How come you don’t ever see penguin on a menu anywhere? They look rather tasty to me. They live in cool, clean water and eat fresh fish. They don’t look like they would be tough. I bet it would be good smoked. Maybe gilled.

Aahh!!! The joys of raising goats. I had a pair of does that were due this week, among others. Both were top notch genetics and both were physical specimens. Both were two years old. Of course, I was counting on getting some great ones out of this pair. Possibly buck prospects or at least champion wethers. The first had kidded last August and raised a really nice doe kid. No problems, great milker. Very good first time mother. The second had aborted twice. We finally got her to full term.

The first had a large buck kid on her own on Tuesday. Buck kid born dead. This kid probably would have been fine if one of us had been home to help. The only saving grace was that she allowed us to graft a different kid on to her. The second doe had a foot peaking out when I got home last night. He was rather large. Lets just say that there were calf pulling chains involved and a lot of cussing. This was the hardest pull on a goat that I have ever had. Large kid and she hadn’t dialated as needed. Of course, it too was a buck kid and obviously dead. This one weighed 14 pounds. I’ve never weighed a newborn before–dead or alive. I half expected the doe to die, but nope, she was up on her feet within about 15 minutes. Cleaned up afterbirth and looking for a kid.

Typical of my experiences dealing with does, it hardly ever turns out like I plan it. Breed em right, feed em right, take care of them. Get them to the point that it is their turn to do their job (which is have live kids) and….nothing. The first doe will definitely get another chance. The second one, I’m going to have to think about it.

We have had a larger than normal set of kids this year. I’m sure part of it is genetics, although we didn’t have much trouble last year. I think the other part is nutrition. I have had to feed alfalfa to all of the does ever since October of 2010. All through last summer until the past month. They may have gotten too much protein and the kids are just bigger. However, the good mothers have still raised live kids.

It has been extremely busy at work. Get there early and leave late. After a year and a half of drought, this is a good problem. Selling equipment, looking at trades, picking up equipment, paperwork, hiring, firing, scheduling truck deliveries, etc, etc. This doesn’t leave much time to take care of goats. The Dragon Lady has been doing part of my chores here lately. It’s hard to find time to clip sale does. Probably going to enlist some help. Only got two does left to kid this month and they are two days past due.

It could be worse. I could still be teaching.

Even though we’re swamped. The wind was calm just before dark last night, so Duke and I broke out shotguns and shot some rock. He might have wasted some shells, but then he got dialed in. Little things like that can be real fun and a stress reliever.

We are having an online doe sale next Monday. The photographer has been out of state, so we won’t be able to photo until Saturday morning. The pics/videos will be up by Sunday morning. Seelke’s, Poe, Nation, Pullan, Milligan and Kelln will be selling doe kids in this sale. They will be December and January born kids. They will be sired by Joe Dirt, Fade2Black, Rainman and others.

I am probably going to sell 6 in this sale. Maybe, just 5. There is a way cool solid white Joe Dirt x P8 kid. P8 is an old Powell/Holman doe that has raised several good ones for us including “Pocket”, which is the buck that Pat Lyons and Allen Miller bought last year. There is also a Joe Dirt x Harley red caped doe kid that is really good. Huge top, big bone with a cool front. There will also be a twin to the lot #2 wether. She won’t be very big framed, but she is super square in her hip and feet placement. Sequoyah bone with a big rib and cool front.

The one that I am waffling on is a Joe Dirt x K5. K5 is a BoDog x H15. K5 had a Tulsa premium sale wether and the middle division champion doe kid at Tulsa this past year in her first crop. K5’s twin also raised a Tulsa sale wether and H15 has raised numerous premium sale wethers and doe kids. This is a very good genetic line for us and I probably shouldn’t part with any of these genetics, but I kept too many doe kids this past year. I’ve got a day or two still to decide.

We’ve already had several lookers from numerous states. Call me to arrange viewing of the goats.

We didn’t have any tornadoes right close to the Kelln piece of paradise. Tammy and I watched the multiple tornadoes on the ground near Waynoka. It was kind of wierd watching the tv and knowing whose land it was on. That, and the fact that only hours earlier, Duke and I had been there. Luckily, no one lost anything. This is the first time that I liked text messaging. I was able to text numerous people to check on them and they replied. Some of the responses were off the hook funny. I’m still laughing at a picture of a lady with a bicycle helmet and a cold beverage.

I fell asleep about 10:30. Tammy woke me up about 11:30 and said “David Litzenberger called and told us to get to watching these storms. They are headed our way.”

As it neared Woodward, I was pretty quiet, which is somewhat unusual for me. As the storm chasers gave their locations, I knew exactly where they were. Luckily for us, this tornasty was on the opposite side of town from Western Equipment and from almost all of the employees. Although, Mandy, our secretary, lived only 3 blocks away from the devastation. Her family and home was fine. I have an aunt & uncle that live only 1/2 mile from where the tornasty touched down. They slept through it all. Probably the way to go through life. If you don’t know, there is nothing to be scared of.

The movie theater that was demolished holds a lot of memories for me. I saw the Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi on those screens. Kela and I watched Star Wars–episode 1 there. Not to mention the Naked Gun, Major League and Batman. Oh well, they can rebuild all of that. It’s kind of like showing and college, I have the memories.

I didn’t know anything about the tornasty touching down near Arnett. This is Tammy’s hometown. Nobody was hurt, but we have since learned of friends who lost barns, vehicles and equipment. Luckily, nobody was hurt.

