Life Lesson, Growing Up in the West
This drawing of the sheriff was made in 1964, 58 years ago, I was 26.
The lesson begins…When I was in my early teen’s, dad and I were horseback riding on the open range in the western part of the county. I was riding a little horse we called Buckskin Nellie. Dad’s mount was a long-legged sorrel guiding. As a colt Nellie ran alongside her mother in a herd of wild mustangs. The mare eventually became part of the Hyde stable where she proved to be an exceptional saddle horse. The buckskin had a fast smooth walking gait that transitioned into a rocking chair lope. The little horse had great endurance as well; she could walk faster and farther than most large horses. The range we were riding was open to the local ranchers for grazing cattle, but remnants of some barbed wire fencing could still be found.
About an hour into the ride I noticed Nellie began walking askew favoring the right front leg. From the saddle I could see the horse had somehow snagged a strand of barbed wire that was wrapped like a loose knot around her fetlock and up the leg. The barbs are sharp and could seriously injure an animal. Dad and I dismounted and surveyed the situation. The horses, being range broke, didn’t panic. They stood quietly eating a little June grass. Dad was calm as he cut off a chunk of chew and took in the scene. With a wry smile he asked, “I guess you don’t have a pair of wire cutters in your saddle bag do ya?” I smiled.??After a minute of mediation he said, “I don’t know about you, but I have to take a break and relieve myself. I concurred. We took a few steps away from the horses to a little ledge, dad face west, I faced south, and we took care of business.
As we finished dad asked me how much change I had. I counted out 78 cents. He indicated he had a dollar fifty-three. He said, “There is a little café in Snowville that has the best custard pie you’ll ever eat. I believe we have enough money to stop and get a piece on the way home.” As I checked to see if I was zipped, I said, “I’ve never tasted custard pie.” Dad exclaimed, “You’re in for a treat.” Then he asked, “How’s your horse doing?” I turned to the horses and couldn’t believe what I was seeing.??Nellie had carefully worked her leg out of the wire knot and the two horse were peacefully grazing. I exclaimed, “The mare freed herself.” After a pause, Dad replied, “That’s a good life lesson son.” I thought about what he said for a minute and then asked, “What’s that dad?” He responded, “When you think you have a problem, sometimes it’s best to stop take a leak and count your change and nine times out of ten, the problem will solve itself.”??The custard pie was unbelievably good.