Cowboy Up
With all the talk about cowboys lately…or, at least, me talking about cowboys and keeping my big secret about the new contract with Carina Press lately *big grin* My mind has traveled to other areas. Maybe it is the change in weather, but I’m ready to hit the rodeo.
Around here, they don’t start until June when the local fairs open up. These are small time rodeos where town favorites compete for the championship. Year after year, we attend and cheer on our favorite rider. From barrel racing, calf ropin’, bull ridin’, and team ropin’, every highlight of the rodeo draws a big crowd. Heck, if two hundred people show up, that means almost the whole town attended. We start’em young too. Our four year olds are sat atop the back of a calf and let loose within the ring. We grease up pigs and encourage our children to go catch their dinner.
Spirits run high, beer flows fast, and words take on more meaning. It is the one chance to meet with your neighbor who lives five miles away and get caught up on how their crops grew, how many head of cattle they are running, and to catch up on the local gossip. Behind the fencing, personal bets are taking place. Although, that’s not what we call it. It’s bartering. I’ll give you one goose for three laying hens if O’Reilly wins the next round! We always come home with new animals.
The rodeo also means a stressful time for the women. We find out who is the best cook, the best pie baker, and who canned the most over the summer. We brag about how many nights we stayed up listening to the lids popping on the dill pickles sitting out on the counter, and we’ve sworn our man not to utter a word about the steak we burnt last week.
I’d encourage all of you to visit a rodeo this summer, the smaller town, the better. You might stare at us who wear shitkickers with sundresses, and cuss out the riders when they avoid near-death accidents, but we are a caring group of rodeo followers. Hell, we might even buy you a beer or send you home with one of our roosters.
Except, you can’t have Roy. He’s mine.
Abby, you make me homesick for the small town I grew up in!!! LOL. It sounds wonderful and I know exactly what you’re talking about! I’d love to go to a rodeo but I’m in Southern California now… and NOT the same when they come to the fairgrounds.
Congrats on the book! That’s awesome!!! Have a great weekend.
Hi Laurann
Small towns have their ups and downs, but the rodeo is definitely one my highlights too. I’ll have to remember to take my camera and post about the rodeo again this summer.