"Peachy keen, Jellybean."

 My first show heifer was a black baldy, hand-picked by my family and I and gifted to me by my grandparents.  I named her "Domino" and she was everything a first show heifer should be. Today, her legacy lives on in our herd, bits of her sprinkled in our herd in ways I am so proud of.

Domino not only quickly became the matriarch of our herd, but was known county-wide.  The school FFA teacher at the time is a long-time very close family friend, and was instrumental in getting me started in showing.  He not-so-subtly suggested that I walk Domino for about half an hour every day, which I took seriously.  At the time, we did not have a barn at our house and were keeping her at my grandparents' house in town, meaning Domino's daily walks took place on the city block, as to not disturb the other cows in the pasture and to provide us with a consistent route. As Domino lumbered around the block day after day, afternoon after afternoon, the sight of us became pretty popular around town. An older gentleman would come out on his porch at "walking time" every day to watch go by.  Some close friends down the road would sit their kids upon Domino's back as I pulled her around their yard like a county fair pony ride, their giggles and squeals bringing a smile to all faces (these kids are now adults).  Once when she got out, the little boy of the family, probably less than five years old at the time, told his mother not to worry, because he would get her back home...and he did.  Another neighbor inquired our walking schedule because he had family coming in and he wanted them to see the spectacle of the red-headed girl walking her cow through town.

"Special" was an understatement for what Domino was.  From a production standpoint as well, she rarely missed.  Generations later, her lineage is still producing fantastically maternal, front-pasture type cattle.  A few years after Domino went from the show ring to the pasture, we started a concentration in Shorthorn and Shorthorn cross cattle, which remains our focus today.  I love the Shorthorn breed, and I set a goal for myself as a breeder to "breed up" from Domino to a registered "full blooded" Shorthorn.  I started showing the summer between my 5th and 6th grade year, and I just turned 30 in September.  

EVERYONE MEET RIZZO!

After years of careful breeding, gaining some and losing some, she is the first calf of that goal realized.  She is a registered, red-papered Shorthorn (not Plus) that goes back to my Domino.  She has some other special sprinkles in her lineage.  Our first Shorthorn bull, affectionately named Booger, was another that was known area-wide and staked his claim as our herd bull for many years.  He is in her blood as well.  Family, friends, people that mean so much to me and got me started and kept me going in cattle are scrawled all across her pedigree.  Where I am now in cattle, I can see the past and present when I look out over those green pastures, and it makes me happily anxious for what is in the future for us.