I had zero intentions of writing on this worthwhile blog on this evening.   I got home late, was watching a pen of young bucks act like young bucks (gross), checked cows and made sure feeders were full.  I was starving.  I mean hungry enough to eat….well, something about the south end of a north bound skunk during that time of the month.  Just wrong.

Speaking of just wrong, I got inside the house to the Dragon Lady making breakfast for supper.  Yes!  I plopped down to the computer to check emails with a plate of sausage links, bacon, and eggs.  I ate several strips of meaty bacon, 4 or 8 pork filled perfect links and a pile of home-raised scrambled eggs covered with Tabasco and salsa (vegetables).    Then I got one of those pancakes and poured some Made In Oklahoma Griffin’s syrup on this flapjack.  Maybe, just maybe,  a bit too much.  As I cut a piece and started towards my mouth, a big dollop of syrup fell right on the keyboard.  I ate the fork-full of pancake.  Then, I did it.  I grabbed the keyboard and I licked the syrup off the J & the K keys.  I didn’t want them to stick.

I know that this was wrong and that my mom taught me better than this.  But, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.  JKJKJKJKJKJKJKJKJK  And now you too can see that the keys are not stuck together by syrup.  There may be some down in the keyboard that sets up overnight.  But, I did try.

Here’s to breakfast for supper, syrup and most of the chores being done when I got home.  Sounds like the rains are a coming to Oklahoma.  Have a good one and a better tomorrow.  I did and I will.  Cheers.

I bet that my day was a bit different from yours.  Why?  We harvested hemp seed.  No…No…No….not the stuff that you smoke but some actual native Oklahoma hemp.  It was tested.  It tested LOW in THC–.23.  Smoke it and you will get a headache…that’s it.  As compared to the “good” strains that are 20 to nearing 30% THC.   This stuff tested high in fiber and fairly high in oils.  Those are the two traits that are important to industrial hemp.

The landowner was there.  A lawyer was there.  Other farmers were present.  The seeds were taken to a college.  These seeds were verified OK native hemp.  They are to be cross-pollinated with another harvest from a couple of counties east of us.  The resulting crop will be OK heritage seed to start the industrial hemp crop in Oklahoma.

There are quite a few legalities regarding hemp production.  Shouldn’t be but there is.  If it tests high in THC, well then, it is used for smoking.  If it is high in fiber or CBD oils, there are lots of other uses.  The USA uses most of the world’s supply of industrial hemp.  BUT, we import it.  Why?  Lobbyists? Big politics?  Fear?  IDK.  Sounds like collusion to me.

I’ve never smoked a joint.  Been in a place or two where it was prevalent.  I’ve never harvested hemp seed till today.  Here is my take on this plant as a viable crop for Oklahoma.

If somebody wants to spark a doobie, do it on your own place and own time.  Hemp and marijuana are related but not the same.  This crop will grow without cultivation, it is drought resistant, provides fiber and oil and as I noticed today—looks to be impervious to grasshoppers.  Looks to me like this crop fits NW OK.  ( Dang people, the grasshoppers have been in record #s this year)  Due to the indeterminate plant type, harvesting may be an issue.  The seed doesn’t mature at the same time.

Do some research on the industrial hemp crop.  Our founding fathers grew the stuff.  Now, we import it.  Why not grow it?

I was asked if it smelled like “weed”.  My reply—The odor in my nose makes me think that I just attended a good concert, but I do not have the desire to go buy 24 (1$) cheeseburgers from McDonalds and then eat them.

And Rumour Has It, (like that) if you feed this stuff to goats, they won’t have worms.  IDK if that is true or not but I do NOW know where some plants are located.  Actually, as stemmy, crappy leaved and nasty as hemp plants are….they should be prime goat grazing.

I feel like there should be a Cheech & Chong quote but none seem applicable.  So, just go do some light reading about the industrial hemp crop and feel satisfied that you learned more here than you did while watching any of those major news feed disposal units.  And if you know for sure that this hemp is a natural de-wormer, let us know.

P.S.  I do find irony in the fact that as I am getting ready to hit the PUBLISH button, I am holding and eating out of a bag of doritos.  (actually quite a common occurence, but ironic on this night)

Have a good one and a better tomorrow.

can REALLY piss one smooth off.

