During the end of April, May & June, it got to the point where I didn’t even want to see what the does dropped.  OH?! (sigh)  More doe kids.  It just became NOT fun.  Throw in the HIGH percentage of doe kids out of the herd purchased from Teddy Harrison and there was a pile of females.  And I’m not keeping but 1 or 2.  

      Now, we are in September and there are lots of doe kids still here.  We sold 5 online last night.  They weren’t high dollar, but they are getting a new home.  Yes!  I have already hauled the junkers to the sale barn.  These doe kids are well-bred, structurally sound and have had no TLC.  They will all get better at somebody elses home.  

     I know that I could feed, work hair and get some killer pics and try to maximize dollars out of these doe kids, but it is a mental deal.  I’m ready to empty pens, get my mind right and pray for wethers and bucks next kidding season.  

      The remaining doe kids will be sold–either privately or online.  If I take pics of them, they will be sold online.  If we don’t have to wash, clip or photo, I will be pretty cheap on price, unless it is one of the couple that I am keeping.  

     Here’s to being in a better mood.  

      Thanks to all of our outstanding help for the sale this past weekend.  

      Another sale is in the books as the the Best of the West sale was on Labor Day.  I am pleased with how it went.  We had a great crowd, excellent set of goats and the food was killer good. 

     We sold 49 head -11 does and 38 wethers.  Prices were good for buyers and sellers alike.  There were some bargains to be had and hopefully, they went to good homes.  

      Taylor and Tyke smoked brisket for lunch.  It was really good.  Rusty and Marla boiled shrimp/crawdads on Sunday night.  A large crowd was served both times.  As always, we had lots of excellent help and as a result, the sale went really smooth.  Thanks to all that bid, bought or came and looked.  

     There is a Friday Night Fiesta going on in San Angelo. Sounds like lots of $s changing hands.  Good.  It’s good for the industry.  I was going, but then it was like, “You dumb son-of-a–, WHY?”  Sometimes, you just have to step back, and realize, there is enough going on at home.  STAY HOME!  

       And I did. But the Dragon Lady left for the evening.  Just Duke and I at home. Ungh!?  She left for a GR8T reason.  One of my all-time favorite people is flying into OKC on this Friday evening. The Dragon Lady GLADLY volunteered to pick this person up and head home to paradise.  Can’t wait!  

       It’s no secret that I like music.  I really like good music. Although I love George, Willie, Waylon, Merle, Alabama, the Oaks, Garth, etc., when it is time for me to get right in the head, I prefer it LOUD!!!   If it’s too loud, then you’re too old!   I grew up in the music video age–Madonna, Michael Jackson, the BOSS, Wierd Al, Van Halen, etc.  I still love a good music video even though they are few and far between.   My college years is when music started to change.  Hair bands were done, grunge took over and country learned about videos.  

The biggest band in 1991 was Nirvana.  HUGE!   Too big.  I lliked them, got sick of “Smells like Teen Spirit”.  But they had talent. Then the lead singer bites the end of a 12 gauge and that was the end of that band.  But, the Foo Fighters emerged.  The frontman and lead guitarist for the Foo Fighters was Dave Grohl.  He had been the drummer of Nirvana.  WTH?  How does the drummer front a band and shred guitars and now starts directing the music videos for the band?  The guy is wicked good and wicked cool.  Dave Letterman’s favorite band is, as he calls them, “The Fighters of Foo”.  I haven’t seen them live, but it is in on my short list.  

        I like quotes, so here is my favorite Dave Grohl quote.  

“I never took lessons to learn how to play the drums, and I never took lessons to learn how to play the guitar, I just sort of figured it out.  I think that if you are passionate about something and if you are driven and focused, that you can pretty much do anything you want to do in life.”  

      I love it!  It doesn’t make a rat’s donkey if it is music, sports or showing.  If you REALLY want to do it, you will figure it out.  Try it, mess up, try it again, ask somebody for help, screw it up again and then you realize that nobody ever got better without trying.  And once you try to DO it right, O S, it works.  Now, you can do it better.  Don’t stop.  Do it again.  Next thing you know, you are an expert because you screwed up several times, then did it right a whole bunch of times.  But you did it and didn’t quit till you figured it out. 

       I had to learn this goat deal on my own.  And now, I’m relying on others to help stay current–Flush, Sync, etc.  It’s a good circle and I like to have some tunes playing while trying to figure stuff out.  Spark up some Foo Fighters tunes and rock out with your—–

Play some good music, chill out, get fired up or whatever knocks your socks off.  Just do whatever it is that you want to do better than you’ve ever done it before.  

