First of all, I would like to acknowledge to a higher power that a lot of prayers for moisture have been answered.  It has been a perfect snow–wet, no wind, plentiful and not butt-ass cold. It’s warm enough-30 degrees- that Duke and I had trouble sledding and all we did with the gator was cut ruts.  But, the snow balls pack real GOOD.  It’s just too bad that I can’t throw worth a dang.  Tomorrow morning will be good for sliding around. This snow will melt right into the ground.  Some people were smarter than others and put fertilizer down this past week.  Dad’s wheat already looked good considering the circumstances.  It will really blow & go now.  Some, like myself, were sick of spending money.  

     This should help a lot of people’s allergies and might even help stop some other illnesses that have been going around.  Goats don’t normally like to be wet, but my does don’t seem to mind this snow at all.  They could have been in the barn, dry; but nope, they have been grazing and hitting the alfalfa bale like it is a pile of coke on Tony Montana’s desk in Scarface.  You know that the moisture is welcome when something as dumb as a doe goat is welcome for it!  Although, I bet something has the $h!t$ in the next couple of days.

     Let us hope and pray that this snow put enough moisture into the atmosphere to prime the pump and continue to bring moisture on a more regular basis than what we have seen the past couple of years.  At least there is a chance now.  Thank you.

I saw this in an email, thought I would pass it on.  Common sense–something that seems to be lacking in Washington D.C.

“With all the uproar over gun control, you might want to consider this.Brilliant way to put it. But because of the common sense aspect of it, no one in Washington will pay attention.

A person steals guns, (WHICH IS AGAINST THE LAW), shoots and kills his own mother (WHICH IS AGAINST THE LAW), transports these guns loaded (WHICH IS AGAINST THE LAW), brings guns onto school property (WHICH IS AGAINST THE LAW), breaks into the school (WHICH IS AGAINST THE LAW), discharges the weapons within city limits (WHICH IS AGAINST THE LAW), murders 26 people (WHICH IS AGAINST THE LAW), and commits suicide (WHICH IS AGAINST THE LAW). And there are people in this country that somehow think passing ANOTHER LAW banning guns would protect us from someone like this. If you haven’t noticed, people like this are not concerned about breaking laws – they only care about fulfilling their own twisted agenda. The only people that a gun ban law would impact are the LAW ABIDING CITIZENS, which will only serve to cripple the ability to protect ourselves. Consider that armed citizens are FREE and disarmed citizens are SLAVES.If you agree with this, please re-post. If not, read it again and see if it does not make a wee bit of sense.”

     We made it to the Fists of Fury cage fights on Saturday night.  WOW!!  I was over-dressed for this event because I had a collar on my shirt.  Huge crowd.  But a large majority had tattoos, piercings, shaved heads, mohawks, etc.  Foxworthy would have a field day at one of these human cock fights.  Although not a pretty crowd, for the most part everybody was well behaved.  Mixed into the crowd was a lot of the powers-that-be from Woodward.  One thing that I can tell you is that if you are involved in the oilfield industry, it looks to me like attending or sponsoring a cage fight should be a priority.

      We met Darren Wichert and Rusty & Marla Thomas for supper.  Some of you may know Rusty & Marla.  Their daughter Makeitha showed wethers for us.  Marla has been the cajun cook at several of our events.  Rusty is the entertainment.  He can get a little bit sideways or as he says “get bent”.  Their son, Ethan, which is Makeitha’s twin was scheduled to fight.  This was his fight debut.  The guy he was supposed to fight didn’t pass his drug test.  The champion’s opponent in the title match was injured earlier this week and wasn’t cleared by doctors to fight.  This meant that they needed somebody to fight the champion.  So now, due to the lineup shuffle, Ethan was now fighting the current belt holder.  This wasn’t exactly a fair fight, but Ethan lasted all three rounds and gave the reigning champ all he wanted.  He did good considering what he was up against.

