I’m a bit stand-off-ish and can seem like an ass.  Fine by me.  I have many acquaintances but only a few that I consider true friends.  I’m talking about people that will help others before they worry about themselves.  The stock show world has led my family to become friends with a family that fits this bill.  And when I say a stock show family, I am talking about one of the very best stock show families that have ever shown stock.  Success with goats, pigs, cattle and even a sheep or two.

The Schovanec family has fought through health issues for the past two years.  It hasn’t been easy as Christi has been fighting cancer.  Travis has managed to keep the farm running and kids busy through it all.  Throw in tough agriculture times and it hasn’t been easy.  But, they have managed.  And they have done it as a family.

Travis absolutely loves helping others improve their showmanship skills.  He is ate up with it.  Loves it!  Won’t take money, just wants to help.  Braden, Halie and Carson are all incredibly talented showmen.  Braden was hall of fame level at showing goats.  Halie was better.  Carson likes those dang pigs and has an addiction to cool stock trailers.  The kids are ultra-successful.

Now, Christi is fighting full blown leukemia.  She will be in OKC most of this month during chemo.  Throw in some other health issues with her mother and things are not sunny.  None of these people would ever ask for help but will and have always helped others.  But, I will gladly ask for them.  Prayers, that’s it.  Just take a moment or two to say a prayer for this family.   Prayers.  Maybe send a note to any of them.  You may not get a reply from Travis, you will from Braden.  Any and all prayers would be appreciated.  Thank you.

I’ve been several thousand miles the past couple of weeks, chasing several species of animals.  But I have noticed that the two comedians that make me belly laugh, every time that I hear them, both end in  -igan.  That would be Jim Gaffigan and Kathleen Madigan.  Those two humans can bring some funny to the xm radio.  They both have a bit of Irish and I would bet a bit of Catholic. (a LOT)   But dang, they are funny.  And for the most part, clean humor.  But, not always.  She also mentions goats during several routines.

Foxworthy, Larry the Cable Guy and Ron White are legendary.  Everyone can listen to Foxworthy, most can listen to Larry the Cable Guy and well, Ron White might be the funniest of them all, but Tammy doesn’t like him.  One of the funniest things that I ever heard on the radio was Foxworthy hosting Ron White with a studio audience.  People asked questions and they answered.  Foxworthy answered properly.  Ron White answered just like you expected him to do so.  The stories were awesome!

While listening to that interview, I asked Duke if he wanted to drive.

He replied, “Dad, I can’t.  I have tears in my eyes.”  Me too.

Eddie Murphy, Damon Wayons and Richard Pryor still make me laugh.  Gabriel Iglesias is one that I would like to see live.  George Carlin still makes me think and at times, makes me think that I want to turn the channel.  I wish that I had seen Mel Tillis live.

Speaking of jokes.  I made a screaming trip south to pick up a couple of projects for students.  I stopped in Abilene to get a bite to eat.  I hadn’t been to an Olive Garden in a year or so.  I pulled in, got a table for ONE and ordered.  The waiter brought me the usual bowl of salad and a basket of breadsticks.  Now, I really like the salad and breadsticks at an Olive Garden.

But, I was like “Dude, it is just me.  You couldn’t bring a smaller portion?”

His reply, “The salads and bread baskets are already made up.  We bring them regardless of the # of people.  We can always bring more?”

WTH?  I am the fattest that I have ever been.  But dang dude.  Let’s not waste food.  I did as I ate a 2nd portion of salad and only ate 2 breadsticks. (could have eaten ALL of them, but didn’t)

So, I watched the people around me.  And here is what I saw.  Lots of tattoos, lots of ill fitting clothes and I look skinny compared to most.  I am not against a tattoo or two (that is fun to say) but DAMN!  I am also not against some tight fitting clothing and visible skin on some women….but DANG….put that stuff away.  When I think of biscuits and muffins, I want to be thinking about a breakfast food.

I watched the couple next to me get cheese on their salad.  They put so much cheese on the salad that I decided to time it when they, especially her, said “YES” to cheese on their entree.  The waiter ran out of cheese. I shit you not!  My timer was approaching the greater part of a minute and their lasagna was no longer visible under the heaping pile of grated cheese.  They waited while the waiter called for reinforcements.  I am real sure that they did not go for a walk after their dinner.