Granted….none of this stuff really measures up in the high importance scale of bad things that can happen.  They are just things that can set one off.

–cell phone usage when you’ve been warned (numerous times) —Yeah, I might have taken one from a student and tossed it across the room–today.  I had warned him that the next time that I take it, that I will torch it.  I haven’t torched it…. yet, but…his attitude going forward will determine the phone (and maybe his future fate as part of the Shattuck FFA).  Parents have been contacted and I have full permission to do as need be.

–KNOWING that you hit send on a text but then hours later realizing that those words are just hanging there in text land waiting….waiting….waiting…..

I’m getting bad at this.

—shaking a mustard bottle to prevent that clear ooze from squirting onto the bread.  BUT NOOOOOO!!!  That clear, nasty ooze still squirts out, so you now shake the mustard bottle harder, up/down and then left/right. Viciously.  It’s not that you want rid of the clear ooze.  You JUST don’t want to see it.  It’s all good if it is mustard yellow.  But clear?!?!  HECK NO!!!  Not on my hot dog/sandwich/burger/brat.

—reaching into a 3 gallon jug of homemade/altered UTZ stuff looking for just one more pork rind that is so hot that it almost hurts to eat it, but you have to have one more to keep the burn going.  Cheese ball–no.  Pretzel–no.  Crackers–no.  Dang it!  There were more pork rinds in here.  WITH? Happened to all the pork rinds?  DUKE?????!!!!!!

“Yeah, Dad?”

“What happened to all the pork rinds in this mix?”

“Dad, they are so hot that I couldn’t quit eating them.  They are awesome.”

Well crap. I agree.  If I ever open a bar, Kevin and Katie are going to be making this cracker/pretzel mix to keep in bowls–free to patrons.  Consumption will go way up.  We might even charge for water.  You can’t stop and you will need a drink or twelve.

I haven’t watched any pro football games, but I did watch Ryan Fitzpatrick’s post game interview.  That was classic.

My wether currently weighs 58 pounds.  Can you tell me what he will weigh at OYE on March 19?

Beings as how I don’t know the genetics of your wether, what feed you are feeding, your barn conditions, exercise program, blanket usage, worming protocol or feed additives being used, I guess that I will deduce that your wether will weigh about 59 pounds on March 19.  I don’t know.  Just guessing.

Have a good one and a better tomorrow.

On saturday, I made my third trip to OKC in a four day period.  I sheared off a skinny wether Saturday morning.  He’s a good goat but he took the banding hard and is just starting to rebound.

I listened to the Okie State game on the way there.  Unloaded and then sorted through all the other goats that were there.  Then I parked in a chair and listened to the end of the Okie State game.  There were two weird things about this.  First, OSU was actually playing defense.  Second, we were listening to the game via a speaker that was built into a computer printer.

I was also eating oatmeal raisin cookies that were wicked good.  They were bought at Sam’s.  Not Sam’s deli, but the Sam’s.  Dang good cookies.

There were some really good goats at this sale.  Prices were good.  Mine brought 2K.  I got a pair bought that I really like and I got them under budget.  Even better.

Well ran sale in a great facility with good consignors.

Yes, like the great 80s hairband Whitesnake, “Here I go again!”    By the way, all time great video.  Tawny Kitaen in that video–monkey wrench.

Trivia–Why is a monkey wrench called a monkey wrench?  Supposedly the inventor’s last name was Moncky.   I’ve also read that it was Monquet (french?).  Might also be some racial slang tied to it.  Heck, you readers obviously have the internet…look it up.  Who really cares?  Either way it tightens nuts and uhh, other things.

And now, here I go again.  I have to brag on a kid.

We, the people, that live here at the Kelln piece of paradise, are real keen on setting goals.  We did this with Kela.  My 2 favorite goals of hers:  “We can’t win them all, so I want to be in the ring, showing one of my goats, at every grand drive this year.”  She was—won some, had many reserve grands but was in the ring at all from State Fairs, Enid District, Tulsa, Phoenix, Kansas City to OYE.  My favorite–“If I make the top 3 in state in public speaking can I quit giving speeches?”  Yes.  She was not a natural speaker but she WON state and now wishes that she would have continued competing her senior year.

