2008 Public Speaking Competition

Today was our 4-H Club's Public Speaking competition.

The kids are divided into groups by age: 9-11 are Junor, 12-14 are Intermediate, and 15 and over are Seniors. They can do either a presentation, in which they demonstrate how to do something, or do the combo-pack of a prepared speech and an impromptu speech. We had three presentations today, and nine speeches.

The Boy has been steadily improving his public speaking skills since he started: in his first year of 4-H, he was petrified of the whole idea of public speaking, bursting into tears while practicing his speech at home, and saying "don't look at me!" Of course, by the time the competition came around, he had gotten past that and he managed to get up there in front of a room full of people and deliver his speech just fine.

Last year, he came in a very close second in his age group.

This year, he came in first. :)

The Boy will be going on to District level competitions and we are very proud of him.

I think the best moment today was when he got up to do his impromptu speech. The kids get to draw three topics at random, then pick one for their one to two minute speech. His topic: I am grateful for...

The first thing on his list: My parents.

Yep, there I was, grinning like a fool, and thinking to myself how absolutlely wonderful it was that The Boy chose the plural for that, including The Reluctant Farmer as his parent. The Reluctant Farmer is, in every way, The Boy's parent, and it's awfully nice to hear those words spoken out loud by The Boy himself.

Also on the list of things he is grateful for were his pets, who are loveable and keep him company, and the dogs, who guard his sheep and keep them from being eaten by coyotes ... good food ... his toys, because many people in the world don't have many toys ... the whole thing was really rewarding for his mom, I must say. :)

So the big red ribbon will go in his record book, and he'll be practicing for the next level of competition, which is in three weeks. Exciting times at our house!

A really great 4-H Day!

Today, our 4-H club went to the local college for a tour of the Culinary Arts and Retail Meat Cutting departments. The department is titled "The School of Hospitality and Culiary Arts": I found hospitality defined as "warmth and generosity toward guests or strangers" ... and I would have to say that everyone we met today would certainly be worthy of that definition!

Our first job this morning was to get trucks started (it's been very, very cold lately) and our vehicles full of kids and grownups transported into the city. We managed to find parking and one another, and our group was greeted by three senior Culiary Arts students who dressed us in lab coats and head coverings and then led us through all of the various kitchens and labs. This is a school where people learn to make all sorts of wonderful things to eat: there were bread bakeries, pastry kitchens, a room dedicated just to making garnishes and cold things like sandwiches and hors d'oeuvres, two full restaurant kitchens, and even a walk in freezer that housed a person working on an ice sculpture!

After touring the facilities, we were treated to a fabulous lunch at the formal restaurant that is the training ground for all the various hospitality students - everyone from restaurant managers to servers to cooks need a place to hone their skills, and this is it. All twelve of us were served with the utmost courtesy, and fed until we were ready to burst! We had a salad, which included the most fascinating pea sprouts on top (they taste like peas but feel like lettuce in your mouth ... they are wonderful), then a main dish of lamb with delightfully spiced mashed potatoes and a variety of other vegetables, and a plate of chocolate mousse for dessert! This feast arrived after plying us with samples of breads, chocolates, and meat dishes during our tour ... suffice it to say that in this place, "generosity towards strangers" certainly includes generous helpings of food!

After lunch, the head of the Retail Meat Cutting department took us to the meat lab, where he himself cut up a lamb carcass, explaining every step, so that we could see how the whole animal is transformed into the various pieces you see in the store (or on your plate). This was really fascinating for everyone ... you get a better idea of what the judges are looking for when they say "we want a long loin" or "the ribs should be wider" when you have seen what the resulting cuts of meat look like. We also gained a greater appreciation for the amount of effort that goes into preparing the various cuts of meat: the cut we had at lunch requires the very careful separation of bone from surrounding meat, not at all a quick or easy process, even for an expert. We have a whole new appreciation for the skills involved in getting our meat to the table!

Who's there?

Photo Credit: The Boy

Today, the inevitable occurred.

I hit a deer on the way to work, just about 25 mins from home (work is 1.25 hours away, ish).

I was in the Intrigue, not either of the trucks, alone, no kids.