The weather people called this storm a week ahead of time. They just didn’t know where it was going to hit. I am happy that the people I know weren’t hurt. However, I do feel for those that lost loved ones. Houses, buildings, cars and equipment can all be replaced. That’s why they sell insurance. People, on the other hand can’t. I’m not a warm, fuzzy person, but I never like to hear about anything happening to kids.

Pray for the people that lost family and friends. Pray that you were safe. Pray that we are done with this crap for awhile. We wanted rain. We got it, along with the other crap Mother Nature can deal out.

That is how the rain came last night. Sideways. Right at 3″ in under 30 minutes starting at 2:03 a.m. Rain coming that hard, that fast accompanied by 50 mile per hour winds out of the south means I had a lot of wet goats this morning. The walls under the lean to were wet 6′ high. The running water cut a new channel and diverted the runoff right into the west doors of the barn. So the barn was flooded, the lean to was wet, the sheds were wet. Water in feeders. Goats don’t like to be wet. A morning like this illustrates the value of tremendous facilities. Ours are very functional and are better than most, but the next set of barns will be different.

Obviously, I am in a great mood to start this saturday morning. On top of this, today is my Saturday off from work, but I’m going in anyways to fix some problems. Since I’m going that way, I’m going to deliver some goats.

I haven’t decided if it is an advantage or a pain in the ass that Kela got me to start showing goats in Oklahoma before it was the cool thing to do. One, there was nobody to turn to for advice. At that time, nobody else knew how to really feed a wether. The breeders didn’t really know what they were doing and they didn’t know anything about showing, feeding or fitting. The vets really didn’t know anything about goats. A lot of them still don’t, but there are some trying. I had to learn on my own. Proper feeding, hoof trimming, shearing, showing, fighting fungus, medications, etc.etc. I learned almost all of it on my own through trial and error. A whole lot of error. A strong livestock background and some common sense helped us figure things out.

I’ve never really figured out how to charge people to help them or answer their questions. Milligan and Thompson like to remind me that I am a dumb ass because I haven’t been charging for my services. Time, experience and knowledge is worth a lot. Several successful familes have never written me a check for my help, but they also buy goats from me and help me or my kids. Good friends are worth more than a few dollars. We work together, win together and have fun.

I like to help people. But I like to help people that have earned the right to be helped. I can be kind of a mean growly SOB. I don’t always have the sunniest personality and I normally don’t give a rats rear what anybody else thinks. But I will almost always help somebody when they ask. Unless, they don’t deserve the help.

I also watch around the show barns. Who is working? Who is close but needs help? Who asks questions and says, “Thank you” and means it. I always help a kid when they ask. I don’t always help an adult.

It amazes me how a parent can talk to me and tell me that they want help so that they can beat Duke or Schovanec’s or Riley’s, etc. What have they done to that point to deserve to get a goat of that caliber? Have they been close? Do they have a dedicated showman? Do they screw things up (not feed and exercise properly, let them get a horrendous case of fungus and than expect somebody to perform a miracle to fix their screw ups, not show properly, etc.) I would rather buy a high dollar goat and give it to some deserving kid that has earned the right to show a good one. If you can’t tell, I respect hard work, effort, good attitude and team players.

Its the ones that have never bought a goat from me, never been to the house to look at my goats, haven’t bid on any of my goats, don’t feed Special K, haven’t taken their kids to a Simply the Best show clinic but they have a problem and need my advice immediately that chaps my rear. But, I will probably still tell them what they need to do and they will probably still screw it up.

Closed out the Kelln #1 online sale last night. Had lots of calls from Kansas, OK, Texas, Colorado and Kentucky. Everything ended up in Oklahoma and Kansas. Thanks to all the bidders, lookers and callers that expressed interest.

Now to start getting doe kids ready for the online video sale on April 23. There are some really cool doe kids in that set. There will be a pair of does out of a Harley mom. There is a pair of doe kids out of “Pocket” s mother and Joe Dirt, the solid white one is way cool. She should have been a wether. There will possibly be a Joe Dirt on a 900, twin to lot #2 wether, that is massive boned, wide based and cocky made. She isn’t very big framed, but she is fun to look at. May also sell a Joe Dirt x Lexi doe kid. Lexi was the mother of a Tulsa premium sale wether and the middle division champion doe at Tulsa last fall. I don’t really want to sell this set, but I kept too many last year.

The sale is on April 23, but due to jobs, videographer travels, time, etc. The videos will be posted only a day or two ahead of time. Feel free to call or come look anytime next week.

I got to see some rather large hail stones in Woodward yesterday. Saw several funnels coming down and back into the clouds. I even got to drive through something I only vaguely remember in science class. It had hailed so hard south of Woodward that the ground was white. But it was 70 degrees. So the frozen hail stones were going right from ice to gas causing a really eery kind of fog. It was kind of cool. Hopefully, there wasn’t much wheat hailed out.

Got the online sale today. I have recieved numerous comments that I always wear camo shorts in all the pictures each year. I have a drawer full of camo shorts. That is my preferred attire around this piece of paradise. One, I like camo. Two, camo goes with anything. Three, they have lots of pockets on them.

Busy weekend. Work has been crazy since it started raining. Had numerous people at the house on Saturday afternoon to look at the online goats. Went to Enid Saturday evening to pick up a load of feed. Went to Shattuck for Easter on Sunday. Now it’s back to work this morning.

Duke and Kela bought some paint guns this weekend. Now I have a couple of goats with orange spots on them.