The geico insurance commercial with Billy Blanks makes me think about pigs.  In case you don’t know, Billy Blanks was the creator of the Tae Bo exercise program.  There was also a high profile boar named Tae Bo.  That boar sired some good ones.  I still remember seeing Tae Bo & Bocephus at Hi Point.

In case you didn’t know, I’m kind of a livestock junkie.  Goats, sheep, pigs, cattle, some chickens and throw in some equine.  Speaking of equine, I have one of those metal art deals that you find in south TX.  Cheap, thin metal shaped into animal forms.  It is no doubt a donkey.  It was bought for me.   We keep it in the basement (Tammy doesn’t want it upstairs in full view of visitors).  We call it Dong-Key  (say it like Shrek).   Good thing this deal doesn’t walk because he would step on it.  Every time I look at it, I think of some Mexican welder laughing as he created this sculpture.

Is this current crop of kids really bad?  Not in Shattuck!  7:20 am and some 8th grade boys come in and ask if they can practice cutting with the oxy-gas torch.  The first hour bell rings and one of the boys says, “Thank you sir for the opportunity to learn skills that I can use the rest of my life.”    WHAT????

Meanwhile, back in the classroom, the last hour of the day and some 8th grade girls have speech topic ideas.  “When can you help us write a speech?”    I’ve said it and typed it before, if you put good opportunities in front of kids, they will take them.

A group of freshman boys has several hours invested in an ag mech project. These meatheads aren’t half-way done with this deal and they are already talking about what they are going to build next year and the next year.  LOTS of trash talking with this crew.  I warned them this afternoon—NO more momma jokes!  They are really good kids but……the banter amongst them?!?

At least they play good tunes.  This evening, we discussed the top five rock bands of all-time.  This is what we came up with–in no particular order–the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Guns N Roses, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Def Leppard, Van Halen & Metallica.  Not exactly 5 but I don’t think math is their strong suit.  Nonetheless, a really good group.

Tonight, when I kicked them out of the shop, I reminded them to work their show animals.  “I will.” was the common response.  An hour later, a text from one of them.  A video text–even showed the meathead propping his phone up to video.  Next thing, a video of him setting his goat up.   Creativity at it’s finest.  I liked it.

We had a pet rabbit that lived at the ag building since January of 2019.  Hassenpeffer was her name.  But, thankfully, Hass went to live at my co-teacher’s house.  Well, her husband walked into their backyard, only to see a hawk ripping Hassenpeffer into pieces.  Traumatic!  I wanted to cook that rabbit.  Oh, and for those of you that wonder if I would show a rabbit.  YES!  And it won a blue ribbon.  Maybe a purple.  I really don’t care.  However, I do know that it won more money than what it cost.  Can you say that about your show project?   I think not.

I need to stop typing.  Random, random, random.  People, have a good one and a better tomorrow.

I know that I haven’t been writing much lately.  I just haven’t had a muse that inspired me to perform “my artwork”.  Which maybe, just maybe that means that I haven’t been into the barley & hops?  No.  I still have a few of those from time to time.

One regular reader told me that he couldn’t “go” on a regular basis lately.  His morning routine consists of reading this blog and there hasn’t been much reading so his morning constitutional has been out of whack.  Constipated.  I apologize.

Basically, my muse has just been so dang busy, that well–I haven’t been inclined to or inspired to sit down at the keyboard and type.

And now that I am hitting the keyboard, the letter K on this keyboard brings up a question.  Just how long can honey in a keyboard continue to be sticky?   The answer is obviously years.

Basically, I have been reading–a lot.  Like several books.  A devotional book and a sausage making book.  And at night, I have been watching a lot of cartoons–Star Wars cartoon series.  I had been avoiding those shows–because they were Star Wars cartoons.  And now that I watched a couple, they are so well written.

As I rapidly approach the age of 50, I find myself reflecting on the past years.  Accomplishments, mistakes, mistakes, other mistakes and the very few things that I did right.  This blog comes up a lot in my mental reflections.  I’ve done a lot of good over the years.  But, I don’t want to be remembered as just some opinionated bastard behind a keyboard.  Yet, those of you that know me, will agree, I am way more opinionated in real life.  I’m right.  And I truly do not  give a goat’s smelly nut snack who I offend.  I know there are people HOPING that I don’t type their name.  Why?  Because I am right.

