The Rest (???) of the Story....WAY too long ~ you might want to skip this!

So I made it to Jefferson. NOT without much angst on my part. I was towing a trailer with no lights on it. Actually, it has lights on it ~ I just hadn't plugged them in. I didn't think they worked, so why bother plugging them in? (or even checking to see if they DO work?)

I was so scared driving through/around Madison, WI., that I was praying not to get a ticket. I SO can not afford a ticket. Perhaps one would wonder why I didn't check the lights and plug them in, in that case. Because that would make too much sense!!!

Anyway, I got to Jefferson in one piece and without being stopped. In my opinion, this is absolute proof that there truly IS a God that, for some reason I can not fathom, obviously loves me very much! Poor Corrine and Marie were waiting for me at the Fairgrounds and helped me unload my sheep and all my STUFF.

I really bring a lot of stuff to Jefferson. Not sure that I actually NEED it all or even used it all ~ but I bring it none-the-less.

We got to our motel at some unholy hour of the night and slept like babies. At least Marie and I slept like babies. Apparently Corrine has recurring DREAMS about Marie snoring and she does not sleep particularly well...

I was amazed at how quickly three women could shower and use the bathroom in the morning. I believe we were up and out of there in one hour!

At the fairgrounds it was time to feed my poor, starving Shetlands. They actually had plenty of hay to last them through the night but they TOLD me they were starving! Here's the thing... when sheep are used to being pastured on grass and are suddenly confined to a tiny stall with nothing to do but eat (and 'talk' to passers-by) they eat a LOT of hay.

My little Chance and Prima Dona were especially friendly with all the visitors at Jefferson. In spite of the fact that they were clearly NOT what the Judge likes in Sheltnad ewes, I was very proud of my beautiful, HST ewe lambs.


The Judge was also not impressed with my yearling rams.
Hunter (shown my Corinne!) got 5th in a large class of yearling rams ~ that was our best placing for the day. That's unusual for my flock. Then again, this is the first year I didn't have some of the largest Shetlands there. Hunter is the smallest ram in the photo of the ram class. I am NOT implying that the only reason that the sheep that won is because they were the biggest! Quite the opposite. They were excellent quality, superbly put together Shetlands (with the possible exception of the two times that I heard the judge mention that he was placing a sheep second because it was a bit cow-hocked ~ to me that is a disqualifying fault and should not be placed ~ but that's just my opinion). I have nothing against larger Shetlands, in fact, like my rams to be on the big side. I just chose to go in a different direction with my breeding plans this past year and I am quite happy with the animals that I have. You won't hear me complaining about getting beat by the Ludlams or Hopkins or Catanzaros (or many others!) ~ they've got some awesome Shetlands!

but I still like mine the BEST!
;-)

Not only did we not win any classes. I did not SELL any sheep! This is not good.

I did, however, have the MOST wonderful time with old friends and new! It was so great to see Kim again.
Poor Dear was a nervous wreck about having to speak at the AGM but she did a VERY nice job and she looks fabulous!

I briefly saw Becky and Sharrie, as well as Penny and Donna but never really got a chance to visit with them. Mary Ellen looked wonderful and Kate gave a great talk, on behalf of MSSBA, at the AGM meeting. It was wonderful to have the chance to chat with Joe & Nyla Catanzaro and Larry and Angie Hopkins again! Chris and Allen Green are, as always, an inspiration. I'm sure that I'm forgetting to mention many of the people who contributed to this being a memorable weekend for me.

And then there's the man that Corinne (my adopted sister) refers to as "The little brother we never wanted":
That would be GARRETT. What a hoot! Garrett brought along a new friend (a NEW adopted sister named Briony).
She is an absolute doll and fit right into the "family" like she'd always been there.

One of my very favorite people, in the whole-wide-WORLD is Juliann! We had some fun moments and a wonderful dinner together Saturday night. Thanks, Jules ~ I love you!! Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera with me Saturday night so don't have a picture of this beautiful lady to share with you. But trust me ~ she's beautiful INSIDE and out...

I missed connecting with Terry D. That's a dissappointment. I did meat several people who came up to me and introduced themselves as readers of my blog. What an honor that was!

Although, I didn't buy any sheep, I did manage to fall in love with this beautiful ewe lamb from the Hopkins' "Little Creek Farm" in Indiana.

Her proud mom was not THE least bit interested in parting with her ~ which is a good thing since the LAST thing I need to be doing right now is buying sheep! ;-)

OMG! I'm rambling. I better get off the computer and go check on my sheep. The camera batteries are recharging so no new photos today. FALL is here and I'm ecstatic about that! I SO love the cooler weather.

THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO MADE MY TRIP TO JEFFERSON SO WORTHWHILE!! I'm seriously considering having a "family reunion" sometime in October....

Oh Good Grief! I almost forgot to mention that my beautiful Deja Vu raised the most money at the Silent Auction for MSSBA. It was SO hard putting her into that stall, all by herself. Fortunately, she quickly made friends with the beautiful katmoget ewe lamb in the stall next to her. Best of all, the kind lady who bought Deja Vu also bought the little katmoget ewe lamb as well as the handsome black/krunet ram that was donated so Deja Vu already has new friends in her new home...