Author:
Just for fun, a few things the past few days. Ruined a tire when I ran over a chisel point in the dirt. Stop leaving equip out to get buried and that wouldn't have happened. Ricky runs tire shop in the town of a population of five or six hundred called and said he had to put a new tire on the rim as the sidewall had been cut open. I stopped to pick up my tire and a young man gets out of his pickup at the same time. He was all cowboy from the dog in the truck with him, to his old cowboy hat, denim shirt, pants, and old boots. That's pretty well normal around here. What struck me was he had on his spurs.
Ahh, memories, until I was fifteen or so, half the men in town were cowboys and half of those wore spurs. I appreciated the young man bringing back those times. Homes were never locked, keys were always left in the vehicles, rifles were in the gun racks in the back windows of every pickup, and the windows were rolled down.
On down to the second story of the week and no this wasn't in my town or even in my state.
Cowboy On Horseback Lassoes Would-Be Bike Bandit In Oregon Walmart Parking Lot…
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jun/10/bike-theft-or...
Have fun with life, it's too short to take seriously
always
Barb
Comments
Oh Em Gee
That gave me a good laugh. Thank you.
It's nice to see news items that show there are still good people in the world who look out for each other.
And I can remember times gone past like you describe too. A shame they are (mostly) gone.
- Leona
Cowboys
When I was growing up our nearest neighbor (less than 1/2 mile away) trained cow ponies, cowboys and show horses. Also cow-herding dogs. He had a wise old mare (that I sometimes rode) named Alkali and she was specifically used to show the young cowboys how it was supposed to be done. No one used spurs or needed them with her.
Mr. Johnson didn't believe spurs were needed with any well-trained horse but granted that some animals might work better with the touch of a round wheel now and then.
Most of the dogs he trained were pointer or setter crossbreeds, sometimes with border collie, boxer or Basque sheepdog mixed in. Pure sheepherding breeds tended to get injured working with cattle he always claimed because they didn't properly respect the bigger animals and keep a good distance. Also cattle don't take well to much barking. Our boxer would naturally herd cattle and would usually only bark once to start them moving. Not everyone used dogs to work cattle but a well-trained dog was worth as much as a horse and man for many jobs. We never had more than 20 cattle at one time and didn't use horses at all.
There is still some small amount of open range near me here, and now and then I see a cowboy in his working truck. Very few work from horseback or with dogs anymore but if you have 80 miles of desert to cover you kind of need a truck, even if you are just pulling a horse trailer to get your cowpony where it's needed. And sometimes I do see cattle-working dogs, too.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
The changes in the world aren't always for the better
Hugs Erin, sometimes I wish I could trade what is left of this life for a couple years back then. People kept their word without contracts, neighbors would come and help if someone got sick or hurt. More people seemed to have common sense and animal sense. Some were downright gifted in they could communicate with their four legged pardners. You are right about the spurs. I think all the cowboys I knew wore them for show. Kinda like city people wearing taps on their shoes to hear the click. Besides he's not a cowboy unless he has the hat, chaps, boots, and of course spurs. Girls aren't the only ones who are vain.
Daddy's dog was Nikki, kind of a collie mix. Come milking time, I'd start off down toward the pasture with Nikki beside me, tell him to bring the cows up, and he'd fly off down to the pasture. I'd go back to the barn and in a little bit Nikki would have the cows up in the corral waiting to be milked.
I had a hydraulic line break on the tractor yesterday. Bad time, I need it plowing the field while I have a little moisture to turn the soil. Spent yesterday and today pulling covers, hood, plates so I can get to the line. Took a line lose and got an oil bath. I used to help daddy repair equip. Then it was me and the kids. Now it's just me, as kids married and moved away. This isn't the golden years I was promised. Don't know what I did to deserve this when I was younger but it really must have been a lulu.
Have fun with life, it's too short to take it seriously.
always,
Barb
Oklahoma born and raised cowgirl
Eagle Point, Oregon
The Guardian sort of missed Eagle Point's location. It's just north of Medford, east of Grant's Pass in very southern Oregon. Not very close to Eugene.
Near is relative
Bristol is near London.
Right here in O ree gon
The roping incident happened in Eagle Point, Oregon, about 20 miles from where I went to attend a College graduation. I wish they'd branded the theif.