The Dragon Lady and I ventured to OKC on Thursday night. We attended the Sirloin Club banquet & auction. The new regime at the OYE had reached out for more support from the goat sector. In turn, the goats will gain more support in the show and premium sale. There will be 30 wethers in the premium sale this year.
Let’s just say that we had a large time. Our table consisted of Bill & Brooke Taylor, Mike & Tammy Thompson, Lance & Tiffany Schultz ( if you don’t know them, you can find them in the cattle barn), Jerry & Ada Pfeiffer and the Kelln’s. We were later joined by Governor Jack Staats, who as of Thursday now has some issues with a certain airline. There were other producers that were there to represent the goat crowd. Things went well. It is a very positive vibe with the OYE crew. I spent more time talking cattle then I did goats, which I have always liked dealing with cattle and pigs more than goats. Remember, Kela got me into this goat business. Speaking of Kela, several of her running buddies were in attendance. One of them, no names mentioned, even had a Sugar Daddy buy her a coconut cream pie in the auction.
A lot of people would have been amazed to see this crew. All of these women looked hot, which is typical for them. The guys, for a change, looked good too. Sometimes a turd can be polished enough to shine. Mikey, Bill and I even wore ties. I hadn’t wore one in several years. I couldn’t find my neck extender, but otherwise things were fine. Pfeiffer didn’t find his tie. But, Jerry had a fresh haircut and it is a pretty big deal for him to get very far away from home.
Our crew was active participants in the silent auction, live auction and lottery drawings. Pfeiifer’s were part of the crew that bought the res. grand wether chalice. Lecil Church and I were part of a crew that got outbid on the bronze medallion chalice. Some live money showed up to buy that, so we let them have it and spent ours elsewhere. Tammy T won a pair of boots. The Dragon Lady and Tiffany bought a pony ride. I might have won the bidding on a big bottle of Crown Royal extra rare that had a pair of cigars with it. I didn’t even have to bid thanks to Bill using my bidder #. I’m not much of a smoker, but the cigars seemed kind of cool. The last time I smoked a cigar was in 2006. Poe Cat had brought some cigars back from Jamaica. I’m still not sure if it was actually tobacco or something else. That cigar knocked me for a loop and I wanted to eat a box of twinkies and a bag of dorito’s. I foresee an executive council meeting in the big barn, probably with Bill and I trying the cigars and Tyke cussing us. Maybe, we can get Tyke to drive us somewhere and we smoke them in his pickup. Better his than mine.
I did feel old as Kela had friends there and numerous lawyers, politicians and such were there that I dealt with when they were in high school. Now, they have kids, careers, etc. Several people (Tammy, Kinzie & Jamie) had to point out that my hair matched my gray suit. At least I have hair.
Once, the auctions were over, we moved to another location and continued the fun. My old friend Tom (Tommy) Manske joined us, as well as the old hockey coach, Doug Sauter. Big fun. Nobody got stupid. Some of us might have even gotten smarter.
I don’t know why, but I almost always sleep well in a hotel room, over 6 hours straight. The Dragon Lady and I decided to just take the day off. We ran some errands in the city, bought a couple of things. Ate a cheddar burger at Earl’s. I bought a turd snake at home depot. She bought a bathroom light. Later in the day, while going through a drive through car wash and not really knowing what I had bought earlier, she asked me “If that thing I bought at home depot would be okay in the back of the pickup?” I smiled and said, “Honey, it is going to get shoved down a drain pipe. Trust me, this carwash is the highlight of its life.”
Anyways, I highly recommend every goat breeder be involved in the support of these jr. shows. I actually would say you MUST be involved. Give back and pass it down to the next generation. Every person and every dollar adds up. Give to your local show, put add ons to customers at county, district or state sales. Be a member of the Elite 100. If you can join a deal like the Sirloin Club or other groups, please do. Don’t just sit back and complain. Put your money/time where your mouth is and find a way to help out. It will pay off.
My favorite quote of the night came from Steve Bonham. “You dang goat people aren’t afraid to step up and support your barn. That’s impressive.” No matter if it is ten dollars to a neighbor kid that works hard, a family that buys goats from you or attending a fundraiser at the state level, step out and support this lifestyle. It all adds up to one of the greatest programs that a kid can be involved with.
Remember: stay flexible, but not limp.
