|
|
| This weblog contains the viewpoints,
biases, and philosophies of Clark Crouch, Cowboy Poet, as
influenced by the Great Depression, years of drought, and
experience as a ranch hand in the Sandhills of Nebraska in the
1930's and 40's. Historic perspective is contained his
four books of poetry:
Voices of the Wind (2002),
Reflections (2003),
Where Horses Reign (2004), and
Sun, Sand & Soapweed (2005). The latter two contain western and cowboy poems in traditional ballad format. |
November 2005 Two Bits of Life -
I don't know who said these two bits, but I sorta like them. And, 'course, I've seen the truth of them time and again.
Bull Durham Followup -
I just found out that Bull Durham was first produced in Durham, NC around 1860 and production was discontinued in 1988. Prior to 1898 the tobacco was produced by W. T. Blackwell & Co. (Blackwell's Durham Tob. Co.,Suc'r) and after that by the American Tobacco Company. Oddly enough, the name Bull Durham has never appeared on that tobacco's label! Instead, the label says Genuine Durham Smoking Tobacco. The label itself is bronze on a black background and features the drawing of a bull. You'll find more about Bull Durham at Walter Grutchfield's web site. My own unopened sack is accompanied by a tiny leaflet (with colors matching the tobacco label) entitled Genuine No Bull (about) Washington Fairs: presented by the 92 fairs of Washington State. It was apparently issued shortly after 1980. [Posted: November 27, 2005] Bootheel Biscuits -
I remember one cook who made bootheel biscuits. They were about the size of the heel of a cowboy boot and were so named because some of the crew thought they were more like hardtack than biscuits. That cook learned pretty quick about how to make better biscuits.Cookie didn't always have a dutch oven handy so his biscuits were sometimes "fried" in bacon grease...they raised nicely and didn't need butter or gravy because of the bacon fat. Incidently, that's a quick way to have biscuits...just buy a tube of ready-to-bake biscuits at the grocery store and cook them in a frying plan on top of the kitchen stove. It's a bit faster and less messy than the traditional home-made variety. Pretty tasty too! [Posted: November 25, 2005] Bull Durham -
The traditional cowboy is often thought of as having a sack of Bull Durham tobacco in his shirt pocket. In my days on the ranch, a cowboy sure wasn't no Marlboro Man! In fact, the Marlboro Man hadn't yet been invented and Bull Durham offered the fixin's of choice.I recall during the summer of 1942, my boss forbid any of his crew to smoke "tailor-made" cigarettes because of the danger that one might start a prairie fire if it wasn't clear out when it was tossed away. On the other hand, the roll-your-own variety of cigarette is more loosely packed and goes out quickly. You gotta keep puffing in order to keep it lit so it was less likely to start a range fire than the tailor-made. As a result we smoked Bull Durham roll-your-owns except maybe on dance night when we might spend 14 or 15 cents for a pack of Camel or Lucky Strike cigarettes. [Posted: November 24, 2005] Burning Coals -
Although I ain't a Biblical scholar, I've read the good book from cover to cover at least a dozen times. Mostly 'cause we didn't have much else to read out in the country where we lived when I was young. One of my favorite passages, one I've lived by through the years, is Romans 12:20. It says, in effect, if someone ain't nice to you, be nice to him and it will heap burning coals on his head. Oddly enough, quite a few folks I've been nice to in that manner have since become good and close friends. It's pretty satisfying...sorta getting even without attacking somebody...winning the war without fighting!
[Posted: November 23, 2005 - Rev. 11/27/05] Top Wages -
I reckon it was the summer of '42 when I was 13 that I was working as a ranch hand for a dollar a day plus room and board. The hotshot on the crew, an old ranch hand around 30 years old, was getting top wages of three dollars a day for stacking hay. Well, he got drunk and and got fired so I got promoted to his job...that ain't too bad, a 200% increase in wages which came in real handy in meeting my school expenses that winter.
[Posted: November 22, 2005] Courthouse Changes -
Joe went over to the County Court House to do some business Friday and was surprised to learn that the Ten Commandments plaque in the court room had been edited to remove "thou shalt not: commit adultery, bear false witness, and covet thy neighbor's wife." Seems like the lawyers and politicians thought the presence of them rightous commandments created an unfriendly and hostile work environment.
