I remembered how to log in. 

       No, it is not frosty yet.  It is still plenty hot.  However, I have had a hard time driving past a Wendy’s this summer.  I like a frosty!

       Only this spring did I realize that you could get a vanilla flavored Frosty.  Why would anybody want that?  The original chocolate Frosty is the dairy treat of choice at Wendy’s.  And I’m not much of a chocolate eater.  

        I was a little bit excited about the strawberry Frosty.  It looks good but it tastes a little too fake.  Kind of like when you use strawberry syrup to make a strawberry milk and you get too much of the syrup in the mix.  So, I’m back to a the original Frosty.  

      And I have yet to find a Wendy’s that had a broken Frosty machine.  McDonald’s McFlurry machines are always broken.  

      This was totally worthless writing.  Have a good day.

     I ain’t lying when I say that I have used numerous offensive words.  Some I haven’t used in years.  Some I shouldn’t have used today but it happens.  

     I could really care less about Cale Gundy resigning as an assistant football coach at the U of O.  But there is something about this whole deal that doesn’t pass the smell test.  Sure, he obviously read something out loud that used an offensive word.  Maybe he read it multiple times.  I don’t care.  Something ain’t right.  If it so offensive, the kid shouldn’t have even written on his tablet.

      If this “N” word is so offensive, how come the word is still used at all–by the race that finds it so offensive (which I understand why and that it is that offensive)?  Seriously, EVERYBODY needs to quit using it.  

      I enjoy watching Dave Chappelle.  He makes me think and he makes me laugh.  But man, that dude uses that word A LOT!  

      And if you deal with doe goats, there is a HIGH chance of using offensive language.  Just me? 

No. I didn’t think so.  

Peace out and have a great day.  

      Just about every profession has some sort of inservice training each year.  When I did the Deere thing, we had to take so many classes from John Deere University each year.  So were in-person training while some were online classes.  

      The teaching profession always has inservice to start the school year.  It varies from district to district but some of it is basic business type stuff while other sessions are “motivational”.  In Oklahoma, every CareerTech teacher has to go to Summit, which was formerly known as Summer Conference.  I wish that I could say that the 2022 version of this was useful, educational or entertaining.  I don’t want to be a liar so I will not tell you that it was useful, educational, entertaining or worthwhile.  It wasn’t

      Shattuck Public Schools started our inservice today.  We traveled to Arnett and teachers from Shattuck, Arnett, Fargo-Gage and Leedey all attended a workshop called “Teach Like A Pirate”.  It was outstanding, educational, entertaining, useful, energetic, motivational and completely worthwhile.  All genres of teachers liked it–elementary to high school, coaches and ag teachers–everybody.  His message is focused on a classroom but it also applies to the world of marketing, sales and people skills.  

       My question is this–How can 4 little schools (maybe 150 teachers total between all 4 schools) have a day of education, entertainment and motivation for an inservice that will benefit teachers and students YET our state department can waste two days and require us to attend these Summit meetings that could be condensed into an email that could take like 7 minutes to read? 

I can answer this question.  “Life is mostly effort”.  That’s it.  Some administrators in NW OK put some effort into providing a quality experience for their teachers.  I’m real sure that not much effort was put into the Ag Ed part of summit.  And once again, the lack of effort showed. 

People, have a good day and a better tomorrow.  I judged some really good sheep and goats this past weekend.    

      A whole lot of this country has been needing a rain.  Some more than others.  Those of you from I-35 east in Oklahoma and a lot in the midwest truly do not know what dry is.  Sure, you’ve been drier than what you are used to but not like some of us. 

      And after driving down around Stephenville, TX this past weekend, I feel a bit guilty.  Those fields and pastures are flat burnt up.  Ponds are dry.  It is brutal.  Keep praying for the rest of the country that still needs a rain.

     Friday morning, we got about 1/2 an inch.  A couple of miles away, they got over 2″.  I was happy to get the 1/2 inch.  

     Saturday morning we got another 1.1″  And then Sunday morning it came down hard.  2.2″  The land is soaked and the ponds have water.  There is a GOD!

      In areas like NW OK that are commonly drought stricken, there is not a better hay crop than Hegari.  Once you get it sprouted, that stuff can hold on until moisture shows up.  I had some soil moisture when I planted it.  It sprouted good and has just been holding on.  It didn’t look good and it was definitely stressed.  The backsides of terraces were beginning to die off.  Yet, it has bounced back with the moisture.

     I normally plant a mixture of Hegari, Red Ripper cowpeas, German millet and collard greens.  And I let the crabgrass grow up with it.  This year, I took advice from “my” crop consultant–Brandon the Bruce.  I changed to a different variety of cowpea that has similar characteristics as Hegari.  He was right.  My collard greens have died off.  The German millet is dead in some place but the Hegari and peas will make some hay.  