       Jimmy Treece was a former student from Waynoka.  I hadn’t seen Jimmy in a few years.  He had shaved his head and grown a duck dynasty beard.  He had obviously been working out.  His fight didn’t last long, about ten seconds.  They carried his opponent off on a stretcher.  It was a beating.

     We had a pile of former students there to watch these fights.  Some of these students would have been way involved in this if they would have had these fights ten or fifteen years ago.  Michael Meyer was there to partake in the good times.  He would have been phenomenal years ago.  If you don’t know Michael, he was an all -state linebacker/fullback, notorious fighter, showed grand lambs at OKC, Tulsa and Denver.  He is the nephew of Ritsun, Kenny and Fred Urban.  He’s just as onery and full of crap as his uncles.  He now works in the oilfield around Vernon, Texas.  He had a rig hand that was fighting.  It turned out his employee was the one that took the beating from Jimmy Treece.  

     Duke got his picture taken with the ring girls.  

     Rusty’s description of this event was and I quote “It’s like the state fair and my mother-in-law, it gets bigger and better every year”.

We went home as soon as the fights were over.  Most of the crowd headed to the local establishments.  I knew that there would be problems.  Fights, alcohol, adrenaline and stupidity all mixed together makes for a bad recipe.  The cops were busy the rest of the night and they had to close several Woodward clubs down early as a result of the un-caged fights that broke out.  I also, later heard that Rusty had to go to Wal Mart to buy new jeans.

  That’s the report from the major redneck event of the year.  Maybe, we need to schedule a goat cage fight.  Big I could start working out and get into fighting shape. Maybe, he and Schenberger could tangle.  It would probably turn into a tickle fight.

     I hope that there is a chance of rain in your forecast wherever you are.  I wouldn’t mind a good wet snow, but I don’t think I want any part of that blizzard that is going on in New England.  That deal looks brutal

     I’m off to the dealership on this fine, windy morning.  Then, I’ve got several goat projects lined up to do later this afternoon around the Kompound.  Nothing too exciting.  However, this evening, the Kelln clan is headed to the cage fights at Woodward.  No, I’m not planning on climbing in the ring.  We’ve got a few former students planning on trying their skills in the MMA arena.  It should be interesting.  Duke was disappointed to hear that there wouldn’t be any midget fights.  

Pray for rain.

Good day.

Stay flexible, but not limp.

     I made it into the house just before halftime of the super bowl, which means that I saw most of the highlights.  I saw the blackout, Beyonce, the good part of the game and some of the commercials.  I missed most of the Bud Light commericals, but I probably didn’t need an ad to get me to buy some of that product.  One thing that I DID see was the Dodge commercial.  

     I wasn’t looking at the screen when it started.  I was actually checking the iPhone for some KCCO.  But, I heard the voice.  Yes, the voice of Paul Harvey.  I perked up and began to pay attention.  Excellent production, great delivery, I wasn’t even sure who it was advertising until the end.  The only way it could have been better was if it would have had green tractors in it.  GOD made a farmer and then he made tractors green.  I had read manuscripts of that speech years ago.  But it was infinitely better with Paul Harvey’s voice delivering it.  

     After the commercial was over, I just kind of sat there.  Damn that was good.  Real good.  Another minute passed and my phone started dinging.  People texting, “Did you see that ?”  If you are involved in agriculture and watched it, listened to it, whatever, then you loved it.  That commercial worked.  For the first time in my life, I thought, “I might have to buy a Dodge pickup.”  

     Now, groups are saying that there wasn’t enough latinos or blacks pictured in the video.  WTH?!  If they would have pictured slaves picking cotton, then the reverend (and I use that term loosely) jesse jackson would have said that they were insensitive to blacks.  If they would have put a bunch of Mexicans harvesting vegetables it would have turned into an immigration political pile of hog $h!t.  Some of the critics have stated that most farms are corporate, industrialized farms with no humanity.  What?  They need to drag these mental midgets into middle America during this extended drought and see what actually goes on.  Yeah, it might be a LLC or a company that owns it, but there is an AG family behind it.  Why do people have to twist crap around and make it into something that it’s not?  

