Saturday evening here in paradise.  It is the eve of Tammy and I moving our youngest to college.  So far, so good.  He is busy packing his video game consoles.  His welding gear is already good to go.  Clothes, he hasn’t started packing yet–“Mom, I can have them packed in 5 minutes.”   Her–“Dang it Duke!  You aren’t just going to camp.”

Tammy asked him what he wanted for supper.  He just wanted to go to Charlie’s and eat a steak.  So, his buddy Korbyn met us there.  And we ate steaks.

Duke has been joking that I’m going to have to learn just how much he does around here.  We’ll see about that.  I do know that I am going to have to remember to feed the dogs, as that has been his job for years.  That, and I always counted on Duke to screw up.  Lots of punishment hours were spent scooping kidding pens out.  I would have paid him, but….

Sunday morning, we will load his stuff and head to Arkansas City, KS to move him into the dorms at Cowley College.  He will work to improve his shop skills, specifically his TIG welding skills.  He will do well at that.  I just hope that he takes care of business in the classes that he doesn’t care about.  Classes like English, Biology, etc.

It is with great anticipation that we look forward to what the next few years have in store for this kid.  Sure, we are concerned, as all parents should be.  Especially, knowing the genetics that are backing this fine offspring. I wasn’t worried when Kela headed west.  I am not worried now.  There is a knot of anticipation knowing that he is probably going to screw something up.  But, sometimes you have to make a mistake, or two, in order to learn how to do things right.

We did have a real cool moment on this day.  Duke and I were at the ag building.  His cousins, Luke and Lexi Kelln came to the ag building to tell Duke goodbye and good luck.  It was cool.  Lexi is going to be a jr. in high school and she enjoys moments like this.  She likes drama, family, friends and moments with all of the above.  Luke is going to be a 7th grader and is low key, just like Duke.  It has been fun watching Luke and Lexi with Duke over the years.  Lexi has been like the annoying little sister. But Duke would do anything for her.  Luke and Duke are kindred spirits.  Luke loves getting Duke’s hand-me down clothes.  I was just happy to witness this day.

It doesn’t seem very long ago that Duke was picking out his first two show goats–Slick and Superman.  It seems like yesterday that he made me get him some show pigs for Phoenix–Big I and AC/DC.  The next year, he had Bacon, Sausage and Sizzle.  I walked by the scales in the barn today–those scales are labeled with the grand barrow from ANLS in 2012.  That doesn’t seem that long ago when Duke & Bacon won those scales.

We will drop this kid off at school tomorrow. Tammy hasn’t had time to get emotional. All three parties are ready.  She will be a shit-show when we leave.  He will have a moment or three after we are gone.  And, several weeks from now, I will be like, damn dude, I wish Duke was here to to do this crap.  Anticipation…here it comes.