I hope everybody has a very Merry Christmas.  Remember why we have Christmas.  It isn’t about the gifts or the big dinners.  

We had our traditional Kelln Christmas Eve at Shattuck last night.  The food was awesome and as usual there were some good stories told.  Today, we head to Tammy’s side.

    I must have been good this year because I didn’t get any reindoor poop or coal in my stocking.  However, Kela did get me a “waddling penguin pooper” that you wind up and it waddles and craps out penguin poop candies.  Pretty cool.

     Joy to the world and peace on Earth!

Happy Festivus!!

One of the  highlights of the Christmas season is the music.  Some of these I listen to year-round.  

10–It’s Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas–Bing Crosby

9–Mele Kalikimaka–Bing Crosby  (I hear this song and immediately think of the Christmas Vacation swimming pool scene)

8–Jingle Bell Rock–Bobby Helms

7–Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer–Elmo & Patsy

6–White Christmas–Bing Crosby  (think of the royaltys that his family is still collecting as the result of his Christmas songs)

5–Christmas Canon Rock–Trans Siberian Orchestra

4–Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer–Gene Autry

3–Feliz Navidad–Jose Feliciano  (fleas on my dogs)

2–All I want for Christmas is you–Mariah Carey  (also the best video winner)

1–Little Drummer Boy–Bob Seger and the Silverbullet band

There is a pile of other great songs associated with Christmas.  

    This is the day that we’ve been waiting on for several months.  Kela is finally coming home!!  Hopefully, California hasn’t corrupted her too bad.  We’re getting ready to “risk life and limb” and drive to OKC in this horrible weather to pick her up at the airport.  Then, we’re going to catch the Trans Siberian Orchestra concert while we are in the city.  

   I hope all of you people are as happy today as the Dragon Lady.  Let’s just say that momma is ECSTATIC and just a little bit wound up.  

    This post has nothing to do with my thoughts on sexuality, race, religion or anything else.  We all know that if you want my thoughts on a subject, just ask me.  Whether I agree with Phil Robertson or not does not matter.  What I like about Phil Robertson is the fact that he knew that reporter was going to ask that question, he knew that there would be backlash and he didn’t change what he said just to be politcally correct.  He said what he thought.  Now why is that a bad thing?  

     Here’s why I would vote for him.

1–He seems honest.

2–Strong family values.

3–He respects nature.

4–He built a business from the ground up.  And with the help of his sons has turned it into kind of a big deal.

5–He doesn’t try to be politcally correct.  Readily admits to mistakes that he has made and learned from.

6–Doesn’t need monetary support from political action committees, individuals, etc in order to fund a campaign.  I do think that our president should have actual business experience.  I think they should also have military experience.

7–I like the idea of the oval office decorated in camo.

8–The U.S. President should respect GOD.

9–I won’t have to worry about him trying to get rid of guns.

10–Won’t care if he offends, well, obviously, anybody.  

11–He would be better than what we’ve got or had in a while. 

12–I’d like to see what happens to the fat gray squirrells that roam the National Mall.  

13–It’d be fun, interesting and I bet it would work.

I also bet the ratings of that show go up as a result of his suspension.

     Dennis Leary, the comedian and somewhat actor, had a song back in the early 90s titled, “I’m an a$$hole”.  I thought this song was funny.  I have been called this name before, and I won’t argue with anybody if they think that I am one.  But, its days like today that make me be one.

      Is is a known fact that I am opinionated.  And I can always back up my opinions.  Whether you think that I am right or wrong does not matter to me.  But I can back up my opinions.

     I had a phone call tonight that absolutely did NOT go well.  I was already dealing with a really crappy day.  Then I answered this phone call.  A breeder called and asked me about a given buck.  SInce, I used to own the buck, I told him how I thought he would breed.  Then he told me that he bought semen out of him.  Fine.  

     Then he told me that he bought semen out of another buck and that 5 out of the 40 wethers in the OYE premium sale were sired by said buck.  My reply, “I’m not calling anybody a liar, but I will tell you that there were NOT 40 wethers in the OYE premium sale last year.  And I will also gaurantee you that 5 wethers out of that buck were NOT in the OYE sale & probably not a one was out of him.”  Doe sale?  I don’t  know.  Don’t care.   Wether premium sale–NO!!  Look it up on the OYE website.  They only sold 31 wethers in 2013.  

