Kitties Like it High Kitties Can Fly

Betty's two kitties Bao Bao and Bei Bei are now 4 months old.   They are very athletic and very rambunctious.    They just discovered the top of our refrigerator.
 

Any cabinet high or low is good for exploration. 

They like the view from the top.  

Bei Bei dreams to be a Best of Breed.  

Bao Bao would like to be a Best of Breed too.  

They even take cat naps on top of our refrigerator.

Obviously they are not afraid of the height.  

Bao Bao can fly!  

 

Brothers Benny and Colby

 

Littermate brothers Benny on the left and Colby on the right were born in summer 2021.

They are healthy and cute.  

This is Benny around 3-1/2 months old.    

 

This is Colby at the same age. 

They were not lucky in shows, they faced the competition of Auston and one of Casey's handsome boys during their entire showing time in fall 2021 and spring 2022.   Not winning any legs, in late March, they were both cut down.   Very handsome heads, but no wool.

 

There are always second chances.   Today Benny and Colby are in their second coats and trying the game of showing again.    At the July Monterey Show Benny won BOSB in one show and Colby won BOSB in two shows.   Who says the English Angora only has only one show coat?   Don't give up, if it does not work the first time, keep on trying.  By the way, Benny and Colby have a very successful littermate sister: Alba who is a multiple Best In Show winner and still in her first coat.  

Allen’s Mohair Exhibit at Orange County Fair

After the big win at the National Colored Angora Goat Show, Allen Mesick moved his exhibit to the Orange County Fair. 

Allen and his fellow Angora Goat exhibitors do their demonstration in the booth.

Allen designs all these big posters to educate the fair goers.

Allen is in graduate school studying business relating to fibers.   His thesis advisor is so impressed with his exhibit that he suggested that his thesis should incorporate some of the work that Allen has been doing during the last 20 years.  

 

Remember When: Angora National in 1986

The Angora National Show was held at Puyallup, WA in conjunction with the WA State Convention in June 1986.  This was the first time that I ventured out of CA to an out-of-state show.   Hubby had to accompany me as I did not have the nerve to drive some 830 miles by myself.   I entered 4 English Angoras, all tort, one senior buck, one senior doe, one junior buck and one junior doe.   The senior buck Chu's Danny Boy was the sire of the tort junior doe.   The senior doe was Chu's Erica that won my first Best In Show in 1985, coming back with her second coat.   I cannot recall the name of the junior buck, or I did not name him before he went to another breeder.  The junior doe was Chu's Vanessa in this photo with judge Cindy Wickizer.   Giant and Satin Angoras were yet to be recognized in 1986.  With only two breeds, there were about 400 Angoras in the national, about 250 were English Angoras and 150 French Angoras.   The colored classes were huge, from 30-50 in each class. 

The left is Chu's Erica who had won my first Best In Show in 1985, coming back with a second coat. The right is Chu's Vanessa who is a half-sister to Erica on the mother side.  She was 5 months old when the Angora National was held.   By the way, in case you wonder why the coats were not as big as what we see today, because (a) blower was not yet a grooming tool, the only tools were slicker brushes and combs; and (b) 1986 was still in the early stage of “English Revolution”, trying to breed out the molting genes.    

With about 250 English Angoras and not knowing anything about the stock of other breeders, I was totally surprised that my tort junior doe Vanessa won the Best In Show.   In this photo at the banquet,  I am wearing my basket weave red/beige sweater accepting the Best In Show trophy.   The two ladies on the podium are Judy Sullivan and Donna Peterson. These two ladies had each won an English Angora BOB at the ARBA convention: Donna Peterson won with a white senior doe "Texas Rose" in 1985 at Houston, TX and Judy Sullivan won with a black doe in 1986 at Columbus, OH.     These two ladies later became judges, we knew them as Judy Paris and Donna Brak when they each changed their marital status and started their judging careers.   They are now retired, I believe.   

Here is Vanessa with her Angora National Best In Show trophy.   Erica won the senior doe class but won over by Vanessa who won BOV, BOB then BIS, the junior buck won the junior buck class (can't recall whether he advanced or not).  Danny Boy who was in his second or third coat took 3rd place in his class.  My 4 rabbits won 3 classes out of 4 and advanced to Best In Show.  As this was the first time I took my rabbits out of state to compete and received great success, I gained more confidence.  The next year I went to my first ARBA convention at Portland in 1987.

Daybreak in Morgan Hill

Enjoy a little bit of nature.   

Before sun rise.

So peaceful, so beautiful.  

 

Eureka! Mohair Angora Goats Win National Show

The CA State Fair hosted the 2022 CAGBA National Show on July 30, 2022 at Sacramento, CA. Eric Stewart judged.  Eureka! Mohair won Champion Buck, Champion Doe, Reserve Champion Doe and Best In Show. Allen Mesick with his Champion doe. 

Eureka! farm display was awarded Most Educational across all 2022 livestock shows, as well as Most Creative, Best Signage Program, and Best Herdsman. 

Eureka! Farm display at the CA State Fair.

Goats in their pens.

Allen at the Eureka! Farm booth.

Best In Show Angora Goat.  

 

Casey’s Buns Got Vaccination Again

Raising rabbits is a lot more expensive and complicated since the RHDV started killing rabbits.   Now we have to vaccinate our rabbits to prevent their death.   Casey is gathering her 19 rabbits for the second shot of domestic vaccine produced by Medgene.     On one hand it's nice to have domestically produced vaccines, on the other hand, it's more work for us as the Medgene vaccine requires 2 shots for the first year.  That means two trips to the veterinary practice and also twice the cost.

Buns stacked to the side and to the roof of the SUV.

Casey's SUV is almost full. 

Kittel Family Veterinary Practice is located in Elk Grove, CA.  The practice has regular time slots set aside for doing rabbit RHDV2 vaccinations almost every week.  

Reanna is carrying two of Casey's English Angoras into the office.