and headed out the door, never mind that I was nearly 14 minutes early!

I got to the farm at 1:58, over 15 minutes early, so I decided to furtively drive by the backside of the farm, right past the beef unit to get a first peek at the steers.  I was unable to see the steers from the road, what I did see however was my friend Rachel's car.  Rachel was also getting a steer.  Seeing that I was by no means too early, I spun the car around (who knew you could break speed records in a 1991 Ford Tempo?) and hurried to the beef unit. 

As soon as I got to the pen where the steers were currently lounging, this little guy caught my eye. 

Pretty soon Mrs. Lacey and the other two, Victoria and Makenna had arrived and we were ready to begin.  Makenna, being the most experienced with two steers already successfully raised, picked first.  I let out a breath as she picked a large black bald steer. Next went Victoria who picked the dark red Shorthorn Charolais cross.  Another silent sigh of relief, my steer was still in the running.  Finally Rachel chose an adorable black steer that was heavily muscled and reminded her of the steer she had two years ago.  If I hadn't been sick I would have jumped for joy, my first choice steer was mine. 



I settled him in his pen and reluctantly left my little guy alone for the night, but not before he demonstrated to me that while he may seem little, he is more than capable of taking me for a nice.... er.... run.  We'll have to get that fixed pretty soon!

The only question left is what to name him.... Any suggestions?