To the very core of my soul, I love the art and science of raising kids in combination with livestock.  And to the very core of my being, I am wrestling with an internal demon of raising kids and livestock in a current stock show environment.  We are talking Balrog taking down Gandalf kind of match 2 the death.  I’m prepared to write more about it.  But now is not the time.  State to state, show to show–people talk about who is cheating, who is in charge, the politics in place, etc, etc, etc.  There has to be a correction in the marketplace.

When? Who?  Why?

I can only answer that last question–The Why.  In the show stock industry, there has to be that Troy Gosney that can describe ads from a 1983 Hampshire Herdsman magazine.  And can talk the damnedest set of reasons over Christmas trees–bookface him and watch it.  50 score.  A person like Jeff Bedwell that can–from memory–trace back generations of Shorthorn cattle.  Always, there needs to be a link from the origins to the present.  There has to be someone that can TRULY describe the genetics and why we do what we do.

I hate to type this…. yet still love to write this– a Blaine Rue that is SO excited to go work on goats–my goats, your goats, he’ll drive to the end of the Earth to go get goats ready.  PASSION.  He loves it. He goes to sleep at night thinking about goat genetics and wakes up thinking about working with good goats.

I’m real soured on the current state of the stock show industry.   I wish that I could go back 25 years.  We can’t.  It sickens me to know that a given judge is political, or that a firm has quick-connects for the air hose.

Here’s the thing!   NOBODY can tell me that I’m wrong.  The science & art of raising kids with livestock is a life-long lesson of responsibility, work ethic & pride that is hard to replicate anywhere else.  The desire of chasing banners at a stock show has turned into a political, money pit and orgy of negatives that is hard to justify in the real world….well, without a lot of prayers and confessions.

Keep it clean.  Forget the dollars and do what is right. The moral & educational foundation which the stock show industry was founded upon, is actually still there.  We have to respect that.

I’m out.

Without argument, the coolest weapon to ever grace the big screen.

No, I do not have one that will actually cut.   I wish.  Dang it!  But, I do have one that looks and sounds like the real deal.

And then, Christmas Eve arrived.  It is a well documented fact that Christmas Eve is MY favorite night of the year.  Why?

Simple.  Christmas Eve mass in Shattuck.  Then, wicked, good food & drink at John Q & Deborah Ann’s house.  Family, including some uncles taking part in the festivities.

For most years, our parents try to get all 3 sons the same present.  All 3 of us would be happy with a can of blue diamond smoked almonds (aaa-monds or aLLmonds)  IDK     Does it matter?   I love those things.

This year, all 3 boys got a damn stick.  Seriously, a stick.  They got us a Shillelagh.  Yeah.  Search the spelling.  I dare you.  Try—-Irish beating stick.  Wikipedia will bring up “Shillelagh”.   This year wasn’t up to par as 1/3 of us was dealing with the rona crap.  We couldn’t get all of us together.

Our parents got the 3 Kelln boys a perfect gift.  What u say?   Irish Light Saber.    Mom and Dad got them from Ireland.  Every time, I walk past this thing, I have to grab it and walk through the house with it.  It fits… Perfect.  Now, even the lesser brothers have a proper Irish Light Saber.

Since you obviously have spare time, read up on how a shillelagh is made and their purpose.

Have a good one and a better tomorrow.

2020 has constantly been called a “dumpster fire” of a year.  I disagree with that.  Coming from someone that routinely lights a dumpster on fire (in order to burn feed sacks and net wrap), a dumpster fire is a very safe and controlled burn.  There wasn’t much about 2020 that was safe or controlled.  Well, there are probably some people controlling this crap but that brings up negativity.

As we close this POS of a calendar year out, it is easy to look back with a lot of negative thoughts.  There was a bunch of stuff that happened this year, personally and as a country, that was not fun.  But with the bad came good.

–2020 stocks shows–Cancelled shows, replacement shows, shows with balls that still had shows and lots of well-attended jackpots.  Even a midnight hog show.  Sales still held strong throughout the year.  Hopefully, the demand for high quality animals will continue.  I hope that the new year brings honest judges.

–Work–Tammy and I were able to work throughout this entire ‘rona crap.  She had to miss some days due to contact tracing.  I didn’t have to miss a day of being at the ag building, ag farm, greenhouse or shop.  And kids were there working almost all of those days as well.

Duke had a rough year but came out better for it.  Quit college to go to the Marines, got hurt and sent home, bad car wreck, etc.  He made the best of a disappointing situation, no jobs available and graduated from wind energy technician school.  Now, he is weighing job offers.

