Working Ranch Magazine - Index

Working Ranch Magazine - magazine - Index

18 |WORKING RANCH | JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2008
takes me awhile to ruminate on
something like this. I needed to reset
my saddle and give my horse a blow
before I finally figured out my position
on the subject.
Apparently the young, talented
Country singer (whatever “Country
Music” is anymore) loves critters so
much she won’t eat any of ‘em, but
she’s not afraid to croon her little heart
out in front of thousands of country
kids who plan on making at least part
of their living raising, selling and promoting
the deliciousness of those
same animals. Now there’s a conflict of
interest for the record books.
Many moons ago one of the young
cowboys on a crew I worked on
brought his new girlfriend out to the
ranch for a tour. He unloaded her at
the barn where I happened to be
shoein’ a horse. After a quick howdydo
she skipped off toward the pens to
cuddle up to the wrangle horse, who
leaned right in to all this girly-style
affection.
When she was out of earshot, the
kid whispers to me, “She’s a vegetarian!”
My eyebrows went up faster than
the Canadian dollar.
“You told her where hamburgers
come from, right?” I asked while we
watched her spoil our good horse.
“Yeah, she knows”, he assured me.
It took off my hat, scratched my head
and thought to myself, “How in the
dickens did a die-hard cowboy end up
with a girl like that?” This was gonna
take more ruminating for me to understand
the implications but after visiting
with the young lady, who impressed
me as articulate, intelligent and most
genuine, it all boiled down to one simple
philosophy they seemed to share;
you do your thing and I’ll do mine, as
long as you leave me alone to do it.
Mutual tolerance is a virtue worth
striving for. Us cowboys could use a
booster shot, I s’pose. And as long as
Underwood doesn’t step over the line
I’ll gladly give her the vegetables offa
my plate. That way I can concentrate
on the meat and potatoes and everybody’s
happy.
About the only time you’ll ever catch a working cowboy out in a vegetable garden is if he happens
to be chasin’ a cow through it. Besides, it’s a known fact in cowboy culture that fresh,
juicy vegetables can upset the delicate balance of a cowpuncher’s intestinal constitution, one
based on meat, potatoes and grain-based formulations. That’s why I’m more than happy to
give Carrie Underwood and all her friends my share of peas and carrots, as long as they keep
to themselves and don’t start making a fuss about what’s hanging off the end of my fork.
PHOTO BY ANITA PATTERSON PEPPERS