Right now–I am realizing that I am the best in the world at knocking one back while writing a blog listening to the “theme from Rocky” on an evening that I actually used a lawn mower and the Dragon Lady is not home.  YES!! I am a WORLD CHAMPION!!  Yes, it is an obscure award.  But a win is a win.  

     One, as in single.  Yes, I know, this should be #5, but tonight it is UNO.  I’ve dealt with kids and parents non-stop for 20 plus years.  With animals and without.  As we near the year 2020,  there are more and more single parent kids in this world.  When, I say single parent, I literally mean one parent, UNO, Eins, ONE.  Just one parent involved in the uprbringing of the kids.

      I’ve always had respect for a single parent, but the older I get, the more I tip my cap to these parents that can do it properly.  Tammy and I really like working with a set of kids that are/have been raised by a single mom for a while.  Three girls, roughly 6 years apart in age.  All 3 are well adjusted, well liked, have good work ethics, and maybe most importantly have a desire to do right by others.  Simply put, these girls are good ones.  You know, the kind of kid that makes you feel good about the next generation.  Their mom has always been employed, kept the girls active, disciplined and most importantly been a MOM throughout it all.  Sure, sacrifices have been made, but for the right reasons.  There are strong grandparents, a couple of hard-ass uncles and a community that truly wants to see kids do well.  That all helps.  But the parent (mom) has to be driven to raise the kids, not just be friends/buddies with them.  When everybody is all grown up, they should all/will be best friends, but not yet.  

     Here’s what I know about raising a kid by myself.  I could do it.  But, when you have a Dragon Lady as a wife, I can look like I know what I’m doing and I would rather do this as a team, fulfill my role and when we get this last one grown up, give her a hug and say, “Thanks, honey”.  And I am WAY glad that I haven’t had to do it solo.  Duke better be happier.   Although, I am rather surprised that she hasn’t kicked me to the curb yet.  Hhmm?  That is a different story.  

       Here’s a huge cap off, bow down to all the single parents that manage to raise good kids.  It ain’t easy and I don’t want the job.  I don’t mind helping.  But, I have noticed that animals do help.  And if you need a show goat, we are selling some on Monday. (shameless plug)  

       In all seriousness, I deal with a pile of great families.  I mean a PILE of GR8T people.  The reasons that Tammy and I are in this game is the fact that we love raising our kids around strong work ethics and good people that understand how to work, how to win, how to lose and you guessed it, how to have a good time, no matter if it was a win or a loss.  If you can’t have fun doing something, then don’t do it.  And if you can’t help somebody else have fun doing something, then you need to hang around a better crowd.  

       Congrats to all of you single parents that are raising kids.  And to those parents that aren’t single.  Basically, if you are raising good kids, Thanks.  SALUTE!

However you want to put it, 4 for 4.  Four-Quatro-Vier (which in German is said “Fier”, like fear).  We are on a streak.  Four days in a row.  Better go look for a 4 leaf clover.  

     Some of you may know that I really like listening to Jerry Clower.  The guy became famous just telling personal life stories and tying them to truisms.  And he was clean. He was a character, but no matter you’re upbringing, you could listen to him and get the jist of the story.

This one is about a general store owner who never rang up a sale without quoting scripture. For example, if a little kid bought a Tootsie Roll, he’d say, “Suffer the little children to come unto me.” The old guys sitting around the store always waited with amusement to hear what scripture he’d quote.

One day a guy rolled in in a big expensive truck, pulling a shiny horse trailer. He walked into the store and said “I’ve got a prize-winning horse out there and I need the best horse blanket you have.”

The store owner went into the back and brought out a horse blanket, and said, “That’ll be five dollars.”

The customer said, “I don’t think you heard me. That is a prize thoroughbred out there, from one of the best bloodlines in this country and probably all the world. He deserves the BEST blanket!”

The store owner went out back again and picked out another blanket – he only had but one kind in stock – of a different color. He took it out and told the man, “this one is better quality, twenty-five dollars.”

Now the customer was indignant. “You just don’t get it. I’m not putting a cheap ol’ $25 blanket on that horse! Now get me the best or I’ll go elsewhere!”

The store owner said “yes, sir, I understand,” and went to the shelf in back, choosing yet a different color. He took it out and said, “this is the best blanket I have, sir, and it’s fifty dollars.”

“Now that’s more like it!” said the customer. “I’ll take it.”

