Please bear with us as we make changes to this lovely website.  There is really only one holdup on getting all of this done, and it is me.  Erin has been patiently waiting on me.  I will try to have pics of bucks, maybe some does and yes, there will be pics of Duke’s products that he grows in his gardens.  I have waited to take some pics of Duke with his produce as he wanted to let his hair grow this summer.  His mother and I agreed that it was fine to let it grow this summer.  Who knew that it would rain this much and cause himself and his hair to grow considerably?.  Luckily, he just got a haircut and looks like a nice young man again.  Therefore, we can proceed with pics of he and his stuff.  Wait, what? Now, if it goes to being a drought again, I’m going to let him grow his hair again.  It has rained all summer, just as he and his hair have grown.  

       And to answer the next question.  No… He is not yet taller than me, but he has passed his mother, his sister, Miligan and as a side note, Brandon the Bruce now thinks that Duke might be a worthy adversary in an arm wrestling contest.  Yeah sure!  That last deal might be some BS!

      On another note, I actually think that tonight, August 19, 2015, might be the nicest, most perfect evening that I have EVER experienced in NW Oklahoma.  Especially, considering that it is still August.  Heck, it almost feels like we actually are living in paradise.  It is 70 degrees.  Mild breeze.  Low humidity.  With sun shining.  I just want to walk around in circles, barefoot, in the well manicured lawn that the Dragon Lady keeps in tip-top shape.  There are no goats to doctor, the wethers are comfortable, the bucks are in good humour and it just feels right.  Wait. Hold on.  This phone call might not be good.

      Oh $h!t.  There is a goat that needs some help.  It is Scott Comstock calling to make sure on some dosage for some stool that looks like the chocolate pudding that Bill Cosby used to sell.  We’re good–a sulfa pill, some spectam and some grass hay and we are good.  If you don’t know Scott Comstock then you are missing out.  This might (is) the best dad in the whole stock showing business.  NOBODY can say a bad thing about Scott Comstock.  I mean NOBDODY.  Like all of us, he truly wants to do right by his daughter.  But he also wants everybody else to do well.  He understands hard work and the value of a dollar.  He also understands the value of working side by side with Chesley.  This dude is the real deal.  If you haven’t met him, ask me, I’ll introduce you to him.  He normally isn’t far away, but he doesn’t say much.  Low Key is the term.  I $h!t you not, he and Chesley are what makes the stock show program such a good deal.  A true family event.  If Chesley is showing, Scott’s parents aren’t far away.  And they like watching all of the kids do well.  There is a term for the Comstock clan–Class Act!  Oh, and he looks great in camo shorts.  Maybe not as good as me, as my legs have seen sun before.  But, he pulls the “cool kid” look off. 

      The best compliment that I can give to dad’s like Scott is from Schneberger.  “Dude, I just want my kids to be involved with people like that.  I want them to experience the work, the winning, the teamwork and dang it, I just want them to have fun.”  Dude, that IS exactly what IT is all about.  Call me a liar.  You would be incorrect.  

         Actually, I have another compliment for Comstock.  TravA$S Schovanec, whose kids’ have won a lot, has stated, and you can ask him about this, “I want my kids to win, but anytime that we get beat by Comstock’s, it is a real good day for everybody.  We don’t mind getting beat by a family like that.”

      I can tell you more Comstock stories, but I won’t.  Look Scott and Chesley up at the shows.  You will be in a better mood.  

      I tell you what.  This night is Real Good!  Tammy is in a good mood.  Duke and I could care less that school starts tomorrow.  Sasha and Ammo are happy to just follow us around and love life.  Yep, life is good.  The only way that this evening gets any better is if my favorite daughter was here with us.  Hopefully, we can overcome some technical difficulties and get her back to paradise sooner than later.  

     Here’s to hoping that wherever you are, feels a lot like paradise.  Cheers!  Look for some horseshoes and shamrocks.  I feel so lucky that I might just go buy some lottery tickets.  

That is the question.  You may or may not believe this, but I was a well read young person.  I read lots of novels–fiction and non-fiction.  I read World Book encyclopedias like they were going out of style–cover to cover.  I read a lot of the classics.  Some I couldn’t stand to finish, while others are truly that–classic.  

     Now, I read lots of websites, magazine and blog posts.  Throw in a lot of emails and I am probably a dumber adult than I was a kid.  I actually think that as “smart” as society is at this point in time, that we are actually dumber when it comes to the common sense things.  I doubt that many will argue with me on this subject.  We are dumbed down.  Thus the reason that Frazier has the president that he currently has.  

