There are so many things to write about.  I could write about a crappy weekend that had some highlights but some real lowlights.  Duke went to the Okie State game.  He allowed that they looked as bad in real life as what they looked like on tv.  While in Stillwater, Duke got to see several of his friends, including our favorite OSU cheerleader–Lexi Vanderwork.

I could dispense some worthless info about items like Brown Sugar or Janelle, Janelle the love gazelle.

We could definitely discuss the current political climate in our nation.  Especially, the death of a supreme court justice.

We could talk about “Operation Chicken Stirrer” and other efforts to protect kids from being exposed to a covid quarantine.  I know of several families that have moved their kids out of in-person school and into distance learning from home during these last 2 weeks before Tulsa.  For that matter, I know of whole athletic teams that have been removed from general population in order to distance the kids from a possible covid quarantine.  My opinion…..do whatever you got to do to protect your own.  With the lack of common sense and the constant spike of knee jerk reactions, one doesn’t have to be scared of the rona as much as they need to fear a shutdown in any given school or community.

Peace out.  Pray for our country.  Here’s to horseshoes and shamrocks to all of you.  Good day!

As I sit here and review my day, the hardest decision that I made on this day, was whether to pull that frozen mug out of the freezer.  I wanted a frozen mug, but that mug was supporting a bag of frozen garlic bread.  Consequences!

On any given year, the hangover after OYE is the hardest.  That marathon can tire a young person with low miles.  Now, I am not young and I am an off-the Kelly Blue Book charts on miles for age.   It is a matter of circumstance(s) but I feel like I just survived another OYE.

We were supposed to have the Shattuck FFA Ag Olympics last Tuesday.  Mother Nature kicked us in the nuts and turned last Tuesday into a 50 degree, WET day.  (of which, we only got .5″ south of Fargo.)  We setup for the county show the next day and then did an Ellis County Fair.  A lot of places squatted to pee and cancelled.  We still held ours.  Livestock #s were down.  Livestock judging contest participants were record high.

Then roll right into a bit of a scare on Sunday morning.  (understatement).  Add to the fact that we were going to shoot video of Duke on Sunday afternoon for his national proficiency finalist video requirement.  POSTPONE that deal.

Monday saw the delivery of Blue & Gold as well as DJ’s.  The local studs at the Shattuck Volunteer Firefighters brought us a reefer truck to store the meat over-night.  (Try using the term “Reefer” truck to high school kids…yeah!)

Tuesday brought the dispensing of said meat products.  That evening, we shot some nice footage of Duke for his proficiency deal.  It is what it is.  Thank goodness, the current Shattuck FFA reporter is a stud at producing videos.

Hypertherm &  AirGas came and demonstrated new features on plasma torches to my older ag mech kids.  Now, it is hard for me to not have the wants.   Real sure that we will sell some stuff to buy some stuff.

Wednesday found us finally holding the Ag Olympics.  I don’t participate.  I just organize, setup the events, gather the food, cook for a couple of hundred and then deal with the clean up.  All I know is this.  The kids tell me that this was the best one yet.  All I really know is that my favorite event is the Hog Calling Contest.  2020 was the best year yet.  These kids brought it!  I need to haul some of these to the midwest state fairs to compete.  Oh wait….I think they all cancelled this year.  This Ag Olympics deal was not an original Kelln idea.  But it has blown up in Shattuck America!

Anytime you have kids hooked up and doing right, people will back it.  The Manske family offered up the location and helped setup, cleanup, WHATEVER it takes.  The Barnes brothers donated watermelons–dang good.  If kids are involved, it ain’t a hard decision to help and do right.  SNB bank let us use their portable traeger.  Daryle Greer was told that we didn’t need a donation for the meal, yet he still paid for part of it.

Today, I cleaned up the aftermath.  Yeah sure. I used some slave labor to pickup after themselves.  And, yet, I am dragging donkey.

I’m wore out.   I need sleep.  It is hard to get things done at home but it won’t be hard to get up and go to work tomorrow.

Duke has not missed a bit of his wind energy classes at High Plains Tech Center this week.  He is sore, trying to learn how to button his pants one-handed and is missing some hair:  yet, he is doing good.  It would be hard for me, but he is young and will heal quick.  It is still hard to think about………yeah;   it’s hard but it could be worse.

