A Cowgirl's Thoughts

I may not hold reins anymore, but I get to hold a leash. I may not hear the jingle of a bit, but I hear the jingle of tags on Tiny's collar. I may not ride a smooth trot, but Tiny has the most beautiful "pace" as she goes along. And I can still wear cowgirl boots when we go for a walk. I may not pet a horse's slick coat and luxurious mane, but I pet Tiny's smooth head and ruffle her soft fur. She's even shaped like a horse. And at least she won't bolt. Unless she sees a cat or squirrel. I'm thankful I had a horse for four years when I was younger. I'm thankful for pictures and stories of one set of grandparents having a homestead, and the other set of grandparents having a farm. I'm thankful for that heritage and those values. I'm thankful that even though I'm a "town kid," I've enjoyed opportunities to both herd and sort cattle, give cattle shots and ear tags, give horses shots, pick up and haul a round bale all on my own (a magnificent feat), stack hay, "taste" a horse's salt block, help fix fence, help build a gate, fill a cake feeder at the co-op (one from near up home in Kansas - YES!!!) and get bags of feed, open gates (of course), help Hubby feed cattle one winter (I was always in BLISS, and hated it when the work was done and we had to go back to town), take food to the field, load and haul cattle (remember "the day of the heifers," Hubby? LOL), ride in a wheat truck, ride in a combine, ride in a tractor, STEER a tractor (which was hilarious and not straight), clean out a wheat drill, work in an ag office, show a horse at a national stock show, run for rodeo queen, be in 4-H, babysit just-born piglets that had to be rescued out of a puddle, drink from a windmill .... well, it seems there's a lot that I've enjoyed the opportunity to do, even if just once or a few times. Also on the flip side I've ridden a bolting horse, fell off a horse, been ran over by a BIG steer, had my foot stepped on by a horse, been sunburned and saddle sore, fed a herd of horses in the bitter cold with snowdrifts chest-high, chopped ice, and lost a boot in the rain-filled muck of a cattle pen. I've been glad to see rain and sorry to see drought. Some of these things are from earlier years in Kansas, and a bunch of it is from recently down here in western Oklahoma. I've memorized names and locations of ranches and fields in both places. I still have a bridle (though not the original one), work gloves, a rope, and a little iron "roping dummy" that I have fun with. I guess God has reasons He never allowed me to actually live on a farm or ranch or in the country, and I can see why now that I'm older, but I sure am thankful for EVERYTHING that I've had the joy of doing that has anything to do with farm or ranch or agriculture or horses. Being out in the country and doing these things is literally medicine for me. All of it makes this cowgirl-at-heart happy.