[Posted: November 21, 2005] War is Hell -
Over the weekend, I wrote a very short poem commemorating Veteran's Day. It was somewhat prompted by a quote attributed to General William Tecumseh Sherman around 1862 during the Civil War period: "It is only those who have neither fired a shot nor heard the shrieks and groans of the wounded who cry aloud for blood, more vengeance, more desolation. War is hell." I reckon that just doesn't need any further explanation!My current poems can be accessed by clicking here. [Posted: November 14, 2005] Dinner at Bill's -
We went over to my cousin Bill's ranch back in Nebraska a few weeks ago and had dinner with him and his wife. We were shore ready for a digestive nap after finishing that great dinner of home-fried fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans with bacon, homemade rolls with fresh butter and jam, sweet applesauce rolls, and coffee. It was interesting, Bill's wife had done the fried chicken the right way...turned only once in the pan! And, by the way, if you're ever invited to dinner at their ranch, you'd best show up at noon. If they want to feed you in the evening, they'll invite you to supper! And, further, they don't serve lunch...that's something you pack with you when you going out for an all day ride to check the herd or the fence line or whatever. [Posted: November 13, 2005] Coffee at the Cafe -
Over at the cafe, where retired cowboys and ranchers hang out for morning coffee, the discussion centers on pretty important stuff. It ain't about about foreign relations, or immigration, or taxes, or politics or any of those perplexing things. The conversation centers on the prices of cattle, grain, hay and other realities like whether pant legs should go over the boots or inside them! The fellers'll probably have a new topic tomorrow since they decided that either way would be preferable to wearing today's pre-torn, pre-washed, and pre-faded cut offs.
[Posted: November 12, 2005] Bloody Chicken Syndrome -
Watching politicians is sorta like watching chickens in the pen back on the ranch. Any time a chicken got injured and bloody, the other chicks pecked it to death. It's sad but I reckon it's one way of keeping the fittest of the flock!It's the same with politicians. One might get along pretty well until he gets politically bloodied by doing something stupid, then folks (including other politicians, even some from his own party) begin pecking that feller until he's politically dead. That can be good or bad depending on your political persuasion! [Posted: November 11, 2005] Rules of Motion -
Back home we observe the four rules of motion: if it should move and don't, spray it with WD-40; if it shouldn't move and does, tie it down with duct tape; if it shouldn't move and doesn’t, paint it; and if it should move and does, get out of the way.
[Posted: November 10, 2005] Election Day -
Today's election day and I'm reminded that I'm one of the most fortunate folks in this world from having lived in a politically divided household. You sorta learn and appreciate the good and the bad about the so called "right" and "left".My mom was a true democrat and my dad a solid republican. On one election day back around 1930, dad hitched up the team and headed out for town to vote without taking mom along. Not about to be left behind, mom went out to the road and hitched a ride into town just to cancel my dad's vote. But despite their differences, they got along pretty well and tended to ignore political party issues in local elections, frequently crossing over to the other side of the ballot to recognize talent, ability, and friendship. My parents had no litmus tests on religious, social, or economic issues and philosophies, they just voted their hearts for their candidates and made it a point to know them well enough to trust them to do the right thing. Rarely were they disappointed. It makes sense to me! [Posted: November 8, 2005]
Poetry Award -
We just received word that my poem,
"Walls," which appears in my latest book
Sun, Sand & Soapweed, has received an Editor's Choice
Award from Poetry.Com.
They've also selected the poem as one of thirty-three to be
professionally recorded on a new CD, The Sound of Poetry.
We do appreciate that![Posted: November 6, 2005] October 2005 Stubborn Horse - A friend had a horse named "Axis of Evil" and no matter how much he clubbed him over the head that horse just stayed as ornery as could be! Maybe he didn't like his name or he didn't like being clubbed or both...stupid, stubborn horse!
An Army Troop - Grandpa would have had a fit at how the media mushes up the language sometimes!Now-a-days they're using "troops" to mean two or more soldiers...like in "two troops were injured today." I reckon their next step will be to use the word "troop" to mean one soldier...like in "Private Sam Jones, an army troop, returned home today." Grandpa would have recollected that the U.S. Cavalry had it right: a troop is a group of soldiers and a trooper is a member of such a group.
Political Ethics - Down at the bunkhouse, we decided it would be great if politicians at all levels were required to adopt a good ethical standard like: It ain't what you've got the right to do, it's what is right to do!Seems to me such a standard would result in better legislation...laws that favored people over politics and pork. September 2005
Political Blinders - Back on the ranch, we put blinders on our horse teams to cut their peripheral vision and make them see straight ahead. It's a good technique and makes the teams easier to handle. Unfortunately, it seems like politicians also wear blinders, blinders that keep them from seeing any view but that put forward by their party's leadership.Seems like once they are elected, politicians ought to take those blinders off, recognize that we are one people in one nation, consider the facts and merits of the issues facing us, and act in our best interests. After all, people are more important than politics!
Blame Game - I reckon you blame the rodeo rider, and not the horse, if the rider gets thrown. Along that line, I have never known anyone who complained about the "blame game" to be without blame. If you've got the problem, you complain about the game and if you don't have the problem, you don't complain about the game! In short, those without blame welcome the game!
