November 28, 2006
You asked what I wanted for Christmas
I was born in a tiny town in Texas that most folks have never heard of. My family moved away when I was quite young, but I still retain memories of some of the special people and places there. My parent’s closest friends were house parents in an orphanage, and we visited there almost every week. The orphanage had a small working farm, and we were sometimes allowed to help the residents collect eggs, milk the cows and select the beans and tomatoes that would grace the table for our evening meal. But the memory that shines through the most clearly is that of a cowboy, whose name is now lost to me, but whose smile captured my heart. He was my first crush, a bull rider, and spent every weekend at the rodeo practice grounds that sat beside the orphanage barn. On Saturdays my siblings and I would join the crowd of orphans, precariously balanced on a split-rail fence, to watch our heroes. Splinters in hands, legs and backsides didn’t matter, nor did the clumps of mud that flew from wild hooves to smear our clothes and fleck our faces. We had front row seats to the rodeo! Those days, and that special cowboy who smiled at my prettier Big Sis, but always had a wink for runt-of-the-litter-me, fostered a life-long love of the rodeo in my heart.
Things have changed a lot since those days. I still go to watch the cowboys perform their amazing feats from time to time, and am the target of occasional teasing for watching the events that are televised. The weekend rodeo amateurs are now professionals contending for big prizes. One thing that hasn’t changed, though, is that the Professional Bull Riders are still my favorites. So Santa/Son, are you listening? The Professional Bull Riders Finals are in Las Vegas. You’ve been bugging me for a while now to join you for a trip to Las Vegas, and you’ve even talked about giving me a trip for Christmas this year. I’m thinking that some PBR Tickets would fit nicely in my stocking.
Who knows? Maybe he’ll be there to toss me a wink!
Technorati Tags: first crush, memories, rodeo
Posted by skeet @ 5:31 pm • Recreation, Home & Family
RSS feed for comments on this post.
TrackBack URI
November 28th, 2006 at 8:11 pm, Dirk_Star Says:
Thanks for your help.
See how easy it is to share goodwill!
I can’t afford tickets, but you can ride me like a bull until I throw you off!
November 28th, 2006 at 10:06 pm, skeet Says:
Aw, that’s a mighty sweet offer, but I’m old & creaky & only indulge in spectator sports these days.