Kela was working a dream job then rona hit, no work for  almost 5 months, then working 18-20 hour days at that job and now rona has Hollywood shut down again.   But, she used her time off to visit most of California’s national parks, get a house with a backyard and adopt a dog.

–Weather–We had a really wet spell in March/April.  This allowed us to put up some wheat hay.  Then it got dry– real dry.  I had a field of Higear (Hegari) that only received 2″ of rain from sprout to harvest.  It still made hay.  I didn’t have to buy any hay this year (except for small squares of alfalfa).  And I was able to sell some hay.

Then, at the end of October, an ice storm that left us with 4.5″ of moisture.  I now had soil moisture to plant wheat.  Then a month that dumped almost 30″ of snow–really, really wet snow.  It has been really muddy but we have wet ground going into the new year.  We have a chance.

–Politics–Now, there is the real shit show.  I do not have one good thing to say about any of American politics.  They all need replaced.  We need term limits with the same benefits of all other federal workers.  Dump ’em all!  Crooks, liars, cheats, sinners–and nobody can argue with me.  Swamp?  No!  It is a septic tank that is plugged up and backing up into the bathtub.  And I don’t see it getting better.  $600, $2,000–Does it matter?  With all of their other sewage waste that they have tied to it, I wish they wouldn’t give out any money to anybody or any country.  That’s as positive as I can write about politics.

–I do feel bad for the senior classes of ’20 and ’21.  I feel for college students.  I feel for people that weren’t able to attend church services on a regular basis.  I feel for those that truly were affected by the covid.  I do think that we will be researching this year, for many years to come.

Cheers and congratulations to surviving one of the worst years.  It could have been worse.  I’m not so optimistic that January 1, 2021 will automatically wipe the slate clean.  It will take time but at least we have a chance.

GOD bless and I hope that tomorrow is better than today.  My friends, here’s to horseshoes and shamrocks for all of you.

There is just a few days left in this dumper of a year.  With that being said, if you are thinking about buying anything that is made with metal, I suggest that you do it quick.  ANYTHING made with metal is getting ready to get really high, if you can find it.  Trailers, feeders, panels, anything.  I have been chasing metal for ag projects for students for several weeks.  It is getting harder to find.  Just another covid/political casualty but nonetheless, it is becoming a real problem.

Not to mention guns and ammo are made up of metals.  Throw in even more political issues and that stuff is becoming like bigfoot, impossible to find.

We are trying to make sure all of the does are bred.  Trying to catch any possible re-breeds.  Then we can get blood tests done in the next month.

Had a cool episode the other day.  Tammy and I sat and watched the “Making of The Mandalorian”  season two.  We watched this with Kela and we saw her on screen several times.  It was cool listening to her talk about what she does, the actors, directors and other neat tidbits.  I now have a better understanding of what her job entails.

And if you haven’t seen the match.com commercial where satan and 2020 get matched together, google it.  Very good commercial.

Have a good one and a better tomorrow.

Not an anniversary but a 50th birthday.  12-22-20

Yes, the Dragon Lady turned 50 today.  She may not look 50 but she is.  50 if an accomplishment but when you factor in that a majority of her life has been spent with me….I’m just saying she earned the fifty.

She says that she didn’t want a party.  She just wanted all 4 of us to take family pictures.  So, Duke & I suffered through it.

On a sad note, Christy Schovanec passed away last night.  She has fought various forms of cancer for the past 4 1/2 years.  She managed to fight through long enough to see Braden graduate from college, get his first job and buy his first house.  She saw Halie graduate High School & just a week or so ago graduate college (with honors).  And she got to watch Carson grow from a grade school boy, transition into jr. high and become a full size Schovanec in High School.

She was the matriarch of one of the 1st families of Oklahoma stock shows.  We have watched as this family worked together to keep things going on the farm, to keep kids active and to continue life, even though it wasn’t easy.  But they did everything as a family.  RIP.

Keep the Schovanec’s in your prayers.  It is a tough time of year to have to have a funeral.

This is going to be a hectic day.  I promised the 1st hour 8th grade boys that we would make pancakes if they all made an A on their Tool ID test.  Had to cash in a few bonus points, but they all got their A.  The 2nd hour seniors made fresh Wurst on Tuesday.  Due to snow & a re-scheduled basketball tournament, we have yet to be able to sample their product.  2nd hour today was supposed to be the day.