And now, the Duke.  Way more laid back.  Not as dynamic, but….but…..

Last year, while he and I were driving home from the Tulsa State Fair Ag Mechanics show, he asked “Can Shattuck win the ag mechanics sweepstakes award at one of the state fairs?”  My reply, “Yes, if you and your cronies work towards that goal.”

They did and they did.  Duke won a couple of divisions and had 3 second places.  He and another senior boy built the grand overall ag mech project at the State Fair of OK.  Yes, that semi cattle loading chute trailer was grand.  Shattuck FFA was named the overall sweepstakes winner in the ag mechanics contest.  Great group of kids.  For you people that wonder why I am on year 5 of teaching again, when I meant that it was just for a year. See exhibit A–lots of good kids.  Turn off your tv and radio news and go work with some local kids.  There are good kids out there, everywhere.  In all reality, you can learn everything that you need to know from reading this blog. (I apologize)

Take a look at those 3 different goals from 2 different kids.  Obviously not the parents’ goals.  Too diverse.  But, if that is what the kid want to work towards, then let’s go do it.

Just for the record, if Tammy was pushing her agenda, then we would be trying to win a bunch of basketball games.  Tammy was part of a legendary basketball program at Arnett.  But I managed to breed those skills right out of my kids.  And, if I had my druthers, we would have a steer on feed.  But noooo.  Instead, we have a bad ass welder and a chick pursuing dreams in Hollywood.

For those of you that know Duke, you will agree that he does not show much emotion unless he is pissed.  (I don’t know where he gets that from—I’m guessing bad genetics from his mother’s side!?)   He is almost 18 years old.  He has won an ANLS barrow show, had a reserve goat or three or four or….been in the limo at OYE, won some speech contests, had the grand overall ag mech project at the ’16 Ok State Fair, shot big deer, caught big fish…..but……this is the first time that I have ever heard him yell out loud…..”WHOOO!!!”   Two other senior boys called to tell me how pumped Duke was at their win.  Duke, Lane Beeson, AJ Carter and Santana Morrow all contributed to this win.  Congrats to all the younger kids that helped earned this win.

Am I proud of the win(s) for these Shattuck kids?  Well, hell yes.  Am I proud as a parent?  Yes.  Not so much of the win.  I/we are prouder of watching the journey/work/prayers all starting to take shape.

The best compliment that I have ever gotten came from some derelict in SW OK.  He said, “Yeah, you can be an ass but you will help dang near any kid that wants help.  You truly like good kids and you really like your own kids.”   I agree.

I’m in a good mood, wicked tunes are playing and I’m about ready to catch some sleep.  That’s not a good combination.

It was not uncommon for our eldest offspring to win some outstanding student awards and make some honor rolls for her academic achievements.  Saying that, it’s been a few years since we have seen any of these kind of awards around our house.

But now, the youngest has earned himself a title.  Duke was named as the August student of the month for the High Plains Technology Center.  He likes going to class there and it shows.  He is a 2nd year welding student but he also takes a couple of academic classes while at the tech center.

Have a good one and a better tomorrow.

I really don’t give a rat’s rear about the nfl lawsuit that involves nike’s new poster female dog.  I did not like him when he took a knee and my opinions have not changed.  I have not watched an nfl game in two years.  My life has not changed as a result.

Now, they are suing and using the term collusion.  Good luck with that.  I’m not a lawyer but I have watched a lot of Law & Order.  It takes hard evidence to prove collusion.

Collusion would actually be more prevalent in the livestock show world than it is in the nfl.  I’m not crying foul.  I have actually benefitted from it.  Not my with my own kids, but we have done well sliding into that reserve grand slot when things were a bit dirty on the top side.  When, where, who….not typing it here.  Tammy nor I have ever wanted anything but a clear shot for our own kids.  We are down to one last show season….and we haven’t changed.  Let’s show.  That’s it.