      People, I have to head to summer conference.  Can’t WAIT!!  I hope that those in charge actually have something worthwhile.  Trust me, Oklahoma ag teachers have been in an informational drought when expecting something positive from our state department.  If this drought continues, this will be another waste of tax payers money as well as a waste of teachers time.  For the past several years  (think of Johnny Cash counting the year models of his “One Piece at a Time” Cadillac) since we had a conference that was more than an email.  I’m hoping it is worthwhile.  If not, Troy B and the DJ’s crew will have still have us a shrimp boil.  

Thank the Good LORD!  And have a blessed day. 

     When Kela turned 21, we asked her what she wanted for her birthday.  She replied, “A family vacation that doesn’t involve a stock show, John Deere meetings or ag teacher meetings.”  So, we went to Costa Rica.  It was a phenomenal trip.

      As part of the adventures, we went zip lining through the jungle canopy.  Fun.  Tammy had a goal.  She wanted her family picture put in the Eskimo Joe’s catalog.  She bought special t-shirts for all four of us.  And then when we were all on one of the platforms high up in the jungle, she had our picture taken.  All 4 of us in our Joe’s shirts and all of our zip lining safety gear.  She submitted the picture and sure enough the Kelln Krew ended up with our photo in the Eskimo Joe’s catalog.  Woohoo!  No free cheese fries or shirts.  I could have cared less.  I don’t even know if she kept a copy of the catalog.  

       The other part of that zip lining adventure was the really long, steep line that you could really zip.  Before we started down this part of the zip line, the guides really stressed all of the safety features and how to properly slow yourself down.  Use your gloves as a brake and slow down.  If you don’t, you will be going to fast at the end and the guides will get out of the way and let you hit the tree.  They reiterated these points numerous times.  I got it.

       Two guides went first and were waiting at end of the line.  I then went.  WOW!  You could really haul some donkey.  It was a really long line.  I didn’t see any monkeys like the brochure promised.  However, the howler monkeys were howling as I went through the trees.   Just as I had been instructed, I slowed myself down several times.  As I neared the end, I slowed way down and then stepped onto the landing platform.  No problem.

        Duke came next.  He went to get going really fast, then slow way down.  He did this numerous times.  He got to the end, slowed way down and the guides caught him and helped him unhook.  And then here came Kela.  Just as she does everything in life, all out.  Flying, not slowing down at all…….until the very last instant.  She braked and stepped right onto the landing platform.  Perfect!

       And then came the Dragon Lady.  She was hauling butt.  And as she neared, we could all see that she didn’t have a hand on the cable.  She wasn’t slowing herself down.  And she was picking up speed.  Both kids and I were yelling for her to slow down.  But she wasn’t listening.  The guides started yelling as well.  We were all on the edge of the platform, yelling and waving for her to slow down.  As she neared, we could see the fear in her eyes but she wasn’t doing anything about it.  Grab the damn cable!!!  The guides got out of the way.  I stood there, prepared to catch her.   One of the guides was pulling my arm. But like a matador, I too stepped aside.  And wham!  She hit the tree.  She should have paid attention to the instructions.  She wasn’t hurt too bad.  Maybe a bruise.  But I guarantee you two things–1–she will follow instructions next time.  And 2–it was a good thing we had already taken that dang picture.  

       Raising goats is a lot like the four of us.  Some breeders go hard, but follow instructions and practice some safety and patience.  Some are cautious and conservative like Duke.  Some are like Kela and go way in, way hard, way fast and then end up properly at their goal point.  And some don’t follow any advice and go until they hit the tree.  It all works.  

       Pray for rain.  Have a good one.

      I spent most of last week hauling a team of livestock judgers.  It was not our best week of marking cards.  Not terrible.  It just could’ve been better.  Are the kids to blame?  Sure.  But the majority of the blame lies with me.  I wasn’t prepared and in turn, I did not have them properly prepared.  

      I’ll be honest.  I did not want to go to the Big 3 Field Days.  We live far enough away that we can’t drive back and forth.  Therefore, we spend a pile of cash on hotels and eating out.  Plus there is a lot of down time which leaves me to thinking about what I could be getting done at home.  I wasn’t mentally ready and I did not work to have the kids ready.  Thus a sub-par showing.  

       Moving forward, I am getting ready for another school year to start.  One week coming up with no “scheduled” school stuff.  Then the next week of summer conference and then the next week brings the start of school.  On purpose, I’ve stayed out of the shop.  I’ve spent time preparing stuff for this year.  I need another day or 3 fishing and then I will be mentally prepared and ready to roll.