And then last night, I remembered that I have a graduation to attend at 9 am.  Real world problems that will work out just fine.

Doing chores on Thursday night was like being on the planet Hoth.  Then the temps stayed up over night and the wind picked up.  There has been so much meltage, that chores on Friday morning was in a swampy mess like Dagobah.  It won’t be long and it will be dried out and this place will once again resemble Tatoonie.

I’ve got to meet a trailer headed to the SE with 2 does.  I have to meet another trailer taking 6 does to Cali, 1 doe to SW OK and 1 doe to west Texas.  Then, I need to meet a Kansan to pick up another doe.

If you think a crap-ton of snow and mud is going to keep me from loading out and getting 11 does gone from this place…you would be wrong!  May the force be with me.  I will make it happen!

And if you watch “The Mandalorian”, I highly suggest that you watch all the way through the credits of the newest episode and catch the little added bit.  I only found it as I was just being a dad and watching to see Kela’s name on the screen.

Have a good one and a wonderful tomorrow!

I don’t know that I have a specific teaching mantra that I follow.  Basically, I don’t want to be bored and the kids don’t either.  I haven’t been afraid to try new things because of something that a kid(s) wanted to do.  We showed chickens at Tulsa and started showing goats because of students wanting to try something new.  And if you are going to do something and they give a banner….well then, you might as well try to win.

But, some things don’t have a contest.  You do things just to try something new while learning a bit.

Fresh out of college, there were very few teaching jobs open in Oklahoma.  We had a large class of ag teachers that graduated that year AND the year before.  My dad thought that I was a moron as I turned down a few jobs until I decided to serve a 3 year stint at Billings, OK.  There were some great families there and I learned a lot.

One of the classroom endeavors that we embarked upon was taxidermy.   We did this during a Natural Resources class.  At first, we stuffed several squirrels.  They weren’t bad but they weren’t good.  The kids worked at it.  The hard part was having enough refrigerator space to keep 8 or 9 squirrels chilled when the kids weren’t working on them.

The kids liked to look through Van Dyke’s taxidermy catalog.  It was cool to see the different mounts, eyes, additions and tools used to make those awesome mounts.  They always had big visions.  I was fine keeping it small.  I quickly realized that taxidermists are artists and well, some are better than others.  We were just learning the basics.

Later in that year, I had an ag pickup full of kids while making project visits.  We were west of town on a dirt road and a quick moving, slow thinking mammal darted under the moving ag pickup.  We heard the thud.  I stopped, put it in reverse and we got out and surveyed the suicidal beast.  A dead armadillo.  The kids wanted to perform taxidermy on it.  Knowing that since armadillos jump straight up when a vehicle passes over them, it would probably have a cracked shell and would therefore be impossible to mount, I agreed as long as it was in good condition.

Well crap!  The shell was completely intact.  I made them put gloves on before they picked “him” up.  I say “him” because when they grabbed him by the tail and lifted him, HE had an appendage hanging out.  Who knew that they would have a tentacle like that!?!  The kids named him “Woody”.

Van Dyke’s didn’t have a foam mount for an armadillo.  We ordered a mount for a raccoon.  Shaved the foam to fit.  Dried and stretched the skin to fit.  Filled it and sewed it up.  And no, I did not let them keep the extra leg.  The final hurdle was that we couldn’t find eyes for an armadillo.  So, they improvised.  Red map pins just happened to fit.  So, we had a runover, stuffed armadillo with solid red eyes that was mounted by high school students.  He was the centerpiece of the front table for the FFA banquet.  Woody got his own page in the school annual that year.

I still get messages from former students that remind of projects like this.  I always smile, remember the fun stuff and then remember the REAL stuff.  That dang armadillo kept the fridge stinking for weeks.  That was an undefinable odor.  I’ve never allowed an armadillo to be stuffed again.  But, it was kind of cool!

People, have a good one today and a better one tomorrow.  Speaking of tomorrow, that will mark the 14th day in a row with snow on the ground.  12-15″ (with wind, so who knows) two weeks ago.  3″ last Sunday and 8 or 10″ today.  Chores are fun.  All the cows & calves got a big dose of cow cubes.  All the goats goat some alfalfa and fresh water.  I did, however, drop my ass into the front yard and make a Snow Angel.  Never too old for loud music or Snow Angels.

We are getting to some that are fairly new to the retired show goat scene in Oklahoma.  Yet, they are all-time greats.

