Parton my Dust: 7th Heaven

Zoomania Day Camp turned out to be a big hit. Fox did a nice job with the young kids and had one boy who was a huge Fox fan. The second day we had Thumb Reptile in for a presentation and I was lucky enough to go down and see it. I was shocked and pleasantly surprised to see how comfortable Fox was with the large Burmese Python they had brought in. He held it and carried it around for the kids to see. I even held a few snakes myself, the presenters made everyone feel very at ease around the animals and were glad to let the kids hold them, pet them and pass them around. Another highlight was storytime, I chose Animal Action ABC by Karen Pandell and Art Wolfe, however as opposed to having the kids sit down and me reading it, I used it more as a creative movement exercise and we got active! From arching, to growling, to pouncing, and kicking, they had a blast! Great way to end our time together.

Next up was overnight camp. Although Benjamin didn't attend as a camper he did come with me Wednesday evening when I dropped Ethan off and got clearance to stay for the Whispering Pines presentation which included bullfrogs, hedgehog, sloth, a ferrel fox, and a huge lizard to name a few. My first day in science we made plaster casts of animal prints which went better than I could have expected. We then discussed five groups of vertebrates (mammal, reptile, amphibian, birds, and fish) and played animal scategories where they had to come with an animal for each category that started with a particular letter that was chosen by rolling the alphabet die from my Scategories game. It was quite a challenge at first, then I let them use some animal books that I had brought for reference and the game really picked up from there. My second day of Science didn't go as well as I had hoped, my idea to use some multimedia ie: websites sort of backfired so I went with plan B which was making part of a lapbook that focused on four invertebrate groups. This was not so well received but they muddled through. Wish I would have gone with something more active. Live and learn. Ethan had a great time although I sort of regret putting him in a cabin with two of his buddies because he didn't really branch out and make new friends like he did the year before, but no biggie, just mental note to self.

The Sunday before 4H camp week was our second weigh-in for the piggies. Rob, Fox and I rattled up the road in my new beater truck to pick up the scale then Ben and Ethan helped me hustle them on and off. Happily we are back on track for making weight at Fair. The smallest was Chew-porka at 190lbs, next was Rocky Hogowa at an even 200, then 50 Cent still livin' the largest at 210lb. We're hoping to enter Rocky and 50 Cent as a pair so they need to be within 10 pounds of each other, which it looks like they will be. We put about 50 pounds on each one in 3 weeks so if we can do a repeat of that gain we will be looking good! Since it has been unusually hot in Michigan this summer it has been very time consuming to make sure the hogs are watered down regularly, have plenty of mud holes, and still continue to eat. They are more social than one would expect and like to have someone come back and visit often which always prompts them to get up and take a turn at the feeder. We've had a few crazy escapes too, when they start to feel neglected they take it upon themselves to find some way to occupy their time, which usually means, scooching under a fence and heading down to the pond for a dip. One night they got out and really went exploring, ending up in the neighbors yard. Thankfully Fox was still at home and noticed they got out or our investments may have been long gone by the time the younger boys and I had returned.

We had our final Pig Club meeting before Fair this past weekend which was the annual showmanship clinic. They had a great presenter in from MSU that was raised on a pig farm and has been very successful in showing and judging. The kids really learned a lot, hopefully they can put it all together come show time. Just 11 more days to go and the three not-so-little pigs will be moving along to Fair. Hoping Ben and Ethan both get a decent price at auction plus looking forward to having a freezer full of good meats to eat ourselves and share with friends and family.

Tomorrow is a day out with some choir friends. We're heading to Midland to tour the Dow house and gardens. Then I'll spend the next week getting my indoor projects together for Fair. Ben and Ethan will be finishing up their swimming lessons. AND I just found out I am going to be going to ITALY!!! Rob has a business trip coming up and I get to tag along. More details to follow......