Music, Manners, and Cowboys

When did we lose our sense of decorum, etiquette, and just plain good manners. Everywhere I go I'm somewhat disappointed in the way people present themselves; the way they dress, the way they talk, and the "me-first" attitudes.

This weekend we attended an outdoor symphony. It was a beautiful venue at a ranch in the Flint Hills of Kansas. It was an event to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the old Chisholm Trail in Kansas, and the day was filled with educational talks, art, and wildflower tours. It really was quite wonderful.

After spending the afternoon attending several of the presentations and checking out the tent full of art, Ms Elizabeth, her sister, and I were looking forward to an evening of music and relaxation as dusk fell over the panoramic vista of the ranch.

The concert was scheduled for two hours, with a twenty minute intermission to allow for a nice stretch, a little visiting, and perhaps a trip to retrieve a beverage.

Now lets remember, it's an outdoor event, so one might expect the attendees to be a little more boisterous than at an event staged inside a concert hall, and they were. People to the side of us spent the entire evening talking loudly, in total disregard of those sitting within earshot. Another, who was sitting a few seats in front of us, made five trips to the beverage tent to retrieve a fresh beer while the performance was in in full swing. With each trip he interrupted no less than twenty people who were seated nearby. We sat near the back and watched the same scene play out over and over in front of us.

The grand finale, however, was when cowboys were moving a herd of longhorn cattle across the pasture behind the orchestra.....wave after wave of people left their seats to take photographs of the cattle. It was rude to the members of the symphony who continued to play. It was rude to the people who stayed in their seats to enjoy both the music and the view of the cowboys and cattle. And, it certainly interfered with the cowboys, who had to break rank to keep people from crowding too close to the longhorns, and causing a safety issue.

Just getting my "beef" of the day written while it's still fresh in my mind.

I would like to hope it will be different next time; I doubt that it will, but as always, what do I know.

You can't make new old friends...

I'm at the point in life when it's comforting to be with old friends, people I've known virtually my entire life, and who know things about me that even I've forgotten.

Once a month several of us meet for breakfast and memories. Sometimes we linger longer than the conversation supports, so we just sit in silence, sipping coffee and enjoying the companionship of  old friends.

Recently, I was reminded of a friend whom I haven't seen nor thought about for many years. A Facebook friend posted a short video about the SST Concorde. and how it was the most beautiful airplane ever built. It was fast, sleek, and short-lived. I never had the opportunity to fly on the Concorde, but my old friend did, and he shared every detail of his experience. A young executive - living large. Unfortunately, he too, lived a lifestyle that was sleek, fast, and short-lived.

We met shortly after moving to Tulsa and became fast friends with much in common. He had played college basketball, I'd played football. We played on the same softball team, played weekend basketball games, and even worked as umpires for a youth baseball league. We and our wives spent most weekends out on the town or at each others' homes playing cards, games, or watching that new television show, Saturday Night Live. We were both young with all the world at our disposal, or so we thought.

My career took off, and so did his. We both spent time on business trips, entertaining business associates, and doing all the things that we thought were important.

Then, about the time we started our families, things began to change. While I started to resent the travel that took me away from home, he seemed to relish it. While social drinking was the norm for business dinners, he began to take it to extremes. Soon the drinking seemed to the primary driver in his life. His home life deteriorated, his business associates began to drift away, and before long he was divorced and jobless.

The downward spiral had started, and I lost touch with my old friend. We've maintained our friendship with his ex-wife, and through her, I've kept tabs on his whereabouts and well-being. Life has not been kind to him, but had he made different choices, perhaps he too, would find comfort in the company of old friends.

I miss my old friend.....wish life would have been different for him, but what do I know. 

Technology consisted of a stapler and a phone...

I remember walking into meeting rooms and thinking to myself, I'm the youngest one in the room. Now I walk into the room and think, My goodness, look at all these youngsters.

Time passes by, and for most of us who've been around for several decades, the changes are almost incomprehensible. Technology has completely changed our lives; computers, smart phones, drones, video-conferencing, and on and on....

I graduated from college forty-three years ago and after a few interviews with different companies, started work for a major oil company in Tulsa, Oklahoma. My first office consisted of a corner in the file room that had been divided off by several file cabinets. My technology consisted of a desk, a stapler, and a phone. Across the hall was a Xerox machine capable of making legal sized copies of the contracts we prepared. If you needed letter size copies, there was a commercial duty paper cutter on the table.

We had a bevy of typists who churned out the mounds of paperwork we created.....all of it on the latest IBM Selectric typewriters. No word processing machines existed, and mistakes meant starting the whole page over. Typos and grammatical errors were unacceptable. Those gals were good!

To a small-town boy from Kansas it seemed to be a constant whirlwind of activity. We had access to a Telex machine, a secretarial pool, dictation machines, and all the paper and postage we needed. Contracts were generated and mailed to the other parties for review......weeks would go by before responses would be received, and negotiations could proceed. We thought we were being efficient if we could complete the process in a month or two. 

I remember the first IBM word processing machines we installed.....they were as large as a desk. I remember the first desk top computers....given to engineers and geologists only. I remember the first internal emails, the first video conferences, and when it was a big decision to allow access to the internet. Wow, the changes I've seen.

While the technological changes have been dramatic, there have been other changes as well. Corporations have become more demanding of their employees. The workplace has become less genial, and more impersonal. It seems as though people have lost the ability to communicate on a one-on-one basis, and everything is driven by the current task at hand. Personnel departments don't even accept hand-delivered applications and resumes anymore. It all has to be submitted electronically so the computer programs can screen the application for "key words".

So while I embrace much of the change that the last fifty years has brought to bear, I truly miss the folks who knew how to manage and lead people, which is much different than the management of technology.