     But when it comes to items like when to spend money on a goat or not, I would like to think that I am better than most, maybe not as good as some.  Whatever the case may be, I have a hard time directing people when to twist off and spend a pile on a doe goat. A wether, a buck, I feel good…real good at giving advice.  I can market a buck.  I can tell you if that wether has a chance or not.  But a doe…..

      I know numerous breeders that have spent a pile to build a doe herd.  I don’t know very many that built a doe herd by spending.  The three highest priced females at my place are not anywhere near the top of the list of good producers at this piece of paradise. 

      I am a firm believer in the art of keeping the ones that you like and the genetics that have worked, then culling the ones that didn’t work or didn’t make good mommas.  If you have bred a doe to 2 or more proven bucks and didn’t make a good one, well then, it is time to haul her ass to a sale barn.  It isn’t cheap, but it is easier to buy a new buck than it is to buy new mommas. 

      Once, you establish lines that are good mommas and the genetics are working, keep the daughters and buy new bucks.  Mommas that are established, raise babies and sell goats, it becomes simple.  Keep them. 

       Buy proven genetics.  Buy proven producers.  Buy proven mammas.  And when that doesn’t work, dig in and build your own doe herd.  Which will take about 3-5 years and will save you money in the long run.  

       Simple point–it is hard to buy doe power.  

Have a good one.  

    We didn’t have time for a big time vacation.  So, we took a really good one instead.  The Dragon Lady and I traveled all of the way to Canadian, Texas.  WAY GOOD TRIP!  Yes, I did the faithful husband shopping deal.  We went to several furniture and antique stores.  I tried to keep the “glazed” husband look off of my face as I followed.  I tried.  

     The food was good.  Friday and Saturday. But then, we found a U Pick It orchard.  Holy Jeeminy…It’s gone!!  Home Run!!  The apples are good, the grapes are WAY GOOD, but the peaches….OH! OH! OH! Let those juices drip.  The peaches are way ripe and way good.  And I like peaches.  

      And now, the vacation is over as Tammy and Duke are making Grape jelly, Peach jelly and Sand Plum jelly.  Plus some other value added products.  I still don’t know the difference between jelly and jam.  Now, it is back to filling feeders, doctoring goats and watching them bloom.  Here’s to hoping you have a good day and a better tomorrow.  

Best vacation ever?!  Good, real good, but maybe not that good.  But good enough that I am ready to sign up for the next one.  Considering the lack of travel (airplanes, taxis, etc.) this might be the best one ever.  

did the summer go?  It is gone.  Sure, there will be some hot days left, but summer is gone.  Just look at all of the pics of everybody’s first day back to school on facebook.  I haven’t been on any grand vacation.  Just been to a bunch of sales and farms.  And it has been plenty busy keeping everything going here.  

     Now, the last set of goats are getting weaned.  We are having to make some decisions as to what gets to keep their nuts and which ones will hopefully be sucessfully shown.  Everything got wormed this morning.  The bucks have seen some action, but it won’t be long and they will be getting foundered from all of the doe-licious action that they will have.  

     We are just a few weeks away from the Best of the West sale.  It will be on Labor Day and it will be held, once again, at the Woodward Fairgrounds.  It will not be at Fargo.  That was just a one time deal while Woodward was finishing the new fairgrounds.  There will be an extremely deep set of wethers at this sale.  It will be good.  

   Yes, Duke and I made it to OKC for the Tesla/Def Leppard concert.  I hadn’t been to a concert on a Monday evening before, but it was good.  There wasn’t a warm up band.  Tesla was on stage at 7pm, as advertised.  I figured that these older bands want to get done earlier, get paid and sleep on their way to the next show.  Probably a bit different than back in the 80s and early 90s.  

    Before the show, Duke and I found our seats and then walked around.  We talked to security, stage hands and salesman.  Every time, the people would ask Duke, “Do you know these bands?”  He always politely replied, “Yes, I have heard their music.”  He wasn’t the youngest person at the concert, but he did help bring the average age down a bit.  

     No matter the bands’ & spectators ages, Tesla came to play.  They played for a solid hour.  And yes, I knew every song.  But, there was an older dude in the row behind us that knew EVERY Tesla song, named the songs by the first note and danced/sang every lyric of all of the songs.  He was a big fan. His wife just sat there, shaking her head.  He didn’t do anything wrong.  He just enjoyed the music.  I respect that.  

      I am a big fan of Tesla’s music.  They aren’t hard rock or hair music.  They just flat play a straight forward kind of bluesy music that happens to have big guitars and wicked vocals.  Also, their lyrics aren’t about drugs, sex or the usual.  Maybe the most under-rated rock band of all time.  