Problem Solving - Seems like when there's a problem, the political solution is to throw money at it and refuse to play the "blame game!" My granddad's barnyard philosophy was that accountability must accompany responsibility and we can only hold folks responsible if we figure out what happened, giving credit where it's due and casting blame where it's necessary! I reckon when big money is involved, big business is gonna be in the front row to get its share.August 2005
Bent's Water Crackers - My wife's maternal ancestors started a "cookie factory" in Massachusetts in 1801 baking cookies for the Atlantic sea trade. One batch of cookies got a bit over-baked and made a crackling sound while in the oven, thus the name "crackers" came into being.The company supplied hard tack for western adventurers (such as Lewis and Clark) and for the Union Army during the Civil War. Bent's Cold Water Crackers were also stocked as trade goods at Bent's Fort in Colorado during the years of fur trading and western expansion. The company was sold in 1974 but it still manufactures hard tack for Civil War reenactments as well as cold water crackers and common crackers for general retail.
My First Cowboy Poem - I wrote my first cowboy poem, "Cowboys," when I was twelve years old after my first summer working as a ranch hand and after having met Badger Clark, who was then Poet Laureate of South Dakota. That meeting caused me to have a life-long interest in western and cowboy poetry but I did not seriously consider writing it until I was nearly 75 years old.
Dinner - Waddy Mitchell used an interesting structure and rhythm in some of his poems and I've emulated that in a new poem "Dinner on the Ranch," one of the poems in my book, Sun, Sand & Soapweed,As to the topic: I recently learned that in Middle English "dinner" meant "breakfast," as did the Old French word "disner," or "diner" (from the Latin disinre, meaning "to break one's fast"). On our ranch, that meal had slipped a bit and we ate dinner at noon. Customs change, however, and over the years, it has become the last meal of the day, except maybe supper around midnight!
Depression Soup - When you're really hungry, you'll reach for a cup of anything, even a cup of hot water!It was on a very cold day in the early 1930's that I first saw anyone make depression soup. The old fellow came from the railroad depot where he'd just jumped off a freight train and sat down at the counter in the little cafe, blowing his warm breath on hands blue with the cold. "If I could just have a cup of hot water," he said. The waitress put a steaming cup of water on the counter in front of him. With practiced moves, the customer quickly reached for the ketchup bottle and added a generous amount to the hot water.Then he spiced it up with a dash of pepper and he sat back to enjoy his tomato soup...depression soup. I saw sorta the same thing not too many years ago. A young fellow, a hitchhiker, entered a highway cafe and ordered french fries with a side of gravy...he counted out a total about $2.50 from a small handfull of coins. He added a very generous amount of ketchup beside the fries on his plate, then enjoyed his dinner, alternately dipping his fries into the ketchup and the meaty gravy. If politicians keep going the way they have been, maybe depression soup will make a come-back.
Insults - I was insulted twice the other day. One fellow said I was a rabid republican and another accused me of being a demented democrat. Actually, I'm an issues-oriented non-partisan, far more interested in "people" than I am in "party." If it's a good idea, if it will well serve our nation and it's people, I could care less which side of the aisle originated the action.I never have understood the party mentality and blind obedience to party doctrine...votes split exactly on party lines! We sort of expect, by electing some smart folks to office that they might have enough intelligence to decide on the merits of the issues. Some of those in congress must feel pretty stupid, not being allowed to exercise their judgment about the issues and being told how to vote by their party leadership. Wouldn't it be great if the vote was split on the issue rather than the party? I for one would sure appreciate it if politicians would be more like horses and refuse to act when the leadership trys to lead them to vote party lines...it's old but true, "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink!"
Cowboy Hats - I understand that cowboy hats were once worn with a "slouch" brim. Then along came the movies and those floppy brims kept the camera from capturing the face of the western heroes. Thus was born the turned up brim so that an actor's profile could be captured for the admiration of his fans.Maybe the story is true, maybe not. But have you noticed that more "pilgrims" wear western hats nowadays than do cowboys. And, for some reason, some cowboys have even gone to wearing baseball-style caps...I just hope they take them off when they're eating in a nice restaurant. Which reminds me, there are two kinds of restaurant customers who are a great irritation...those who wear their hats and caps while eating and those who don't turn off their damnable cell phones!