There is not a breeder nor judge that can accuse me of collusion.  EVER.  Regardless of species.  All that I have left in this game is exactly the same that I started with.  Nothing . WTH?  Exactly.  The Dragon Lady and I have one kid showing.  And we are still using this as a teaching tool.  Feed–properly.  Clean water–YES.  Exercise–Duke only.  Manage temperature–team effort (Duke and Tammy), help others with all of the above (Duke, Tammy and myself).   Cash checks–Duke when he helps sell some goats for others.    I don’t need a banner to prove my worth nor my kids.  We are good.  Would we like another?  Sure.  But it will not change Tammy, Duke or myself.  Yes, we would like to validate years of hard work.  But, I do not feel the urge to have a deal in place.  I’ve seen it.  I’ve been a part of it.  I need NO part of it for my kids.

I’ve seen the great and powerful oz (four letters) at work behind the curtain.  I get it when you have to go warm your hands around that campfire. But, I can’t do it.  Why?  For the respect of the game.  That’s it.  That’s all.

I truly want to believe that a kid and an advisor(parent, friend, teacher, etc. ) can still study genetics, phenotype, proper feeding, utilize hard work, superior showmanship and management and get a fair shake at a show.  I need to believe this.  Why?  This is what the United States of America was founded upon.  I know things have changed.  But that does not make me believe that I should depress my values to meet those of others.

I delivered goats to students this week.  Good goats.  Combined with good management and showmanship, they have a chance.  I do not think that I delivered a grand at OYE.  But, I would like to have the warm and fuzzies that if a kid does their part, well, at least we have a chance.  Personally, I don’t have that warm feeling, but guess what….we are going to go after it like we do.

All I have ever wanted is good kids, showing good stock.

That’s it!

Bring em.  Show em.  Judge em.  Come on.  Regardless of species.

I know that I am right.  How?  I ain’t reading your blog and you are reading this stuff.  Am I wrong?  Not very often and dang sure not today.  Let’s go show.  No collusion.  Come on.  In the words of Marvin Gaye…….

Couldn’t play one properly if my life depended on it.  But, I love the sound of a well played guitar.  Plugged or unplugged–don’t care.

My mother tried to teach me music.  “If you learn to play the piano, then you can learn to play any instrument.”  Much like the classic Merle Haggard song “Mama Tried”.  She dang sure did.  Tried she did, on numerous levels.  Music, religion, etc.  I had the chance to learn how to be the Pope that could play some serious tunes.  But, no.  I turned into a livestock junkie that has read a complete World Book encyclopedia set and a butt-load of Purple Circle, Showbox and Ag Youth magazines.  I took a serious hard turn in the wrong direction somewhere along the way.  My fault.

For me, actually playing music came to an end when I learned how to play “Mary had a little lamb” on the recorder.  I can still play it on that molded plastic POS.

No matter my failings, I have always felt and heard the sound of a bad ass guitar.  Like everything else, some are just better than others.  Solos, riffs or just music to my ears, there are some songs that have always just sounded wicked awesome.  I can remember what songs where playing when certain stock was in the show ring.

I’m not ranking all of these.  I would be here all night.  Stevie Ray Vaughn laid down some legendary licks.  ZZ Top is a band that I should have seen live.  Their intro at the start of La Grange is hard to get out of your head.  Nugent on Stranglehold.  Skynyrd with Freebird.  Clapton–pick one, three or how many of songs.

Metallica–Kirk Hammet.  The intro to Enter Sandman.  The guitar solo on “One” dang near gave me carpel tunnel while trying to play it on guitar hero.

Jimmy Paige.   You can’t have a guitar conversation without him or Zepellin being near the top.  Oh, and Hendrix.  Pick several. (Won’t argue with the best ever.)

Now, the discussion gets serious.

Eruption–Eddie Van Halen with Van Halen

Iron Man–Randy Rhoads with Ozzy Osbourne

November Rain–Slash with Guns N Roses

And then it sorts again.

Like any stock show with a top heavy class, there are at least two heavy hitters and then one that has everybody ringside asking “Who the heck is that?”

Crazy Train–Randy Rhoads with Ozzy Osbourne

You literally feel like you are riding a crazy train while listening to it.  Start to finish of this song, that     guitar is killing it.  Ozzy was the name on the record but that guitar made it happen.  This song sounds better the louder it gets.