I hope that any of you all that read this crap don’t think that my life is hard.  I am married to the Dragon Lady.  We have jobs that we enjoy.  Our kids are Kela and Duke.  That part isn’t hard.  Well, I might make it harder than it needs to be.

In all honesty, the  hard part of my life…is dealing with goats.  I don’t like doe goats.  I don’t like all of the problems that come with goats.  But….here we are.  It’s… shall we say……hard.

The garlic bread is still in it’s place.  This is the way.

I’m just going to start this with saying that 2020 has been a shit show and Duke has had it worse than most of the rest of us.  I’m just typing this one, so I can one day look back and remember my emotions.  I cannot and will not type my true feelings as our internet service sucks ass and may not last that long.  Here we go.

No parent want’s that call.  Or in today’s technological world, that message.  Yeah, that message.  THE message that you find out that your offspring is involved in a bad wreck.

Saturday night, I truly thought that Duke was in bed.  Sunday, at 6:42 am, Tammy got a text.   I was on the couch watching some Animal Planet.  “We’ve got to go.  Duke’s been in an accident.”

“What?  Says who?”

“I got a text from him.”

“Wait.  What did the text say?”

She showed it to me.  “Been in an accident.  I’m by Clay & Christie’s house.  Bring a hammer and a blanket.”

WTH?  That doesn’t sound like a drunked up teenager.?!!?

So, we drove, in the fog, to the spot.  Only 3.5 miles from our house.  I drove past it without seeing his pickup.  Then, as I passed it, I saw it…. my heart sunk and I backed up.  I made Tammy stay at the pickup.  This did not look good.  I headed down the dry creek embankment to the Gray Goat that was sitting upside down.  I lied down in the sandburs and johnsongrass and shined a flashlight into the smashed cab.  I couldn’t see him.  I was feeling the worst of it.  “Stay back!”  Mentally, I was preparing myself, her, us, both of us,  for the worst.

Long story, made short.  He was responsive.  It took me 5 or 6 whacks with a hammer to break the side glass.  I spread a blanket over the glass shards and he crawled out.  Blood everywhere.  I shined the light in his face, smelled his breath and looked at his wounds.   Let’s be real…a 19 year old Kelln male, one should suspect alcohol.  Nothing.  He could walk.  No signs of concussion.

And you people know that I like Paul Harvey….so here is the rest of the story.  He sent that text at 11:30 Saturday night.  He had no cell service.  We thought that he was in his room.  The text came through 7 hours later.  He had tried to kick the windows out…no luck.  He had been trapped in the wreckage all night.

He met a driver on the road that was in the middle.  He slowed down.  The other driver went left of center.  He had to swerve.  He did not have a head on collision.  He did not hit the bridge rails.  According to the HiPo, he took the only path that saved lives.  The police cleared him of any wrong doing.  He is partially scalped, has a broken right hand (Duke is left handed), numerous other scrapes & cuts and is sore as hell.

After taking him to the hospital, we came back to the scene to meet the deputy sheriff.  I walked up and he was shaking his head.  He said, “Third bad roll over that we have worked this week.  All GM cars.  All parties walked away with minimal injuries.”  The HiPo showed up.  Said the same thing.  Our friend Lance Shultz, pulled up with the wrecker truck.  Reiterated that same fact.  This isn’t an ad, but dang!

Once, the cops cleared the scene, they allowed me to crawl in the pickup to find valuables.  Namely, a hand-made knife that Tom Kester had given Duke for graduation.  As I crawled inside the wreckage, I could see where he sat, with pools of blood around him.  I could see the scuff marks on the windows, where he tried to kick the windows out.  I used his favorite flannel shirt as a blanket.  There was lots of broken shit but the most dangerous objects were all the fishing hooks and fishing lures that were in the now busted tackle box.  I salvaged a Waylon Jennings CD, a Charlie Daniels CD and a Jerry Clower CD.  (I love this kid.)  Five different knives ( all folded or sheathed).  And I solved the nationwide coin shortage.  ANY damn coin that you ever needed was dumped all over the inside of this cab!