Speaking of disconcerting.   I have noticed that a large number of smaller TX towns no longer have a Dairy Queen.  That means no slow service, dirty bathrooms and…wait….what?  I really liked their ice cream products and could rely on their burgers to make me want to find a dirty bathroom at the next town.  DQs have been a staple of TX towns with a population of 2,500 or more.

Peanut Buster Parfaits, hunger buster burgers, dilly bars.

Dilly bars–“Here give these to the men to play with in lieu of other things.”

And now, the last three McDonald’s that I have visited have been without ketchup, unsweet tea and have been slow of service.  When MickeyD’s ship ain’t floating efficiently, well, it makes one wonder.  Some entities can get too big. And that opens the doors for somebody else.

Like a DQ butterfinger blizzard, it’s all good.

The feel, appearance or consistency of a surface or substance.

I’m a texture person.   I can work on engines or equipment but I don’t like it.  Why?  I don’t like the feel of grease or oil.

Onions are food that I will eat but only in certain ways.  At the house that I grew up in, those people treat onion like it is a food group.  Lots of onions.  I don’t mind “some” onion but I don’t want to contaminate the entire dish with onion.  And it isn’t the flavor that gets me.  It is the texture.  Something about the way that they crunch that makes me cringe.   I really like a good onion ring.  Thinly sliced in a beer batter.  Jake’s Rib in Chickasha has decent bbq but wicked good side dishes, especially their onion rings.  But if a ring is too fat, I’m out.  And if while eating an onion ring, part of the onion slides out of the batter shell, I’m way out.  Then it’s like trying to eat a hermit crab as it climbs out of it’s shell.

I also really like Best Maid hamburger dill slices.  I can eat them by the jar.  Recently, I bought a gallon of them.  I also bought a gallon of Best Maid whole dill pickles.  Same damn thing, just not sliced.  People in my house will eat them.  I tried one.  Taste is fine but the texture of biting through that whole pickle just doesn’t work for me.

Texture has become HUGE in the wether goat industry.  It has been in the sheep as well but not quite like the goats.  The texture of hide and skin is paramount.

This wether has great touch.

It’s hide fits like a pair of orange shorts on a Hooter’s waitress.

I would like to see this wether have a tighter hide.

A wether can be structurally correct, heavy boned, packing lots of muscle, up fronted, good when you set him in motion, correct in finish, level hipped and really eye appealing and that goat will stand 2nd or lower if his hide doesn’t quite fit right.

Sometimes, a goat can actually give up a tick of muscle as long as he is tight hided and has a firm touch.

I don’t have a problem with this.  Of course, there are some things that can be fed to tighten hides.  But, some genetics just can’t be fixed with any amount of miracle feed additives.

It is amazing the things that crosses one’s mind as eating a pickle is pondered.

“Mongo only pawn in game of life.”    Words spoken by Mongo.

Have a good one and a better tomorrow.

That title just sounds wrong.  And it probably is.  But hold on and follow me down this curvy road.  It might get long.  But you can always go do something else if you don’t want to read this crap.  However, this could be fun.

It never fails.  If Duke and I are both gone at the same time, something goes wrong in paradise.  Friday night, Duke and I headed out on an adventure.  That left Tammy taking care of things.  She did no wrong.  But we got a storm that brought just a half inch of rain and several feet of wind.  It blew lids off of feeders.  PITA!   She took care of stuff but when we got home, I got to clean out wet feed from self feeders.  Fine.  No problem.

Except one pen has 12 young bucks and a crippled wether in it–Feb. to May born.  A couple of these are horrible livestock.  I mean bad.  Every breeder has them.  It happens.  One of these Feb. born wethers is out of a great doe (that we sold) and his twin doe kid is a bad ass.  But he may be the worst goat that I have ever raised.  I was excited when this doe had twins AND….AND one of them was a buck.  I was wrong.  He is a POS and he tries to bully and rape everything else.  So, I still have him.  Why?  The sale barn at Perry burnt down and Enid doesn’t have a sale until August 13 and Dodge City is on August 11.   I am looking forward to him, as well as a couple of others, being gone.  But, tonight, I cleaned out their feeder and sorted that sorry SOB and two of his buddies off.   And I put them in with two fall-born bucks that have actually seen live action.