Four-Letter Words - It's a real myth that cowboys didn't use four letter words. If they didn't know them, they'd invent them! Four letter words were especially valuable in getting the attention of a team of horses. And, somehow, the knowledge of those words and their ease of use were therapeutic, like in easing the pain after clobbering your thumb with a miss-aimed hammer blow. One of my poems, " Four-Letter Words," discusses some aspects of the use of such words.It's mostly in recent years that four-letter words became inappropriate...as cowboy poetry and music became popular and families began to attend, the cowboys had to clean up their act out of respect for the women and children who were present in the audience. Nowadays, except maybe way back in some out-of-the-way corner of the west, cowboy events are family-oriented and it would take quite a prudish person to take offense at any of the language used. July 2005
Evolutionary Philosophies - A cowboy, having a lot of time to ponder on life as he rides along, might conclude that folks today fit into one of three categories: Pro-Darwin, Anti-Darwin, and Who's Darwin. The Pro-Darwinians sorta let dust collect under the bed for fear they might destroy emerging life. The Anti-Darwinians claim there ain't no dust under the bed, just some stuff left over from the birth of Adam. And, the Who's Darwinians sweep up the dust and spread it on the garden where it'll be of some use.Life's sorta like that. Maybe as many as two-thirds of the folks spend time and energy and money arguing about things that don't serve humanity all that well. Others rightfully tend to put those resources to work to make sure that folks in need get a decent education and have a place to sleep, food to eat, clothing to cover their bodies, and medical care. I reckon that's consistent with the Spirit of the West and the nature of cowboys...living independently but always willing to reach out with a helping hand.
Politics: a Definition - All this stuff about ethical and legal violations by lawmakers reminds me of a definition of politics told to me by a friend a number of years ago. I don't know the true source so I can't make attribution but the definition has stuck with me."Poli" is a prefix meaning "many" and "tics" are "blood-sucking insects". It seems to me that it describes an uncomfortably large number of the politicians I've encountered in my adult life. Unfortunately, despite the well-published and highly honored Code of the West, frontier politicians were no better and probably no worse than those of today. The main difference was that, when the transgressors got caught, justice on the frontier was much faster and considerably harsher than it is today. Maybe we should take a lesson from that and unelect a few politicians!
Litmus Tests - Every cowboy knows, if you're gonna buy a bull, you sure got a lot of questions that need answers...regardless of who's trying to sell it to you. After all, the future of your herd is at stake! So, you need to know whether he's a Brahma, a Hereford, an Angus, or a whatever. You also have some legitimate questions about that bull's temperament, his lineage, his success rate, the quality of his progeny, and so on. A'course the seller knows all of that but wouldn't it be strange if a potential buyer was prohibited from inquiring about such things? Without that information, you might just buy the wrong bull and the quality of your herd would go downhill!I reckon that's what Senate confirmation hearings are all about!
Trump Card - It seems that, historically, each time our Native American people have been on the edge of economic self-sufficiency the opportunity has been jerked away for the benefit of someone else.Land was forcefully taken from indigenous people, the Native Americans, who had occupied it for thousands of years, and they were moved to reservations made up of less desirable land which the invaders did not want. Some were given land in the Black Hills, then gold was discovered there and that land was taken from them. Others were moved to land in the Oklahoma Territory, then oil was discovered there and that land was taken from them. A trust fund was established to assist the Tribes, then bureaucrats got to messing with it and the Tribes have never received all that was promised. That pattern has been repeated time and again with respect to mineral rights, the land, and other resources. Even today, despite the treaties entered into in the mid-1800's recognizing Native American Tribes as Sovereign Nations, efforts to subordinate tribal interests continue. Although occupying lands which frequently offer very little economic opportunity, some Native American Tribes have finally found an economic bonanza...casinos! Of course, there's now a move afoot to deprive the natives of even that economic haven by playing the Trump card, so to speak, in an attempt to tax, limit, or even take over the lucrative gambling enterprises operated by the Tribes. It's a sad situation when the rights and lands of Sovereign Nations, albeit within our nation's borders, are not respected and are so encroached upon. Two excellent sources of information on today's issues from the Native American perspective are:
Pulling Leather - When a cowboy was riding a bronco and was about to get bucked off (or had just plum lost his guts) he'd "pull leather" by grabbing hold of the saddle horn to stay aboard while the horse bucked its way across the prairie. When he resorted to that, it wasn't a positive sign of either his riding ability or his courage!Seems like, today as political poll numbers go down, some of our politicians are grabbing for leather and riding hell-bent for the high ground just hoping to distance themselves from the fallout and position themselves for political survival. I reckon folks would really like for their elected officials to stop squabbling and get back to dealing with the real issues that face our country.
