Sometimes, things happen, that make you realize that this big bad world can actually seem quite small.

     A month ago, I received an email from a lady that works the AET.  AET is the ag experience tracker.  It is a web-based record keeping company that all FFA chapters use for records, journals and award apps.  I’m not necessarily a big fan.  Anyways, as I’m reading the email, I’m asking myself, “Why is she reaching out to me?”  She was offering to come to this part of the world and teach a class on how to utilize AET to its fullest.  Once again, I’m thinking, “I can operate it.  I don’t like it.  But, I can run it.”  

       But then, at the end of the email, she added, “I have a friend named Jerry Hunter that was bragging on your program.”  Well hell!  I know Jerry.  His daughter grew up with Tammy.  Even still, I did not immediately respond as I wasn’t sure that I wanted to host/attend an AET workshop.  

       The next morning, I walked into the Gage quick stop.  The morning coffee drinkers were already dispersing.  I grabbed my Little Debbie oatmeal cream pie and headed to the checkout.  One of the coffee drinkers had circled back around and came back in to catch me.  Dean Chapman says “Hey Kelln, did a computer lady contact you?”   Me–“What?  A computer lady?   No.”

      He said, “Yeah, a real nice lady.  She works for some computer company that all of you ag teachers use.”  Me–“Oh, yeah.  AET lady.  Sure, I got an email yesterday.”

       Dean said, “I met her when we were in the hospital in Houston.  Super good person.  You need to have her come up here.”  Cool.

      So, I sent a text to the county ag teachers, half expecting them to NOT be interested in an AET workshop.  Hit send and then ding, ding, ding.  They all immediately replied that they were in.  SO, I replied back to her and a workshop was scheduled.  

       Last week, the Shattuck Ag Ed department hosted ag teachers from 5 counties as Mary Wilson from AET taught us how to better operate the program.  Free!  She only had to drive about 9 hours from Dayton, TX to Shattuck, America.  All I had to do was get her a hotel room and cook lunch.  Wicked cool!  

        Mary turned out to be a retired 30 year vet of teaching ag at Barber Hills.  Her husband was an ag teacher.  Her son is an ag teacher.  Her brother-in-law just happens to be the founder of AET.  She had met Jerry and Dean when she had her dad in the hospital in Houston during Hurricane Harvey.  They have stayed in touch and she got to visit her Okie friends while she was here.  

        Did I learn anything?  Hells Yeah!  Excellent workshop.  All of the teachers had positive responses.  Plus she had some great stories about teaching and ag (80s rice farming, Chrysler and the chinese–I didn’t know).  Small world!

      Also about a month ago, late one Friday evening, I get a text from a random #.  “Hi, i ran across an old milk can labeled kelln produce shattuck ok and wondered if it was any relation to you.”

        We all know how I love anonymous texts.  So, I fired off “Who is this?”   No reply.  So, I sent a follow up text that I was interested.  Now, I really wasn’t that interested in an old milk can but I random text on a Friday night while I was smoking 150#s of pulled pork.  The pork might not have been the only thing smoked.  He finally responded with his name and that “My grandfather had a dairy and I look at old bottles and cans and saw this at an estate sale in Tulsa and thought I would trx contacting family.”   Guess what happened when this dude googled Kelln.  Yep, the first thing on the google search was this piece of paradise website.  

       So, I called him.  He texted me a pic of the milk can.  He lived in Ponca City.  The can was in an estate sale the next day in Tulsa.  He said he would try to get the can.  He got it bought and I told him I would be through their in the upcoming weeks.  

        I sent a pic of the milk can to my dad who found a 91 year old Kelln cousin that remembered the Kelln Produce store in Shattuck back during the 20s through 40s.  This milk can was stamped with Kelln Produce Shattuck OK.  Not painted on it–stamped.  The milk came from a dairy in Hutchison, KS.  

        Anyways, I made it to Ponca City.  Met up with  Clark Estes and his wife.  We told both sides of our stories about this milk can.  Good people.  I asked him what I owed him.  He said, “Well, let me tell you some more of the story.  I went in to work on the Monday after I first contacted you.  One of my co-workers asked if I did anything cool this weekend and I told him about finding a milk can with a weird-spelled name on it and I tracked a guy down in Western OK that is an ag teacher and I got the can for him.”  My co-worker said, “Oh hell!  Was it Kelln?”   “Uh yeah.”  And then my co-worker started telling me stories about you and then another co-worker walked in, listened and then said, “You all talking about Kelln?”  

     Guess what?  Both of these co-workers had kids that showed goats.  I knew the guys, just didn’t know where they worked.  Small world.

     I pulled out my wallet to pay him.  He said, “I have $40 tied up in getting the can.  I know you are a teacher and may not have much extra cash and I have had a lot of fun with this deal.  If you can’t pay it, don’t worry about it.”  How cool is that?  Wicked cool!  I handed him a $50.  Assured him I could afford it, shook his hand and thanked him.  

       There is a lot of screwed up stuff in this world of ours.  Yet, there are so many good things from good people that can just randomly happen because it can be a small world.  There is way more good than bad.  

      In closing, I met some cool people, learned about a program that I didn’t like but now understand better.  And I have a milk can.  And yes, I’m a little concerned as to what stories were told about me at work that Monday morning.  

People, have a good day and a better tomorrow.