     I have no problems with latinos, blacks, asians, etc.  I know a lot of sorry white people.  I don’t understand why people can’t just look at a piece of art and go “Dang, that was good.”  Respect it for what it is.  I understand and respect the value of all types of people that have and will continue to contribute to American agriculture, regardless of race, religion, etc.  

      What I do know is that this country was built by farmers and ranchers along with our military ( which was made up of farmers and ranchers).  Our best politicians were agriculturists.  If you take away the American farmer, then this country WILL fold up.  They can’t survive without agriculture and too many of these crayon eating, mouth breathing retards are to stupid to realize it.  But they vote.  Foreign oil?  Are you kidding me, try going without something to eat and you will forget about oil.  Import the food?  No other country can produce the amount, quality and safe supply of food that the American farmer/rancher has and will continue to produce.  Not my opinion. FACT.

     William Jennings Bryan made his famous Cross of Gold speech in 1896.  This line was true then, and it still rings true, “Burn down your cities and leave our farms, and your cities will spring up again as if by magic. But destroy our farms and the grass will grow in the streets of every city in the country.”    Google it and read the rest of the speech.  You might learn something.

      Agriculture is a way of life.  It can be ruthless and time consuming.  Mother Nature can and will wreak havoc.  No other industry faces the uncontrolled difficulties from weather, politics, nature, drained bank accounts, etc.  

     I wonder all of the time why I have these does.  Then, the miracle of birth happens and I get in a good mood.  A week old kid, a litter of pigs, a calf first standing up and I remember why I do this.  Because I want my kids to see what GOD has made.  I’ve been known to just sit on the ground with little goats crawling on me. And you can’t have little goats without does.  It gets my mind right.  You can build all of the churches you want, but there is nothing more powerful than seeing GOD at work–with livestock, crops and the weather.  And the people that result from dealing with animals, plants & Mother Nature.  Did GOD make a farmer?  YES.

      Now, would I have changed the commerical.  NO.  I would have just made an alternate version.  One with James Earl Jones reading the script.  I kind of like the voice of Mufasa and Darth Vader also.

Pray for rain.

Stay flexible, but not limp.

      I’ve been reading a post on oklahomashowgoats.com this evening.  Now, I”m trying to decide if being “abrasive” is a positive or a negative.  I’ve decide that abrasive is a positive.  Let’s take a look.  

The abrasion caused by glaciers slowly moving made most of North America’s landscape.–Positive (well except for the beauty known as the Texas panhandle).

The use of abrasives helps a woodworker sand a rough piece of wood into a polished, beautiful piece of craftsmanship.  Positive.

The abrasive use of sand, walnut shells or glass beads while sandblasting helps clean and polish metal to a smooth finish that readily accepts a primer and paint.  Positive.

Hey, what the…well now that I read this again, I realize I know who he must be talking about.  But, wait, the Poe Cat isn’t grey headed yet and well hell, when I read middle aged, grey headed, opinionated, abrasive, etc., I thought Bryan Kennedy isn’t a former ag teacher yet.  Who the…what the…that dang ex-car salesman, goat buying, internet junkie, house flipping son-of-a is calling me abrasive.

Now, I know that abrasive is a positive.  

Using a “middle aged, grey headed, opinionated, abrasive, successful, blogger and former Ag. Teacher” usually achieves desired results when dealing with…..

anything that needs the rough edges smoothed off…metal, goats, wood, landscape, people, etc..  The Dragon Lady has just informed me that an abrasive is not always positive.  

All I know is that between this website and that one, there are plenty of opinions (and good reading) to go around.  I’m just glad that I’m not opinionated, I’m just always right.