Religion on the Prairie - Come Sunday, most folks out where we lived couldn't always pack up and go forty or fifty miles into town to go to church. At any given time, there were cattle to be fed, cows to be milked, hay to be cut, fences to repair, or any of a score of other chores that wouldn't wait until tomorrow. Occasionally, an itinerant preacher would come through and folks would gather at the schoolhouse for a potluck dinner and an afternoon of fire and brimstone after which everybody would go back home, saved again and feeling real good from having had that uplifting social time with all their neighbors!You might say they weren't religious in the modern sense, but most had at least a quiet sense of spirituality and many might be classed as fatalists..."if it's gonna happen it will and there ain't much I can do about it." Along with that, there was a deep appreciation and a quiet acceptance of the miracles of nature that surrounded them such as sunrise and sunset, the fury of a winter blizzard, the birth of calves in late winter, and the resurgence of prairie life in the Spring as wild flowers covered the hills. One of my poems, "Walls," sorta touches on that kind of faith.
Helping Hands - We have a great tradition of helping out folks who are in trouble. Out in the country, that help was from the neighbors. If your barn burned down, folks would show up with tools and lumber to help you rebuild it. If a family needed food, folks would show up and fill that pantry again. That worked fine. But, in more recent times, the need has been so great that the Federal Government has had to step in with programs to assist folks in getting decent housing, food, and medical care.That's been working pretty well and has been coupled with programs to help people get family wage jobs so they won't have to depend on public support. But, sometimes politicians just don't understand that reducing the budget ain't gonna reduce the need for decent housing, nourishing diets, or affordable medical care. I reckon the Feds might take a lesson from cowboys and other folks out in ranch country who have always had a high sense of morality. T. L. Shepherd of West Plains, Sascatchewan (as quoted in The Cowboy Encyclopedia by Richard W. Slatta, Norton, 1994) explained, "...we are bound to help those who need help, governed only by their need and our opportunity." Well, there are folks out there who've got a real need and the opportunity sure exists to help them have decent housing, food, and medical care as well as to provide training and support to help the indigent gain meaningful employment.
Will Rogers - One of my favorite people was Will Rogers. 'Course, I didn't actually know him but I felt I did because of his movies and his writings. Among other things, he was a real cowboy, a humorist, an author, an actor, and an adventurer. But most of all, to me he was a brilliant man as evidenced by his legacy of folk wisdom.Even now, some 70 years after his death, many of the things he said ring true...a timely one might be, "You can be killed just as dead in an unjustified war as you can in one protecting your own home." Other quotes appear on the official Will Rogers web site. Agree with him or not, he was a real man, a real hero. Even though I was only seven years old when he tragically died in 1935, I recall the sadness of my family when we heard the news on our old static-filled radio.
Grandfather Poker Player - I knew both of my pioneer grandfathers and learned a great deal from each of them.William Henry Baird (maternal grandfather) was a quiet, rather philosophical farmer who homesteaded near Anselmo, Nebraska. He wound up there because that's where the railroad line ended at the time he was moving west. He had a fair sized library and was quite well read. In fact, he read quite a bit to me which may be part of the reason that I've always had an interest in books and writing. William Henry Crouch (paternal grandfather) was a more sociable and public-minded individual who was a rancher, a politician, a rural mail carrier, and who knows what else. He was also a poker player who'd played with Buffalo Bill Cody, Doc Middleton (about whom I wrote a poem, "Doc Middleton"), and others both famous and infamous. He taught me to play poker and gave me several bits of advice: "Always set with your back to the wall so no one can get behind you to see your hand or to club you over the head to steal your money." and "Keep your sixgun handy, just in case." In this picture, probably taken in the mid-1880's, he's the second from the right, back to the wall, playing cards with some men named Hodgman, Sawyer, Fees, and Dodds. (Unfortunately, I don't know anything about them or the order in which they appear although I assume they are named left to right.)
President Harry Truman - I was barely eighteen in the Fall of 1946 when I was sorta fresh from the ranch and in the U.S. Army Air Corps. A couple buddies and I were on a weekend pass from Langley Field, Virginia to Washington, D.C. when I met President Harry S. Truman. It was about 5:00am and we were on our way back to our hotel after a night on the town when we met him. He was on his morning walk, moving briskly down Pennsylvania Avenue, accompanied by a secret service agent who was lagging about half a block behind.We were in uniform and snapped to attention to salute him. He stopped and chatted with us for maybe ten minutes before he continued his walk. His most important question was whether any of us were from Missouri and he seemed disappointed that none of us were. Looking back today, what impresses me most is that he was walking alone along a public street with only one secret service agent tagging along...how times have changed! I enjoyed meeting him then but I wasn't terribly enthused when, a few years later while I was on active duty during the Korean Conflict, he unilaterally extended my enlistment in the U.S. Air Force Reserve. They are still doing that today, extending regular and reserve enlistments for those in the military...drafting our GI's into extended service. Those few times the issue has gone to court, the decision has been for the military and not for the individual. In my view, that is not right. Enlistment is for a definite period and is a contractual agreement which should be upheld by the courts. The government always has the option of offering incentives and added benefits to encourage reenlistments, or legally establishing a draft, but it should be jerked up short when an contract is violated by a unilateral extention.
