About getting old.  It is official!  I am OLD!  I knew that I was getting older, but I hadn’t gotten the memo that I was officially OLD.  Well, it came today.  It was delivered during 7th hour class.  I asked a student if she knew the theme song from the Beverly Hillbillies tv show?  She looked at me with a blank look and shook her head “no”.   What?  Lots of re-runs, even a movie or two, cultural icons?  WTH?  RUKM?

      She did NOT know who the Beverly Hillbillies were, are or the theme song.  Of course, the whole class got to listen as I played it on the “big” screen–some high tech HD plasma tv with touchscreen capabilities that is hooked to my computer.  Yeah, it’s cool.  

     We probably need to have some of this new generation watch some older TV programs.  Bonanza, Leave It To Beaver, Happy Days, MASH, the Carol Burnett Show, Hee Haw, maybe even some Barney Miller–yep, those were the good old days of tv.  Yes, I even sound old now.

      Here’s a goat question for you.  What Lynyrd Skynyrd song comes to my mind when dealing with goats?  Can you name it?  The correct answer would be “That Smell”. Every time that I burn horns, I get that song in my head–Oohh, that smell!   That smoke infects eyes, nostrils & clothes.  Sometimes, you just want to burn your clothes after you are done.  I don’t understand it.  It isn’t the same as branding iron smoke when branding calves.  With the disbudding process, there is an added pungent odor that just permeates everything it touches.  It’s the kind of smell that makes me wish that somebody would “Gimme 3 Steps” to get away from it.  Maybe, it’s like being at a Skynyrd concert with all of the smoke during “Free Bird”.  It sure doesn’t make me think of “Sweet Home Alabama”.  But then again, I’ve never been to Alabama.  

    Now, guess what I did this evening.  You would be correct.  I disbudded and vaccinated some ~2 week old kids.  

     And further proof that I might be getting old:  it is a song from 1977 that comes to mind when I smell that smell.  

Here’s to hoping that all of you can become a millionaire in your own backyard, like the Clampetts.  Old Jed’s a millionaire.   

RUSM?  How do they not know the Beverly Hillbillies?