     There wasn’t a 10 minute break in between Tesla and Def Leppard.  And as good as Tesla is, there is a reason that Def Leppard has sold over 100 million records.  I actually like Tesla’s music better, but Def Leppard knows how to make an arena rock.  They played hit after hit after hit.  Not much smoke, pyro or theatrics.  They absolutely killed it.  It was wicked fun watching the big screen with the footage of the drummer.  If you don’t know, well you should.  

     Duke and I went to OKC and came back without stopping and looking at any critters. No work–All play.  Kind of a change for us.  

On a goat note, I’ve started looking at goats that will be for sale on Labor Day.  If you are in need of wethers, then you better plan on being at Woodward on Labor Day.  

Have a good day, a better tomorrow.  Here’s to horseshoes and shamrocks.  And if you are an ag teacher in Kay County–Get Bent!

Hysteria & Pyromania.  Throw in some Great Radio Controversy and Mechanical Resonance.  I’m going to have a large time.  

Let’s get rocked!

      I can tell you that without a doubt, the best part of returning to ag teaching is not having to buy many goats to fill orders.  First, the order buying only enabled me to buy numbers which helped get the average price down.  I didn’t make money filling orders.  I have been accused of using a fish net method of buying.  Buy them all, get the right ones in the right homes and move the rest.  Yep, I’ve done it and it has worked well for all parties.  

       Next, there are a lot of orders that should have just ended with me saying, “Save your money.  Go to the lake, movies, whatever, as you and I both know that you aren’t going to get this one fed or shown right.”  For whatever reason, some people just have too many irons in the fire (athletics, music, too many show animals, different priorities, whatever the case may be), there are just some who can’t get it done.  

     And then there are times that you wish that they buy just one more.  Sometimes, it is more important to have numbers on feed instead of having two animals that fit the budget.  There are a lot of times that the third cheaper one is the right one.  I respect that, but most that are consistently winning/making sales will always take that extra skinny cheap one.  

    That and the fact that every purchaser, no matter the price tag, wanted to get the full treatment–hoof trimming, coaching, feeding/showmanship instructions.  I apoligize, but I cannot take care of every $300 animal without something in return.  

     I’m in a really good mood on this fine evening, but… dang, I’m glad that it is Saturday evening and I don’t have to worry about a couple hundred head of show goats.    Plus, it is way more fun to sell bucks and then help them sell the offspring.  

     I hope that nobody takes this blog as a complaining night.  It isn’t.  It is more a realization of what I would do if I was starting over.  I wouldn’t be raising goats.  I would pay more for the wethers that I really wanted.  And I would pay somebody to take a look to make sure that we were on the right track.  What do they call it?  Consulting?  Whatever.  And I still wouldn’t play any Dirty Pool.  I would still let others have that game.  There are still opportunities in the livestock showing industry to teach kids about proper selection, feeding, health, showmanship and dang it, you can’t always win.  I’m the right age to still remember the ABC Wide World of Sports.  You know, the “agony of defeat” video.  I’ve kind of wondered if that ski jumper wasn’t some old fart trying to make an Olympic team after one too many Moscow Mules.  I don’t know.  Maybe.  Maybe not.  Sometimes, stuff don’t go right.  That’s part of dealing with livestock or life.  But then, there is always that fear of dirty pool.  Even though it isn’t always a level felt table, I still enjoy seeing a good lineup of good animals in a grand drive, regardless of species or state.  Good ones are good ones.  No matter who bought them, raised them, showed them, fed them, photoed them, whatever the case.  I like good ones.  

      Here’s to you showing a great one, no matter who/what/where/when/wherever it came from.  Keep it clean, level and let’s have fun.  Like it is supposed to be.  Then, the winner can buy supper for all.  

    Nelly had a hit song back in 2002 rapping about it being “Hot in Herre”.  Well, it is now hot here in paradise as well.  It is not uncommon to have temps above a 100, but this old, fat dude isn’t used to the temps combined with the humidity.  The heat and humidity have combined for sweat stained caps and water running down the crack of my..

      Speaking of hot, I was outside this afternoon, dumping water tanks.  One, to clean them out.  Two, to get rid of the mosquito larvae in them.  And three, I figure that all creatures would like a cool drink of water on an afternoon such as this.  Yes, I even cleaned out the does tanks.  Even though these satanic beasts act like it isn’t hot out.  The wethers are fine as long as there is shade and a breeze.  The nursing nannies and babies want all of the shade that they can find.  Rumour wants to move in under the air conditioning.  Dirt just stays in the back of the shed.  But not the nanny brombies that are running on the pasture.  NO!!!  They have a stand of cedar trees that provide shade from noon till 7 pm. Or they can go under the big red barn where it is not only shaded but underground and stays about 85 degrees.  This is where GARP chooses to spend his afternoons.  These fire breathing, walk on hot coals and dance with the devil female goats don’t take to the shade.  They spend all afternoon out on the hill, grazing and sun bathing.  No shade, no water within a 1/4 mile and no worries.  