Truth and Credibility - A couple of the traditions of the cowboy philosophy are that he is truthful and always keeps his word. Now, that ain't to say that he might not stretch the truth from San Francisco to New York to make a point but he sure won't lie! And, if he tells you he'll do something, he'll do it come hell or high water! Seems like politicians and their spokesmen might well adopt that cowboy philosophy and make it a practice to tell the truth and keep their word.
Country Chuck - When I was young, there were relatively few prepared food mixes. Also, perishable foods such as fresh fruit and vegetables were almost impossible to get during the winter. Anyhow, it was too far to go into town to shop every week or two so, as a result, my mom would "make do" with what she had.No lettuce to make a salad in the spring? No problem, just dash out in the yard a pick some fresh tender leaves of lambs quarter or dandelion and toss them up with a little vinegar, bacon grease, and sugar. And, I reckon you just ain't lived unless you've enjoyed such foods as vinegar pie (vinegar instead of lemon juice), mock apple pie (soda crackers instead of apples), scrapple (pork bits cooked and thickened with cornmeal, then cooled and sliced to fry), corn cob syrup, tomatoe preserves, and watermelon preserves. Very little was wasted. Like when a pig was butchered, mom and dad managed to use most everything except the squeal! We had fresh pork, pickled pork, bacon, ham, salt pork, pickled pigs feet, head cheese, scrapple, and the list went on. Even though we were poor in terms of money, we did eat well...mostly from the product of our own labor.
Vinegar Pie - I've had several requests for the recipe for vinegar pie. Although I don't have my mother's recipe, there is one on the internet which is quite authentic. You'll find it by clicking here to access the web site for Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House on the Prairie.
Congressional Viewpoint - In the old days, it seems like members of Congress were closer to their constituents and most of them seriously tried to serve the public need. We'd just hitch up the team and drive down the road a piece to have a personal chat with the rascal while he was in our district. Of course, that was in the days before congressional districts were so extremely gerrymandered to assure reelection of some incumbents.
Cowboys - Cowboys are called a lot of things around the world...most names are kind and well-meant. Some synonyms are: charro (Mexico), cowboy (U.S. and Canada), gaucho (Argentina), Huaso (Chile), llanero (Venezuela), paniolo (Hawaii), and vaquero (Mexico). Other name tags in the U.S. are: buckaroo (from vaquero), bronk buster, cattleman, cowhand, cowherd, cowman, cowpoke, cowpuncher, puncher, rodeo rider, and waddie. The oldest is probably "vaquero" whose influence in Mexico and the Southwestern United States penetrated Western society. Also, when King Kamehameha III of Hawaii needed assistance in dealing with with wild cattle herds in 1832, he invited vaqueros from California to teach ranching skills to the Hawaiians.
Blind Boone - My maternal grandfather met Blind Boone when he was in concert in Anselmo, Nebraska in 1915. Blind Boone was an African-American born of a former slave of the Daniel Boone family and a Union Army musician. His eyes were removed when he was two years old as a "cure" for brain fever. He was a ragtime composer and performer who blended black folk and classical music into that genre. Although his musical genius was certainly equal to that of his ragtime contemporaries, "Blind Tom" Wiggins and Scott Joplin, history has not served him well.June 2005
Immigration Policies - I suspect that life here in the United States would be much different today if Native Americans had established and enforced an Immigration Policy beginning around 1492 A.D.
A.K. (Kathy) Moss, Cowgirl - One of the most enjoyable aspects of being a performing poet is the opportunity to meet and work with others, poets and musicians, who appreciate our western heritage. One outstanding professional is Kathy Moss, a working cowgirl who also finds the time to write and perform western and cowboy poetry. It's been a real pleasure to share the stage with her and to meet at the cowboy gatherings from time to time. She's also the founder and director of her own cowboy gathering.
Guidelines - I've heard quite a few cowboy poets. In my mind, most of the longer poems are better read than said. Although I do enjoy reading longer poems, I best enjoy listening to shorter poems, hopefully well-told, which have punchy or humorous endings. Perhaps some poets might benefit by adapting one of the axioms of public speaking...a poem should have a beginning, a middle, and an end and the closer these are together the better! Another similar, but different, guideline for oral presentation is: stand up so people can see you, speak up so they can hear you, and shut up so they will like you! More about this is in one of my poems, Advice for Cowboy Poets.