     Then, this poor, unsuspecting caller told me that he had Joe Dirt semen.  Since I knew where all we sold Joe Dirt semen and this guy wasn’t one of them, I asked where he got it.  He told me.  At this point, the caller, whom I have never met, had decided that he wanted off of the phone. I am sure, that I sounded like an a-hole.  Fine.  

     The only mistake that I made is that I answered my phone.  I’m not the crook.  I’m not the liar.  It is unfortunate that this guy called me.  I can’t help it that he was lied to and misled by others.  

      Even though I am an a-hole, I help people.  I help showmen.  I help other breeders.  I help kids.  I help parents.  I don’t care if you like me.  I’m not in this goat game to make friends, even though the only reason that I mess with these beasts is because of the people that we deal with.  The people that deal with me will tell you that I can be an ass.  But our repeat customer business is extremely high.  Why?  Although I can be tough to take at times, I am fair, we do things right, we get results and we have a large time. 

     I will continue to help others.  I think it is a requirement that we do such.  But, I will try to be more selective in the future.  A person can screw me once, but they will NOT get me twice.  

     Here’s to tomorrow being better than today.  

     No matter what we do, none of us can avoid death.  It’s going to get all of us at some point.  It just isn’t fun when you have to deal with it on a personal note.  In honor of my buddy Tommy Milligan, I would have to say that the word of the day is sorrow.  Tommy lost his mother today.  She lost her battle but Tommy said that she went with ease.  

    I’m not very good at funerals or weddings.  Although, I do remember a few fun wedding receptions, kind of.  I don’t want to even have to think about burying anybody.  I would rather be the first to go, then the rest can decide what to do with my carcass.  I’ve told Tammy and Kela for years that they are supposed to have a hole dug, roll me into it and push the dirt back in.  Kela says that Duke is in charge of my disposal, which means that it will probably get done half-assed and some coyotes will dig me up.  

     I respect those that can handle the loss as well as take care of making the arrangements.  I was extremely fortunate that I had many, many years with all of my grandparents.  Both of my kids spent memorable time with their great grandparents.  My mom and my dad, were the ones on both sides to handle the arrangements when my grandparents passed.  If my parents go before me, well, then it is a good thing that I have a pair of brothers that will see to it that things are done properly.  There are some things that I’m not good at.  It would be better for all of my family if I wasn’t the last one standing, but since I am a model of physical health, I will probably live to be 98.  Just think about how sunny of a personality I will have at that point.  

      It’s evenings like this that Tommy and Julie should just hug those two boys a little more, maybe hug each other, cry a bit and remember the good times.  Our prayers go out to the Milligan family.   

Random–Having no specific pattern, purpose, or objective.  

     Most of what I do in the goat world is very random.  I act on instinct or some other feeling.  In 2009, I knew that I needed a buck, but something didn’t set well, so I declined a partnership on a buck.  Fortunately, that buck has gone on to make a name for himself and has proven my level of intelligience to be just above retardation.  Kind of like on Forrest Gump, where the principal has the crappy chart showing Mama Gump where Lil Forest ranks.  Except, Sally and I didn’t make any noises.  Actually, I ended up on the side of the road, in full view of traffic, with a gut problem.

      On occasion, I will set out with an objective in mind, such as in 2010 when I was looking for bucks.  We came home with Joe Dirt, Freak On A Leash and Rainman.  Fast forward to 2012, I wasn’t looking for a buck, but I wasn’t going to let Rumour pass me by.  There was no pattern, purpose or objective that morning, but things change.  

     On this Monday night, I have ZERO interest in spending money on does.  But, I get to looking at Mock’s online offering and some of the potential genetic combinations that he has put together and I get to thinking, HHMM??  I’ve done dumber things.  Then, I stop and think that I have to pay the electricians and the insulation guys on this other project.  But, then again, my last two doe purchases happened in the last hours, maybe minutes, of the sale closing.  Let’s just say that they were random purchases with an understanding of what I was doing.  Yeah, right.  What I was doing was buying genetics and I like what I bought.  We’ll see how that sale goes tomorrow night.  Hopefully, it gets stupid high and I won’t have to spend any money.  

      Not to change the subject, but we are quickly headed in another direction.  Have you ever noticed how hard door knobs, car doors and other objects are to operate when you are dealing with severe turd pains? Some things become just plain hard to deal with when you are focused on NOT messing your own drawers. But on the contrary, think how productive we could be if we were ALWAYS that focused on an objective with the intensity of keeping from shitting ones’-self.  It’s pretty rare that one actually soils themself, but fairly common that we are focused on the objecive of NOT leaving marks.  