At the hospital, it became apparent that things were going to be okay.  I stepped out to talk to the sheriff’s office, the HiPo and our friend that handles our insurance.  I came back in to Duke’s room and he was gone for XRays on his hand, ribs and hip.  Tammy had finally broke down.  She stayed strong until it was time to let loose.  I then went about dealing with grandparents on the phone.  They all needed to come hug Duke but no, he needed space.  Now I set upon the task of notifying uncles that shit was going to be OKAY.  And then anybody that might want to buy a 2009 GMC 4 door, 4WD that used to run like a bat out of hell.

I asked Duke if he was knocked out.  “Maybe for a minute.  The headlights were on.  It took me awhile to find my phone.  I knew that I was bleeding bad.  I never had cell service.  I tried to get out.”

I asked, “Did you sleep?”

“Very little.  I just kept praying.”  Thank you GOD!

Let’s get right to it!  The Gray Goat has hauled as many champion caliber animals as any.  Grands and reserves at OYE, Tulsa, State Fairs, KC, Phoenix and Denver.  Anybody that ever rode in it or drove it, immediately knew that it ran like a spotted ass zebra.  Jim Rhodes, Bill Taylor, Mikey Thompson….they know.  And in the end, when it was totaled, our boy was able to walk away.

Last weekend, Kela dodged California wildfires.  This weekend, this.  Tammy are I are going to be 70 before we hit 50.  GOD bless to all of you and remember to pray.   It works!!

In the cattle industry, it is all about moving LARGE volumes of a given bull.  Sure, there are a few that they can jack the price up; but as a whole, there are only a select few that command a high $ per straw.  However, like an artist, some of these can go up in price.  But, for the most part, cattle semen straws are $30 to $50 per straw.  No matter what, you can still buy semen on the best beef, dairy or clubby bull.

The hog deal has changed over the past decade.  Prices have gone up, but there are also guarantees for quality on some of that high end stuff.  Others….maybe not so much.  No matter, you can get a hold of almost all boars.

The sheep boys sell jumps.  A whole collection.  The right ram brings a pile for a jump and there is a waiting list for these top end rams.

These 3 species have one thing in common–a fairly high conception rate.

Goats—uuunhh?!?!?   Not so much.  But, we are all working to get better.  I’ve had good moments, bad moments and getting ready to have great moments!

I do know what it is like to sell stupid high $ semen.  Seelke’s and I have sold of Rumour Has It semen at a fair market price.   Some at $750 per straw.  And the buyers made money.  Cool.  I’ve had other bucks that brought more than $300 per straw.  I’ve paid a lot for some semen.  Cheap or expensive, I’ve had the same results.  Eeenh?  Not true.  I’ve always had decent luck with semen that was collected by reputable firms.  Horrible luck from HIGH end breeders with low rent collection locations. I’ve been an active participant in all phases of the market.  Sold high, bought high, sold cheap, bought cheap….all of the above.  I guess that would make me an addict?!?!

Here’s my point.   The highest selling goat semen seller in the wether game is not a big time player.  Very few high $ deals.  Almost no banners.  Lots of name brand genetics, good photos and most of his stuff is profitable.  That dude moves LOTS of juice.  There are a couple of big time breeders that move a lot of juice at a fair amount.  But, that market is limited.  They do not move the volume of that dude.

One of the largest companies on the planet is Wal-Mart.  We all know that wally world is a “shit show” but they move LOTS of product and can “stomp out” the competition in any given area.  This is not an unknown fact.  They move lots and lots of stuff.  You’ve shopped there. I have too.

Then there is the Lamborghini dealership.  We ALL know about a Lamborghini!  Yet, name a dealership.  You probably can’t.  How many have seen one in real life?  I guess the Millennium Falcon was a Lamborghini.  I haven’t seen it but I KNOW in my heart that it was a fast SOB that did the Kessel Run in 12 parsecs.  And if I ever wanted to fly it….well I have offered a shit pile of cash to pet a Koala and spent a pile on legendary goat semen….I digress.  Tammy would disown me if I had a chance to bid on the Millennium Falcon.  Yet, I’ve never seen it.

I’m not smart.  But I do not know anybody that owns or leases a Lamborghini.  However, I have seen a lot of Volkswagens on the road.  I also have seen a few Audi cars, never seen a Bentley or Bugatti, and I have only seen just a few Porsches in my life.   But…but…. guess who owns ALL of those name brands.  Yeah, the low rent deal–Volkswagen.  One of the most iconic cars of ALL time, yet nobody thinks of it as a name brand.  Yet, they own several iconic brands.

