The older I get, the less I like going to the actual games.  One, because I can’t sit in one spot very often.  Two, I require a driver to get me home.  And three, I usually don’t get much done the following day.  I always have a large time at the games.  I actually prefer to listen to the games on the radio.  I can keep working or driving and listen. 

     I don’t know if the Pokes can go into the snake pit at norman and win or not.  It won’t suprise me if they win or get beat.  Either way, I’ll still be an OSU fan tomorrow.  Speaking of games, I’ll probably try to catch part of the Notre Dame game. 

     We had Thanksgiving dinner at our house.  Had both of my brother’s families, my parents, a cousin and a couple of uncles.  There were several references to the movie “Secondhand Lions” regarding my uncles.  If you haven’t seen that movie, I highly recommend it. 

     Probably going to see a pile of goats in the next day or two.  Trim hooves, check finish and showmanship, rough out some does, etc.

     Things are very rarely as simple as they should be.  I was going to take a day off today, but sometimes work gets in the way.  I am getting ready to pull a big ass hay rake to White Deer, Tx.  Not a short drive when I will be traveling at 40 mph, which is about half my usual travel rate.  I have plenty of vacation days, but It just isn’t that simple to take off.  There is always work to be done, money to be made, etc.  Sometimes, it is easier if a person doesn’t have any responsibilities or concerns for others.  But, if I was like that then that would make me a politician.

     I attended a booster club meeting last night.  I had swore that I wouldn’t, but sometimes a person has to do things that they don’t want to.  Once again, things aren’t as simple as they should be.  Mac Devilibis, a long time ag teacher, always professed that “Booster clubs are important, but they should follow two rules.  Don’t let them elect officers and don’t let them have meetings.”  There is a lot of truth in that.

     I guess all of my family is coming to the Kelln Kompound for Thanksgiving dinner.  I will have the smoker fired up.  I will probably get fired up myself later in the day.

I didn’t go anywhere on Saturday. That was the first Saturday since February that I didn’t have work, show, sale or moving. Duke & I were going to hunt but it was so dang windy, we decided to put it off. I got a pile of stuff done around the compound. Sunday evevning, Duke & I went to Tyke’s to pick up a couple of pigs. Big bill, Tyke & the Gaisford boys helped us. The signs were right so we decided to cut them. I hadn’t cut a hog in several years, but it’s kind of like riding a bike. I hadn’t forgot how. Very little blood, no problems and Bill got pissed on. Somebody might have gotten hit with a nut. Pretty good surgery.

     Hostess is going out of business.  An actual Twinkie has a shelf life longer than the company that makes it?  I don’t eat Hostess products on a daily basis, as I would quickly look like Fat Bastard’s mini-me.  But I won’t eat any other brand of powdered donut.  I like a Twinkie and a chocolate cupcake on occasion.  But how can an iconic company like that not make it?

     The company was fighting with a labor union about salaries.  Instead of fighting anymore, they are closing the doors.  Now those people will be unemployed.  It doesn’t make sense to me.  Personall, I would rather have a job and no raise, than no job at all.  Hhmm, wonder who those people voted for in the presidential election?

    I am sure that somebody will buy the rights to continue the production of Twinkies and the rest of the healthy products that Hostess has made for most of a century.  Nonetheless, I am eating a Twinkie right now just in case this is the end.

     Winter has arrived.  It is cold at night and still somewhat chilly during the day.  Better be blanketing your wethers.  Ours are wearing two canvas blankets that are lined with wool on the inside.  If they are comfortable, they will be laying around outside.  If they are huddled up in their huts, they are probably cold.

    Cold weather screws up more goats in Oklahoma than anything else.  Their hair does not provide any insulation.  Managing a wethers comfort level is of paramount importance if you want to be competitive in March.  Clean water daily is also important.  This is the time of year that champions in March are made.  Good luck.

     Thursday ended up being way busy.  Work was busy.  Getting chores done and things lined up at home so that Duke and I could go to San Angelo.  Wrestling practice and online hog sale.  Got everything done.  Hogs bought, trailer loaded.  Taylor and I made really good time driving to San Angelo on Friday.  Fuel efficiency was a little low due to the head wind. 

     We had a large crew show up for the Lone Star Elite jackpot.  Our goats looked good and our kids showed good.  They maybe didn’t place where we thought they should, but that is part of it.  I’m not going to go off, but the evaulation of the livestock was a little inconsistent.  No, I’m wrong, WAY inconsistent.  There was one killer good goat in the grand drive and he ended up reserve grand.  I had a guy tell me that it looked like the judge’s blood sugar got low after class four and somebody needed to give him a snickers bar so his eyesight wouldn’t be blurry.  I kind of like that.