I’ve seen some really good goats the past week and even better kids.  Lots of families trying to do stuff right.  This is what makes it fun and keeps an addict going.   Hopefully, some hard work will pay off for people.  

On that note, our academic specialist came home today with a slew of good grades for a change.  He had five (5) papers with a score of 100.  We praised him, hung the papers on the fridge and asked him if he had homework tonight.  Of course, he did.  And now we know that he is capable of doing good work and it will be expected in the future.  He isn’t so happy now.

On a Duke note:  Sunday afternoon, my dad (speaking of opinionated) shows up to feed heifers.  He hung up a calendar from the Gage Locker of ladies doing carpenter work.  Nothing dirty, just pics of ladies that probably didn’t actually do any carpentry work. All clothed–professionally photographed.  Good photos, tastefully done, like Big I and Milligan took the pics with Schoovy and Sessions holding the lights and Bob Seelke tellling them where to aim the cameras.  Anyways, Duke looked at the calendar and grinned.  As a dad, I thought “Yes!!  That’s my boy.”

Later that evening, the Dragon Lady, Duke and I were watching the halftime of the Super Bowl entertainment.  Beyonce and her crew were strutting their stuff on stage.  I looked at Duke and asked, “What do you think of that?”   He grinned and said, “I’d kind of like to have a calendar of that.”  He might not be a valedictorian, but I like the way he’s thinking.

Pray for rain.

Stay flexible, but not limp.

     One in the same.  And the good sires cost a lot of bucks.  I’ve been giving a lot of thought as to what to do with all of these smelly beasts that we have.  We have decided to sell semen on the Valentine’s Day Sweetheart semen sale on oklahomashowgoats.com.  There will be semen on Joe Dirt and Fade2Black.  I am still trying to decide whether to offer some out of Rumour Has It or not.  I’m leaning towards selling a few straws, but I’ve still got a day or two to make that decision.

     We are also pondering what to do with all of the other bucks.  Tyke has his entire set of does bred to Joe Dirt.  He has kept numerous doe kids and will keep more out of this set.  I have a pile of Dirty daughters.  I’m going to have to come up with a new buck for GT at some point.  I don’t want to let go of a buck like Dirt, as he has sired a pile of good ones, his daughters are keepers and his kids have all been easy to sell and successful in the show ring.  But, I don’t know that we have enough does to justify keeping him around.

     We are also studying the same problem with Pullan and Nation as they have kept a pile of Fade2Black daughters and are going to keep more this year.  His first crop was phenomenal with a div. champ wether at Tulsa, another class winner and numerous other high placings.

     I don’t really want to sell bucks of this quality, with these kind of genetics and that are proven.  But it will take a pile of bucks (cash) to replace them, thus the dilemma.  To sell, to sell 1/2 interest or just keep them?  If we sell, do we do it private treaty or in an online sale?

     We have time to think about this.  That is the good part.

     Everybody has preferences.  Blondes or brunettes.  Tall or short.  Athletic build or not so much.  Top heavy or not.  I don’t know why it is hard for some people to understand why you would want to know who is judging a show.  I want to know who is judging Tulsa or OYE before I start buying goats.  Everybody has a preference–size, muscle vs. pretty, hard handle vs. will take some cover, some judges like red ones, some won’t use a paint, etc.  

     There is nothing wrong with a scouting report on a judge.  Coaches know if a ref calls fouls or lets them play.  Does an ump call a tight strike zone or does the zone grow as the game goes on?  This doesn’t have anything to do with politics.  It is just knowledge.  How do you find out what a judge prefers?  Watch them judge.  Or talk to people that you trust that have seen them judge.  

    The Dragon Lady and I ventured to OKC on Thursday night.  We attended the Sirloin Club banquet & auction.  The new regime at the OYE had reached out for more support from the goat sector.  In turn, the goats will gain more support in the show and premium sale.  There will be 30 wethers in the premium sale this year.  

