Meanwhile, Back at The Ranch: Bye, Bye,…..BUY (our goats)

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Trailer
This trailer contains years of work, frustration, and joy, but it is time for these guys to go.

http___www.bigleaguekickball.com_about_ Cheap Soma no prescription next day delivery This week eleven goats waited patiently in two horse stalls to be hauled to the livestock auction while another family of three cruised the pasture.  We spent last week trying to catch them all and get them contained in one place eventually building a chute to guide them into the barn.

Three to go.

No wait.  What’s that?  Remember that big, mean brown goat that I managed to capture by the horns and guide into a stall?  The one that I eventually let out because he was crying?  I saw it walking down the fence row.  Wait.  And there’s another. And another.  I stepped up to the window and saw one of the barn doors on the ground.  Seven goats had escaped!

It was Thursday night.  The auction was Friday night.  We had work to do.  I can not put down the details of the three hours, but I am sure that any divorce court judge would side with me if I filed for divorce over the goat herding debacle.  However, after the long, humid evening, we had twelve goats locked in one horse stall.  The two that still eluded us were the twins, Susan and Elizabeth.  Their mother was with the other eleven, so we hoped they would come up to the barn on their own.  It didn’t happen.

Goats in Trailer
The goats receive number tags in the trailer before they are released.

Finally, auction night had arrived.  Continue reading Meanwhile, Back at The Ranch: Bye, Bye,…..BUY (our goats)

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Barbershop Theology: First Haircut

Because I want to be a responsible citizen and give careful note regarding the topic, I’ll submit this preface. Alcohol abuse is bad.  Drunkenness is bad.  In fact, I would go further and say the only kind of indulgence I have ever seen that isn’t bad is the love of God.

The following recollection is one of my favorite and clearest memories, and for no good reason. I think I just chalk it up to the unique experience a kid could have 40 or 50 years ago. It’s also a tribute to all the other lessons unremembered in the people business.

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As I have been remembering and writing about the hours I spend in my dad’s barbershop, it has finally dawned on me that what seemed like my entire childhood was actually a short window of time.  I was the shoe shine boy in 1965, and probably didn’t retire completely until 1968. Oh, I was in the shop a lot before and after that, but that was when I logged a lot of hours.

As the shoe shine boy I had the cool job of hanging around as men came and went all day. I listened to all manner of talk about the weather, price of cattle and/or references to hippies. Now that I think of it, hippies never came into the barber shop.

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Saturdays were long. My dad would open the shop at 7am and we didn’t close until 9pm. I waited most Saturday mornings to go to work with my mom.  She didn’t step behind her chair until a minute past 9 in the morning.  I passed my day by shining shoes for a quarter and slipping off when things got slow to watch guys play pool, maybe play a pin ball machine or splurge to buy a Coke with a shot of cherry or vanilla in it.

On Saturday nights the street in front of the barber shop would always come alive with teenagers “dragging Main”. (Technically it’s Evans Ave. but I only throw that in for posterity.)  Continue reading Barbershop Theology: First Haircut

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On the Horizon: Second Chances

I recently went on a trip with my Oklahoma Agriculture Leadership class to a garden in Enid. I was very impressed with what I saw and heard and thought it would be a story my fellow Oklahomans would appreciate. So I went back a few weeks later and am glad I did. I think you will be too.

It’s such an uplifting story and one that has a lesson to learn about giving others a second chance. They work closely with the prison in Enid to help some of the inmates who are getting ready to be released. I’ve done other stories about former inmates and the problems they have right after being released and it’s sad the issues they have with just the basics in life…a job and shelter. One gentleman who was released a couple of years ago, couldn’t find a place to live near where he was finally able to get a job because of the city ordinances in place. It had to do with the fact that if you have a prison record, you can’t live within a certain distance near schools, churches, or parks. Well in the town he was trying to move to, schools, churches, and parks were everywhere so he couldn’t get a house or an apartment. He didn’t have a car so he couldn’t live too far from his place of employment. Luckily, he had a wonderful employer who just happened to have a vacant room on the second floor of her business where he could live. The place had a shower and a kitchenette so it was like a mini apartment within walking distance of work. She understood what it means to give a second chance to someone who has made mistakes and atoned for them.

Now I realize the ordinances in that town were put in place to protect people but sometimes you can go a little bit too far in doing so because of fear. Fear that a person with a not so reputable reputation might do harm to your neighborhood. But we shouldn’t let fear cause someone else to be harmed, namely the person who can’t find a place to live and who just wants to be able to contribute to society. They’ve learned their lesson and done their time and are now ready to step up to the plate and be a good, law-abiding citizen. Will there be some who become re-incarcerated? Sure, but is that because they weren’t able to change or is it because they haven’t been given a chance by society to prove they’ve changed. I believe many times its because they aren’t given that chance so all they’ve got is their old life and old way of doing things. They need a helping hand.
Continue reading On the Horizon: Second Chances

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Pint Night Reviews: Flying Dog, from Maryland

“There is an ancient, Celtic axiom that says ‘Good people drink good beer.’  Which is true, then as now. Just look around you in any public barroom, and you will quickly see: Bad people drink bad beer. Think about it.” ~ Hunter S. Thompson

So last week’s pint night was a non event.  Most likely because The Abner was closed for Memorial Day.  But this week was a hoot. I got to see some friends I don’t always get to see, and I got cake.

There is a guy that comes in every Monday night while we’re there and he is a City of Noble police officer.  He knows about the law and he also claims to know about cake.  Two weeks ago he made a promise to Cale (our favorite bartender) and I to bring us cake: me, lemon and Cale, chocolate with buttercream icing.  And, he of his OWN volition said that if he didn’t bring us cake then we could slap him across the face.  He said he was sure it would be fun to tell a story where we slapped a cop in a bar.

So anyhow – he gets to the bar, had forgotten the cake, looked crestfallen, turned back around, and returned 20 minutes later with cake for Cale and myself. Continue reading Pint Night Reviews: Flying Dog, from Maryland

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The Best-Laid Plans of (Mickey) Mice and Men

My previous post focused on the concept of vacation and the way we preserve family history through our memory of special vacation moments.  As I looked forward to our first family vacation, I described my excitement about the memories I was on the verge of making and reflected on stand-out vacations from my childhood.

We’re back from Disneyland and, in spite of my meticulous preparations, our family vacation didn’t quite go as planned.  On the positive side, friends and co-workers have asked the standard question of “Did you have a good vacation?” and my unequivocal answer each time is “Yes!”  I watched my kids delight in their first airplane ride.  My heart swelled as their little eyes registered awe of the phenomenon that is Disneyland.  I beamed as they gleefully met Mickey, Minnie, Peter Pan, Snow White and numerous princesses.  We explored Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Santa Monica as only tourists from Oklahoma can do.  Knowing that I sometimes forget to take good pictures, I kept the camera ever-ready and took 150 pictures during the first 3 days of our trip.  Yep, I was proud of myself for diligently capturing these precious memories so that our family can share and revisit a special time in our lives.

But that’s only part of the story.  On day #3 while at the beach, something happened that I didn’t anticipate.  As we strolled obliviously along the picturesque beach and blissfully reflected on our vacation thus far, someone stole our camera.  In a split second, we said goodbye to the tangible connection to our vacation memories.   While I am an emotional person by nature, our misfortune evoked heavy-hearted tears from a place deep in my gut that only kicks into gear during rare moments of extreme helplessness and frustration. Continue reading The Best-Laid Plans of (Mickey) Mice and Men

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Showcasing Red Dirt culture ~ authored and managed by contributors with connections to the great state of Oklahoma.