Friday, February 22, 2019

Life in Oklahoma



Perhaps I should have titled this post, Life at the Broome's instead of Life in Oklahoma. But, their life is the life of many folks that live in Oklahoma, so it works.  
We went to see our daughter and her family last week because our 10 year old Grandson was competing in their county sheep show.  We had never seen him show.  Tommy's sister and her husband heard us talking about going a couple of months ago and decided that they wanted to go as well.  They had never been to Oklahoma and they were intrigued by Clancy and his sheep too.  So, they flew  and met us there for 4 days.


While Bridget and the boys were at school and Clint was at work we went to see some of the sights of OKC.  Our first stop was the Oklahoma City Memorial and Museum.  The bombing took place in 1995 and took the lives of 169 people.  There are 169 chairs beautifully placed at the outside memorial.


The museum was lovely and done in such a thoughtful manner.  It is every bit as lovely as the 911 Memorial in New York except on a MUCH smaller scale.  We thoroughly enjoyed going through it.


The next day we went to the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum.  It chronicles the life of the American Indian, the cowboy and western heritage.  It houses beautiful artwork, lovely displays and a fabulous museum store with beautiful items.  If you are ever in OKC, this should be on your "to do" list for sure.  


After a fun day in the city it was time to head back to the country and watch Clancy work his sheep as he finished preparing them for the sheep show.  We got lawn chairs and lined up on the sidewalk in their front yard.  Thankfully it was a pretty evening and the temps were bearable to be outside for a while. 


The evening before they and by they, I mean Clancy and both his Dad and Mom, had washed and sheared one of the four sheep in preparation for the show.  Once they are washed and sheared they have a tight covering they place over them (upper left hand picture) to keep them clean until the show. You may be wondering why the sheep have to be sheared and I did too. It is so the judges can see their build better.  Personally, I think they look naked sheared and are much more attractive with their wool.   Clancy is practicing his stance with the sheep in the above pictures.  It is a most uncomfortable looking stance but it is the proper way to show the sheep.  Clancy has a Shropshire, Hampshire, Southdown and Natural sheep.  I had no idea that there were different breeds of sheep until now.  I mean, I thought a sheep was just a sheep. ~laugh~  Guess they aren't all created equal. 



Coleman had plenty of outside entertainment while Clancy worked his sheep. 



And, the horses grazed peacefully and  enjoyed their dinner out in the pastures.


On Friday night all those showing in the show on Saturday went to the "barn" to start or finish prepping their animals for the show.  It was so very interesting to watch them.  Talk about work!  These kids and their parents put in a whole lot of work to prepare these animals for these shows.  


Clancy still had 3 sheep to wash, dry and shear.  They have the strongest blow dryers and it still takes a long time to get their wool dry so they can be sheared.  As I said earlier, they are soooo much more attractive with their wool but it has to be shaved off for the shows.  Poppa even got in on the action and helped with blow drying one of them.  We were thoroughly entertained and watched in utter amazement. And, to see Bridget doing this like she's been doing it all of her life is so funny.  This girl was born and raised a "city slicker."  She hardly knew what a farm animal was when she got married.  But, she has sure embraced the country life and handles it like a champ. 


Clancy and his Daddy were at the show barn by 6:00 AM last Saturday putting the finishing touches on the sheep.  The rest of us were there by 9:00 to watch the competition.  Coleman has a little "girlfriend" Laurel that he runs with at the competitions.  The folks there refer to them as "the barn babies."  As you can see in the above pictures, we were bundled up.  They "say" the show barn is heated but it's the most pitiful form of heat that I've ever known .  It was probably about 42 degrees in there and we sat there for 4 hours.  My feet were frozen to the core!


Clancy did really well wining a 1st place ribbon with one of his sheep and 3 2nd place ribbons with the other 3.  We wouldn't trade being there for anything as it was such a great experience and we now know what all goes into showing animals.  And, we are quite proud of Clancy and his hard work and dedication as a mere 10 year old. 

