Showboat Buddies

Tonight was the kickoff event for Showboat Buddies. Everyone in the club got together and signed up for the project areas they would like to participate in this year. Leaders stepped up to teach kids skills in . . .

Knitting
Poultry
Shooting sports
Cavy
Rabbits
Crafts
Quilting
Global Education
Sewing
Swine
Woodcarving

Swine and Poultry will start after the new year year, but the rest of the clubs meet throughout the year. Look for all the information on our club webpage, coming soon. Visit often to stay up to date on important information for your project area.

We're off to a "Fair" start!

The first part of the dog show was today! Lizzie and Oliver showed in the explorer class in both obedience and showmanship. Oliver didn't know what to expect, but those ribbons sure put him at ease. Way to go, Ollie!











Sara, poor Sara, was not able to show because she didn't turn in her dog notebook by the due date. What a bummer. Next year Sara is going to rock as a first year!




Agility is Tuesday night. Watch out Fair. Lizzie and Oliver rule!
















In poultry news, Floyd is caged and ready to go . . .
















And the meat chickens are looking delicious, er, fair worthy. I see blue ribbons!




Stay tuned for more pix and news!

Cancel that

I hate to write a post like this, but you should know about some upcoming meetings that we need to cancel. Monday, May 29, is Memorial Day. The Lockwood family will be gardening as fast as they can for Molly's Open House the next weekend. While I plan to collapse on the sofa in the evening with knitting needles in hand, I imagine some of you will have other plans. Let's cancel that meeting and then hold a meeting on the second Monday in June, which is June 12. School will be finished, grades turned in, and knitting will be ready to be knitted. Hey, has anyone taken up the Red Thread Project challenge? My hat is finished. I know, I promised pictures. . .

On Thursday, June 1, Molly graduates from high school. She would like the family there to watch her strut her stuff, so that poultry meeting is canceled.

Declarations and Premium Statements are due June 1 and June 15, respectively. Do you know what you are bringing to Fair?

Good catch, Lizzie

Dog 4-H met tonight. A good group of kids turned out, even though we seem to be missing a few :( C'mon Oliver and Jake and Ben. We miss you.

Lizzie had a chance to practice with Ashley. This went much better than with hyper Bo. We'll have to try that again!

On the way home, Lizzie and I were talking about upcoming end of the year school activities and we realized that we can't host poultry 4-H tomorrow night. Hope we can reach everyone to let them know. A good reason to check the blog often!

A Poultry Post

Julie Kenney forwarded to me an email from Kent County 4-H and asked me to distribute this information to all of you.

"There is much discussion in the media today about Avian Influenza, otherwise known as "bird flu". It is important that Michigan residents understand the real issues of this disease, what is true, and what isn't. To address this issue, MSU Extension Emergency Management has put together. . ." a website with a variety of links to information on Avian Influenza.

Ask Mr. Lockwood if he thinks any of this information will be a judge's question at the fair!

Also, there are some new guidelines that you should be aware of. Mr. Lockwood will go over those at the next meeting.

A knitting challenge

Julie emailed me recently and asked me if our knitting club would be interested in participating in the Red Thread Project (click on skip intro to get into the website). I had heard of the project, and I have been working (periodically) on a hat to donate. Initially I was concerned that our knitters don't have enough experience/knowledge to knit a hat, but after thinking about it, maybe you do. So I am challenging all of us, or at least the adults and the older knitters, to take up your needles in support of a good cause.

The Red Thread Project is collecting hand-knit hats to be donated to cancer patients. Cancer patients often lose their hair during chemotherapy, and receiving a hand-knit hat to wear during the process is a good way to feel love and support.

I'm using a top-down hat pattern. I am using some hand-spun yarn and as I neared the "ear" part of the hat I realized that I would run out of yarn before it was long enough to cover the ears. So I consulted my Knitting Over the Edge book by Nicky Epstein and found a great two-color pattern that I am using to help prolong my yarn supply. I think it will work perfectly. Pictures soon.

In other club news, Lizzie was the only member to attend the dog club last night :( Bo and Lizzie are having a little trouble coming together as a team. Are others of you struggling with feeling like you can be successful at this? Comment here about your concerns. Learning a new activity is hard work. But you don't learn anything if it comes easily -- we all learn from making mistakes. So keep at it. Fight the good fight.

Poultry club is meeting tonight at our house at 7:00. I have no idea what you will be talking about. But since we expect rain, I expect you will be meeting inside WITHOUT chickens. We've had chickens in the house before, shoot we even had a goat wander in once, but generally I like to keep those things outdoors.

See you there!

Sits and Stays

It's been four days since our last meeting. Are you remembering to do your sits and stays? How about a review:

Sits: Working with a lead, ask your dog to sit. Walk a few steps away from your dog and then turn to face your dog. You dog should remain in the sitting position until you say "okay" (at least one minute). Call your dog. Your dog should walk up to you and sit and wait, looking up at you. Tell your dog to "finish." Your dog needs to circle behind you from your right to your left and sit at your side. Say, "exercise finished." Don't forget to praise your dog!

Stays: Working with a lead, ask your dog to lay down. Follow the steps above.

Lizzie and I are working hard to fill in her dog declaration before we drop it off at the fair office tomorrow. As I reviewed Bo's shot records, I noticed that he does not need a new rabies shot until 2008, but he needs the DHPPC shot this year. When I called the vet, it became clear that I might not be able to get him into the office before Monday at 4:30. Time to come up with a Plan B.

Good old TSC came to the rescue. They carry the vaccination we need as a "Spectra 8" shot. Lizzie and I headed out to Lowell and we picked up a shot for Bo, one for Griffin, and a couple for the cats. We stopped by the Bragdon's house when we got back and Dr. Bragdon walked me through the process. First we mixed the contents of the dilution bottle in with the contents of the powder bottle and shook it up real good. Then we grabbed Bo by the scruff and poked him with the sharp. He yelped a little, but the sharp went in nicely and Bo is now vaccinated!

I went back home and repeated the process with the feline vaccinations. That cat scruff is a lot harder to poke, but I got the solution into their necks and they both are looking fine.

Bo's vaccination was $5.96 and the feline vaccinations were $3.99 each. What an economical way to take care of our pets! Thanks for your help, Dr. Bragdon!

Dog Declarations

Dog declarations for the Kent County Youth Fair due Monday by 4:30 p.m.

Can't show if you don't declare!

Knitting news: I made an adjustment to the sole of the pattern. It seemed a little wide, so I decreased that area by six stitches. Stay posted for pictures.

Hey guys, please comment. Do you know how to do that? At the end of each post is the word, "comment." Click on it to make a comment back on the blog. For example, if you have turned in your declarations, let us know in the comments. And tell me when you have practiced your sits and stays. How many times did you have to try before your dog could sit for a minute? What about lay down for a minute? When you get to the more advanced classes, you will have to do sits and stays with your dog when you leave the room -- he or she won't be able to see you but will still have to keep the stay! That's why it's so important to get it down correctly now. Good luck!