The Creed is exactly that…the FFA Creed.  There isn’t another creed.  Kind of like THE national anthem.  There is only one.  And when it is done right…it sounds really right.   I still remember the first time that I heard THE national anthem done right.  1991 Super Bowl–Whitney Houston.  Perfection.  And, yes, I do have it on iTunes.  

       The FFA creed has always been close to me.  I truly enjoy the words to the creed.  Myself, along with lots of others, don’t go many days in our agricultural lives without uttering the phrase “the joys and discomforts of agricultural life”.  Today was a perfect example.  

      I left school and headed home to change pickups.  I was headed to Alva, then Aline and then Cleo Springs.  Then get home and do chores.  I pulled the Grey Goat out of the barn and headed East.  I decided to check the kidding barn.  Good call.  Sick doe.  Doctored her.  SInce I was here, let’s check the rest of the stock.  Wait?!!  WTH?! How the…. That gate has never been opened.  How did those young bucks get out in the pasture with all of the does?  Wait a minute, that sounds like a newborn kid….in the pasture?!  Oh crap!   Sure enough.  A doe that I thought had aborted, now had a live doe kid with her…freshly cleaned.  I gathered the doe and baby up and moved them to the kidding barn (after kidding barn).  I then gathered all of the brombies out on pasture.  Caught the 2 escapees and locked them up.  

     It was now several hours later than I had planned, so I decided not to go to East.  All of this would be a discomfort.  But then come the joys.  The wind quit blowing, the sun came out, the ground is wet from recent rains and Duke and I decided to plant some crops.  We planted cucumber seeds like we knew what we were doing.  Then we stuck some corn seed into the ground.  The weather was PERFECT and I was happy to by helping my favorite son.  Big fun.  We were only feet away from a couple of train wrecks that happened earlier in the day, but miles apart in terms of happiness, attitude and dang this is fun.  The joys.

      Then, Duke and I came to the house.  Tammy had a crew of public speakers here to practice for districts.  You know me.  I love public speaking contests.  Any chance that we get to listen to speakers;  well, we tend to drop what we are doing and listen.  Way good, killer talented set of girls.  Excellent set of talented speakers.  I might have got a bit wound up about the bee speech.  I tend to be a bit opinionated about the TWO perfect foods: honey being one and bacon the other.  The two creed speakers are loaded with talent.  I know both girls, but I hadn’t heard them speak before.  Now, I just want them to move 30 miles to the west.  These girls are loaded with talent….great voices, presence and a desire to win.  Dare I say that it was a joy…to get to lsisten to them.  

        I did feel bad that all of these girls were nervous because I was listening.  But hopefully, it will have them more prepared for the district contest  I don’t want my kids to get beat, but if they do get beat;  I won’t mind as long as they get beat by a good one.  Hats off to the ag teacher for bringing them out to work with Tammy.  The Dragon Lady has coached more state finalists than most ag teachers.  

     Time to hit save post, check out the ends of some online auctions and then kick back until Law & Order SVU comes on.  Have a good day and a better tomorrow.