     And as for being hot and stupid.  Well, that would be me.  I came in from cleaning and filling tanks.  Sweat running down my brow and my back.  I was definitely dealing with a case of swamp donkey.  I made it to the kitchen sink to wash my glasses and clean them with a paper towel.  I saw three little red & orange peppers, maybe a 1/4 inch long.  Hey, I think I will just take a bite of one of those.  Now, I like hot stuff.  I have been known to drink tobasco and I really like hot salsa.  I am not sure if all of the salts and moisture being sweated out of my system caused this pepper to seem hotter than normal or if it was just the sweat running into my eyes.  Whatever the case, that little firecracker had a fairly higher rating on the Scoville Pepper Heat Chart.  It got a little hot in herre.

Stay cool, keep fresh water to the animals and remember to stay hydrated.  

P.S.  Duke scoffed at my pepper problem.  “I can eat one.” he said.  My reply, “I’ll bet you 2 bucks that you can’t eat one!”

He will now allow that was the worst $2 that he ever earned.  Turns out that it wasn’t a cayenne pepper like I thought.  They are actual Tobasco peppers.  Maybe the sand herre in paradise makes them hotter?  I don’t know about that, but the boy did down a 1/2 gallon of milk. 

P.S.S. The Stay Put marshmallow man is still funny. 

   I had the pleasure of attending the CareerTech summer conference in Tulsa.  This is a conference for all teachers in the careertech system.  I’ve never enjoyed going to this conference.  Almost everything about summer conference could be handled in 1 or 2 quasi-short emails.  But, they still have it.  I guess it’s good for Tulsa’s hotels and restaurants and other type places.

     But, you do get to see some comrades and others that you don’t see on a regular basis.  You also get to see some in a whole new light. I did enjoy the DJ’s shrimp boil.  Of course, any time there is a free shrimp dinner, I’m all in.  

    One of the highlights of summer conference is the Retiring Ag Teacher speeches.  Some come to speak and get their watch, while others don’t bother.  Some of these speeches are hilarious, some forgettable and some are inspiring.  None the less, they are entertaining.  For the past several years, they also induct a retired ag teacher into the Oklahoma Ag Teacher Hall of Fame.  This year’s inductee was Mr. Larry Brady who taught at Balko, OK.  Truly a great one.  I first got to know him in 1986 when I was in high school showing a pig that was sired by his boar “Harry”.  There are numerous “great one” stories that involve Mr. Brady as he raised and showed numerous champion porcine projects.  The most famous story is the one about “Arnold”, the little runt pig that he raised and a student of his got from him that ended up being the grand barrow at OYE in 1992.  I still see Mr. Brady a couple of times a year, but I did enjoy seeing he and his family as he recieved this honor.  A true Hall of Famer in every sense of the word.  

Have a good day and a better tomorrow.  I know that I am thankful that the A/C is working as the thermometer is currently reading 106.  Be like Fonzie and “stay cool”.  

     I grew up watching boxing.  ESPN used to have the Friday Night Fights.  Mike Tyson was a nobody in black shorts and shoes, no robe.  Just ready to fight.  Hagler/Hearns.  Sugary Ray Leonard.  HBO fights.  I liked them.  Then boxing went in the toilet.  SInce, I have followed the UFC for the past decade or so.  My old buddy, Fred Slater, was way into the old school MMA fights.  The ones that had no weight classes or for that matter, any rules.  He introduced me to the Gracie family and their fighting style.  There was UFC and Pride fighting.  I liked it.  Plus, this stuff was always on late at night.  My kind of television.  Throw in the fact that several ex Okie State wrestlers became UFC fighters got me to watching.  

     Once it became the UFC, it was better promoted.  Then they had the reality series that led up to somebody getting a contract.  Tammy started watching a marathon of the Ultimate Fighter.  She liked it.  

     Now, I don’t hardly watch any of the current bouts as they are all PPV and I can be a wedge-ass.  But, I have been tempted the last two fights.  And now, this Ronda Rousey has got everybody talking about UFC again.  I actually wanted to do the PPV deal, but I didn’t want another 14 second fight.  Well, it went longer.  Like 34 seconds.  This chick is wicked.  I really wouldn’t have thought that I wanted to watch girls fighting–oil wrestling, yes, but fighting?  But this is different.  She is a machine.  I think she can whip the guys her size.  Any way, it makes for good business.  And what’s wrong with a woman being the most famous fighter on the planet?