The deer dashed out of the ditch in a spot where the trees are right close to the road, so of course I didn’t see it until it was in front of me. Slammed on brakes, and heard shattering glass. Opened my eyes and was shocked to see the windshield intact. Looked to the right, and the rear view passenger side mirror was inside the car – ah, that’s where the glass came from. Passenger window shattered. I got out and looked to see the deer – figured I oughta put it out of it’s misery if it wasn’t dead (well, call someone to do that… I’m a country girl now but I don’t drive around with a shotgun in my car) – it was nowhere in sight. Saw it’s hoof prints off into the trees, so I guess the coyotes will feast tonight. No way it got off without some serious damage, although there was no blood. I heard from the Reluctant Farmer that it's there in the ditch now, so maybe I just didn't see it.

So I checked out the car … oops, the headlights are dangling out because the hood is buckled from impact … but it was driveable so I put the flashers on and drove home (very cold with that window open). I had to have a shower to warm up and get the glass bits out of my hair, then I went to lie down. My body kicked into “sedate this crazy person so she doesn’t try to do anything else” mode, and I slept for a couple of hours. My Reluctant Farmer fiance woke me up, and I did a bit of remote work – we have a super busy day at the office, my poor partner is carrying a massive load today trying to do a bunch of stuff of mine plus all his … I’ll go in tomorrow.

So yeah, that’s what happened.

Oh yes, and one of my other coworkers kindly booked me an appointment with the chiropractor upstairs, for tomorrow. So that’ll be a good thing – it hurts quite a bit already but I did put Deep Cold on it!

One look at this should tell you why I don't feel so hot:

The approach of lambing season

Winter has settled in completely, and before long, there'll be lambs out in the pasture. This is always an exciting time of year, especially because we have not yet put the necessary infrastructure in place to allow us to effectively control the breeding matches - so it's very exciting to see what sorts of babies we will end up with! I'm very hopeful that we'll see some more Icelandic influence in the sheep this year.

Construction on the addition is moving right along - the main floor ceilings are all up, and there are actually lights that turn on when you flip wall switches! This is a big step forward from trouble lights and extension cords. The plumbers are nearly done their work, although we haven't got all the fixtures just yet, but heating and air exchange are well underway.

Tonight we are sitting in front of the fireplace, keeping warm indoors. My parents have been here for the week and they head back home Monday ... tomorrow, though, they get to be farmers for the day: it's sheep vaccination time, and the more hands helping out, the better!

A garage for the bobcat

Awhile back, we purchased a shelter for the bobcat. It's of a design usually used for horse shelters: just a slanted metal roof over a three sided enclosure. This one is extra tall, to allow the bobcat to drive in, and it was delivered here some time back.

The delivery guy dropped the shelter off in the most accessible location, as The Reluctant Farmer needed to do some reorganizing of things before the shelter could be positioned in it's proper location. Well, wouldn't you know it, we had a big wind storm that flipped the shelter onto it's back, then right over again onto it's roof! It landed on the trash pile, so now we have several nicely compressed piles of stuff to go to the dump. The shelter sat there, upside down, for several weeks.

Today things warmed up sufficiently that the bobcat was deemed likely to start, so it was determined that it could be the day to flip the shelter back over. The bobcat did, indeed, start on the first try, and The Reluctant Farmer managed to get the shelter flipped part of the way over. It took a lot of back and forth with the bobcat, a tow strap, and a lot of finagling, but eventually, the shelter was righted and put in place ... and the bobcat now has a home.

My ring is here!

My ring arrived today!

The courier had numerous challenges locating our house, and in the end the package was delivered to the Vet Clinic, of all places! I am thinking maybe Bob had something to do with this, given how he was involved in the whole proposal event ...

I had an errand to do at the clinic anyway ... the sheep need to be tested for worms (it's very common for sheep to have worms, and you can medicate for them, but there's no point in dosing them if it's not needed). So, I drove up to the clinic and traded my bag of sheep droppings for an engagement ring. :) The staff thought I definitely got the better end of that deal!

The ring fits perfectly and is just as beautiful as it was in the picture on the website: it suits me, I think. I have every intention of wearing it for the rest of my life, so I suppose that's a good thing!