| An
early day, 20-year-old man described himself as standing 6’3” tall in his socks.
That was a lie as he had never owned a pair of socks in his life. An old cowboy
who was employed on a ranch without much water, went to wash his feet in the warm
spring weather and found two pairs of socks he forgot he owned. Another
old timer did not agree with the Bible’s advice when attacked by another man,
“Smite them in hip and thigh.” He found it more successful to “smite them in chin
and belly.” Experience usually teaches you something you didn’t want to know in
the first place.
A
long-time scout for the U.S. Cavalry once stated, “We sure did chase a lot of
Indians. When we found them, I never knew whether we found them or they found
us.” His commanding officer once commented, “Seems the Army and the Indians were
always seeking peace. But from my experiences either one would ride a hundred
miles just to get into a fight.”
An old cowboy once said, “If a man riding
wants to hear his own voice lifted in song, he better be astride a horse that
appreciates music or be prepared to pull leather or hit the ground.” His partner
added, “If you want to prove you are a bronc rider, don’t try to prove it on a
steep slope or a rocky mountainside.”
Almost every disturbance of nature
has been done by man. Though wild animals live active lives outside in nature
the year around they rarely disturb the landscape. Only the old time Mountain
Men who discovered the pristine West, left it almost undisturbed as they lived
with nature rather than fighting against it. A
western man with little education once stated, “If you can shoot well, no one
will pay much attention to how you sign your name.” Not many people know that
Santa Fe, New Mexico was 10 years old when people landed at Plymouth Rock.
Ever
wonder where the term “Dixieland” originated? According to Louis L’amour, the
famous western writer, down in New Orleans at one time, they printed a ten dollar
bank note that had ten on one side and “Dix,” French for ten, on the other side.
Locals called the popular banknotes “Dixies” and the area where they were used
most was called Dixieland. They advised:
“If you want to go down to Dixieland
you better have some Dixies in your pocket.”
Some believe that money has
nothing to do with being rich or poor. Being wealthy is only a state of mind.
You are only young once but some can be childish all their lives. Some places
in Texas are so flat you can stand on a cow chip
and see New Mexico. You
can’t tell me not to worry because I’ve found out that most of the things I worry
about never happen anyway.
Baloney is baloney no matter how thin or thick
you slice it. And now some really good advice, “Never miss a chance to shut up.”
Bye now!
© Delbert
Trew - October
3, 2011 column
More "It's
All Trew"
Delbert
Trew is a freelance writer and retired rancher. He can be reached at 806-779-3164,
by mail at Box A, Alanreed, Texas 79002, or by email at trewblue@centramedia.net.
For books see delberttrew.com. His column appears weekly.
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