       This weekend turned out to be good.  Kela and a friend were getting ready to drive back to California.  They have been at Grand Lake for the past 2 weeks.  They stopped in Friday night and then left early on Saturday.  Since she was driving, I was able to fill her ice chest with home-raised beef and pork.  I feel better knowing she will have some high quality steaks and burgers.  She also took a roll of Blue & Gold sausage.  Can’t go wrong there.  

       Duke also showed up.  With a new Corgi female puppy.  Can’t go wrong there either.  

       I’m prepared for some more of this miserable hot weather.  Combined with the lack of rain, it isn’t always fun to live in western OK.  I realize that some places are worse.  And I pray for them.  

Have a good one! 

      I spent this morning loading small square bales of alfalfa hay.  Really high quality stuff.  As I was stacking hay on the trailer, a neighbor pulled into the field with a New Holland stack wagon and began loading and stacking bales.  And thanks to a Bob May podcast, all I could think about was, “What in the hell is a harrow bed?”  Other than Bob, I have never heard these machines called a harrow bed.

       If you are in the midwest and having to pay more than $10 or 12 dollars a bale for small squares of alfalfa, you are paying too much.  Unless you only need a handful, then it really doesn’t matter what it costs.  

       So I kept a buck this spring out of the Pickup Man AI deal.  He had a really good Executive mother.  I won’t say he was the best one but he was dang sure the trendiest one of the bunch.  Extremely hairy, excellent bone, chunky and square made.  I called him Camouflage Lingerie.  I like that name.  This one was really good.  And I can prove it without a picture or a video.  Here we go.

      I let Carl Mize come get him to breed for some fall kids.  And then Pullan got him.  Pullan called one Sunday morning, “Uhhh.  Somethings wrong this buck.  I was filling a water tank and watching him screw a doe.  He nutted and fell off.   And well, he hasn’t got back up.”  Let’s just add this to the list of stuff in the goat industry that I have never heard of before.  

      The vet got there, temped him and it wasn’t good.  They took him into the vet clinic and his body temp had dropped more.  His systems were shutting down.  Some kind of brain aneurysm.  Of course he died.  He obviously had to be damn good since he died early.  The common bastards live forever.  I told you that I could prove it.

       Carl got his does blood tested and none of them settled.  Pullan tested the 5 that had been covered.  4 of the 5 were bred.  Including the one that the buck made his last ride on.  

         I know, I know.  What a way to go out!  

Stay cool and have a good one.  

     It is Friday.  All day long.

Looking at the weather report reminds me of the all-time great movie Good Morning Vietnam.  If you don’t know it, look it up.  Robin Williams was so good!

Yes, it is hot and it is going to continue to be hot.  Summer crops are burning up.  Hay was already scarce but it isn’t looking good.  But it could be worse.  We could live in California.

Wednesday morning, there was thunder and lightning.  The smell of rain was in the air.  Just enough moisture had came down to hold the dust in place.  It was a pleasant morning but it wasn’t want we wanted or needed.

Yet, 15 miles away, Woodward got 5 inches of rain.  Sure, that’s too much.  But, it’s kind of like prom night.  At least somebody got some. 

Off to a livestock judging contest.  Need to pick up some wether goats that I have bought for students.  It is a good day to stay in a vehicle with the AC running.  

Stay cool.

       FNA!  It is Friday.

     Although, I stay busy throughout the summer months with FFA/Agventures, everyday is like a Friday in my world.  I do enjoy not having much of a daily routine, however, my personality NEEDS a daily routine. When I’m not, I can lose track of time, dates, etc.  I am about ready to be on a regular schedule.    Which means at some point, I’m going to have to schedule a haircut and a beard trim.  Or maybe just go back to shaving on a regular basis.  We shall see.

     While flushing at Kester’s this week, Kerensa was talking to some people about how goats “bloom” when clipped or sheared.  I then explained that is why I haven’t gotten a haircut or shaved all summer.  I’m fat enough and don’t need to bloom.  

      By the way, as compared to my past experiences, that was a successful flush.  7 of the 8 donors gave good embryos with a couple of does giving large #s.  For this time of year, it was good.  I didn’t have to do much of the labor.  There was lots of help giving shots, clipping, scrubbing and loading/unloading does.  Here’s to hoping all of em stick.  

      I made back2back trips to NE OK this week.  Extremely high heat and humidity.  Lots of miles covered.  Dealt with goats one day.  All 4 of the Kelln Krew went to Keystone to catch some paddlefish.  Although we didn’t catch the monsters that we did last year, we still caught plenty of large fish.  Catching a near 100# fish is always fun.  Duke’s first one crapped all over him, the guide, the boat, the guide’s chair, etc.  Kela got crapped on as well.  All in all, a fun day.