Thursday, September 30, 2010

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Cow Fighting - Letters From a 17 Year Old Cowboy

Cow Fighting and Snakes

The Workings of the 17 Year Old Mind – Excerpts From a Letter

I came across an old letter of mine written to my parents. I have no idea where it came from – it was just there. My mother must have saved it and put it into a book and it fell out. At any rate I found it amusing to see what I wrote and how it compared with the way I remembered it. One of the snakes is much longer in my memory then what I wrote in the letter. I was working on my Uncle Luverne’s ranch in western South Dakota in the summer before my senior year in high school.

Excerpts

Cow Fighting Craig

One of Uncle Luverne’s cows broke her leg when we were chasing them. It was dark and they were on the road. Luverne was in the pickup and I got out on foot to move them along. The cow fell and I think she thought I was responsible. She almost got me then and several times afterwards when we were feeding her on the prairie. Two days ago Luverne decided to get her in the barn. He tried to drive her by horse and I on foot but she ran me out of the country and she butted the horse out of the creek. We could not get her to move towards the corral.

At last I took off my shirt and bull (cow) fought her up to the barn (1 mile). I would wave my shirt and she would charge. I could just barely outrun her, but always managed to do so. When she gave up I would jump around her head, and twist and waive until she charged again. She almost got me several times when I was careless. It was really good cross-country practice.

Snake Charming

Last week we finished putting up the hay. I rode the sled behind the baler stacking hay bales into small piles before pushing them off the sled. A rattlesnake came out of the baler partially in the baler, with the business end of the snake sticking out. The snake was unhappy and he made me nervous.

The next day I was stacking hay. I was on the top of the very tall stack and Luverne was using the stacker tracker to lift hay up to me. As he lifted the small stack up to me I could see a very large rattler hanging below the small stack. The thick tines of the stacker had ran through the snake. The snake was striking at everything that moved. Luverne could not see the snake. I kept yelling for him not to give me the snake. I was preparing to bail out and jump when Luverne spotted the snake. It was over three feet long (6 feet long in my memory) and had 7 big rattles with probably that many more broken off. Luverne told me I did not have to stack any more if I was nervous but of course I said no problem. But every stick I saw in the hay for the next couple of days made me jump.

Model A

Craig and Neal in the Rumble Seat, Luverne and Herman the Dog in Front

I bought a 1930 Model A Cabrolet Coupe (Roadster with convertible top and rumble seat. Ray Boe and I rebuilt the engine and put it back in the car. I still haven’t got to do much body work on it but hope to have it painted by the time you arrive. I plan to run it back in perfect exterior and running condition. (as you can see from the photo she was not exactly in perfect condition, but I still loved her)

The Model A and I back in Chicago

More about the Model A Trip at:

modelahullinger.blogspot.com

Big Bird Video

Sand Hill Cranes in our Neighborhood May 18, 2015. The blog and video is mine and it is for the birds.

birdsofsarasota.blogspot.com

Click for a video

Big Bird Video

Armadillo in the Bathroom

One morning a few years ago I was up very early and in the downstairs shower. As I emerged from the shower my wife called down to tell me there was an Armadillo in our upstairs bathroom who had frightened her. I sprinted upstairs to save the damsel in distress, throwing on the first garment I saw which was her very short kimono. I looked like porky pig, with my lower 1/2 exposed.

As I ran upstairs I realized that there are no armadillos in northern Illinois. It must either be a raccoon or an opossum.

I hoped it was an opossum, since a raccoon is a lot tougher. It was in fact an opossum, very unhappy, with lots of sharp teeth. How was I going to get him out of the bathroom?

I hit on the idea of getting a broom to drag him out from next to the commode, and then trap him with a plastic laundry basket, and then slide a board underneath the basket.

A wiser man would have stopped to get fully clothed with heavy garments before engaging in close combat. No one has every found me to be wise.

As I closed in my friend the opossum with his amazing array of sharp small teeth I was worried about my exposed condition. Fortunately my plan worked like a charm, and I captured Mr. Possum with the laundry basket.

I carried him carefully down the stairs, keeping one hand on top of the basket and the other hand under the board, keeping possum trapped. I had to set him down to open the door.

I then picked him up and moved outside, in my bare feet and skimpy porky pig outfit, into about two inches of snow. I set the laundry basket down intending to overturn it and release Mr. Possum.

But he did not understand the plan. As soon as I set him down inside the laundry basket he bolted for freedom. I should have let him and the laundry basket go but for some reason I thought I had to chase him down and recover the basket.

So, the laundry basket is proceeding across the new snow with me in hot pursuit, running barefoot through the snow in a skimpy porky pig outfit, naked from the waist down,

As I pursued Possum I hoped that the neighbors or the police did not observe me. It would have been a bit hard to explain. And I was the Village Manager of our small town of University Park, making it doubly humiliating.

Fortunately Possum ran into a tree, freeing himself and running off into the woods. I grabbed the basket and ran back to the house, so far as I know unobserved by neighbors or police.

How did he get into the home? We lived in the woods. We must have left the garage door open and he came into the garage. Then we must have left the door from the garage to the home open, allowing Possum to come and visit.

Adios, Possum, I hope you are doing well.

Wild Turkey in our Yard

Wild Turkey in our Front Yard in Sarasota, Florida.

Video Where Two Turkey's Meet - The Wild Guy and Me.

What a Turkey

The aggressive conservation practices and environmental improvements that we have made over the past 40 years has certainly led to more wildlife. In Florida we have alligators, various snakes, armadillos, turtles, otters, numerous wild birds and many other animals in our subdivisions. We have set aside wetlands and created detention ponds and protected substantial amount of land. It is nice to see and we can be proud of those efforts.