     Speaking of random.  I had a video of a bigfoot sighting in Texas.  Duke wanted to see it.  It was fun.  Then we watched a music video.  Then another.  We didn’t watch anything that wasn’t aired on MTV or Vh1.  I liked watching these older videos.  And I am pleased that my 13 year old son really liked Fergie, Britney, Mariah and some of these other “vocalists”.  I like music and I really like watching some performers more than others.  I don’t know, but something about watching Katy Perry sing about a tiger is a little more appealing than watching Survivor sing about the Eye of the Tiger.  Videos definetly have their place.  I just wish MTV still played music videos.  

     If you watch much TV, then pay attention to the number of commercials, tv shows and movies that have a goat appearing in them.  It isn’t as often as a duck, but way more diverse. 

      So I hear that there is a big lottery drawing coming up?  I am pretty sure that I won’t win.  Not because I am a pessimist and don’t think that I will win. But, the fact that I haven’t bought a ticket will probably keep me from winning.  

    I hope everybody had a good, productive day today and that you were all a benefit to society.  I really hope you did because somebody needed to carry my dead weight as I was probably a burden to society.  But, I didn’t get a ticket from that sheriff that talked to me this evening.  

     Here’s to you and all of your specific patterns, purposes and objectives.  I hope all of you have an exceptional day.  Speaking of random, there is a new muppet movie coming out.  

      First, I’m done with the decision to have the show last weekend.  ANYBODY that wanted to be at that show could have made it, with no problems or risk.  Those that didn’t come,  made a decision.  Now stick to that decision and shut the hell up.  No matter what we decided, it would have been the wrong decision.  I’m glad we had it. Now, we can move forward to next year.  And if anybody is offended by my comments and refuse to buy a goat from me because of it, FINE.  There are plenty of other breeders that will cash your check.  

      Second, most people that show don’t understand the logistics involved with holding a show.  Date, location, judge, etc.  The hardest part is getting any given judge for a given date.  You can plan a year in advance and still not make it work.  When you can get a high quality judge for your show, feel grateful and pay them for their travel and time.  

      Thirdly, (is that a word?) No matter your skill/success level in the livestock game, somebody, somewhere did a favor to help you out.  It might have been an ag teacher/ county agent, a breeder, vet, a neighbor or just somebody that happened to be in the neighborhood with a little knowledge.  For example, the Tim Dunkin family showed up at our barns today.  They brought their does and wethers for us to look at.  More importantly, they brought another family along.  This new family is trying to learn the game and they rely on the Dunkins for advice.  Tim does a heckuva job helping others.  But, he wanted another set of eyes, so he had this family come along.  So they came to the Kelln piece of paradise.  Which is kind of ironic.  Why?  TIm Dunkin is helping with all of his knowledge and then comes to us for more help.  But, I’m nothing more than somebody that learned from others that came before (and I’m still learning).  

      Here’s the point.  I don’t know all of the answers but I have enough confidence to make decisions to try to make things work.  If something doesn’t work, I will wish it would have.  And then, I’ll fix it.  The bigger, and more important point, is that we MUST help others in this game because we are all going to need help (and have already recieved help) from others.  Breeding, showing, health, kidding, no matter what, somebody, somewhere close, knows something that you need to know or have forgotten.  Ask for help.  I do.  

      Here’s to the people, lilke the Dunkins, that work to win, but also work to help others.  This is what makes the jr. stock show program an outstanding place to raise your kids.  There is always somebody that is willing to help.  Those that won’t–well, they won’t be in the game long.  

      Pass it on.  Help somebody because at some point, we are all going to need help.  Pay it forward.  Random acts of kindness never hurt anybody.  It doesn’t always have to be about cashing a check.  Sometimes, you are just happy getting a sack with a couple of dipshits and a jar of bullshit.  (Haven’t tasted it yet, but yes, I literally got a Christmas sack that had cookies–YEAH!–with two packets of dipshit and a jar of bullshit.)  

      I’m all out of knowledge on this fine evening, but I will guarantee you this much, if you help somebody it will come back to repay you.  Check in on a neighbor.  Take care of co-workers.  Help a kid.  Loan somebody something of value.  Watch what they do with it.  It’s better than farming.  You won’t have to wait on a rain to watch it grow.         