The store owner rung up the sale, and as the customer walked out, the old guys sitting around the store waited to hear what scripture he could possibly come up with for this one.

The owner looked up to heaven and said, “He was a stranger, and I took him in.”

      How often does this happen in the livestock game?  I would have to say “quite often”.  I watch almost all of the online sales.  I go to as many auctions as I can and I talk to LOTS of people.  I will even say that I have been guilty when somebody calls and says “Do you have any $2,500 wethers?”  The answer is YES!.

      Now, if they ask, “Do you have any $2,500 wethers that can win OYE?”  I will give them a straight up answer.  Which is probably, NO, as there is a long list of people that will pay $2,500 for a wether that is good enough to win a major.  Myself included.  

I’m not bashing anybody, cussing any part of it, I’m just saying, you look at the sire listed  and 4 me, personally, as always a potential buyer, I go “Whew.  They don’t even actually know what the buck they used was.”  

     No need “quatro” anybody to get upset as I am not pointing fingers, or meaning anything accusatory.  I just like the Jerry Clower story and it made me think about how my dumb donkey operates.  

      People show up and ask to see Rumour Has It.  Well, he’s at Seelkes.  He is only ever here or at Seelke’s.  Most live sightings have occured at Seelke’s which is good.  Because they are nice, have him in an accesible pen and take way good care of him.  

      When he’s here, well, he is either on a feeder or getting ready to get some, and I use the biblical term, get some ASS.  

      Now, Rainman.  Call Poe, because I never know where he is.  He has been here twice–Rainman, not Poe.  I’ve seen him at Miller’s and Poe’s.  Rainman is easy to spot if you ever see him.  But, he hasn’t spent much time here.  But I REALLY like that buck and his kids. 

      And then there is Joe Dirt.  He is either 20 miles to the west, 15 miles to the east, 30 miles to the southeast, a couple miles north.  Basically, he is always “vier”,five or another couple of miles away.  Dirt has the same tag in him that Joe Ed put in his ear back in 2010.  If he’s rented, loaned, bartered, pimped out or just plain going to get some “donkey”, there is NO doubt who the buck is that is being used.  

      If you are selling show stock, if at all possible, state what the actual sire/dam is.  Not just some damn BS son.  Or some damn (insert breeder name) doe.  Every breeder has multiple bloodlines and every breeder has had something that just wasn’t good enough.  Myself included.   And I like to study genetics.  

    And if you can’t name the actual bloodlines, think about Jerry Clower.  

      Like a hitter on a hot streak, I’m 3 for 3.  Three days in a row dispensing quality info.  

Today’s topic du jour–Some things just ain’t right.  Exhibit A is the four new flavors of Lay’s potato chips.  Never mess with a hot streak.  When it’s good, it’s real good.  And Lay’s is making concoctions that aren’t meant to be.  

Bacon Mac & Cheese–I love bacon & I like mac & cheese.  I don’t like the thought of it, but this chip might taste good.  

Cappucino–On a chip?  What the?

Mango Salso Wavy chips–I thought wavy chips were made to be dipped into salsa and other dips, not immediately flavored like them.  This is a deal for Dorito’s, not Lay’s. 

Kettle Cooked Wasabi Ginger–I can eat wasabi out of a bowl.  But on a chip?  With ginger?  

Lay’s Classic Potato Chips—-Classic being the key word.  They are CLASSIC because “betcha can’t eat just one”.  And they were right!  You can’t eat just one.  They are like an OREO.  They got it right the first time.  No need to make other flavors.  Sure, BBQ Lays was OK.  Sour Cream & Onion isn’t bad, not great.  But this new stuff just ain’t right.  Like they aren’t selling enough, they have to come up with some cockamamey, half-hitched flavors like cappucino and mango salsa.  I’m out.  Some things just ain’t right.  

Have a good day and a better tomorrow.

     So, here it is.  Two blogs, two days in a row.  You better go buy a lottery ticket as it is your lucky day.  I am just packed full of worthwhile info.  First, the favorite daughter was pretty stoked to get to pick up the Emmy Award tickets for her bosses.  She had them in hand.  I’ve got pics.  No.  She didn’t get to attend the Emmy’s, but the people that she works for (The Amazing Race) did win an Emmy.  It’s always cool to be a part of something big.  You gotta start somewhere.  