Now, any of you that know me, know that you don’t have to wonder what my thoughts are.  Just wait a minute and my thoughts will become vocal.  However, I don’t understand much about the gay rights and homosexuality debates.  The tranny bathroom deal, whatever.  I have views.  This isn’t the place or time.  But, I can tell you that if you have a fall born buck kid that has not been especially aggressive, all you need to do is put a smaller aggressive buck in with him.  I think that I will now call that pen–Shawshank.  It didn’t take long and it turned into a prison style rape.  I am sure that sorry goat is wishing that he was still in that other pen.  I walked off from this arrangement, in the dark, hearing the sounds of something that sounded like the kin of the mighty Chewbacca being put under some un-due stress with a rubber mallet, a vise and some pliers.  Nature has a weird way of making things work out.

Speaking of buck kids waiting to bloom.  We all want that great buck kid, or doe or wether for that matter, that looks killer at day 5, at weaning, yearling and as a mature.  But in reality, they all go through stages.  Some genetics take a bit to come into themselves.  For instance, years ago, I told a very, very good livestock guy about a certain Joe Dirt wether.  I said, “He will go through a funk and when he comes out the other side, get ready.  He will be good.”  He questioned me during the process.  But….but….in the end….Morgan Craig ended up with a reserve grand wether at Tulsa.  Good genetics, good program, even better showman and a banner was hung.  And I put more emphasis on the kid than the rest.

My question?  The goat industry seems to be hell bent on goats looking top shelf at an early age.  And then every week after that.  Everybody wants the homecoming queen but we all know in the end it might be better to have that one that “filled out” (for lack of a better term) just a bit later.  A decade ago, I could buy Ralph Shafer, Steve Morriss, Bob Allen and Helms goats that were out of stuff like S100, R23, Yogi, Okie, T34, etc.  that didn’t look good early and it took them a bit to look the part.  We hung banners at shows like Tulsa and State Fair.  Then the photo craze started.  I guess.  NOW, we need them fat and bloomy all the time.  It is like the early 90’s.  We want the chicks to wear those Rockies jeans.  Remember them.  Rocky butts drive men nuts.  But sometimes, it is like a can of biscuits.  And you have to wonder, how they ever fit into them.  Did anybody else notice that I started this paragraph with a question, yet I never actually asked a question?  I guess that is now my question.? IDK>>>WTH>>>I think that I am dumber for having typed this.  I can only imagine what readers think.  Pretty sure not much care is given by the person writing about biscuits and rocky jeans.  You should probably re-read that last sentence and r-e-a-d it    s   l   o   w   l   y    .

Back in April, I might have mentioned that I spied a little 2 or 3 week old kid at Helms.  There was a chicken attack that day.  I hadn’t been back until now.  Guess what?  I still found tag 8077 in the same dang pen with a bunch of other goats.  Now, the rooster is dead.  And tag 8077 is Helms keeper.  He is a changer.  No chance at being a wether for that goat.  Lucky him.

I wasn’t planning on a goat trip but Blaine Rue called and asked if Duke could help clip goats this weekend.  Duke had to work till Friday evening but said that he would be there.  On Friday afternoon, I decided to tag along.  (Truth is, Duke’s momma didn’t want him driving by himself.)  I am glad that I went for the following reasons.

1–Duke and I had a good trip together.  He is a 17 year old male.  I’m probably not the easiest person to live with.  And, genetically speaking, he is double bred stupid.  But, a great kid with a strong work ethic.  He and I have always traveled well together and worked on other people’s stuff together.  That hasn’t changed.

2–I hadn’t been to Quitiquae this summer.  I’m real sure that not many travel brochures have touted the beauties of the greater Valley Schools area this summer.  Sandburs, goat heads, 100 plus temps and the dry land cotton looked like crap or was already dead.

3–I had never slept in a green box car before.  Now, I am thinking that if/when the Dragon Lady kicks my ass to the curb, I could probably live in a box care, regardless of color.

4–I like helping Blaine.  As do other breeders.  He can annoy people but all of us need to respect work ethic and desire.  Those traits are way more important than dollars.  Ironically, those exact traits make dollars and cents or sense.  Whatever.  I just hope that he remembers us when he makes it big.  He loves to study the history and genetics of show goats.  Plus, I got to hear a story about driving shirt less and a speeding ticket.  I’m laughing as I type this.  If you don’t know Blaine, you need to.  He will remind you about the good in the industry.

