Technically Speaking

Sometimes it's good to call in a relief pitcher. For Friday's (the 13th, by the way) blog post, I was searching for just the right way to describe the situation in August live cattle. As you can see on its weekly close chart, the contract - the market in general - is on a wild ride higher with no way of knowing how much longer it might last. That got me to thinking, what is the best way to describe a "wild ride"?

For that I now turn it over to famed candy man Willy Wonka (the 1971 movie version played by the incomparable Gene Wilder). His frantically hypnotic song during the boat ride on the chocolate river could just has well been about the cattle market of 2014. For those too young to remember this scene, you can easily find the video online.

"There's no earthly way of knowing. Which direction we are going.

There's no knowing where we're rowing or which way the river's flowing.

Is it raining? Is it snowing? Is a hurricane a blowing?

Not a speck of light is showing so the danger must be growing. Are the fires of hell a glowing? Is the grisly reaper mowing?

Yes, the danger must be growing for the rowers keep on rowing and they're certainly not showing any signs that they are slowing!"

Thank you Mr. Wonka. I couldn't have said it better myself.

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