     I’ve told her that when she is ready to win an Emmy/Oscar just let me know.  I will either 1) go to Hollywood Blvd and buy her one of those fake trophies.  Or 2)  Send her a script that will make piles of cash.  All I want out of the deal is for Duke and I to have the token cameo appearances.  And maybe a few of my peoples to get some screen time.  And I am pretty sure that the script would not be G rated.  

       As far as the ALS ice bucket challenge.  Yes, the Dragon Lady and I have both been called out.  Yes, I am and now, WE both are past our 24 hours.  Yes, I will write a check, the bigger check.  And yes, we will still both do the challenge and call some others out.  Who cares if they do it in 24 hours as long as they send the money?   Which is what this whole deal is about anyways.  Raising cash to fund research for a cure. Duke called a few out the other evening.  One did NOT do the ice bucket challenge.  Instead he replied with “It is hot, dry and ice is hard to come by.  I’ll just send a check.  I need that ice to keep the beverages cold.”   It’s all good. 

      I’ve been getting more and more calls regarding coccidi problems.  If your usual medication isn’t working, get some Marquis.  Drench about 3 ccs with it (for 20-60 #ers), then hit him again in a week.  All ruminants have coccidi in their gut.  It is when the levels spike that cause problems.  Make sure salt and mineral are available to all animals, especially ones that aren’t dead nuts healthy.  Give grass hay to keep rumens healthy.  If you use Corid, then you better follow up with a thiamine booster shot.  

      Do not be afraid to give 3/4 cc of Draxxin sub Q (under the skin & this is for a 40-70 pounder).  It can be amazing what a high level anti-biotic can do to perk an animal up.  Sometimes an animal has sub-clinical problems that you just don’t see.  They don’t have a snotty nose or the shits, but they just aren’t 100%.  They are eating, but not doing as well as they should.  

      And anytime you give an animal an injection, follow up a day or so later with probiocin.  Just make it standard practice.  Some medicals are hard on a gut.  

     Oh, Oh, (with arm waving like an 8th grader wanting to answer the question), Oh, Oh,–And anytime that you have a wether or young buck a little sick, start watching for signs of urinary calculi.  Yep, kidney stones. 

      Speaking of lucky, where’s the Dragon Lady?  Oww!! That was a quick reply.  No winning #ers on this card tonight.  

p.s.  I did have a tear or two in my good eye, watching Billy Crystal do the memorial for Robin Williams on the Emmy’s tonight.  How about that Lauren Bacall?  She was smokin’ when it was black and white and then translated well into color pics.  Have a good day and a better tomorrow.  

     RUSM?  The weekend is gone.  That’s as messed up as an upside down tackle box.  Where did it go?  What happened?  SIx months ago, I had big plans for this weekend.  I had plans to take a buck and a doe to the TWBDS in Fredericksburg.  Then I changed careers.  Then I added a job to my existing career.  Then, last Saturday, the doe that I had broke to show and ready to go decided to “shuffle off this mortal coil” and no longer takes up oxygen on our fair planet.  Then, I looked at a calendar and realized that the show was on Sunday (not Saturday). So I stayed at home and got stuff done.  Not everything, but most of what was on my list to do.  

       We are a week away from having a goat sale at the Kelln Kompound.  Whew?!  I wish the Woodward County Fairgrounds were available, but they aren’t.  So, here we go.  Barn clean out is in progress. It will work.  And if it doesn’t, well, we will wish that it would have.  Sunday night WILL consist of crawdads, shrimp and the fixins.  Marla is going to cook.  Monday’s menu has smoked brisket on it.  Yes, dinner, sandwiches, however you want it.  And the goats look good.  We will put some pics up on facebook as we get them.    

     And yes, I do have a buck available for sale since I didn’t go to the TWBDS.  He is a Rumour x Rainman/All Jacked Up deal.  I’ll try to get pics later this week. I don’t know yet where I will offer him– online probably.    

      Speaking of Rumour, he had a decent weekend.  He sired some winning doe at an ABGA % show and sired a wether that won some big show over by Tulsa.  The pic of that wether looked really cool. Had a message of a goat or two winning in Georgia and one in Iowa.  But, my favorite was a text from a family in Colorado.  Cassidy Jagers bought a RUNT from me this past spring.  He was a Rumour Has It x Joe Dirt/Lexi.  He didn’t look good.  I actually couldn’t believe that he lived to see weaning.  His twin was skinny but still looked the part.  This one was skinny, had bad ears and bad hair.  Cassidy’s dad asked me to price him.  NOPE!  

