We bought a cow!

Well part of a cow.  The Houston Rodeo ends with the steer auction and we decided last year to participate.  We did so again this year too.  It's pretty fun, they have a breakfast where there is a lot of free booze (supposedly to loosen up the wallets), and then you go down to the auction.  The first one up for auction is the grand champions and then reserve champion.  Then it goes down in order.  There usually is a bidding war over the first few and then they get to more reasonable price ranges.  We ended up with lot 138 this year and it was late afternoon by the time they get down to the one that were purchased.  You end up getting 4 boxes of meat and the hide.  In each box there is a lot of meat - ground beef and all sorts and sizes of steak.  We split the boxes between the 3 of us that purchase the cow and then decide who gets the hide.  This year it is me.  Not sure what we are going to do with it yet, I was thinking of putting it in the boys room as an area rug.  We'll see though.  

He's a pretty cow, black angus and his name was Snoopy.  Not sure how I feel about that.  The grand champion was Champy (short for Champion) and the reserve champion was Gene Simmons.  When they asked the 14 year old trying to wrangle him around on stage where he came up with that name - he said "because he has the longest tongue I have ever seen!"  I thought that was hilarious!  Plus he liked to pull people around and escape which he had done the night before during judging.  Champy and Gene Simmons are not bad names, not personal or cute, but naming the black cow Snoopy implies that it has a personality and makes me a little squeamish knowing it was off to the slaughter house.  I know!  I'm a city girl!

You get to have your picture taken with the cow and the student that raised it, you get to talk to their family and see what they are all about.  All the money goes to the student for college scholarship money.  It's a really great cause.  Plus it is a lot of fun to watch the crazy bidding.  Last year the champion went for over $400K and this year it was $350K.   

We took The Girlchick, but we left the boys with GaGa.  It would have been way too long for them, plus they would have missed their naps and them missing their naps isn't easy on anyone.