Changing the Courts - Court decisions throughout our history have sometimes been unpopular and often divisive, leading to calls for judicial reform. Frontier justice in particular was swift and final; witness the decisions of Judge Roy Bean, the hanging judge, who was one of the most infamous of those times. Although there is no evidence that he actually hung anyone, he was noted for his bizarre decisions and, despite the controversy surrounding him, he was re-elected a number of times.It seems like judicial controversy is still with us...politicians want to shake things up a bit. It reminds me of the efforts of President Franklin D. Roosevelt to do the same thing in 1935-6. The Supreme Court was not looking with favor on some of his New Deal endeavors and he wanted to increase the court from nine justices to fifteen, packing it with judges who were more amenable to his programs. That proposal was soundly defeated and the President lost a great deal of public and political support. So much so that, according to some, Roosevelt would not have been re-elected if it had not been for the advent of World War II.
Sherman Alexie - Sherman Alexie is an industry unto himself...a Native American poet, novelist, screenwriter, and performer. I owe a great deal to him as he opened a new career for me as a poet and performer.After meeting him in the Fall of 2002, and recalling my 1940's acquaintance with Badger Clark (then Poet Laureate of South Dakota), I was inspired to record my own life in poetic form. As a result, my first two books, Voices of the Wind and Reflections, contain freeform poems about family history, personal recollections, and contemporary viewpoints. My most recent books, Where Horses Reign and Sun, Sand & Soapweed, are devoted entirely to western and cowboy poetry in traditional ballad form. Their publication has brought a degree of recognition as well as opportunities to entertain audiences around the Northwestern U.S.
Badger Clark - Badger Clark is renowned as a classic western and cowboy poet. I had the pleasure of becoming acquainted with him in the early 1940's. In person, he was a quiet man but, when he read his poems, he was quite dynamic! He even made plain old greasy bacon come to life in his poem, Bacon..."You're salty and greasy and smoky as sin."
Western Poetry Traditions - Some of the poems we see today are hardly in the tradition of western and cowboy poetry. The ballad form of poem with emphasis on rhyme and rhythm is what was used by the writers of the western plains. Please see a discussion of this on my site and also at CowboyPoetry.Com, a premier web site for cowboy poetry.
Lakota Sioux Chief - I wish I knew his name! He was a Chief of the Lakota Sioux who I met in 1931 at the Custer County Fair in Broken Bow, Nebraska. Although I was only three, he invited me to sit with him in front of his tipi in the Indian encampment and he talked with me for a long time. He was an elderly man who held my attention with stories about Indian life. Unfortunately, the only things I remember were his assurance that I would remember him, which I do, and his mention of Coyote as a friend of the Indians. As we parted, he gave me an Indian Head Nickel, still a prized possession.
Preemptive Strike - One of the first questions my mother asked whenever I got in a tussle with another kid was, "Who started it?". Mom's philosphy was you don't start a fight but you don't run from trouble. On one occasion when I was in the first grade, she found out that a school bully was hitting me and chasing me home from school nearly every day. She handed me a heavy stick, an equalizer, and said if I ever ran home again she'd use the stick on my behind. I carried the stick for several days and the bully never bothered me again. In fact, we became fairly good friends after I stood up for myself.Mom's message was that it ain't nice to be the one that starts a fight but it's okay to fight back if you're attacked. It could be said that mom, although a democrat, subscribed to Teddy Roosevelt's admonition to "speak softly and carry a big stick"! That was at least one thing that she and my dad, a staunch republican, could agree on politically!
Fun-Loving Cowboys - Cowboys are noted for their sense of humor and their practical jokes. Some went to great lengths to set the stage for some fun. One favorite trick was to train a horse to be mounted only from the right side instead of the left as was, and still is, customary. It was a time-consuming task but, very patiently, the cowboy would train the horse and wait for an unknowing greenhorn. When one came along and attempted to mount the horse, the fun would begin. That horse would shy away, sometimes striking out with a well-placed kick, just plumb resisting being mounted from the left side. The whole crew would be watching, slapping their knees and busting their guts with laughter.
Prairie Oysters - At branding time out on the ranch, one of the culinary rewards was prairie oysters (the testicles of young male calves) roasted right over the branding fire. Some restaurants in ranch country still serve the delicacy, fancied up and fried, and I never pass up the opportunity to select them from the menu.On one occasion at a family gathering in a local cafe, I was seated next to my sister-in-law, sort of a city gal. When I ordered those prairie oysters, she got right up and moved to the far end of the table, not about to sit beside anyone who was decadent enough to eat those morsels. All the while I was enjoying my meal, she just plum ignored me. I should mention that the castration was to sterilize young bull calves as a means of controlling the quality of the herd and not to harvest the oysters, which were a welcome side benefit of the process. Our neutered calves, called steers, were then usually range-fed to maturity at which time they were sent off to market.
