New Friends at the 2008 National Show in Louisville

First of all, I want to apologize that I didn't have a camera with me to take pictures this year. It's a long story. Hubby put the camera somewhere and couldn't find it. I borrowed a camera and it didn't seem to be working. So, I missed some great photo opportunities at the national show.

Today I want to tell you about some of the conversations I had with Oberhasli breeders and maybe gossip a little.

I met one of those sweet little ladies from Tennessee named Arden Ward and her husband Eddie. I really enjoyed chatting with Arden after the show. She only had a few Oberhasli there but they were nice ones. She has a young OberBoerd doe. I was so excited to find out that doe was the grand-daughter of my sweet old doe, FDF-Pleasant Fields Bridgette. I promised her pictures so I'll try to publish those.

Bridgette was such a great doe but it looked like she was put together by a committee. She had a long, level, smooth "national grand champion" body, a lovely udder, milked like crazy. Her udder attachments just weren't the best. It's hard to describe. It wasn't pendulous. It had a large area of attachment. She just needed a tummy tuck, er, udder tuck. Her daughter Garnet, a show stopping doe, classified excellent, a credit to old Bridgette and FDF. Ober-Boerd still has her full sister Tornado in the herd and I think Tornado has the "here for life" deal with the Schnipkes.

Turns out Arden and Eddie, especially Arden, were coveting my new buck before I got there. [See earlier posts.] We're going to see if we can work something out in the future so they can use him or maybe get a son, something. Being one of Arden's goats would be the "Life of Riley" for any goat. She admits she spoils them to pieces. I used to spoil mine, too. That is before I had about 30. So mine don't get much individual attention any more.

I asked Arden about how she got interested in Oberhasli and goats in general. It's a familiar story. She saw some, fell in love and then wouldn't shut up until her husband let her have one. Then one led to two, then three.... But he seemed to be enjoying himself at the show. I couldn't get Bob to come along. He preferred to be home puttering in the garden and making hay. But if he had come along, I think he and Eddie would have hit it off. They both are avid gardeners, married to crazy goat ladies.

I told her I was going to write this blog. I'm also outing her as a lurker in OberhasliTalk@yahoogroups.com. Hi, Arden! Arden's website: www.eponafarmtn.com and email is epona1@comcast.net. Her herdname is Trinity Rose. Isn't that pretty?