     However, the outcome, our crew had a large time.  The hospitality of this show and the generosity of the breeder members is phenomenal.  We will go back again next year. 

     Our crew was stoked that Chesley Comstock won div. 1 and ended up reserve grand.  Our kids poured into the ring to hug, high five and congratulate Chesley.  That is why we do this.

     Although it took several hours for Chesley’s goat to take a piss for the drug test, the tribe was still in good spirits and ready to go to the hotel.  We made it to our hotel parking lot and that was as far as it went.  Domino’s delivered a pile of pizzas to our trailers.  The kids had a dance off in the parking lot.  Duke busted out the worm, Britt had numerous versions of the happy dance and Lexi was showing us that she can dance to anything.  Tyke even participated. 

     Comstock’s have had such a good show season, that Scott went and bought scratch off lottery tickets for everybody.  He looked like a Vegas pit boss handing out vouchers for free shrimp cocktails.  Big fun.  Decades from now, the kids won’t remember how they placed, but they will remember the party in the hotel parking lot.

     Get your butts up and going.  Middle America needs to get around and go to work because the other half of the country on either coast is counting on your paycheck.  and our energy production, food production, fiber production, etc., etc., etc.  Hopefully, China doesn’t own us by the time your president gets done spending the U.S. into submission. 

     Thank goodness for term limits. 

      Today is election day.  No matter what, tomorrow will be a good day as we won’t have any more dang election ads.  However, I have a feeling that it will be a while before the loser of the presidential election is done contesting the votes.  Especially, with that mess in New York.  They will have that deal screwed up like a pile of coat hangers.  Throw in a few shitty lawyers and it will take a little time for them to sort crap out.  Hanging chads might seem mild compared to what we are about to see.  Especially if your (not mine) current president gets beat tonight.

     Speaking of hanging chads.  I went to the Fargo town hall to vote this morning.  I got there at 7:06 am.  There was about 30 people already there.  I waited my turn in line, took my ballot and proceeded to vote.  I hesitated on who to vote for on county sheriff.  I don’t really want either one, but we have to have one or the other.  I got my ballot all marked and took it to the scanner.  It beeped loudly, kicked it back and flashed “Spoiled Ballot–County Sheriff”.  As neither candidate is very good, I agreed that the ballot was spoiled from the start.  The ladies jumped up, didn’t know what to do, so they had me run my ballot again.  Sure enough same message and it kicked my ballot back to me.  I looked closer.  Where I had hesitated on one name, the pen had left a small dot in that box.  Even though the other box was completely colored in, it wouldn’t take it. 

     At this point, the elderly ladies that run the polling place weren’t sure as to what the proper protocol was to fix this dilemma.  They couldn’t look at my ballot.  They wouldn’t let me use white out.  Just to make matters worse, my cell phone rang, which wouldn’t be a problem except that my ringtone is AC/DC Thunderstruck and it is kind of loud.  With a spoiled ballot in one hand and a pen in the other, I couldn’t just quickly turn the ringer off.  This kind of threw the senior citizens into a tizzy.  So, they finally had me sign a spoiled ballot form and destroy the ballot.  Then I got a fresh one.  Like a kid marking all “C”s on their ACT test, I hurriedly marked the right answers.  “No” on all the judges and most of the state questions.  Voted for the right president.  Made dang sure that I didn’t leave any extra marks on this ballot and then stuck it back into the scanner.  All good–this time.  Just think what kind of problems could arise when somebody is actually wanting to cause problems. 

     No matter who you vote for, get your donkey to your polling place and VOTE!  And GOD bless us, no matter what happens.

     Spent Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon looking at hogs.  A person can dang sure buy a good pig cheaper than what a good goat costs, but then it costs a pile to feed a pig, buy additives and wood chips.  Worse yet, you about need 5 or 6 pigs to make sure you have one good enough in the end.  In the end, it all evens out.  None of it is cheap.  But dang it sure is fun. 

     I don’t miss the days when I was teaching and had about a 100 head of barrows and gilts on feed.  I’m glad I don’t have to buy very many pigs.  It is such a short window of time when the pigs are ready to look at and it is hard to make it to all the farms and sales to look at them.  They have to be a certain size in order to work.  A goat can be whatever range or weight and it will work. 

     The only way this Saturday could be better is if it was raining.  Good day at work.  We got a pile of Christmas toys and stuff in today.  I mean a PILE!!

Rumour has gotten his first couple of pieces of tail.  Rainman has been WAY busy.  Got a semi load of alfalfa in last night.  Got it unloaded and stacked.  There are a couple of big football games tonight.  I don’t feel very confident about the Pokes going to K State.  I hope LSU can knock off alabama.