Read about the beauty of trail riding on a perfect fall day in Simple Pleasures by JoAnn Grose.
Equus Magazine, October 2011
heirloom inspiration
In NYC for a few days of work and swung by Williams-Sonoma at Columbus Circle to pick up this little gem.
(Our friend Thom Driver did the gorgeous photo styling!)
on zucchini and faulkner
Anthony J. was really bummed about the (lack of) tomatoes in his garden this year, but the zucchini gods showed their favor.
Receiving this veggie gift from AJ took me back for a sec to grad school days when, for an intense Faulkner course that lasted from 8a-12p every Saturday, Dr. McHaney would often entice us to attend with fresh zucchini bread baked by his wife. It was good strategy…for I can’t recall ever skipping out on ol’ Faulkner that quarter.
For your fall Saturdays, here’s an easy recipe for zucchini bread from the divine Paula D.
a rescue love story
Meet Henry and Elsa, two Rhodesian Ridgebacks who came up through the kennel of hard knocks but managed to find their happy ending. Henry, who’s almost 8, was rescued by Rhodesian Ridgeback Rescue. He was abandoned in Texas, spent four years in foster care, met up with a kind lady in Iowa who took him under her wing, then landed a permanent gig in a groovy Chicago neighborhood called Bucktown. We’re told his swagger and rugged good looks are the envy of bouncers everywhere and that ole Henry is equal opportunity cute: both men and women sigh and make googlie-eyes when they see him. Elsa, 7, was picked up by Ridgeback Rescue of the United States and, after being shipped around to lots of homes and foster families, she too landed in Bucktown, just this week. According to her owners, the girl has a quick eye (and nose) for all types of urban wildlife. She’s yet to take a road trip with her new family, but with her russet-red hair and sleek good looks (like a New York fashion model, only healthy!) everyone’s expecting she’ll earn dozens of admirers. And so begins the next chapter — better yet, a new beginning — in the lives of Henry and Elsa. Lisa and Bill, their faithful companions, promise to keep us posted.
awwww
the cowboy poet
Baxter Black, aka The Cowboy Poet–philosopher, former large-animal veterinarian, radio commentator, columnist and author–has a new book out this year, Lessons from a Desperado Poet (or How to Find Your Way When You Don’t Have a Map). Here’s one of his most recent columns from the series, “On the Edge of Common Sense.” This one’s about rodeos, specifically Cheyenne Frontier Days–the largest buckin’ bronco party in the US of A.
Baxter Black: On the Edge of Common Sense
The Fence Post, September 12, 2011
Rodeo as a spectator sport has been growing in attendance. Maybe it is because it is live-action, close to home, reasonably priced and rated PG. NASCAR has a similar appeal. As rodeo moves into the ranks of other professional sports, you notice a consistency in the show. The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association runs a tight ship.
Most of the excitement comes when a tie down roper puts one down in 7.6 seconds. Or when a ranking saddle bronc rider makes a classic ride. Or a barrel racer wins by 1/100th of a second! In other words, when a champion shows you how it’s done.
But most often the most memorable event that fans remember is when Billy Joe hung up in his bull rope and became a propeller! Or Jamie was fired from his bareback horse and became a lawn dart! Or when Jose the heeler broke the barrier and roped the line judge!
However, most pro rodeos have reduced the “unknown factors.” It keeps the competition finely tuned. Then there is Cheyenne Frontier Days! They throw in several ringers; green cattle, a 30 foot barrier, and an arena as long as the White House lawn! These additions don’t affect the rough stock riders much, unless one of the bareback horses becomes Sea Biscuit! But … it turns the normally machine-like timed events into rough stock performances as wild and unpredictable as donkey basketball!
Imagine the tie-down roper tense in the box. He nods for his calf. The chute opens, the roper’s horse quivers, the rope is buzzing, everyone is holding their breath … and the calf strolls out, lazily. Meandering into the arena, looking at the crowd, imagining his mother is out there somewhere, seconds tick by … then he crosses the magic 30-foot barrier and the wheel comes off the wagon!
Their steer wrestling event is even more exciting. The dogger nods his head. He and the hazer, wound like springs, watch the big steer break out of the box like he’s got heel flies in his pants! They wait the interminable microseconds. By the time the steer hits the 30′ barrier he is going at the speed of beef! It takes our fearless cowboys another 20 or 30 yards to catch up. The questions arises, “What does it feel like to push your horse into a dead run, flat out, nostrils flaring, tail flying and jump off him into a four-legged horned calf-skin torpedo weighing 600 pounds?” Imagine standing on the hood of your car, getting your buddy to get it up to 35 mph, then reach out and grab a telephone pole!
Talk about exciting! It was like watching the Hulk tackle Shrek’s donkey!
Suffice it to say that each performance ended with the Wild Horse Race. What else did you expect? When you took one look at those characters entered up, they made the Pittsburgh Steelers defensive line look like fashion designers for Dancing with the Stars!
If you’ve heard the term “Cowboy Up!” Cheyenne Frontier Days is how you spell it!
