Cousins Party At The Ranch

I have been traveling a lot the past several weeks and have had few opportunities to post on this blog. I will try to get back to posting once a week. Here is something to catch you up on family happenings.

Thanksgiving weekend Mom & Dad hosted the 3rd annual Patching Cousins Party at the Ranch House. Everyone had a wonderful time.

It snowed the day before the party. Joe & Marty Deal were staying at the ranch house and took these pictures.

Quail eating at the feeder in the yard.


The Cousins - Joann Odom, Tom Fatheringham, Marylin Clements, Jack Deal & Joe Deal.

Uncle Kyle, Tom Fatheringham, & Terry Woods

Zachary, Jack & Kristen Odom
Nicholas Odom

Nancy Woods & Joe Deal
Tom & Terry
Marty & Joe Deal, Jack Deal, Joann Odom, Nancy Woods
Grandaddy (Pete Odom)






Joe Deal
Mickey Deal
Mackenzie Odom, Marty Deal & Bev Odom.


The Odom's from Wellington (Nicholas, Kristen, Bev, Jack, Zachary & Neal)

Deer Season

In a family of hunters, deer season is always special. Up early, a good breakfast, cool crisp morning air, enjoying the beauty of the fall colors, and the anticipation of the perfect buck.


Great location to see deer.





The trees show that fall is almost over and winter is near.
Zachary all camo'd up.


A nice doe that just walked in.
For today this is all we saw. Maybe tomarrow a buck will come in.

Awards & Birthdays

4-H Gold Star Award

Zachary received the 4-H Gold Star achievement award this year for Collingsworth County. He and other Gold Star recipients from District 1 were honored at a banquet at West Texas A&M University. It’s a nice reward and recognition for many years of work in all the 4-H projects. An article on it should be in the Sunday addition of the Amarillo Globe News within the next few weeks.

We lost a teenager - Nick turns 20!

It’s hard to believe we finely have a child that is 20 years old.

Last week when Nick was home Bev had to have one more picture of our 4 teenagers. We caught Nick still sleeping before everyone else left for school and work.

Nick was home this Sunday for a celebration. It was great to have everyone here.

Now thats a lot of candles to light! Now we know how many Odom's it takes to light candles on a cake.

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Last Game

Last football game of the year was at Memphis. Definitely good football weather. The cool crisp air put everyone in a good mood for the game.


The cheerleaders did a wonderful job this season.


Haley Manuel























Don’t know who she is winking at.


Jack with his game face on.
























Jack #70 and cousin Matt #71


Jack is about to make a tackle from behind.


Coming around the corner























Wow, a football game and an air show


Now this is the way to watch a football game!



The next three photos are a burst sequence. They show how well the team executes a play. Notice how well everyone carries out their assignment.






We WIN! What a great way to end the season.

Jack Is Back

The Dr released Jack to resume football. After wearing a brace for several weeks and doing therapy and special exercises Jack’s knee was deemed healed. This allows him to play in the last two games of the year.

This week Wellington played Clarendon. Jack is #70.























Jack gets a good tackle on #25.



Through the line and ready to make another tackle.



In high speed pursuit.



It was a close game until the 3rd quarter
and then they out scoured us.

Sunbelt

Travels this week took me to Moultrie Georgia to the Sunbelt Ag Expo. This would be one of the largest agriculture trade shows in the US. With the diversity of crops and livestock they have in south east it was enlightening to see all the different equipment. See more click Sunbelt Ag Expo

Traveling by commercial airlines these days is to say the least interesting. To say the most, it is down right frustrating. Click Panhandle Poet to read about our lovely trip.


Shaun Sweiger with Cattle Stats & Brian visit with a couple of cattle producers about BVDV testing for their cattle.

I had a booth for our company at the trade show. I also invited a couple of our private commercial lab customers to have a representative participate in our booth too. Chris McClure from Gold Standard Labs in Hereford Texas and Shaun Sweiger from Cattle Stats in Oklahoma City Oklahoma were great help. The conversations we had with producers, state extension people, veterinarians & state cattle associations were very productive.




Moultrie is the home for the Maule airplane. The air frame is built off of the Stinson model 108. My brothers and I learned to fly in a 1947 108-1 Stinson when we were growing up. It is a super good airplane. It was the first airplane to have a slotted leading edge. This enabled the plane to make shorter take offs and landings.

Maule was offering rides at the trade show. For $15.00 they would take you up for a lap around the pattern and then land. Best $15.00 I have spent in a long time.

Click for more information on Maule Aircraft

Check back next week for more - Where In The World Is Neal Odom

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Ranch Overnight

Early Fall At The Ranch House

A night at the ranch house is good therapy for anybody, especially in the fall of the year. The mornings are crisp and cool the afternoons are hot and windy. And the stars, all the stars, from horizon to horizon, you can spend hours just gazing at the heaven and pondering life. There are no trees, no buildings and no city lights to obscure the beautiful night sky.

From my travels I can tell you that most people don’t really understand how flat and open the Texas Panhandle really is. When Europeans first crossed this country their best description was that it was like being on a sea of grass. Below is a panoramic picture of the ranch. You can see for yourself how it looked before people and the plow came to the high plains. You can click on the picture for a lager view. The dots in the distance are cattle grazing.

It’s been a good year at the ranch for cats. Even with the abundant cat patrol we have had a few rattle snakes found around the ranch house.

Jack and part of the cat herd.

Nicholas having morning coffee with company.

A very unusual cat.

Dennis Wilhelm

Dennis my friend, you may be gone but you will certainly not be forgotten!

Thanks for touching each of our lives.
























1967 - 2007

Psalm 121
A song of ascents.
1) I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? 2) My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. 3) He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber; 4) indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5) The LORD watches over you—the LORD is your shade at your right hand; 6) the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. 7) The LORD will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life; 8) The LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

Micah 6:8
8) He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Colossians 3:23-24
23) Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24)since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Romans 8:26-39
26)In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27)And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.

28)And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29)For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30)And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

31)What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32)He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33)Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34)Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35)Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36)As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." 37)No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38)For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39)neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.