Stuff that makes for a really long day...

I finally decided today was the day...

...To start getting this spring and summer's calves registered...

...And to get the fair entries done...



...And finish my scholarship application for Pennfield Feeds (which really wasn't too bad, I just had to proof it a bit)...



All of which lead to mammoth headaches.

The whole bunch of work.

See, for starters, Holstein Association USA's registration forms are not known for their ease. They are down right complicated. They have this EZ program for the computer, but that is actually even worse than the paper blanks. So I tend to shy away from the computer program, unless I am in a real hurry. One big problem with the EZ program is that we have young daughters on both really really old bulls from AI studs, like pre 1980, and from our own bulls that Dad has bought and raised. If the sire of a calf isn't from the studs over the last say fifteen years, the program is determined the bull is not a legitimate sire, and causes all kinds of grief until the user manages to over ride what ever the problem is. Which tends to put me in the one headache too many category to use it. Plus I am really not all that fond of computers. They are great...when they are actually working, but I tend to manage to make them not work.

A finished registration paper. What the end product looks like.

Then there are the Altamont Fair entries to do. They really aren't much easier. Mostly because this season they decided to put everything on the web. From entry blanks, to rules and regs, all the necessary information is on the net..in pdf form...which our computer hates. So it took me more than three days just to get stuff to load between error messages, and having to get into contact with the actual fair office to get all the pages I needed to do my cows entries. Then I had to transfer them from this computer to the one in the main office with a printer. The other one has internet capabilities, but is slower than molasses in January. And naturally the printer didn't want to cooperate. Guess who I went to with that issue...My wonderful Mommy. Who fixed the problem. I printed out two sets of the blanks, even though I needed five or so, and then just used the copier to get everything I needed.

Heifer list so I know which calf goes with which cow.

At which time the even bigger headache causing activities started...



Acutally doing the entries themselves. Which required finally picking which animals were gonna get entered. And this year I was smart. I put at least one animal in all my immediate family's names (nyvolfan, darling big brother, we would like to include you in this list, no you don't actually have to show, I do know better than to try that one any more (yeah right, and if you believe that I got a bridge to sell yah), but we need your signature on the blanks) so I could get everybody passes. And so Frieland Ex Spec Camry (Dad), Frieland Ex Spec Junie (Mom), Frieland Ex Spec Lemonade (Becky), and Frieland C Alpha Zulu (Alan) were entered for everybody. I have the blunt of the string, as this is my project...aka my vacation. I entered Frieland Z Mandolin Rain, the new mommy, her yearling daughter Maqua Kil Blitz Mendocino, Frieland Zander Foolish, Maqua Kil Zander Spruce, and Frieland Chilt Blink for myself. Then I put up the fees for Best Three Females, and Daughter-Dam. I don't plan to actually take the majority of the ten animals, should I enter one for big brother too. I kind of just want a small string this year, so I am not so totally stressed when school starts up. Plus with just four or five, I can relax a bit more, hang out with my friends and enjoy my 'vacation' as much as possible.

Hope to see everybody there. This promises to be yet another crazy and fun filled fair. As of yet none of the actual events are up for the fair week itself. But I can say that right now it looks like the dairy classes will again be held Thursday morning and night (with just Holsteins we're only showing in the evening), and beef will be late Friday. Be sure to stop by and sit a spell with us if you swing through the grounds. We're happy to sit and chat awhile. And Mandy is almost always looking for a few more pets.

And of course my ever present cup of coffee. It is about the only thing that will give me enough energy to keep going.