An Unconventional Birthday Outing

The Junior Livestock Show Of Spokane

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Yesterday was my birthday! It was also the first time in A LOT of years that I didn't have to run the library on my birthday, so I didn't quite know what to do with myself. Well, that is sort of a misnomer, for I always have something to do and am never bored. You can chalk that ever-present mentality up to being raised in places that had only one satellite phone for a hundred plus people, no tv, etc. This Kat is never bored! Exhausted at times, sure, but boredom is a choice not a happenstance state of being.

Ooh, mini-lecture aside, One of my many life assignments is that of a 4-H market beef leader, so when one of my beeflings texted me and asked if I would come watch her show her steer, affectionately known as Bubba Gump, at the Junior Livestock Show of Spokane, Washington , of course I said,"Yes."

The Junior Livestock show is a yearly fixture in our region, a group of days when 4-H and FFA kids from all over the Pacific Northwest congregate in Spokane to show their beef, pigs, goats, and sheep. The Spokane fairgrounds becomes inundated with stock trailers and the sound of clippers a buzzing for a few days, and a whole gaggle of motivated youth and their beasts strut their stuff trying to win classes and make it to the finals. The whole thing is quite a spectacle to behold.

Few things are more amusing to me than seeing a thousand pound chunk of bovine muscle enjoy getting a blow out. Before my tenure in 4-H, I had seen a lot of animal shows at fairs and such, but I didn't realize the sheer volume of grooming that is required to fit an animal for the show ring. For every kid and animal that you see in the exhibitor's arena you have to imagine the hours upon hours spent training, grooming, and conditioning their not always cooperative animal partner. The dedication that is involved in livestock showing is massive!

That said, I am usually most amused by the not-so-typical moments of any event that I attend, and animal shows are no exception. I'm hard pressed to describe my favorite moment of the two hours I sat perched on the aluminum bleachers in the steer barn, but here are a couple of my amusement highlights.

The Opposite Squad.

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My beefling was showing in the 4-H Prospect steer classes, and with her massive beast being in the very last class, I had to sit through ten classes of blow-dried. primped to the max, beef exhibiting. Whenever a boy or girl the size of a piece of carry on luggage when enter the ring I would perk up a bit. Why? Well, nothing is more awesome than seeing a fifty pound kid sassily strut and lead an animal that tops the scale at over half a ton. One little girl had a supermodel like swagger, and I think that her moo did too. Although, all it took sometimes to disrupt that short stuff apple cart was a shake of the mighty beast's head and you would have a free beef agent roaming the arena with a cowboy boot bedecked child stalking after the fleeing beast in an attempt to regain "control."

Sorry about the not so great image, but here's tongue steer in all his dangle-appendage finery!

Tongue Flied.

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Ever since I was a child I have enjoyed watching animals. Each one is so different, and even herd animals like cows have very distinct personalities. It is in that varied and descriptive vein that I was beyond elated when I saw the cow with the wandering tongue. A high school girl in one of the classes had this amazingly groomed light brown steer that didn't have a hair out of place. For reasons unknown, but highly enjoyable to me at least, her steer had his tongue extruding from his mouth at the most awkward angle throughout the whole class. There must have been a mote of alfalfa floating through the air that only he could see, and by golly he was going to catch that flake!

So, instead of getting birthday cake frosting on my jeans and boots, another substance showed up. Although I must admit that I had far less bovine excrement on my form than some other folks in attendance. Bus loads of local children were at the event, and as I was appraising a well-fitted Angus, I happened to hear a squish and screech. Someone's glittery purple sandals were no longer a shade of cool, rather they were poopalicious in design and smell, along with their wearer's feet. Not the kind of pedicure I would want, but to each their own.

And now I must leave you all to your various machinations, for there is a 12X24 tomato hoop house that must be erected, among other things. Hope you all have a lovely day and keep your hooves nice and clean!

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And as always, all of the images in this post were taken on the author's bovine excrement free iPhone.

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