Diplomacy - The only critters that I know of that will respond to a good cussin' out are horses. They just seem to understand four-letter words better than they do nicely worded requests. But, even then, a carrot or a hunk of apple can help to get their undivided attention.I hear of some folks (I won't call them diplomats) who don't understand that. They set the negotiating stage by calling their foreign peers "S.O.B.'s" and then complain that them foreign folks, them "nasty S.O.B.'s", won't negotiate. Frankly, I wouldn't either! It seems to me that folks (again, I won't call them diplomats) might be a bit more diplomatic...respecting a people and the culture and extending the hand of friendship to them without cussin' out and alienating their leaders! It just don't work to insult folks and then expect them to cooperate in any way, shape, or form. I reckon that Michael LeBeuf in his book, The Greatest Management Principle in the World, captured the most important interpersonal and diplomatic philosophy..."You get the kind of behavior that you reward!" It'd be nice if our so-called diplomats could learn that. It ain't only the greatest, it's one of the oldest principles in the world...one that my mom taught me, "you can get more out of a critter with a carrot than you can with a stick!" And, failing that, remember that cowboys do wear spurs if that horse ain't quite yet convinced!
Brands & Rustlers - My dad, Henry Crouch, had a unique brand for many years. It was called the H (aitch) C (cee). As I recall, he finally sold it for a fair sum as it could be applied with just one custom branding iron and was not easy to modify by rustlers using a running iron (a simple branding iron with a curved end which was used to alter existing brands). The running iron was illegal in many locations so some rustlers resorted to the use of easily concealed heavy wire which could be formed into a variety of shapes.Rustling was not a big issue in our part of the country and, when it did occur, it was mostly the stealing of unbranded livestock. More likely than rustling was the slaughter of a critter (called Slow Elk) by an indigent neighbor or itinerant folks to provide food for themselves and their families. Some ranchers, especially those with larger herds, tended to overlook occasional slaughter as a charitable gesture but abuse could result in quick justice...near where we lived there was a lonely tree called the "hanging tree" by some old timers in the neighborhood.
The Crusades - In Act 2, Scene I of Tempest William Shakespeare wrote "what's past is prologue". And, it's true, those who ignore history are destined to relive it. On that basis, the History of the Crusades should be required reading for politicians and bureaucrats who deal with other nations.The Crusades began in 1095 A.D. and continued off and on for hundreds of years, until nearly 1700 A.D. Time and again, religious zealots and adventurers from England and the Continent invaded the Middle East and were turned back and forced to retreat without winning anything of significance. Historically, indigenous people just don't appreciate an invasion of their lands or anyone attacking them, their beliefs, or their way of life. And the folks living in the Middle East were no exception...even though they fought with each other, the attack by the Crusaders sorta pulled them all together to resist the intrusion. It's like a family situation where squabbles do exist but woe to any outsider who attempts to intervene. The Crusades sorta teach us that any intervention against any country or any people needs to be for true and justifiable reasons, be very carefully planned, and be incisively carried out with due respect for the people, their religion, their politics, and their culture. The rag-tag retreats by the Crusaders also remind us that we need to know when and how we're gonna get back home. Even though a lot of cowboys couldn't read and didn't even know about the Crusades, they had a practical sense and sorta figured out the right strategy for themselves. They knew where they were going with the herd, what route to take to get there, what troubles they might meet along the trail, how to handle the trouble and problems as they arose, and how to get back home in time for Christmas. There's a lot to be said for cowboy wisdom! |
Current Weblog Original Journal November 2005 Bloody Chicken Syndrome Bootheel Biscuits Bull Durham Bull Durham Followup Burning Coals Coffee at the Cafe Court House Changes Dinner at Bill's Election Day Poetry Award Rules of Motion Top Wages Two Bits of Life War is Hell Jun-Oct 2005 A.K. (Kathy) Moss, Cowgirl Army Troop Badger Clark Bent's Water Crackers Blame Game Blind Boone Brands & Rustlers Changing the Courts Congressional Viewpoint Country Chuck Cowboy Hats Cowboys The Crusades Depression Soup Dinner Diplomacy Evolutionary Philosophies four-Letter Words Fun-Loving Cowboys Grandfather, Poker Player Guidelines Helping Hands Immigration Policies Insults Lakota Sioux Chief Litmus Tests My First Cowboy Poem Political Blinders Political Ethics Politics: a Definition Prairie Oysters Preemptive Strike President Harry Truman Problem Solving Pulling Leather Religion on the Prairie Sherman Alexie Stubborn Horse Trump Card Truth and Credibility Vinegar Pie Western Poetry Traditions Will Rogers |
Copyright ©2005 by Clark Crouch.