Study your genetics,  watch what is trending.  This IS a stock market.  Study. Follow.  Use common sense.  Do NOT reuse other breeder’s pics to RE-SELL the juice.  Get permission first.  Sure…you bought 4 straws of juice.  You did NOT buy permission for use of the picture of the sire.  Ask first.  Me…I’ll normally give permission.  But I am in the minority.  However, if you use a picture of Joe Dirt, I will sue your ass!

I hoped you learned something.  I always hope that I learn something.  Peace be with you and yours.

Acronyms!  Our world is loaded with them.  Especially since texting became popular.

One of the most popular acronyms is KFC.  I’ve never understood why they needed to change their name from Kentucky Fried Chicken to KFC.  Something about wanting to distance themselves from using the word “Fried” in their name as being unhealthy.  IDK?   Seems to me that anybody worried about healthy eating probably isn’t going to any fast-food chain.  But now, the colonel’s KFC is advertising that they are now making “Fries”….as in french fries. WTF?  This just leaves me SMH.

Yet, those mashed taters and gravy are pretty tasty.  And should any other place on the planet be allowed to use a spork as a utensil?  I think not.  I got to use one the other day at school.  It was a crappy built spork and it made me want some KFC mashed taters & gravy.

–old school moment–Sniglets.  I think that was the first place that I heard the term spork used.  Rich Hall and the Not Necessarily the News had a segment on words not in the dictionary but should be.

And in my line of work, every year at this time, we get to talk about what FFA used to stand for.  It is hard to argue with FFA not standing for Future Farmers of America.  The membership has vastly grown since the change and the demographics are radically different.  And it is for the better.

In the livestock world, we use acronyms like AI, ET and BTW (is that by the way or…..) those terms all cost money.  But if it works, money well spent.

4o degree temp change from yesterday to today.  Add some moisture and I will need some spectam and smz tablets the next day or three as I can assure you that there will be some goats with some shitty rear ends.

There are a lot of blog moments that never get written because they are NSFW.  So, I will leave you with these facts.  I only eat at a KFC once every couple of years. But, I get to deal with FFA on a daily basis.

On this day, the most important internet site for goats will change it’s name.  www.oklahomashowgoats.com will now become showgoats.com.  Sure the original address will still take you to the new site.  Every busy/ every body needs to keep things fresh.  I get it.  And obviously, there is more and more business done through that site that is NOT in Oklahoma.

But still, there is a bit of a sentimental aspect, at least for me that doesn’t want to see oklahomashowgoats.com disappear.  Kela had a great run when she owned and operated the site.  It was a part of our lives for many years.  I have been asked if I wish that I had kept the site.  The answer is always “no”.  The right people have it and have taken it to the next level.

Speaking of change, we are going to see a change in the weather today.  Some places west of here will see snow.  Cold and wet is in the forecast.  We need the moisture.  2020 continues to be a helluva year.  We will have to reschedule the Shattuck FFA Ag Olympics.

Although we no longer hold a Labor Day sale, we still have a cookout.  A lot of the same people, some new ones and a change in attitude.  Way better behaved as compared to the old days.

Have a good one.  Those of you in western OK, western KS, Colorado and the TX panhandle, keep those wethers warm and dry the next couple of days.

I have always been a Paul Harvey fan.  Back in the early 80s, when dad got off work, picked me up and we went to do chores (roughly 5:30 pm), Paul Harvey–the Rest of the Story would be on the radio.  I loved that stuff.  Still do.  Great voice that was used so well, and yet was clean and to the point.  You had to think while listening to it.  And, you usually learned something.  And yes, at 2 am on some mornings, I google old Paul Harvey broadcasts.  The world would be a better place if we shut off the current crap and listened to a bit of Paul Harvey.

Last night’s blog post did not get finished.  Hell, it actually never got started.

And with a nod to the legend himself, here is the rest of the story.  My motivation for the whole post stemmed from a family group text that Duke had sent out.  He had sent a picture of a baby Horny Toad that he had caught.  He had sent it to Kela, Tammy and myself.  I LOVE seeing/catching a horned lizard.  It stirs my soul.  This has been an ongoing thing with our family.  Catch and release.  You can be going 60 plus MPH and Duke can spot a Horny Toad on the pavement.  The driver better be ready to swerve.  And swerve we do.

