Boots and the Cowgirl Way

Some new boots came to live with me. I really like them. A lot. They're not lacers that slog through swampy cattle-lot gates. They're not thin, thrift-store ropers that are scuffed up. They're not ladies' work boots. They're not heavy, clompy boots from my losing weight since I bought them. They're not Wal-Mart casual boots. (Yes, I just described my "boot wardrobe." ha ha)

We went in the nearby western store the other day. I was aiming, eventually, to get new boots. But in this store, all ladies' boots were 40 per-cent off. That was incentive enough! "Strike while the iron is hot." I looked. I compared. I drooled. I narrowed things down to two or three favorites. I figured prices. Finally, I looked at the pair that turned out to be the favorite. Lo and behold, they were my size! I sat down. I tried them on. Perfect! It was as if they were made for my feet. After some walking around and a little more debating to make sure, they came home with me.

They're stylish.

They're somewhat "girly."

The tops are a nice, old-fashioned, faded red.

The bottoms are a comfortable, "distressed" brown.

The tops are taller, with a neat scalloped edge.

They're "me," and they're MINE! I will enjoy them, for sure.

What is it about cowgirls and boots??? This boot obsession came right along with the horse bug that bit me when I was younger. It took me awhile to get some boots, finally, after I got my horse. I settled for a pair I really didn't like. They were kinda ugly, but they were cheap, and they were boots, and I needed something safe to wear while riding. I was glad to get some better ones later, which I wore while doing the horse science thing in college. I wore them so much they got holes and had to be repaired! Then later I got a tall pair of light-colored ones with pull-holes at the top, which I wish I had kept, but got rid of them at one point. Many, many, many years went by, and I was out of the cowgirl thing and the boot thing. I was trying to be something else I really wasn't.

But now this cowgirl is back, with a vengeance! It's the real me.

Just what does it mean to be a cowgirl? To me, it has to do with some things that are describable, and some things that aren't. The describable things have to do with horses, the countryside, ranch- and farm-related things, a touch of old-fashionedness ... and boots (have to include those!). Hard-to-describe things have more to do with the mindset that goes along with a slower pace of life, being a good neighbor and friend to people, working hard when necessary, appreciating simpler things in life. (Though I fully realize you don't have to be a cowboy or a cowgirl to live with those qualities.) It has to do with the feeling I get when I see grasslands, pastures, fields and horizons. It has to do with thinking about the history of the plains and the ranch way of life. It has to do with the cameraderie that happens when people work together to get something done, or even enjoy an event together. It's a whole outlook and way of life.

As far as doing stuff in life, the happiest times I've had were when I was younger and enjoyed riding my horse, and more recently when I helped my husband one winter with doing cattle chores for a friend. Both of those times were pure bliss for me, I'll tell you.

One day, my husband and I were cleaning out a drill (used for wheat-sowing). We were literally out in the middle of nowhere. The wide, sunshiney sky had a few high clouds floating in it. It was breezy, but nice out. It was peaceful. We were happily working together to accomplish a task. The clock was the furthest thing from my mind. All the problems of life and the world dissolved away. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I think this gives a slight example of what this cowgirl is trying to say.

For me, it's a way of life that's totally worthwhile. It's simply where I'm at. I'm glad to be back to the real me.