Tonight, we went to a livestock auction in Greencastle, Pennsylvania. The girls had noticed the animals in their trailers as we were eating at the Taco Bell and asked if they could go see them. Amy and I looked at each other and said “Why not? What else do we have to do?” We live in the country of Waynesboro, Pennsylvania and there is little action in this small town so to us, this auction seemed interesting.
We parked the car and got out to a distinct voice over a loudspeaker and of course noise from the sheep and goat kennel. It was loud but intrigue Sophia and Olivia. They love to read about animals, and this was right up their alley, as they say. They were so excited. I’m sure they thought they were going to pet them like they do with every dog we see. Not in this life that’s for sure.
We asked a farmer who was outside how to get in – he pointed the way saying “up that way sweetheart” and we made our way up the stairs. I kept repeating “sweetheart” to Amy because I looked as I was going up and noticed there was cow manure on the stairs and quickly advised the girls to not step in the cow poop. They laughed and thought it was hysterical to see cow poop on the steps – you could sure smell it too. As they jumped over the cow poop, we made our way into the building. I thanked God I wore old sneakers. Uukkk. It was even in patches on the floor. Someone didn’t use the boot scraper outside. As we entered, we saw many men, some women and children. Some were Mennonite and some looked like the average farmer. We made our way to 4 empty seats and sat in front where we could see the animals as they came into the arena. As we sat I looked around and was shocked how many men were bidding on the animals as they came in. I thought to myself “what a life – but then I realized how profitable this life was for those farmers. It was a way of life for them to feed their families and carry on the family business. Everyone was so serious. As the animals came out one by one, the girls got so excited. The sound of the auctioneer rang in my ears and I can still hear his distinct voice. We were able to witness such an experience for about an hour – then it got a little boring for us – how many goats and sheep can you see? The girls loved it and Olivia especially got so excited each time one of the animals went past her. She even would clap her hands with delight. This was a very unique experience for them.
After about an hour, we left because we realized it was going to be a long night before the cattle and cows came out. The girls didn’t want to leave until they saw cows. So we made our way on the outside of the pens and let the girls peak inside. The girls were so excited – see pictures below and videos.
We even walked over to the cows – opps I forgot to mention the girls were holding their noses and complaining about the smell. “Well, life on the farm is not a bed of roses” I told them. Get used to it – that is the smell of animals and to these farmers, the smell of money.
As we checked out the cows, I was shocked to see how tall some of them stood. Some had legs as tall as I am. I told the girls not to get to close to the fence that held them back – just incase they farted. The girls laughed and said “Nonna, cows don’t fart” – I said “Want to make a bet?” The girls are little so we couldn’t really discuss what we saw except for what kind of animals. Amy and I explained that farmers get animals, feed them, and then sell them to earn money to feed their families. The girls were sad for a bit but then forgot about it. They talked all the way home about the goats, sheep, and cows.
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