Lea @ CiCis Corner
Lea @ CiCis Corner

Hi there! My name is Lea. I've been wife to the best Hubby for 44 years....Mom to a son and daughter....CiCi to 4 precious Grans....lover of family and friends....enjoy laughter and a good time....shopper....picture taking maniac....maker of delicious fudge....organizational enthusiast....memory maker....Southern Belle...and most importantly.....a Child of the King! Welcome to my little corner!

20 comments:

  1. So fascinating to read about this. Is your son in law a farmer full-time? Thank you for sharing your visit and I bet Clancy was so glad you were all there to cheer him on!

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  2. What a wonderful time with family and getting to see Clancy show his sheep is extra-special for him and you all! Have a blessed and beautiful day dear friend, HUGS!

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  3. That's a lot of hard work, and that's so special that you were able to visit to see the show. Your daughter is amazing to have learned all those country ways after she got married!

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  4. You go, Clancy! Congratulations! Ahhh, the country life!

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  5. Wow!! I think of sheep being little. Those are BIG!! What a great job Clancy did with his sheep and how exciting that you could be there to see him compete and do so well. I just loved this post!!

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  6. I'm glad y'all had a fun and safe time in Oklahoma! I know you are so proud of Clancy!

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  7. OH MY! Lea, this is so awesome! Thank you for sharing. Congratulations to Clancy, what a wonderful job he has done! And what a wonderful experience for you and your Dh, you both look like you were adjusting so well!! My! what memories you all made. I am leaving with such a smile on my face.
    Blessings,
    Sue

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  8. This really is impressive. Clancy is learning so much and is busy about worthwhile things that will serve him well in life, no matter what direction he chooses to go. I enjoyed this post!

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  9. What a wonderful way to raise children especially in these times. I'm sure you have peace when think of the way your little grands spend their time. Such a little man.

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  10. What a great experience for a 10 year old boy. He did really well! It's so good to see children doing something besides video games. xo

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  11. Lea this looks like such fun!! I learned a lot just reading your post lol! The museum and memorial look like such beautiful places. Was that a painting of Walter Brennan? It's beautiful any way even if I'm wrong. I can't imagine living in such a beautiful, remote place. I was looking at the background of your pictures at the landscape and wishing I could be there! 1st place and 3 2nd place finishes - wow!!!

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  12. This is so fascinating. I knew a lot of work went into showing an animal but I had no idea how much. Congratulations to Clancy for his ribbons!

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  13. I bet they were so happy to have y'all there!! I've visited the OK City bombing memorial before and thought it was so well done as well. Very touching.

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  14. Way to go Clancy! I sure know the showing animals life and I miss it sometimes. Perhaps someday when we have grandkids and will get to enjoy it again. I am so glad you guys got to experience that and I bet Clancy was so proud to have you there! xo

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  15. Sounds like a very fun and memorable trip...and seeing the family was an added bonus for sure. I've never been to OK but hope to travel out west one of these days.

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  16. Way to go Clancy! Wow, I had no idea what all went into showing sheep and it sounds like a real family affair. 42 degrees is coooollld and you are a wonderful CiCi for sitting there for 4 hours. I know you wouldn't have it any other way. Thanks for sharing, it's so interesting and fun to read! XO

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  18. Hi Lea! Stephani from A Defined Life! You're on my mind for more than one reason today! I haven't opened my blog in ages or looked at anyone elses, but today I picked it up again to start the process of moving old blog posts to my soon to be new website. In that process I was reminded of you and your blog and how I used to visit here daily. It's been years . . . literally since the first time I stopped here. And when I saw your face today I was reminded of how you came to mind this week as I put that beautiful wooden cross around my neck that your dad made. Those were sweet days in my life. My Dad will have been gone 4 years in March and Mom 4 years in June. I'm only now just beginning to find my writing again. Hope to see more of you in the future.

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So glad you stopped by and hope you enjoyed your visit. I love your comments and read each and every one of them and I always try to reply to them. Blessings to you this day!