I am not much of a worrier.  I wonder a lot, but I don’t worry about it.  I don’t worry about things that I can control–I do my dangdest to control them.  I don’t worry about things that I can’t control–I live with them.  The weather can piss me off, but I don’t worry about it.  I try to prepare for it and then deal with it.  

      Worrying and getting pissed are not the same.  I could worry about a water line breaking.  Or I could be pissed that a water line did break.  Lately, neither happened.  Tammy found a leak in the yard on Sunday evening.  Monday evening, I dug it up.  Sure enough, two tree roots had put pressure on a T and cracked it.  Since, we don’t live near Perry, I didn’t even have the option to call a plumber to fix it.  So today, I went to multiple hardware stores to find some slip couples, a T and some glue.  Oh, I also bought a cap in case the rest of this crap didn’t work and I could then just cap the line until a later date.  Anyways, I cleaned the hole out and got all of my supplies out.  By the time I did this, there was Tammy, Duke, his grandpa, myself, Wyatt Kelln and Tyler Gaisford standing around the hole.  I cut the old stuff out, glued the new in and then waited to turn the water on.  No cussing, no screaming and only a couple of beverages.  Yes, there was several Kelln’s and a Gaisford standing around a hole watching one person work.  Just like a bunch of county workers–Now, mind you, Tyler and Wyatt “work” for the county.  I haven’t covered the hole yet, but so far, no leaks.  No worries.  

     In the goat industry, you can worry a lot.  Worry about how many babies each doe will have.  Worry about how good they are.  Worry about how the weather will affect them.  Worry about the feed.  Worry about hay quality.  Worry about how much they will sell for at a sale.  Worry about stones.  Worry about judges.  Worry about weight breaks.  Heck, you can worry yourself into losing weight.  Not me.  I’m gaining.  Now, I might be pissed at any and all of the above.  But I won’t worry about it.

     I don’t worry about if I bought the right one or not.  I buy the ones that I like and then somebody has to outfeed, outshow or just be luckier than us.  All of the aforementioned happens, but we are always still in the hunt.  I don’t worry about keeping the right one for Duke.  If it isn’t the right one, well, I will wish it would have been.  

     If you are raising goats, you can’t worry about the cost.  Decide on a budget, find the one and then pull the trigger.  It will either work or it won’t.  If it doesn’t try again.  If you are selling goats, then you can’t worry about what they bring at a sale.  Either sell them or don’t take them.  If you take them home, then it costs you more–feed, time, risk, etc.  You have to let somebody feed them and show them.The true genetics will surface and they will be back as buyers next time…along with others that want to find a cheap one that will feed.  Two people bidding and oh, snap…you now have a sale.  

     I sent some nice goats to the Pick your Poison sale this past weekend.  I have had calls wanting to know what they brought and if I was disappointed that they didn’t bring more.  I understand how this crap works.  1–I don’t have a steady Texas market.  2–I wasn’t there.  3–It wasn’t my sale.  4–I let them all sell and go to new homes.  I am way happy.  Could I have sold them for more money in an online sale?  Most likely, yes.  Would I have expanded our market?  No.  Sometimes you just have to turn your head and do it.  I am tickled that the goats sold and went to new homes.  If you can’t sell goats for a $1,000 plus dollars and be happy or profitable, then you need to be in a new business.  I just hope (not worry) that these goats went to good homes.  

     I have a set weaned.  I have another set still on the does.  There is another set due in a week or two.  Am I worried?  Nope.  I do hope that all goes well.  But, I bet that there will be some speed bumps and potholes somewhere along the way.  Do I want these to sell high?  Yes.  Am I worried.  Nope.  If they don’t, I will just feed them and not go buy anywhere else.  And this is why they make a cold beer.

“Don’t worry, be happy!” –Bobby McFerrin

If you are in the neighborhood on Saturday evening, we will be smoking meat and emptying cans for the aluminum recycling business.