5–I got to witness history.  Adon Alonis sitting and not working.  He might have had a cerveza.  Kenneth Helms was actually working.  And, at that time, I was NOT having a cerveza.   I was just keeping Blaine and Duke busy.  And as a result, they washed and clipped more than they were planning for one day.

6–I like Joe Ed Helms.  He has always been extremely polite and nice to my family.  I also like a good story.

So, here you go.  I have known that Joe Ed used to raise sweet potatoes.  A lot of sweet potatoes.  I did not know that he is still raising them.  Almost 4 acres.  That’s several sweet potatoes.  He has raised them over 60 years.  I didn’t want to live to be 40 and he has raised sweet potatoes for over 60.

This conversation led me to ask Kenneth about growing them.  This turned into an early 80s story about owning a sweet potato combine (who knew that such a machine existed), it took 10 people picking and sorting, something about the border patrol, possible fines and jail time, having to finish the season with family and friends, never again, etc, etc.

Now, here we are, 30 something years later,  still looking for people to work and we have a border problem. It’s amazing how things can be in the past and still be relevant. But watch enough media and it is all the Trumpster’s fault.

7–I’m pretty positive that if you can’t have a positive interaction with young people trying to make a honest dollar and/or their way in a given business while dealing with proven, experienced people in said profession, then you need to find a different path.  I do worry that our industry forgets this from time to time.  Some more than others.  I like a $, maybe even two,  but some people taught me that priceless things are worth more.  Those people would be right. 

I had the privilege to talk to my son about his future as we drove home.  Not much talking from Turkey to I-40, since he slept. But from then on, he talked, not a lot, but for Duke, it was a world book encyclopedia.

All I really know, is that when raising kids, regardless of politics, religions or other crap, the journey makes the end goal worth more.  Tammy and I are nearing a point that we can high five and say “Job well done–times two.”  And we both respect the fact, that our parents did their job.  Maybe, probably, better than we did as parents.  It’s hard to compare.  Now, get me talking about show winners.  I can do it.  But, I do a way better job telling stories about the kids and their parents and how we used a dang show animal as the vehicle to propel kids into better places.  Put a price on that.

I had a good day.  Two good ones in a row.  I think that tomorrow will also be really, really good……     If it ain’t, well then I will wish that you are like the lactose-intolerant ice cream maker.  You’ll just have to trust how good your product is, or just dive in and deal with consequences.  Ironically, Johnny Cash’s, “Ring of Fire” is currently playing.  I love that song.

Too long?  Too stupid?  I would like to direct you to use that mouse by your right side.  What? Who doesn’t have their mouse to the right?  Only a person that has bog roll coming off the bottom and not the top.  Anyways, if you don’t like it, the internet is one big pond.  Go fish somewheres else.

I’ve never been very good at what to charge to sell for other people.  Probably, because for many years, I did not see this goat thing as a business.  That and I have always liked helping people.  I have always known what it cost me to produce them and raise them.  But what is the value of me selling them?  Or reselling them?

For years, I bought lots of wethers and a few does.  This was mostly done for friends, kids I liked and people in a fairly close area to me.  I always just wanted to make sure to cover my fuel and motels.  Several have told me it was because I always had an ag teacher mentality.  They were right.  Looking back….without a doubt….I was a dumb ass.  I never put enough monetary priority for my knowledge or time.  Or the follow up service.  However, I was prepared to put a $ value on this back in 2014.  Then several occurences changed my mentality.  And it is amazing how our industry has changed since then.

I go back to the years of 2008 to 2016.  I was buying wethers that would gather grand and reserve banners at  OYE, Tulsa, KC, OK State Fair, Phoenix and Denver, not to mention div. winners and premium sale goats.  Our list of winners is better than most.  Bragging–sure.  As long as I covered my costs, I was good.  Not a good business model.  But it was fun.  Some doors were opened while others were closed.  But that is a different story for a different time.

A breeder or three made it worth my time.  Most didn’t.  But, most, at least thanked me for the business.  They wanted me to buy their goats at top $ and then it was up to me to charge extra for my time.  All assumed that I was making a pile on those wethers.  Several of those parents wish that they could go back to those days.

