It is crazy to think we are already into the middle of August!

Monday the three older kids worked on their steers and then went over to Connell with McCall and McKenna to say good bye to them, and give Leslie and Jay a present with the twins for taking them to Nebraska. They then came home and did chores. I went to Othello for a working meeting and then back to Pasco.  We still have a mares on regumate, Cancan getting doctored, water to move, and lots of other fun fun projects. We are also getting Slugger tamed down to start halter breaking him so moved him to the corral so he can see humans.

                Tuesday morning Mike Chubbs came out and butchered three heifers and a pig. Dad went to Allie’s to pick up Stinger. Toni texted and said Chad was bringing some wheat straw out today. Anna and Kaine caught Monica and Addy to start halter breaking, we are going to try to take Monica to Benton Franklin Fair.  Toni texted me that she wanted to turn out Dime and Shi, they have been in with the old mares, so she turned them out in the big pasture with the other yearling fillies. Once Stinger was unloaded the kids decided which one of them was getting a driving lesson pulling a trailer on the way back to my house, Kaine won that so he got to drive.  On the way they saw a cow in heat and the bull calves riding her. So Toni and the kids went out to get her in. They had her in and she jumped through the fence and in into a different pen. Then Anna said that they already had her in once, she pushed the gate open into the wash rack and jumped the wash rack fence and got out. Guess who gets to go on a trip to town?  Jaxsen was not impressed with the cow and talked about how dumb she is for quite a long time after that.

Wednesday the kids worked on their animals. Toni and Jaxsen got down to do chores when the other kids were already leaving, so Jaxsen did not go and work on his steers, it was getting hot, so I feel like he was ok with this.  Dime and Shi had gotten the round pen open so were back in with the old mares, I guess they don’t like being in the big pasture. I got there in time to help change water.

By Thursday Monica and Addy were so great the kids lead them to their pen and back without setting any panels. Jaxsen got stung in the eye lid while doing chores, so he went home with Toni. We got more wheat straw from Chad on Thursday and the Jon Mastre bailed our hay. The water pump went out in the stacker so it all did not get stacked. Murtaugh went with Ben on the tractor to work on a circle and then try to help with the stacker.

Friday Jaxsen was milking the wasp sting, and could not look up what school supplies he needed, or go work on his steers due to his eye. In the afternoon mom and the kids went over to Connell to see grandma. Marlo came to do chores, after chores Marlo went with the kids to work on steers. Jaxsen’s eye is still swollen.  Mom also got stung by the wasps in the arm. I guess the wasps are getting aggressive.

Saturday Leslie, Traci, Anna, Kaine, Kade, Ady, Julian, Natalie, Joe, Dad and I went to Jana Kollers to look at steers and heifers. We met Bill and Kayla there. So we spent the morning looking at 2022 show animals. Then Dad, Anna, Kaine, Kade and I left and went and had lunch at Lyon’s Ferry Mariana. Everyone else went and looked at Bill’s fall bulls. We got back to the house and Kade went home for a bit as Toni had some friends over with their little boy. Anna and Kaine washed their steers. Kaine went and helped Ben worked on the fence in the weaning pen. Anna and I went out and checked the cows and horses. Comet needed to come home, so Anna and I took her to mom and dads. She is getting old and somehow hurt herself and has a swollen shoulder.  Kade and Jaxsen came down and washed their steers. Then they went and helped move stuff around so we could wean on Saturday. Then we went down and did chores, and the kids worked on their two and three year olds.

                Sunday morning we weaned the bull calves. We sorted off some cows to send to Toppenish, and so then we got the heifer calves in to sort some cows off that were in there to send. Terry and Erina came and picked up Livvy. Toni and I went out and caught Dolly and brought her to the house, she needs to go in to Sheena and get her travel papers so she can go to CA. We haltered Slugger, we are getting him ready to go to the Midwest. Toni got stung in the hand by a wasp while we were down at the corral. We also moved the yearling colts to the middle pen and King back into the back pen. Kicker and Jaxsen fixed fence between circles 5 and 6. The kids came down and did chores and then worked on their three year olds. Anna rode Jag out of the round pen with the saddle. We make them start the horses without a saddle, so this is the first good ride Anna had with Jag saddled. Toni and Anna even rode down the driveway then around to the back of the house. Jag did really good.

It is crazy to think we are already into the middle of August! We are beginning our last week of summer with the kids before we start the marathon fair season.  We are making our foal weaning schedule, shipping mares home, and getting ready to gear up for fall. Anyone with a foal purchased, please get in touch with us so we can get that foal weaning schedule complete. We do have some really fancy foals left for sale as well. We also have two Hereford steers, that are around 300 lbs for $400.

Anyone looking for beef? The kids will be selling their steers at Benton Franklin, CBJLS, and the Othello fairs with sales on Aug 28, Sept 11, and Sept 18. For those that don’t want to go in person, you can call in, have someone bid for you (we can help with that), or call the fair office for options. There are lots of hard working kids out there with animals for sale, so please support your local fairs as many of these kids depend on the funds they earn.