     And now, for the really random thought of the evening.  The Village People were on the xm radio earlier.  The song YMCA is one that is readily recognizable by all.  I remember this song being a hit in my earlier days–back in the late 70s when we bought packs of baseball cards in order to put in our bicycle spokes.  And, this song has stood the test of time.  It has a heckuva hook, catchy lyrics and you just kind of like it.  It has sold over 12 million singles.  I would actually argue that it is one of the most recognizable songs of all time.  But who knew what the lyrics actually meant back then.  I’m glad that I never stayed at the YMCA.

     On another random note, go look at the wikipedia list of the top selling singles of all time. There is a donkey-load of Christmas songs, some huge names and then Kung Fu Fighting.  RUSM!?!?  How many times can Big I & Ring download this song?  

     Sometimes, you find yourself just cruising home on a Saturday night, just “stayin alive” with the Bee Gees on the radio.  Conversations are good with the Dragon Lady and then, you get a voice memo texted to you.  And the night goes downhill from there.  It is an interview done somewhat professionally.  Topics included–tomato juice, 32, low T, 14 hours+, high school yearbooks, now 33, mommas not home.  We laughed.  Actually, we laughed a lot.

     Friday night, I had to take a pile of 7th grade boys to the movie.  We went to see the new Hobbitt movie.  It was 3D.  I’m 42 years old and this was the first 3D movie that I have seen while actually wearing 3D glasses.  This deal was off the hook good.  On the drive home, I looked over at the 7th grader in the passenger seat and he was sitting there in the dark, wearing 3D glasses and a Long John Silvers paper pirate hat.  At first, I was like, what a fool.  But then, I realized that I was a litle bit jealous.  Life doesn’t get much better than when you can wear a pirate hat and stupid glasses and it just doesn’t matter.  

     I read the Hobbitt and the Lord of the Rings books when I was 12 or 13.  The thing that I like about these movies is that the director obviously read the same books that I did.  It is amazing how visual that they made these books, but kept them like the visions that you have in your own mind.  Either J.R.R. Tolkien did a helluva good job describing scenes or Peter Jackson just understood it and put it to film properly.  Either way, there has been 5 movies and they are good.  I know how the next one ends, but I am ready to go see it.  

     Here’s to you and hoping that we all have a good time and a happy ending.  

It looks like the blog is back up and running again. Maybe it was the cold weather that kept it from working. It sounds like quite a few people around the country found water leaks that they didn’t know that they had. It ain’t fun when stuff freezes up. I hope everybody has been able to keep animals warm and healthy during this polar event.

I have a lot of thoughts about last weekends Champions Choice Jackpot. There was a lot of discussion amongst breeders on whether to have it or not. We decided to wait and see how the week went. As Friday neared, it became appararent that Norman & most of the rest of OK did not have much bad weather just cold. There was an area around Ada that had ice. And several showmen around that area called and told us that if we have the show, they are coming. A large majority of the breeders voted to continue with the show, knowing that numbers would be down.

The show was held and there were no travel problems. The barn was very warm and I would venture to say that most people and animals were warmer at the show than they would have been at home. There was no risk to anybody. PERIOD!

Here’s my thoughts about last weekend:

1–The show was NOT mandatory. If you didn’t want to go, keep your ass at home. Don’t complain. Just shut the hell up and stay home.

2–It is apparent that the news weather sensationalizes a lot of these wether events.

3–Basketball games were still held around the state. We even had people drive to Norman, drop off goats, then drive an hour and a half to a game, then come back all in the same night.

4–The quality was extremely good. Does & wethers.

5–It was the Breeders that put the money up for this show and therefore, it was our call on whether to have it or not.

6–Kami Oller took home a BIG check from this show.

7–The quality of showmen was fantastic.

8–I was amazed and dissapointed by texts and calls sent to breeders whining about us having the show. Once again, if you couldn’t make it, stay home.

Basically, the OKC area and most in Eastern OK shut down when there is inclement weather. We are used to it out here. And there is not a concern given to western OK when there is bad weather out here but not in OKC. There are lots of stories about state basketball tournaments where snowplows had to be used for miles in order to get buses out of Arnett, Leedey, Beaver, etc in order to get the kids to OKC for basketball games as they weren’t going to reschedule for just a couple of schools.

Think about this: OYE or Tulsa wouldn’t have rescheduled for this past weather event. This show paid BETTER than Tulsa–wethers and does. It was comparable to OYE premium sale and the Champion’s Choice doe show is a helluva lot better than the OYE doe fiasco.