Blossom

By Nan Clark

This is a very interesting true story about Hereford Show Heifers in SW Oklahoma. The heifers really existed. They were actual show heifers of the author's children. The names of the show heifers were the same in real life. All of the events told, from the shows to the travels actually happened in 1973, 1974 & 1975 and yes, the heifers really did win the shows like the story tells.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Sep 17, 2010
• ISBN: 9781453570685

Nan Clark

About the Author Nan Clark is truly a modern day pioneer woman. Born into a farm family in 1935 she was raised on a farm and married a farmer. She learned to survive during seventy-five years in the booms and busts of the agriculture business. While learning and serving as helpmate to her husband’s farm and cattle operation, she raised three active children, shepherding them through the various FFA activities in Frederick Public Schools in Southwestern Oklahoma. In order to survive Nan has mastered many avocations; among them are professional sewing, pet grooming, and Herford Cattle breeding and showing. She has done all this in addition to all the duties and responsibilities of farm life and motherhood. Throughout her life she has worked 12 hour days seven days a week which is the norm in a farm household. Like any pioneer woman, Nan is tough as leather and can out work, out drink, out curse any man. And, like most mothers of the early 20th century, she has the tender heart of a loving and caring mother who is moved by the sight of a tiny bird dying, a sad movie, or a beautiful symphony. What you see is what you get with Nan. Now 75 years old and living alone in Frederick she is near her two surviving children and 9 grandchildren who all live nearby. She lost Doc to brain cancer in 1992 and she has survived since then by sheer determination and skills. She can be reached at [e-mail].

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Copyright © 2010 by Nan Clark.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2010913020

ISBN:   Hardcover   978-1-4535-7067-8

ISBN:   Softcover   978-1-4535-7066-1

ISBN:   Ebook   978-1-4535-7068-5

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

The work on this book is based on truth. The characters, places and incidents described are based on real events. However, some names names were altered to protect the identity of the people involved.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

84549

CONTENTS

Chapter 1.    Tacky

Chapter 2.    Blossom’s Birth

Chapter 3.    Blossom’s Early Youth

Chapter 4.    Picking A Show Heifer

Chapter 5.    Blossom’s Schooling

Chapter 6.    Practice-Practice-Practice

Chapter 7.    The Denver Story

Chapter 8.    Blossom’s Show Career Starts

Chapter 9.    Meeting New Friends

Chapter 10.    Show Season Begins Again

Chapter 11.    Kansas City Boo-Boo

Chapter 12.    A Christmas Wedding

Chapter 13.    Waiting for Show Day

Chapter 14.    The Show of All Shows

Dedicated to:

My Son:           Steve

My Son:           Mike

My Daughter:  Christie

My Grandchildren:

Cheyenne & Quinton Clark, Steve’s sons

Ginger Clark, Mike’s daughter

Garret, Colby & Trace George, Christie’s sons

My two Great Granddaughters:

Brianna Nicole Clark—daughter of Quinton

Clark and granddaughter of Steve Clark

Bayley Nicole Clark—daughter of Quinton Clark

and granddaughter of Steve Clark

In Loving Memory of:

My son:                Mike Clark—deceased in July of 1990

AND

My Husband:       Doc Clark—deceased in May of 1992

PREFACE

The story of Blossom is based on truth. The heifers really existed. They were actual show heifers of the author’s children. The names of the show heifers were the same in real life. All of the events told, from the shows to the travels actually happened in 1973, 1974 & 1975 and yes, the heifers really did win the shows like the story tells.

Blossom is a book about a Registered Hereford heifer. From the time of her birth, she has had a most unusual life. She was blessed with having two cows to claim and raise her.

She tells of the love that exists between people and their show animals and shows the different personalities of the animals. I am also well aware of the fact, most people don’t ever stop to realize, all animals have a distinct personality all of their own. All animals differ in personalities just as people do. Most generally an animal takes on the personality of the person it relates the closest to. In Blossom’s case, she took on the personality of my husband. There was a definite bond between the two of them. Viola had the personality of my son Steve: sweet, yet quite, and very proud. Helen’s personality was like my daughter Christie, very serious and business like when it came to anything about the stock shows.

This is also a book that encourages the reader to do the best with what they have and never give up. Although this is a book written with High School aged kids in mind it is a heartwarming story that adults will enjoy, as well.

CHAPTER 1

TACKY

I will never forget the day she was born. She was the most beautiful baby I’d ever seen. Everything was perfect about her; however, it was not the happy time we had dreamed of.

My half sister, Miss Mischievous 0702 and I were both expecting our first babies. After we got to talking about it we figured out our babies would be born on the same day. We would stand around in the pasture eating the sweet, green grass and plan how we could both take care of the babies together. In turn they would grow up to be best friends like we were.

Oh, I’m sorry! I forgot to introduce myself. I’m a Registered Hereford cow and my name is Tacky. Well, it is really Lilac Mischief 0701, but they call me Tacky. I own a small human boy about ten years old, named Mike, and I have had a wonderfully special life here on the ranch. Of course, I was one of the privileged few chosen as a show heifer.

Oh yes, I almost forgot to tell you. My name, Tacky? Well, Mike started calling me that the first time he put a show halter on me. I really didn’t know what he was doing and it scared me. I fought that thing so hard, trying to get loose. Then I heard him say that I was a tacky little girl. Hence, the name Tacky. I never outlived that name; however, in time they said my name with so much love that I didn’t mind. In fact, I became quite proud of it.

I was fed a choice bowl of oatmeal twice a day. The treat was the delicious sweet feed added to it. It was a mixture of oats, corn, and alfalfa pellets, with a base of molasses. Mike not only fed me good food, but he would come into the barn at feeding time, put my halter on me and brush me. It always felt so good to have my hair brushed. I always felt so well loved and special.

Mike was a good little human. He would always put his arms around my neck and whisper in my ear. He told me special things like how good I was and how pretty I looked. Well, a girl likes to hear those things, especially from the human that you own.

I will never forget when my show career started. Everything we had to do was terribly scary. Well, isn’t it always the unknown that’s so scary? Haven’t you noticed . . . after you’ve done what you feared it isn’t nearly as frightening? If only, we weren’t so afraid to conquer fear itself. I really think the bravest thing anybody can do is face fear head-on and not back down. Here I go, getting philosophical!

One day Mike took a long metal stick with a hook on the end of it and started poking my back feet with it. I had no idea what he was trying to do to me. Sometime it hurt, yet much of the time I will admit, it tickled. We finally learned that all he was trying to do was get me to stand with my legs straight to show off my beautiful body. Oh yes, I heard Mike call the thing a show stick. It really didn’t take long before we learned.

Oh yes, I referred to "we?" Missie and Bonnie were the two other show heifers in the pen with me. They were a little older than I was, but they didn’t know what was happening either. Bonnie was the oldest, and was really an outsider. She had been born on another ranch, but the three of us became great friends. Missie was just three months older than I and had been raised on our ranch. I can remember learning lots of things from the two older girls. Of course when you share a pen together, you have lots of time to stand around and talk.

I had no idea what was happening the day we actually left for our first show! I asked Missie and Bonnie what the humans were doing as they led us into the trailer and tied us up. I should have known they didn’t know, after all they had never been to a show either. In fact we really didn’t even know we were going to a show. We had no idea where we were going! It seems strange