That pic of a little Horny Toad had me thinking all afternoon.  My mind was whirling……we don’t see as many as we used to;   it’s late in the year to see a baby horned lizard;  any little horned toad is a good sign…etc. etc. etc.

THAT is my religion.  I love seeing things like a horny toad.  I love that my kids watch out for a horny toad.  My soul gets stirred on things like this.  Stock shows, speech/judging contests, scholarships, proficiency awards…SURE!  If they are giving out awards, let’s go win em.  I don’t care what species or contest….if they are giving an award…win it.  WHY NOT?   If we get beat by better, so what!  I would hope that there are plenty trying to do their best.

But that is not my passion.  My passion, my religion is seeing people do well and do better than they thought they could.  Winning is the carrot for everybody else.  I only like carrots when cooked in a roast beef.

AND now, for the rest of the rest of the story.  To be honest…I am in the best mental state that I have been in for years.  Physically …..drained.  I haven’t been sleeping more than a couple hours per night.  Worse than usual.   Yet, last night, as I typed out that stuff, I had to stop and dry an eye or two.  I got to thinking about each and every kid.  How each kid, their family and their goat(s) became family to Tammy and I.  I choked up.   I may be an asshole but I love what I do.  I leaned back in this John Deere leather office chair and just thought about families.  I could list them all but that would take a bit.

ANYWAYS, I smooth ass fell asleep in my office chair.  FOR 7 hours straight.   No beer, haven’t had bourbon in months, no peach crown, nothing!!!   Smooth ass fell asleep in my chair.  I’ve never slept that long in this chair.  I slept hard.  I hope it happens again.

And as a result, this Friday was as good of a day as any.  Clayton Washmon and I pulled cidrs, ate breakfast at Ed’s Cafe, 13 toothed some lambs, got some free watermelons for ag olympics, took a lamb to Fairview and swapped bucks at Cleo Springs.  U ain’t never had fun till u listened to Bob Seelke discuss teaser bucks.

I hope that you have had the joy of seeing a horny toad dart across your path.  I wish that all of you that read this crap have shed a tear or three while thinking about positive things in the agricultural world.  I wish that more people would stop and listen to some Paul Harvey broadcasts.

It is an easy argument to say that Guns N Roses is the best rock band ever.  And it is hard to argue against the fact that Alabama is the best country group ever.   And that Neil Diamond is timeless.

Have a good one today but please, have a better one tomorrow.  Horseshoes & shamrocks to all!

By faith and by upbringing, my religion of choice is Catholic.  I only lack a few months on this planet until I have been here 5 decades.  And in those dang neart 50 years, I have not seen anything to change my mind.  I truly do not care if you approve or disapprove.  My parents raised three boys to love and serve others as well as GOD.  They did something right, as all three of us have made life choices that did not involve making more money.  As a result, between the three of us, no divorces and six bad-ass grandkids.

Am I judgmental on somebody having a divorce?  No.  My favorite brother-in-law is proof of that.  Todd and Tammy are half siblings.  But one only needs to be around them a short time to realize that they are brother and sister.  I credit their mom for that.  Tammy’s step-father…..She calls him dad and our kids call him GrandDad…is as good of a person that I have been around.  I will never judge a family unit.  If it works, it works and that is better than most have.  One can be rich without having a pile of cash.  (We are filthy rich with when it comes to having great role models in our lives and more importantly, our kids’ lives)

Having said all that, I do NOT care what religion you are, as long as you don’t tell me what to believe.  I can respect a difference of opinion.  There does not need to be a fight over that difference.  The Dragon Lady enjoys attending Baptist services.  My kids both know that there is a GOD.  That last sentence is all that matters to me.

HOWEVER, my true religion has nothing to do with a brick and mortar church or words printed on a paper.  MY RELIGION is solely based on experience.  I’m talking about those experiences that hit hard and leave a non-visible mark.  But that mark lasts forever.

I know that there is scripture about attending an organized religious ceremony such as service, mass, whatever.  My soul has never felt more alive than being in the outdoors.  Mostly, by myself.  This has been the case for almost 50 years.