Helms liked to deal in volume discounts as long as he knew that they were going to good feeders and showmen.  He even told me that I wasn’t charging enough on the backside for my service.  In 2012, I bought a trailer load from him.  Most were still on their mommas.  Some even had a twin to the one I bought.  We brought the twins home as well.  We cared for them, weaned them and then sold them for him.  I remember one twin that won a class at Tulsa.  Another was bloomy and looked good.  We sheared him and sold him at the Norman sale.  He brought $7,600.  (And he went on to make the OYE sale).  Kenneth and  I were both uncomfortable that he sold that high.  I didn’t make any money off of it.  But I already had a fleet of wicked wethers on feed.  And no, we didn’t get beat by him.

One of my favorite wethers was J Bone.  On July 4, 2013, we were at Helms sorting doe kids and looking through shitty, skinny left over wethers.  I spied J099.  He had a look but not much else.  I found him several times in a mob of a bunch of crappy goats.  He was old to still be there.  I hit Helms up for a price.  I was thinking $250, maybe $500 tops.  He hit me with a price–$500.  I ate another tamale, pulled the trigger and carried him out on my shoulder.  Yes, that is the goat on my Facebook pic.

I took J099 home and took care of him.  It came time for the labor day sale and I asked Duke if he wanted to keep him.  “I’ve got Optimus. That’s all I need.”  So we sold J099 as a Helms wether in the Best of the West sale.    He brought $3,500.  I really liked that goat.

The rest of the story.   Lexi Vanderwork bought J099 and named him J-Bone.  That goat made the sale at OYE and was the grand wether at Woodward District.  Duke was reserve grand behind him with Optimus.  Everybody was a winner with J-Bone.  I liked that goat.

I know what people get to sell calves, goats, etc.  Some get 20% of sale price after expenses.  Some breeders give a discounted sale price in order to make it work to get stock in good hands.  Some want all the money.

Some breeders let people use their sire (buck, bull, etc.), then gather the offspring and keep half of all sale proceeds.

Several years ago, Seelke’s brought me a couple of young goats to look at.  One was a Fade2Black son.  He was chunky and hairy. But I didn’t think that he would make a wether.  I told them to get a picture of him and sell him as a buck.  I remember my statement well.  “Hell, sell him as a buck.  Some Kansan will buy him and he will improve most goats in that state.”

They asked if I wanted to clip and photo him.  “Nope. Take him to Milligan.  He will do it.”  So they did.  And on picture day, some people showed up.  And they bought him.  For $3,500.  WTH?  I screwed up.  There was money to be made there and I missed it.  And the buyers were some of my own people–SCHOVANEC.   Then they sold a pile of semen, leased him, used him, made more goats and then sold him for a pile–to TEXAS not Kansas.  Then that breeder used him and sold 1/2 of him and made money.  That goat was Black Rhino.  He was out of my genetics and I set the whole thing in motion but I was the only one that didn’t make a dollar from that goat.  Who is the dumb ass?

I have had great partners over the years.  I really don’t have a complaint, but from a business side of things, it doesn’t always make sense.  I used to keep 1/2 semen interest in bucks that I sold.  Looking back that wasn’t smart.  Why?  Because it is me that does all of the marketing and taking all of the phone calls and telling people how to breed their special doe and on and on.  And it is a pain in the ass trying to take care of all the percentage.    And normally, it is me paying the storage and collecting.  That is why when Justin Burns bought half interest of Dirty Rain, I said, “You do what you do with your half and I will do what I do with my part.”  And it has been all good.  I will guarantee you that you will be hard pressed to find somebody that can gripe about me as a partner.

I have sold bucks for people that have used my genetics.  I kept feed costs, clipping/photo costs and online sale commission costs.  I am a dumb ass.  I dealt with every phone call, delivery/pick up, etc.  And who will get the call if something goes wrong?  This dumb ass.

I get lots of calls/emails/texts from all states about goats.  Have I seen this or that?  Do you know of?  What about these?  I still answer these.  Those that have actually met me and done some sort of business with me get better answers than others.  Am I wrong?  Heck no.

I’m not going to have time to take a vacation on a beach or an island this summer.  But, I have been heading towards Goat Island for a year or two.  I have told a guy that I was headed to Goat Island for the past two years. And I am now there.  I even have the blow-up pool in the back yard to soak in.  Tammy thinks that this is a better alternative to the stock tanks that I crawl in when I got hot.  I don’t agree but it is closer to the carport.

