One of the things we like about homeschooling is the flexibility it can offer our family. If the weather is interfering with farming, we are free to leave town. This past weekend, it was too cold to applicate fertilizer with our strip-till implement.
And my brother-in-law had tickets to the Denver National Stock Show!
So – we split!
We had a great time, thanks to the hospitality of my husband’s family.
We saw all sorts of fun things at the show.
I told My Farmer I could have spent most of the day in the sale barn – if you’ve never been to a livestock sale you are missing out, people. It is so fun.
Shooter trying to figure out who is bidding on the champion bison.
We watched some of the stock dog competition – I was frustrated that they did not announce before it began that the crowd should BE QUIET in order to allow the dogs to hear every command from their handler (my kids knew, of course, because I’m bossy and told them). I’m sure I wasn’t nearly as frustrated as the handlers, though.
It was a big arena, and the crowd sure made the sheep nervous.
We walked through the stockyards and saw all kinds of marvelous things (like yaks!), but Cowgirl felt this was the best part:
She bought the pony with her own money, and creatively named it 'Pink.'
We had a great time at the Pro-Rodeo Saturday evening. I really must say that I don’t understand the people that protest rodeos. The stock I saw must be the happiest horses and bulls on earth – they are treated like kings, fed like royalty, and live like free animals – except with fantastic medical care. They were gorgeous, powerful and breathtaking. I never once saw a look of fear from any of them (and my brother-in-law scored swank front-row seats next to the chutes, so I would know)! Also, it always makes me cry when the gorgeous cowgirl comes streaking in on a fast horse with a huge American Flag streaming around the arena. The National Anthem is moving even when it’s poorly done (sorry, poofy-haired lady that sang it).
So God Bless America – and cowboys (salivate). Have you ever been to a rodeo? If so, what was your impression?
When I was little we lived across from farms, and my friends had livestock and corn fields and wire fences that our mittens became stuck to in winter.
My husband always knows when we are at an area fair, if he can’t find me, he just needs to look in the barns. There I will be, admiring the stock, loving the smells, not wanting to leave. 
I could not agree more with your comments on rodeos – love them, and love going to see ALL the livestock that normally congregates there. eh-hem.
It’s true, you know, what they say about wranglers…