       On one that looks that “good”, you make an offer.  Father & daughter had a quick pow-wow.  An offer was made.  At this point, the ag teacher/father was excused from any further negotiations.  I don’t remember the exact $ amount, but it was lower than the original offer.  And, there might have been some girl scout samoa cookies involved in the deal.  No matter what the actual terms were does not matter at this point.  What does matter is the pic I recieved of Cassidy and her 2nd place wether at the Colorado State Fair.  And yes, this wether did make the premium sale.  

      I don’t know what the wether brought in the sale.  It is irrelevant.  These are the kinds of stories that make me want to be involved in a youth show program. Father/Daughter team (and the daughter is the smart one) traveling with another Father/Daughter team (way cool family as well–that Dad has some serious ties to several Okie show goat people).  The stories of traveling to find animals to fit the budgets and have a chance to fulfill a goal are what makes this program go round and round.  The animal is simply the medium to get you there.  The people and the journey to get there is what matters.  Lance Jagers and Don Thorn–I promise to have some more skinny, crappy looking wethers for you to look at this next spring.  That is a promise that I can fulfill.  You better let the girls pick the goats and handle the negotations.  

      Well, the weekend is done.  Our government continually proves to be as incapable as a nigerian dwarf GOMER buck (just can’t seem to get anything done).  Now, next weekend…..OOOOOHHHHH  YEAH!  It looks to be a nice time with some REALLY GOOD goats.  Do I even need to tell you what has sold at this sale the past couple of years?  We’ll wait a day or 4 for that.  

Stay flexible but not limp.  

     Get Bent!  

“I’m sorry, if you were right, I’d agree with you.”  Robin Williams

“When I’m good, I’m very good.  But when I’m bad, I’m better.”  Mae West

“I have noticed that even people who claim everything is pre-determined and that we can do nothing to change it, look before they cross the road.”  Stephen Hawking

“If A is a success in life, then A equals X plus Y plus Z;  X is work, Y is play and Z is keeping your mouth shut.”  some dude with the surname of Einstein.  

“Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch.  Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote.”   Benjamin Franklin

“It’s in the hole!”  Carl Spackler

“People say that I’m difficult and somtimes that’s a badge of honor.”   Bill Murray

“If you can’t make it good, at least make it look good.”  Bill Gates (and also a bunch of show animal jocks)

“Good people do not need laws to tell them how to act, while bad people will find a way around the laws.”   Plato  (probably also true of a lot of show jocks.)

“In the land of the skunks, he who has half a nose is king.”   Chris Farley

“Good judgement comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgement.”    Will Rogers

“I just want to throw a watermelon from some place high.”  TravASS Schovanec

“Fun is good.”  Dr. Seuss

“It’s not dying that I’m talking about, it’s living.”  Augustus McRae  (that character is credited with many, many more quotes from maybe the best movie of all time)

“The harder you work, the luckier you get.”  Maybe Thomas Jefferson, maybe Gary Player, maybe somebody that knew what they were talking about.  

“Hit it like a champ!”   Always

…and think.  Close your eyes, ease the seat back and think about the best tasting meal…….dessert……food…….or maybe even the best drink that you ever had.  Somebody, somewhere grew that food item that tasted, oh so good.  Oh, you were thinking of an icy cold glass of water.  Well, you stumped me, not really.  Even still, there was an ag engineer that dug the well, set the pump and made that water available.  And once that well was flowing, it probably irrigated some crops as well as filling your bottle of water.  

     We, as in Americans, take for granted the abundant, safe & cheap food supply that we have readily available to us.  A strong military helped keep our freedoms.  But the American farmer and rancher fed you, me and the military.  And no Army was ever succesful when they were hungry.  Agriculture is the backbone of any strong society.  We all must eat.  Some places are more plentiful than others.  I choose to not eat raw tomatoes.  But, I have also never been hungry enough that I would want to eat a raw tomato.  My parents provided well for me and my brothers.  Some would call this spoiled.  Not me.  I call it lucky.  I’ve had to eat a raw tomato before and let me say that I would rather lick my own b……………….!  Let’s just say that I have never truly been hungry.  And I hope that noboby that I know ever goes hungry.  We, as Americans, or better yet, humans, should not let anybody go hungry.  We have the capabilities of feeding this entire world.  

       For that matter, if somebody is hungry, stop by, we’ll feed you.  And I’ll probably give you a doe goat to butcher and eat.  Cabrito….the most eaten meat world-wide.  

And in all seriousness, take care of a neighbor, check on the elderly, exercise a bit, give to somebody in need and no matter what…..stay flexible, but not limp.