Bullriders, cowmen and girls, and animal husbandry

[Front-Ranger]

Seems we go through a Western phase about every 20 years. The last one was in 1980 with Urban Cowboy and the bullrider this time was John Travolta who, along with Debra Winger, rode a mechanical bull in a Houston bar.

Other bull/cow sightings: Gertrude Stein boasted that she was the best cow-giver around in an article in the latest New Yorker magazine. I'll let you guess for a bit what the word "cow" means in this case.

[Front-Ranger]

Next up, a couple of anecdotes from my own experience. First, I was hired to review and suggest improvements to a dairymen's association publication. I met with the head of the group, who was unhappy with the publication and, specifically with its editor, an experienced and professional communicator (and a woman, as the majority of the people in that profession are). His major beef (sorry!) was that the stories weren't written the way he would like them to be and "maybe it's time for the ladies to step down as editor." I had to restrain myself from pointing out that without females the dairy profession would be nonexistent. The editor and I had a laugh about it later.

The other story (I'm repeating myself here) was my sighting of the huge statue of a Hereford bull outside a corn maze that I spotted near Loveland, Colorado, the juxtaposition of a venerated cow with a labyrinth in a modern setting. Evidence that bullriding and cowboys are the modern vestiges of an ancient heritage.

My point, (and I do have one! thanks Ellen) is coming!! Watch this space!!

[Front-Ranger]

Okay, I have left you cowgirls and cowboys on tenterhooks way too long. The meaning of "cows" as Gertrude Stein uses it, is--in case you haven't been reading your New Yorker recently-- orgasms.

[Front-Ranger]

Speaking of dogs, here's my son and his alter ego, a half-Husky, half-malamute named Kapu (and he's lovin the current blizzard conditions--prancin around like Ennis with his blankie!!)

[Kd5000]

O/T   CATS
I'd rather be a cat.   Ancient Egyptians used to worhsip them I think.  Cows are sacred in Hindu culture, but the rest of the world has a different take. Dogs are despised in the Muslim world. I believe ownership of a dog other then to be used as protection is illegal in Iran.  Don't thiink there has ever been a society that worshipped dogs.  Maybe I'm mistaken.

I wonder how long cats have been domesticated? Never owned a cat. I'm familiar with cows. Owned dogs before.  I like (some) dogs better then cats.

[Front-Ranger]

Just for you, Karl, a cat picture. Actually, to take this picture, I first arranged my real life Jack on a mountain, and then I substituted our sunroom for the mountain. I took off his boots and substituted a baseball cap for a cowboy hat. I then substituted our cat for the blue heeler. But otherwise, it's exactly the same!!

http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php?topic=710.msg124693#msg124693

[Front-Ranger]

I had to go play with my dog for a while, because he was upset with me for dallying with tall Pennsylvanians in cowboy hats for too long!

The thing that I love about dogs and that drives me crazy is their loyalty. You can leave a dog alone cooped up in a garage or chained to a leash for hours and hours, but who is the first, and often the only creature to welcome you when you get home from work? The dog. A dog will lick your hand even while you are using it to beat him. (not that I know, but it does happen when I brush his coat, which can get quite painful.) A dog will not even take food from you when you hold it out if he thinks he might hurt you doing it. A dog will lick your chin gratefully even if you give him leftover Thanksgiving stuffing consisting mostly of celery to eat.

How OT can a topic get? I want to talk about Pennsylvanians some more. We should have a contest for the most OT thread. Tall Pennsylvanians in cowboy hats keep coming into my life. First, there was my FRiend Ennis, who in RL goes by Adam. Then there was Owen Wister, who wrote The Virginian. There is also Amanda, I don't know if she is tall but I imagine her being tall and willowy. Now I have this nice virtual houseguest Jeff who is helping me stave off cabin fever. Thanks, Jeff!! Another FRiend John Beene (who's from Texas and doesn't drink coffee far as I can tell) was kidding Adam because of the way he says "Gary." I say Gary the same way...can I be an honorary Pennsylvanian? I would be happy to as long as it's where I'm from, not where I am! I have only been to Pennsylvania once. I flew into Harrisburg and then stayed in Lancaster. I got stuck behind an Amish buggy when going to tour a sewage plant. I also visited an ice cream store with a dairy next door, and the freezers ran on methane energy from the cows. There, I am on topic again!! Ta-da!!