     Let’s just say that we had a large time.  Our table consisted of Bill & Brooke Taylor, Mike & Tammy Thompson, Lance & Tiffany Schultz ( if you don’t know them, you can find them in the cattle barn), Jerry & Ada Pfeiffer and the Kelln’s.  We were later joined by Governor Jack Staats, who as of Thursday now has some issues with a certain airline.  There were other producers that were there to represent the goat crowd.  Things went well.  It is a very positive vibe with the OYE crew.  I spent more time talking cattle then I did goats, which I have always liked dealing with cattle and pigs more than goats.  Remember, Kela got me into this goat business.  Speaking of Kela, several of her running buddies were in attendance.  One of them, no names mentioned, even had a Sugar Daddy buy her a coconut cream pie in the auction.

      A lot of people would have been amazed to see this crew.  All of these women looked hot, which is typical for them.  The guys, for a change, looked good too. Sometimes a turd can be polished enough to shine.  Mikey, Bill and I even wore ties.  I hadn’t wore one in several years.  I couldn’t find my neck extender, but otherwise things were fine. Pfeiffer didn’t find his tie.  But, Jerry had a fresh haircut and it is a pretty big deal for him to get very far away from home.  

     Our crew was active participants in the silent auction, live auction and lottery drawings.  Pfeiifer’s were part of the crew that bought the res. grand wether chalice.  Lecil Church and I were part of a crew that got outbid on the bronze medallion chalice.  Some live money showed up to buy that, so we let them have it and spent ours elsewhere.  Tammy T won a pair of boots.  The Dragon Lady and Tiffany bought a pony ride.  I might have won the bidding on a big bottle of Crown Royal extra rare that had a pair of cigars with it.  I didn’t even have to bid thanks to Bill using my bidder #.  I’m not much of a smoker, but the cigars seemed kind of cool.  The last time I smoked a cigar was in 2006.  Poe Cat had brought some cigars back from Jamaica.  I’m still not sure if it was actually tobacco or something else.  That cigar knocked me for a loop and I wanted to eat a box of twinkies and a bag of dorito’s.  I foresee an executive council meeting in the big barn, probably with Bill and I trying the cigars and Tyke cussing us.  Maybe, we can get Tyke to drive us somewhere and we smoke them in his pickup.  Better his than mine.

     I did feel old as Kela had friends there and numerous lawyers, politicians and such were there that I dealt with when they were in high school.  Now, they have kids, careers, etc.  Several people (Tammy, Kinzie & Jamie) had to point out that my hair matched my gray suit.  At least I have hair. 

     Once, the auctions were over, we moved to another location and continued the fun.  My old friend Tom (Tommy) Manske joined us, as well as the old hockey coach, Doug Sauter.  Big fun.  Nobody got stupid.  Some of us might have even gotten smarter.

     I don’t know why, but I almost always sleep well in a hotel room, over 6 hours straight.  The Dragon Lady and I decided to just take the day off.  We ran some errands in the city, bought a couple of things.  Ate a cheddar burger at Earl’s.  I bought a turd snake at home depot.  She bought a bathroom light.  Later in the day, while going through a drive through car wash and not really knowing what I had bought earlier, she asked me “If that thing I bought at home depot would be okay in the back of the pickup?”  I smiled and said, “Honey, it is going to get shoved down a drain pipe.  Trust me, this carwash is the highlight of its life.”

      Anyways, I highly recommend every goat breeder be involved in the support of these jr. shows.  I actually would say you MUST be involved.  Give back and pass it down to the next generation.  Every person and every dollar adds up.  Give to your local show, put add ons to customers at county, district or state sales.  Be a member of the Elite 100.  If you can join a deal like the Sirloin Club or other groups, please do.  Don’t just sit back and complain.  Put your money/time where your mouth is and find a way to help out.  It will pay off.  