But, let's face it, I'm no longer the youngest one in the room, and those times have passed us by. Will they ever return? I doubt it, but after all, What do I know!

Effective leadership is a lost art....

I recently travelled to North Dakota with a colleague to deliver a workshop that he developed. One of the things that both he and I have discovered in our work, is that there is a significant lack of leadership skills throughout our great land, and it's especially true in rural America. It's not because we lack people who want to make things better in the communities where they work and live, but in many cases, they lack the knowledge of how to be an effective leader.

I've worked in rural Kansas for many years helping rural businesses and communities become more entrepreneurial in how they approach the problems they face. It's been challenging to institute a change of the culture, especially at the community level, but the results have been nothing short of amazing.

So, back to North Dakota where we met with a group of ranchers who comprise the board of directors of a non-profit organization to assist their members to become more productive and profitable. Again, all of them were well intentioned, but the organization was struggling to be an effective force in what they were trying to do. We were called in to help.

We delivered our Board Excellence Workshop to a group of sixteen board members, and at the end of the day, every one of them had a different perspective as to their roles in becoming effective leaders and board members.

How many of us have been members of boards, committees, or organizations where we became frustrated with the lack of direction, or progress, toward what we thought we were supposed to accomplish? It happens all the time.

If I might be so bold, I suggest that if you are a member of such a group, that it might be time for you to step up and be the "leader" who institutes a change in the culture of the organization. Make it clear to the group that without a vision, and without a plan, we are all just wasting our time. You don't have to be the elected "leader" to make a difference, so go for it....

I certainly don't know everything, but if you need some help in making a difference, let us help.

2016 = The Beginning

January 10, 2016. It's a crystal clear morning with a slight north breeze and a temperature of 9 degrees Fahrenheit. At least the ground is frozen solid so there's no need to be wading in the mud when I feed the cattle.


I sold three unbred cows last Thursday. Hated to get rid of them, but it makes no sense to carry them through the winter when no income will be generated from having  a calf this spring. So now I have 23 cows that will start calving sometime in February....hoping all goes well and we end up with 23 healthy calves. We also have six young heifers that will be bred this spring for calves next year, and we'll replace several of the older cows in the fall.


I'm going to try to write a weekly update of the events of 2016, and create a diary to capture the daily activities. It should be an interesting year as Miss Elizabeth and I both hit that milestone of turning 65 years old and begin to deal with Medicare, and related insurance options. Not sure where the time has gone, but I'm grateful to still be around to experience all that life has to give.


Until next week.....

Idle hands...

It's Monday, the start of the first week after Christmas. The weather outside is a nasty mixture of freezing rain, sleet, and snow, but inside the house it's a comfortable 72 degrees. I usually take a few days of vacation at this time of the year, and this year is no exception. It's a dead week as far as work goes anyway, so why not take advantage of the time.

Unfortunately I'm not a very good idler, and after a few hours of doing nothing, I'm ready to find something productive to do. Right now I've just returned from pacing through the house, sat down to check emails, browse the Facebook activity, and find something that will keep me out of harm's way in the kitchen where Miss Elizabeth is busy preparing a big pot of chili for the evening meal.

I've already checked the livestock, filled the birdfeeders. walked to the mailbox, and fiddled around with the TV remote, searching for anything "remotely" interesting on the 150+ channels of High Definition programming.....reminder to self, why do we subscribe to this junk??

The house seems to echo whenever either of the current occupants makes a sound. Somehow. after a few days of kids and grandkids celebrating a grand Christmas here at the ranch, the silence is almost as unsettling as was the near constant buzz of activity and laughter. The whirlwind of activity created by seven grandkids (ages 10 and below) is breathtaking.....especially for a grumpy old man like me. But, oh, how I miss each and every one of them when the depart. Like all Grandpas, I guess my bark is worse than my bite, and the grandkids see right through the gruff façade.

Well, it's nearly 3:00pm.....almost through the first day of my week long vacation. Time for another pass around the house.....stir the chili.....maybe even sneak a taste when her head is turned.....

Geez, what's that old adage about "idle hands....."

Oh well, tomorrow's another day, followed by another, and another, and another......but what do I know!

How's that salad......really!

I raise beef cattle, and I eat beef steak. There, I've stated it about as plainly as possible, and I apologize to no one for being a part of the life cycle of beef. From field to fork, and enjoying it every step of the way.

Periodically, I post to Facebook a picture of a nice looking calf, or a very pregnant cow, or a massive bull whose sole job is to provide the seeds for future generations of prime beef cattle. Even though it's a hobby more than a business, I love the work. There's something very satisfying about caring for the herd and watching over the baby calves from birth to weaning.

Invariably, after posting a beef related photo, I hear from those who absolutely abhor the thought of cutting into a big, juicy T-Bone. It must literally make them sick, for they go on and on about the evils of killing animals for food, and my goodness, the health aspects of ingesting red meat, it appears that I may die tomorrow!  I've even had people tell me that I'm trying to poison my fellow man by creating this demand for my very fine beef. I guess that vegan fare you're stuffing in your mouth must leave a lot to be desired.

How is it that by simply posting a photograph of a nice, sizzling steak on the grill, I can generate such animosity?

Methinks the lack of red meat in their diet has created a chemical imbalance that has driven them to the point that reasonable conversation can no longer take place. Instead, I'm pelted (pun intended)with every lame-brained, ideologically based, and vegetable only dietary study that's ever existed.

Well, excuse me while I go eat my dinner......wait, we're having what?

It appears that tonight's menu is.......fajitas, a combination of vegetables and BEEF!

Maybe the vegetable part of this dinner will satisfy my vegan friends, but then again, What Do I Know....