While on Goat Island, I can look at buck prospects that we are growing for the spring.  I’m really amped about a couple.  I can look at the 20 female goats waiting to be bred.  17 of which are 2 years or younger.  I don’t have to schedule dates to trim hooves/coach/handle goats/clip, etc.  I have only been south of the Red River once this year and I didn’t buy a goat on that trip.  I am officially on Goat Island and it pays exactly the same as before.  Maybe better.

There are no political affiliations on Goat Island.  I don’t have to worry about what judge is crooked, who is doing what or any of that other stuff.  We don’t have to worry about offending anybody (not that I ever worried much about that anyways).  We have minimal rules on Goat Island.  Play hard, work harder and only good livestock allowed.  And maybe most important–Keep gas in the Gator.  And if it ain’t worth my time or effort, I don’t have to help sell, breed or whatever.

All I really know is that I can sell goats.  Why?  Because I keep it honest.  As honest as anybody in the business, regardless of species.  And I don’t have to sell goats for anybody except the people at Kelln Livestock that inhabit Goat Island.  And I am perfectly content to sit on Goat Island.  And how big is Goat Island?  It all currently resides in the 73840 zip code.

I just realized how long this deal has gotten.  I’m not mad at anybody nor pointing at anybody.  But, if you take offense, so be it.  A lot of times, I am just writing this crap for myself.  Because once it is on the internet, it is always there.  Then I get carried away.  And realize–Dang Dude–you are right!   But then again.  If you are reading this crap, you are probably hoping that I get off centered and half-pissed.

And while sitting on the picnic table in the front yard of Goat Island, on occasion, I pull up the youtube video of the Ozzyman talking about the weather lady, Yanet Garcia.   I had to look up the term Bog Roll.

“Makes me approach the apocalypse with a can-do attitude.”

Maxima, minima, noche…..

Hey, hey.  Don’t pull that video up around kids. Nothing but a couple of bad words.  But, it is funny.  Real funny.

In the end, as I study the goat business, people feel better to get over-charged and maybe even screwed.  But, they feel like they got something.  Even if they don’t know what it was they got.  And it may require a shot of penicillin.

Not here on Goat Island.   It stays clean here.  Year round.  We only have controlled campfires on Goat Island.

When I took this teaching gig that was supposed to last one year and now I am going on year 5, I bought an office chair for the ag building.  A few fat ass seniors broke the back of that comfy chair two years ago.  A senior last year patched it together.  But this once comfortable chair is now toast.

So, my teaching partner, the Dragon Lady and myself traveled to Enid today to find Mrs. Abbey an office chair and myself a chair.  We ended up at Staples.  They had a wide selection, in all price ranges and colors.  I sat in every single chair.  Test drive, if you will.  (I got thrown out of a awl mart years ago for test driving bicycles.  I could try on underwear, but test drive a bicycle…no, no)

While I was sitting in the chair that I ended up buying, an older gentleman was strolling through the store and was also looking at office chairs.  He wore a cowboy hat, boots, buckle and was chewing on a cigar.  We talked briefly about office chairs.  He had one at the ranch that the upholstery was wore out and it was cheaper to buy a new one than get it fixed.

This man sat down in a chair that I highly recommended and we began to talk.  He asked where I was from.  I told him Shattuck.  He said that he had a friend that used to live south of Shattuck and now lives in Arnett.  I know her.  I told him that I grew up showing calves with her kids and actually had her granddaughter in class.

He asked what I taught.  Told him Ag-Ed.  He then told me that his best memories were growing up in the 4H club.  He was even getting ready to donate land to the local 4H club.  The doctor that is his fence neighbor wants to buy the land, but no, he is just going to donate it.  “He has enough land and I want to give it to somebody because I can.”

We then began a conversation about judging livestock.  He told stories about winning some little contest in Chicago back in the late 50s.  He even won a pen/pencil set for being high individual.  He then went to the great cow college in Stillwater, OK and majored in Animal Husbandry.  He was on the livestock judging team there but he got in a little bit of trouble and they had to remove him from the team.  He said that it worked out because it let a kid from Leedey, OK move on to the traveling team.  He said, “That kid went on to operate a heckuva bank out in western Oklahoma.”  I said that I know that man.

