Children's Nativity Play-2011

 Friday afternoon was the dress rehearsal for the Children's Nativity Play to be held Christmas Eve. The kids were so excited to put on costumes, although Desert Girl wanted to keep her sparkling red shoes on with her sheep costume.

 As the children waited to put on their costumes, they watched a video from two years ago. Desert Boy had been a lamb that year, and all the other kids had had other parts. They thought two years ago was ages ago, and it was true that they all looked quite a bit different.

 Once everyone had their costumes on, it was time to take their places: King Herod on his throne, the angels on their cloud, the shepherds and sheep on Shepherd's Hill, Joseph and Mary in the stable.

 Desert Girl liked the pillows under Shepherd's Hill. The sheepherders weren't too concerned about keeping their sheep behaving well.

 Doug skillfully accompanied all the songs. I sure wish I could play the piano better--I used to take lessons from Doug but eventually gave them up because I didn't have time to practice. But I'm getting more tempted to make that time...

 The girls--and Neto--lined up to sing a song. Desert Girl was happy to stand up there even though she didn't know any of the words. I guess she's not so shy.

 The angels are always so fun to watch. One of the advantages of photographing during the dress rehearsal is seeing the orange socks! Oh, the lighting is a little simpler, too.

 Little Ella had fun wandering all over the stage and back and forth from the audience during the dress rehearsal.

 She found the other angels for this song.

 Desert Boy had several lines and was really good about memorizing them.

 The Three Wise Men made their grand entrance.

 Joseph and Mary (aka Megan and Kayli) had to check out what was happening over at the palace.

 Desert Girl was a little tired and ready to be held.

 The grand finale, Joy to the World.

 On the night of the performance, Isaac joined Emma as a sheep.

 This little lamb had fun playing with Grandpa before the performance.

My husband then videotaped the performance, but I haven't had much luck uploading the large files yet.

The kids did an excellent job, despite a wandering sheep and angel that caused a little havoc.

For the last song, all the kids were up on stage singing except for Desert Girl, who sat on Shepherd Hill making funny faces. I guess I could say she was basking in the limelight!

2019 Sheepherders Gathering

 Every January it's time for the annual Sheepherders' Gathering at the Border Inn, located along Highway 6 & 50 on the stateline of Nevada and Utah. Sheepherders, sheep owners, and other aficionados of the sheep industry drive up to hundreds of miles to attend.

On Friday evening there's an Industry appreciation dinner (invite only) followed by Open Mic night. I really enjoy this, as you never know what entertainment there will be. Nephi Clark Allred "Red Clark" opened with a sampling of his musical repertoire (above). Check out the link to hear some of his tunes.

Thank Hank Vogel took the floor as emcee.

Denys Koyle started the Sheepherders' Gathering many moons ago, and it has become a huge success.

Next up were a variety of stories and tributes.

Recognize this little performer? It's Desert Girl! She sang and played (sort of) Mary Had a Little Lamb.

Her jokes were better than her playing (she needs some practice).
Q: What do you call a sheep covered in chocolate? A: A candy baaa
Q: What do you get if you cross an angry sheep with a moody cow? A: An animal that's in a baaaad mooood.

Next came more memories.

Melanie has been performing since she was just walking. It's been so fun watching her grow up and seeing her talent blossom. 

Waddie Mitchell, cowboy poet, was the headliner for the weekend. He certainly knows how to spin a good yarn!

We missed many of Saturday's events because we went into Ely for the Birkebeiner Ski Race. There was a sourdough pancake breakfast, film screening, and more poetry by Waddie Mitchell.

We got back in time so my husband and I could attend the delicious Basque-style family dinner. The crowd was huge, filling the whole cafe and events room. I managed to forget to take a single photo!

Then we were entertained by the Front Porch Pickers. They sounded fantastic, and it was a really great evening.

It's so nice to have a special event to look forward to in the middle of winter. Keep an eye on the Great Basin National Heritage Area website if you want to attend next year!

A Day at the Fair

On Saturday we went to the local county fair to watch the nieces and nephews show their animals, enjoy the exhibits and booths, and eat some yummy, unhealthy, hey-I-only-eat-it-once-a-year fair food (like fry bread).

We got there in time to see the large class of steers. Before entering the arena, the steers (and in some cases, the kids) were given a last brush. Note that Caleb has his number on in the above photo.

The steers were led into the grassy show arena.

Clay, Alyshia, and Caleb were all in this class, and had really big steers! Alyshia's had been behaving on the ranch, but in the show arena he kept wanting to make a getaway, making Alyshia run after him.

They walked them around so that the judge could get a view of all sides.

Note Caleb's shirt now. There are safety pins, but no number. Where did it go?

Apparently his steer thought it would taste yummy and ate his number off of him. Completely.

Clay smiled as he listened to his mom.

The judge ended up awarding Clay, Caleb, and Alyshia blue ribbons. He commented that their steers looked like they were from a commercial cattle ranch. He was right about that!

Next we walked around the booths. Desert Boy had fun collecting free stuff like yoyos and balloons and crayons. He also really liked this game where he threw ping pong balls into a house that had areas open to show where fires could burn.

Then it was back to the arena to watch the Showmanship round. Megan did a good job with her sheep. We were informed that Desert Boy will be able to take a sheep to the fair the summer after next. Yikes, that seems soon! And I know about nothing about sheep!

Alyshia's misbehaving steer kept up the act the second time around, while her dad and uncle looked on from the fence.

Caleb (with a new number attached) did a good job and won a Grand Champion for the junior showmanship class. That meant he got to compete in the round robin and also show a sheep and a pig; the latter was a new experience for him.

Caleb's steer.

After visiting more animals like ducks and rabbits and chickens, we went through the exhibit hall and wandered around again. We were lucky to catch a competition about to start.

It was the watermelon eating contest, and Desert Boy was willing to compete in the 0-3 year old division.

On your marks, get set...notice the boy on the left and the girl on the far right didn't really think it necessary to wait for the "go."

They had one minute to eat as much as they could. The girl next to Desert Boy needed a little coaching.

She's taken a couple bites, while Desert Boy keeps chomping down. Usually he hates the seeds, but he didn't complain at all about them.

It seemed like a long minute, but finally the time was up. The kids had to stop eating and the judges tried to figure out who had eaten the most.

And the winner was Desert Boy! He got a nice first place medal. He also achieved a very slimy shirt, hands, and face.

He was happy to keep eating the watermelon. And Desert Girl was happy to assist. She'll be ready for this age group next year!

4-H Sheep 2018

 After struggles with controlling his 4-H sheep at the 2017 County Fair, Desert Boy declared he wasn't doing sheep again. But after he got his check for selling his lamb, he changed his mind. So we got a couple lambs from Todd Holt in Delta at the end of May (thanks, Gwendy, for helping arrange this!). When I first saw them, I was impressed how good they looked already. One let Desert Boy touch him.

They are both ewes, and #144 ate food out of Desert Boy's hands immediately. #141 was definitely shyer.

Our current plan is that Desert Boy will show one lamb for 4-H, and Desert Girl, who is just a Cloverbud, will show one for open class. 

In an effort to get them tamer, we've been taking them into our yard frequently. However, they sometimes get loose, and then it can be a chore to get them back into the pen. 

We're hoping they will continue to gain well and tolerate being walked better!
4-H livestock projects definitely teach the kids (and parents) a lot, and overall it's been a good experience for us.