     My favorite quote of the night came from Steve Bonham.  “You dang goat people aren’t afraid to step up and support your barn.  That’s impressive.”  No matter if it is ten dollars to a neighbor kid that works hard, a family that buys goats from you or attending a fundraiser at the state level, step out and support this lifestyle.  It all adds up to one of the greatest programs that a kid can be involved with.

Remember: stay flexible, but not limp.

  a genius or just a dang publicist.  

     I watched the bcs championship game with the Dragon Lady.  I was hoping Notre Dame had a chance, but I was wrong.  When Brent Musburger went all nuts over the Alabama QB’s girlfriend, I had two, okay, maybe three thoughts.  1) He seems a little over-zealous  2)Yeah, she’s hot and 3)that QB’s mom looks pretty good too.

I found it interesting how quickly this chick caught a twitter buzz.  I also remember the hot chick that Musburger made famous before–Jenn Sterger.  This isn’t new info–just interesting.  I remember worthless info and if I’m found guilty of liking good looking women, well, charge me.  I have no problem with these women finding acclaim for being on camera or taking advantage of it. 

All of the above brings me to this point.  I listen to XM radio–80s, hair nation, blue collar comedy and espn.  I don’t want to think, or listen to false or biased news when I’m on the road.  But when the Ray Lewis story broke yesterday about the deer antler velvet spray being a banned NFL substance, I did think–BullSH…  I would like to use my daily language, but there are some decent people that read this blog…my mom and daughter included.  Feel free to insert any 4 letter words that you deem appropriate.  But anyways, I thought why would they do this, right now, right before the Super Bowl?  Ray Lewis is an injured future hall of famer that is retiring.  Therefore, the NFL can’t suspend him IF it is a banned substance.  Because he is a future hall of famer, he brings street cred.  No other football games this week.  Captive audience.  Huge crowd of reporters, all looking for a story.  So, they have a publicist put this crap out there, Lewis denounces the reporter as not being worth the press, then he cashes a check, and the swats (we never heard of them before this deal) cashes an even bigger check for making a deer antler velvet spray that is supposed to work miracles.  Go to their website, if you can.  I did yesterday.  Now, it is unreachable.  On Monday, it was on over-night shipment of this deer antler velvet spray.  On Tuesday evening after the story broke,  the website said “Due to tremendous response from recent publicity there is now a 25 day wait for this product”.  Now, the server is crashed from over-use.  I read the website before it crashed and I had a thought of “does this stuff test in a goat and does it work?”  You know what?  I’m sure it is like every other additive.  Spend more money in the beginning and buy a better goat.  Plus, it isn’t worth it if it does test positive.  

     You can’t come up with this kind of advertising package.  Which is my point?  These deals all smell like a publicist had a genius idea.  And it worked.

     What is the price to get Musburger to point you out in the crowd?  I don’t know, but it is worth it.  

This social media/ instant media creates an amazing buzz.  I am WELL aware of what a couple of pics of tag 2174 caused on facebook and what it will make a little goat cost..  There was more kind of rumours, bs, truths, half truths and just general buzz after this goat was lot #1 and then wasn’t lot #1 .  Where’d he go, what’d he cost, who has him?  I know the answeres to all of the above.  The scary thing about this deal was that there wasn’t a publicist behind the scenes, pulling the puppet strings.  Wait?  What if Joe Ed Helms was the mastermind behind all of that facebook stuff on the goat that was to become Rumour Has It?  Cool.  At this point, my reply is “Money well spent.”  I would imagine that Katherine Webb, Jenn Sterger and the SWATS people would all agree that theirs was money well spent too.    

     Hhmmm?   What would it be worth for somebody in the know to publicize goats on a certain blog and when people called asking questions about where to find a buck, doe, wether, whatever, to steer them in a certain direction?  Is such a thing possible?  Who could pull this off?  Somebody needs a publicist.  

   At times, I feel like Lloyd and Harry at the end of “Dumb and Dumber”.