The women walked off and left the two of us sitting in office chairs in Staples.  We then talked about feedlots, Boone Pickens, horses, government trade wars, goats, grain prices, the ag collapse of the 80s and the importance of 4H and FFA.  He had a couple of brood mares that he didn’t have the registration papers on, so he was buying a notebook so that he could write down the pedigrees so that he didn’t forget them.  Not one time did I get a sense that this guy was full of crap.  Just a guy looking at an office chair that found somebody willing to talk and listen.  I hope that he felt the same way when he left.

We exchanged pleasantries, shook hands and he headed to the checkout.  I then bought two office chairs for our classroom.

Without a doubt, this was the best 30 plus minutes that I have ever spent in an office chair in Staples in Enid, OK.  As I drove westward towards home, I spent a lot of time thinking about that conversation.  Nothing more, just thinking.  All in all, I think that I will call this a good day.  Actually, a damn good day.

It is no secret that I watch a lot of Law & Order tv programs.  I really like the Law & Order: SVU program.  Olivia Benson is probably my favorite female tv character of all time.

On Friday afternoon, I came inside to enjoy some air conditioning and a glass of iced tea.  It was only a 109 degrees F outside.  Law & Order: SVU was on the tube.  I had seen this episode but it only had 10 minutes left.  So, I watched it.  Then a different re-run episode started, that I had NOT ever seen.  I thought that I had seen them all.  That goes to show just how dang many of these tv programs that there are.  Decades of watching back2back episodes from 3 to 5 am weekday mornings and I had not seen this episode.  Well, it was hot outside, so I sat my ass there and watched it.  And it was a good one.

I have decided that I am not the only one in the goat industry that likes to watch Law & Order:SVU.  Why?  Well, SVU stands for special victims unit.  They take care of the sex crimes in NYC.  Now, take a look at all of the names of the hot new bucks in the wether goat industry.  And this is merely an observation and means nothing towards any of the goats, owners or breeders.  But there is a bunch of names that all tied together or on their own, could relate to sex crimes.

That’s What She Said—u don’t get any hotter than these genetics.  But it is a common phrase on SVU.

Size Matters,  Don’t Stop,  Safe Word,  My Turn

Any of those terms could be used on an episode of SVU.  But, let’s be real….sex sells.  And when it comes down to it, it is the DNA of these bucks that people are after.  And it might be a crime to NOT use some of these genetics.  Of course, I would have to rob a bank to afford a straw or two of some of these bucks.

Just a random observation that really means nothing.  Have a good one and a better tomorrow.

And pray for those families hit by the tornasties in Iowa and that bad dang duck wreck in Branson.  I wouldn’t wish that kind of crap on anybody.  GOD bless!

Scourge is not a good thing.  Being the scourge of something is negative and can cause discomfort, pain and suffering.

The scourge of NW OK is a plant called a sand burr.  It is a miserable beast of a plant.  It does provide some oxygen as it does complete the photosynthesis chemical reaction.  And it is amazing that it needs almost ZERO water to grow and thrive.  But they are tough to get rid of, a pain everywhere and you really can’t graze them.  Lots of dollars are spent trying to control or rid yards, pastures and fields of these native plants that are a pain in the ass.  And there is really not a quick or easy method to rid them.  Some chemicals kind of work.  Lots of management helps control them.

I thought of these sand burrs recently as I was looking at a 12 week old goat.  He’s a good goat that I like to look at and I really like to handle him.  But this time, he looked at me and smiled.  A smiling goat.  That should be a good thing.  But nope.  In this case, I knew that he had never smiled at me before.  So, I caught him and looked.  Yep, the scourge of the goat industry was causing his smile.

Soremouth.  Anybody that has dealt with sheep or goats knows what I am talking about.  It is miserable.  This one doesn’t have a bad outbreak but he does have some.  As a whole, I’ve been lucky and have always had somewhat mild cases.  I’ve seen 2 week old babies with it, does that had it on their teats, I’ve seen it all over kid’s bodies.  I’ve seen them when it looks like their bottom lip was going to rot and fall off.  With some management and luck, they get over it.  But not always.

Some vaccinate for it.  Some don’t.  All still get it.  It’s just to what degree and when.  Every breeder has dealt with it and will deal with it.  Like chicken pox, you want to get it and get over it quick.

Sand burrs and sore mouth.  I can get rid of a goat with sore mouth.  Sand burrs are a continual battle.  Both are a scourge.