Bree Taylor–Wicked intense competitior that will gladly outwork most at home.  Her early career consisted of premium sales, a Woodward District grand & reserve and a Lone Star Elite Jackpot grand (1 of 2 non-Texans to win that show).  Then things ramped up from there.  A reserve grand wether at Tulsa, a grand at ANLS in Phoenix and some division and reserve divisions at OYE & Tulsa.  THEN, she did the unprecedented task of winning the OYE wether show in back2back years.  If there is a competition this one will beat your ass!

Caden Church–Doe shower extraordanaire. Wins at LOTS and lots of shows.  Always in the hunt at every doe show in Oklahoma.  His goats were good but his showmanship was always spot on.  And then he learned to fit.  This one can clip, groom and present a goat as good as any, anywhere.

Julie Isbell–This one and her family will tell you that she had a great career but…  There wasn’t that big win.  But like Tony Gwynn, she always produced results.  For several years, you couldn’t host a grand wether drive without her being in it.  Tulsa, OYE, KC, Phoenix, State Fair, NE district shows, she was always in the hunt.  Never a high$ goat in the mix, but always fed & shown to perfection.

Duke Kelln–You could take his first 4 years of show records and he makes it.  A bronze at OYE, a reserve grand at Phoenix, a grand at Enid District, reserve at Woodward District, 2 reserve grands at the State Fair of OK, division & reserve divisions at OYE & Tulsa.  But add in a Woodward District grand and 8, yes eight consecutive years of making the OYE premium sale.  There were several years that he had 2 or 3 wethers that qualified for the OYE premium sale.  Now add how many winning goats that he helped fit, helped buy and has helped coach.  And how many goats for big time breeders that he has clipped, photoed, washed, etc.  He has worked for and with Tommy Milligan, Bryan Kennedy, the Gallaghers, Cramblets, Kenneth Helms, Schovanecs and the list goes on.

As an added note:  not many of you readers have been to the places/sales that this kid has.  He has seen 900, Wizard, Showtime, Starbuck, 191, Freaky, Colt, etc.  In 2012, he was the one to read the ear tag for me at Helms on a two week old goat that was under a hay feeder–tag 2174–Rumour Has It.

Duke’s recent involvement in the goat world….I paid him $20 bucks to catch and halter bucks so that I could trim hooves on  7 February born bucks, 5 June born prospects and 3 matures.  Maybe the best $20 that I have ever spent.

I got to watch this set of kids grow up in the show ring.  It was an honor.  This is only their goat resumes on here.  The rest of their accomplishments are off the chart.

People have a good one.  I hope that you enjoy reading this stuff as much as I have enjoyed reminiscing.

Monday came and no Randy.

Tuesday, I got to work before 7 am.  Randy was sitting on the porch, next to the row of lawn mowers, waiting.  We went inside and went to my office.  Eric, the parts manager, was there as well.

“Sorry I didn’t make it to work but that plumbing deal was rough.  I got it done bout 6 that night.  I went inside and made me a Swanson dinner and was sitting there eating it while watching Wheel of Fortune.  Ursula came in and threw a pillow at me.  I threw it back.  She got pissed, went to the bedroom and came back out and shot me.”

Wait, what? RUSM?  Shot?

“Yeah, she shot me with an air rifle.”

Me–“Bull!?”

“Swear!  I broke my TV dinner tray trying to get out of the line of fire.”   He pulled his shirt up and low and behold, damn straight an air rifle wound.  No doubt!   (u sensing a trend yet?)

Since, I am somewhat of an expert on air rifle wounds, I let him start work.  It was mostly good for a couple of years.  (more stories to come)

When I was twelve.  I kind of accidentally shot my baby brother with an air rifle.  I thought that I would pump the Crosman pellet/BB gun up a few times and see what a straight shot of air would do.  I had already shot the Ranger Rick stuffed raccoon.  And Daniel was sitting there in his Superman underoos…I mean hell, what harm could be done.  It’s just air.  A couple of pumps, aim, pull the trigger, and OH HELL!  He just slumped over and there is a hole in the superman logo.  I didn’t think the gun was loaded.  Not my fault.

Long story short, Daniel still has a BB in his liver.  Oh, this happened on, like the 23rd of December.  Great Christmas present to the family.

But, now he is fine and works for Western Equipment.  The wheels on the bus go round and round.

Started moving out bred does.  Bracing for another snow storm.  Still got some does to breed–not all mine.  Have a good one and a better tomorrow.  Peace.  Stay positive yet test negative.