Ag Day

James went on a field trip this week with most of the kindergartens from our school district. Ag Day! An important event here in Sonoma County. This was my first chance to chaperone and explore all the exhibits at the county fairgrounds.

While dogs in general make James very nervous, he works hard to overcome his fears. He kept going up to say "Hi!" to the digs on display in the Animal Shelter vehicle. I was fascinated by their neighbour, a 25-pound Maine Coon Cat named "McCoy."

James patted a baby calf, a tiny, squealing piglet, and a fire truck. He liked the feel of that so much he went through it twice.

He climbed a fire hydrant and ran fearlessly across a meadow and up a small hillside before returning to us. Then he sidled down the livestock stalls almost to another building before deciding to stay with myself and his aide.

Clo the Cow was winking and posing for pics with school kids. Clover passed out free cups of milk. There were roping demonstrations. Veterinarians showed interested kids the tools of their trade, and I saw a small herd of llamas on display, complete with llama crossing signs and a spinning wheel to demonstrate the usefulness of their wool. We skipped the noise involved with the sheep-shearing (the razors sound too much like a hair dryer/lawn mower for James' comfort).

There was so much to see but my visit was cut both ways. An unexpected call regarding his services held me up on my way to the field trip and my yard supervisor shift at lunch meant I had to leave a bit early. Never mind, we had a great day!