[Jeff Wrangler]

I had to go play with my dog for a while, because he was upset with me for dallying with tall Pennsylvanians in cowboy hats for too long!

The thing that I love about dogs and that drives me crazy is their loyalty. You can leave a dog alone cooped up in a garage or chained to a leash for hours and hours, but who is the first, and often the only creature to welcome you when you get home from work? The dog. A dog will lick your hand even while you are using it to beat him. (not that I know, but it does happen when I brush his coat, which can get quite painful.) A dog will not even take food from you when you hold it out if he thinks he might hurt you doing it. A dog will lick your chin gratefully even if you give him leftover Thanksgiving stuffing consisting mostly of celery to eat.

You're making me want a dog, little darlin'. OK, I've been wanting a dog, now you're just making me want a dog even more. But I wasn't raised with dogs (cats, either, for that matter--my father HATES cats) because in the early 1960s doctors (stupidly if well-meaningly) thought pets would make a small boy's allergies worse.  But a one-bedroom high-rise home is no place for even a small dog, I know that. It wouldn't be fair to the dog. And since I wasn't raised with dogs and have no experience caring for them, I'll just have to stand it, and content myself with being friends with my friend John's Dalmatian, Amadeus, and my cousin's Brittany spaniel Holly. (Holly likes me because I scratch her ears by the hour. ...  )

How OT can a topic get? I want to talk about Pennsylvanians some more. We should have a contest for the most OT thread. Tall Pennsylvanians in cowboy hats keep coming into my life. First, there was my FRiend Ennis, who in RL goes by Adam. Then there was Owen Wister, who wrote The Virginian. There is also Amanda, I don't know if she is tall but I imagine her being tall and willowy. Now I have this nice virtual houseguest Jeff who is helping me stave off cabin fever. Thanks, Jeff!! Another FRiend John Beene (who's from Texas and doesn't drink coffee far as I can tell) was kidding Adam because of the way he says "Gary." I say Gary the same way...can I be an honorary Pennsylvanian? I would be happy to as long as it's where I'm from, not where I am! I have only been to Pennsylvania once. I flew into Harrisburg and then stayed in Lancaster. I got stuck behind an Amish buggy when going to tour a sewage plant. I also visited an ice cream store with a dairy next door, and the freezers ran on methane energy from the cows. There, I am on topic again!! Ta-da!!

Glad to help fight off that cabin fever.  Do I really want to know what you were doing visiting a sewage plant in my home (as in birthplace, not current residence) county of Lancaster, Pennsylvania? Probably not. ... 

How does John Beene pronounce "Gary"? Wish I could figger out a way to spell how we pronounce "Gary." We pronounce it to rhyme with "Cary" (as in "Grant"), but I suppose that's no help if you pronounce "Cary Grant" as "Kerry (as in the senator from Massachusetts) Grant," now does it? Anyway, somebody who hails from a state where they say "kiow" and "waff" instead of "cow" and "wife" (according to Annie Proulx) ain't got no business makin' fun of how native Pennsylvanians say "Cary." 

I'm really a short Pennsylvanian with a tall cowboy hat, but you can think of me as tall if you like, I won't complain. 

(I downloaded those pi'tures of Adam on Brokenback Mountain. ...  )

[moremojo]

But a one-bedroom high-rise home is no place for even a small dog, I know that. It wouldn't be fair to the dog.

Jeff, you might consider adopting a cat or two (assuming you're not allergic to 'em). A cat, or even two cats, could fare quite well in a high-rise abode, and they don't demand the kind of attention and space that a dog really needs. Cats can really be affectionate animals, and yet are not nearly as high-maintenance as canines. You might make of this an early Xmas present to yourself!

[nakymaton]

I wonder how long cats have been domesticated?

Are cats domesticated now?

My cat would like me to tell you that SHE has domesticated ME, not vice versa, and that someday she will train me not to move my arms when I type.