With the favorite daughter being home, our day2day schedules have been altered.  But, I’ve still been hitting the road.  But, I’ve been home every evening.

Friday evening, while sitting outside at the picnic table, we were chatting about stuff…just random stuff.  I made a comment about a good cheeseburger.  Kela had a remark or two.  Then she said, “You know.  I have eaten a burger in every country that I have been to.”

Of course, I had to ask questions.  Best burger, how many countries, etc.

She answered all questions.  Six continents.  Lots of countries.  Best fast-food burger–In N Out.   Best burger— that turned into another story.   It maybe wasn’t the best burger but…..

She was working for the Amazing Race.  Long shooting hours, whole different time zones and a late night.  “Well, I was wore out, starving and just kind of wanted a drink of something for a night cap.  So, here I was ordering a burger.   I got a bottle of wine.  I sat there beach side with a burger, a bottle and I was in Bali.  It was all just kind of perfect.”

I mentioned something about a cheeseburger in paradise.  “Dad, it wasn’t playing out loud but it was playing in my mind.”   When she was young, she loved for me to play that Jimmy Buffet greatest hits CD.  She would sing that song over and over.  Seems fitting now.

With her being home, the family came to the house on Sunday.  I smoked up some pork butts, fresh corn and taters and there was plenty of other fixins.  Both sets of grandparents as well as uncles and aunts from both sides and plenty of cousins.  Cousins aged from 8 months to 28 years.  Cool deal!

I am still learning about greenhouse type plants.  My mom and Tammy’s mother are both really knowledgeable about plants.  They have been huge resources for my learning about these plants.  And they both help the students.  Tammy’s niece also works part time at a nursery in Stillwater.  While talking about several different succulent plants, Tammy’s brother Todd mentioned that he had a confession about caring for houseplants.

A decade or two ago, his wife took a teaching job several hours away.  He stayed home to work and keep the house operational.  She entrusted all of the house plants to him that winter.  He made an effort to keep them living but only had luck with one plant.  He watered that plant, talked to that plant, might have even shared a cold one or two with that plant.  It stayed green until she moved back home.  He was proud of that plant.  A few months later………..his wife broke the news to him about that plant.  Yep, it was plastic.

Today, I took a team of jr. high kids to judge at NOC sheep field day.  Clayton Washmon made a hand and was 3rd high individual.  Good trip, great kids.  I got word during the contest that Tammy was having a bad day. Sasha–the tri color Queen B corgi at our house–was sick and had a pancreas problem.  She is only 11 years old so hopefully they can get her healed up.

And Duke had to go to the emergency room.  He turned white and all but passed out while working at the Vet Clinic.  Turns out he got bit by a tick while at FFA alumni camp.  They’ve (hospital not Vet clinic) got him on antibiotics and everything should be fine.  His color is now good and he is griping a lot this evening.  I think that he is close to being back to normal.

I practiced my engineering skills on this fine evening.  I used a wee bander to castrate a kid (goat).  Every time that I use that thing, I have to watch the instructional video to remember how it works.  And it does work.

Speaking of working, I’ve got stuff to do and places to be tomorrow.

Been on the road again.  And I’ve got lots of miles to make during the next week or two.  Several species of livestock will be involved and several loads of kids.

I think that one of the worst day trip drives in Oklahoma has got to be from Shattuck to Camp Tulakogee near Ft. Gibson Lake.  First off, it is close to being border to border so there are several miles involved.  But getting through Woodward then Enid and then Tulsa can easily add 30 minutes to the trip depending on stop lights and traffic.  Then there is the worst turnpike in the U.S.  The Cimmaron Turnpike will knock the fillings out of your teeth.  It is a rough son of a gun.

The inter-change on highway 270 where you can turn east on hiway 51 is miserable.  This was done new just a few years ago.  Whatever civil engineer designed this deal needed new glasses.

And months later, how come they can’t get the stop lights in Watonga to work?

Duke is at FFA Alumni Camp.  Tammy and I drove to OKC to pick up Kela at the airport.  She is home for a week and then back to La La land.

And if any of you want to see how to doe proof goat pens, you need to travel to James Sweet’s new pens.  They are hell-built for stout.  Lots of 2 3/8″ pipe.

Have a good one and we’ll see you down the road.