Seeing a newborn Hereford or Shorthorn marked calf always stirs my soul.  Especially when they are running to their momma with that tail straight up.

Assisting a doe kid giving birth and realizing that a life was saved.  Three days later–watching baby goats run and play.  Hell, they make videos of baby goats.  (Don’t remember seeing cool videos of doe goats)

One of the many things that absolutely stirs my soul to the core is that moment….that moment…when that kid….when it all clicks, and THAT kid…..gets it!   I don’t care if you are talking about public speaking, showmanship, running a wicked bead…..THAT moment!  That moment when it becomes personal.  They own it!  And every goal now becomes attainable.  Those goals did not have to include banners or trophies.

Bo Ketts in official dress with speech memorized.  (I miss his dad)

Mitchell Bouziden–that kid stepped WAY out of his comfort zone.  Waynoka forever!  I have so many cool Waynoka stories.  This kid was an anchor.

Chesley Comstock–an all-time Kelln favorite, wait…what…this one is a favorite of all that know her.  When it clicked….IT CLICKED!

My religion does consist of long walks down a midway, at a state fair,  no students on the premises.  Cool tunes, a cold one and a chance of meeting up with a friend like TravASS Schovanec.

The coolest thing about these dumb donkey professional athletes, other than the fact that I (and judging from the ratings, I am not alone) refuse to watch any professional sports,  some networks have clued into this fact and are currently showing some bad ass nature documentary type stuff.  It’s awesome!

It may not be Marty Stouffer “Wild America”  but it dang sure is fun to watch.  I’m not sure why we need a dude with a British accent narrating, but it works.  Kinda cool.

Since I couldn’t sleep, I watched a couple of episodes of Texas Law–about Texas game wardens.  It was cool.

I’m not sure if this is cool or not but a couple of days ago, a sheep sold in Scotland for a world record price of $490k.  How much will a straw of juice cost from this dude?  Oh and he was a Texel breed.  Yeah, I had heard of the Texel breed but I did not know that they were in demand like that.  We only think that the wether goat deal is expensive!

Speaking of cool.   I would now like to nominate Dave Grohl as the coolest rock star of all time.  Yes, all time.  For starters, he was the drummer of the band Nirvana.  Yeah, that band that BLEW up the early 90s and ended hair metal.  Then, after the lead singer of Nirvana shotgunned himself, Dave Grohl laid low while building his next band.  This band became the Foo Fighters.  Except Dave was now the lead singer and guitarist.  Just to be cool, he also plays in several other bands.   The Foo Fighters have became a favorite touring band.  Check out the story of him breaking his leg during a concert, yet he kept playing.  Then, in order to keep the tour going, while staying off his bad leg, they built a throne of guitars for him.  His fan interaction is legendary.  Seriously, read up on this dude.

One of my favorite youtube videos to watch is the drum off between Dave Grohl and Animal from the muppets.  “You win.”

Now, a 10 year old girl challenged him to a drum off via youtube.  He responded by playing a song that he hadn’t played in years and then passing the challenge back to her.  Wicked awesome!!   For real, read up on this dude and how he has managed success, bands, family and all the other stuff that go along with being a rock star.

Have a good one and a better tomorrow.

We live in the only county in Oklahoma that is designated as green level for covid.  No restrictions.  Mask optional.  Of course, one wise dude commented that it is two fold as to why Ellis County is green—-nobody wants to live here and it is so @&##ing dry that a virus can’t live here.

Five weeks ago, I was getting bucks collected at REI.  I stopped by Perrydise to look at doe kids that would be offered online.  There was a doe kid that hit me hard.  The following Monday, I got her bought.  I told Milligan that I would be there that weekend to pick her up.  He called me on the following Thursday and told me that she had pinkeye in both eyes.  He said that it was the worse case that he had seen.  He wasn’t lying.

Now, a month later, her eyes are clear.  I’ve dealt with pinkeye on numerous occasions.  Rarely, do we see it in both eyes.  And never have I seen one that was completely blind in both eyes.  It only took numerous dosages of LA200, plus gentamycin sprayed in her eyes once a week combined with penicillin squirted under her eyelids several times a week to clear it up.  I kept her inside, out of the sunlight.  She never lost her appetite.  She just doesn’t like to be caught.  It’s always something in the goat world.

Have a good week.