Cowboys, Made of Awesome

Some modern folks, when they hear his name, will roll their eyes and look ashamed, thinking the cowboy is uncivilized, with his hats, and guns, and round-up rides. That somehow they are beyond the stuff, to good for the wild, and the rough, following some unwritten ‘elite’ law, suppressing the urge to shout ‘yee-haw!’ But I think when it all is said and done, cowboys are truly made of awesome… Riding swift across the wide-open plains, coat flapping behind like your horse’s mane, maneuvering a large and panicked herd, turning a stampede with iron nerves, rough-hewn men cooking by the firelight, coyote chorus yips through the night, knowing that for all the wind and grit, it sure beats sitting in an office. A battered hat worth more than any pearl, grabs the attention of the cowgirls, boots that announce you in any room, be you a mere hand, or fancy bride-groom. Leather vests that dress up any shirt, and somehow can even make fringe"work, a bandana or a wild rag, with a thousand uses, not a mere fad. The tell-tale jangle comes from your spurs, vast coat made out of buffalo fur. Square-dance, line-dance, twirl a girl around, to fiddle and steel guitar’s sound, campfire songs to entertain the kids, harmonicas to sing the blues with, teaching the folks to throw a lasso, then breaking out tricks with swirling rope. Living life by a strong honor code, one that good people would do well to know. Wyatt Earp and his famous revenge ride, Masterson cut Dodge City down to size, Doc Holliday gambling with a death wish, Billy the Kid, criminal, yet tragic, Wild Bill holding those aces & eights, and old Kit Carson, out blazing the way, Buffalo Bill brought the people a dream, and who can forget, the legend Bass Reeves? A six-gun at ready, holster right side, the lines of a Winchester, ever sublime. Ranches that sprawl on mountain and prairie, riding the trails where man can breath free, rampaging rodeo, those guns are fun, and damn can those barrel-racers run! Living out of doors, by both skill and luck, be it on a horse or a pick-up truck, It’s clear that when all is said and done, that cowboys are truly made of awesome.