A couple of years ago, I was getting a haircut by a great American.  Darrel “the barber” Gosney was trying to make this coif on my head look presentable.  As usual, there was a crowd waiting.  His phone went to ringing.  In the old “Name that Tune” tradition, I could name that song in one note.  But, he kept cutting hair.  The song kept going.  I finally elbowed him and said, ” I like that ring tone.”   Hunh?!?!?  OH!  He then answered it.  Then hung up.

I said, “I did not expect you to be a fan of Ozzy Osbourne.”

He replied, ” I don’t know who that is.  But I like that ringtone because most of the time, I can hear it.  Loud guitar.”  I told him to crank it up.

It is hard to measure the intrinsic values of many things in this world.

Cliffs of Dover–Eric Johnson

If you worked anywhere near the Oklahoma State University meat lab during the fall of ’90 through 1992 then you caught a steady dose of Eric Johnson’s instrumental album “Ah Via Musicom”.  We liked the KATT radio and they liked Eric Johnson.  No big name group.  No big time videos.  That dude could wail.  And it has held up to the test of time.  Bad ass guitar playing.  NO vocals.  How good was/is Eric Johnson?  He was included in the 2007 Guitar Heroes video game.  If you don’t know, get on google and listen to it.  You could have had me playing drums, Tyke on bass and those songs would still be killer.

Sweet Child o’ Mine–Slash with Guns N Roses

Maybe it is an age deal.  I don’t think so.  I remember the first time that I heard this song.  The opening guitar licks sounded like a siren calling to me, calling me to listen closer.  Then, I thought the lead singer was in a bit of pain.  Then….then…… the talking guitar solo.  I’m still hooked.  Decades later, I still get amped when this song hits and then I have to turn up the volume for the guitar solo.  Sure, November Rain was epic but you don’t get there without the guitar on Sweet Child o’ Mine.  And the video didn’t help Sweet Child o’ mine.  On the other hand, November Rain had maybe the best video.  Maybe.  That is for another waste of time.  Me–typing.  You–reading.

I don’t really care if you agree or not.  However, if you get me to trim hooves, clip a doe, shear wethers or photo  a buck, odds are that I’m listening to some wicked tunes.  For that matter, welding & farming also require some tunes.  Not all with a big guitar.

Now, back to that image of me playing guitar while wearing the mitre (big Pope hat).  Scary?  It could have happened.

Oh, we did have a sale this past Labor Day.  Good goats brought good money.  Pullan sold goats for good money.  I took a pair and they sold about like they should have.  It wasn’t the Best of the West sales of former years.  From an ag teacher perspective, I got some very good goats bought and stayed well within budget.  From the seller side of things…hunh?!   But….the food was excellent.  All of the help was top shelf.  The Woodward County Events Center is a great place to hold anything.   I guess, I will say that the industry is changing.  But, that will be discussed at a later time.

The night before was good.  Not retarded like years past.  Food was excellent.  The camaraderie was even better.  Gary Cramblet and his crew made it to NW OK and I was happy to see that he is doing better.  I had a very interesting conversation with him regarding his health protocol.  He acknowledges first and foremost that he is the beneficiary of a lot of prayers.  GOD speed to he and his family as he continues to beat cancer.

We had some left over mud bugs, shrimp, sausage and Kester’s famous goat bologna.  So, as the night neared the end, we shucked some crustacean shells and stuck all of that in the fridge.  On Tuesday, I remembered to tell my mom that I had this conglomeration of high protein meats.  On Wednesday, I got a text that jambalaya had been made.  Bet you can’t guess what I had for a 10 pm supper tonight?  In the words of the late great Justin Wilson—“I gar ON tee”   that it was dang good!

Speaking of cajuns–how about LSU kicking the dog crap out of the u.   Geaux tigers!  That and this dumb ass crew at the swoosh.  I wear nike shoes.  Why?  Because they fit my narrow foot that has absolutely no arch.  I’m probably not going to burn all of my shoes with a swoosh on them, but I may not buy another pair.

I delivered a trailer load of goats to students today.  It is fun to watch a first timer that is getting their very first project.  It might be funner to watch a now seasoned showman that decided to get 2 instead of the 1 that she has gotten each year.  Funner still is that Grandma is buying each kid a show goat.

Time to hit the showers.  Have a good one and…..

Which means “I got nothin and ain’t in no kind of mood to sit at this keyboard.”