No Free Horses!

No Free Horses!
Shiloh - a rescued horse (date was 7/14)

Friday, March 26, 2010

A Cowboy Named Rusty

It was fortuitous that Oz-Girl and I both had appointments that coincided on the same day so we happily agreed to spend the sunny, WINDY afternoon together in "the Big City."

In between appointments, we had time to stop in to visit Oz-Girl's favorite coffee shop, Panera . . . where she and I got her favorite kind of coffee -- Hazelnut.

After my appointment, we headed up north of the city to have a late lunch at the only Cracker Barrel restaurant in the area . . . and we poked around in the shop and bought some sweet gifts for some family members . . .

It was with a feeling of contentment that I left the shop to walk out to the parking lot . . . It had been a pleasant afternoon . . .

Suddenly, our eyes were drawn to activity across the street . . .

Holy Cow!!!!! . . . I mean, "Cows!!!"

No . . . REALLY . . . There was a Round-up happening right down the main street of town!!!!!!!

and the proud-looking, straight-backed character herding the cattle was none other than the legendary Rusty Flatiron on his trusty steed Steel Bar . . .


I could tell Oz-Girl was enthralled by this tall, burnished, hard-riding cowboy . . . Something about the way he sat his horse and held his lariat must have reminded her of her beloved Marlboro Man . . .


Thankfully, I had my camera in hand . . . What a great opportunity for photos!  . . . but before I could take off the lens cover, Oz-Girl had picked her way across the busy highway and headed right toward the trotting cattle.

Now, these weren't just any cattle . . . They were rare and valuable Hard-nosed, Hairless Ironhorns . . .


Oblivious to everything else around her, Oz-Girl didn't heed my warning shouts . . . she just jumped right into the herd and took the bull by the horns!  (I think she may have been trying to impress Rusty.)

It was as if she couldn't hear me . . .  Dang, but that woman is tenacious . . . When she gets focused on something . . . well, let's just say she got hooked.
The last I saw of her, she was getting carried along by the bull at the front of the drive . . . down the Chisholm Trail . . . with the unflappable Rusty Flatiron driving the herd from behind.

In a panic, I pulled out my cell phone and called Marlboro Man . . . told him to grab his lariat and best horse . . . The last I knew, he was racing to head them off at the pass . . .

Ahh . . .the hazards of Life in Oz-Land . . .

22 comments:

  1. Ok, so my acting skills leave a bit to be desired. Can we re-take these? LOL

    And then you have the highly desired side-effect of seeing oneself in pictures..... NO MORE DOUGHNUTS FOR ME!!!!!

    Seriously, had lots of fun, we'll have to both take our cameras more often. Great blog fodder. :-)

    (And that's a pretty good tall tale you weave there too!)

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  2. Are you sure she was only drinking hazelnut coffee?

    At any rate, sounds like good fun.

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  3. I just knew Susan was a "take the bull by the horn's kind of girl"-now we have the pictures to prove it! She's a hard worker and I'm glad to see her having a silly fun kind of day with a friend.

    Nice to "meet" you!
    Chester's Mom ;0=)

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  4. I think she's going to give her Marlboro Man a run for his money. : )

    ~Andrea~

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  5. You two make a trip to town an adventure. Fun photos.

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  6. Oz Girl may want to try a decaf. JK Looks like a fun girls day in town!

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  7. Oz Girl sent me here for a visit -- looks like you two had a wonderful crazy roundup outing! I'll be back for another visit! Have a great weekend...

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  8. You have to watch those iron horns. They are dangerous.

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  9. Thank you all for coming by to share in our fun Friday in the big city. You can tell that neither one of us gets out much . . .
    Cracker Barrel and rusty, old cowboys make our little, country hearts go pitter-pat . . . and, NO, Oz-girl ONLY had coffee . . . no pastries . . . but it WAS high-test coffee . . . I mean, is there any other kind worth drinking???????
    As you can see, she made it home . . . a little rumpled and dusty with a side that is healing from an Ironhorn gash . . . but I know she'll wear it proudly in remembrance of our exciting outing. Will probably be quite awhile before we have that kind of excitement again . . . Talk about a slow-paced country life. :)

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  10. Sounds like my stomping grounds! I was just at Panera's Friday morning grabbing a coffee and a scone for me and a cinnamon bun for the hubby...and that was after working out at the Y!!! The Cracker Barrel is wonderful and I'm very familiar with that 'cowboy' and his cattle! Glad you girls had a wonderful time. Susan you did a good job with that longhorn!

    Maura

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  11. Glad you two had a fun day in town, annnd that is the Oz Girl we all knew back in her hometown, LOL!!

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  12. What a rusty tale you've woven and you couldn't have picked a more fitting STAR for the show. I love Oz Girl!!

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  13. Loved the story and the photos. That Oz-Girl is a wild one! :)

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  14. Looks like one dangerous bull. Quick! Get Oz Girl a tetanus shot now!


    lol!
    What a fun duo you girls are. Now why didn't you hop on the Steel Bar behind Rusty and give the girl a hand?


    ~Lisa

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  15. That's funny...it put a smile on my face. You live in an interesting place!

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  16. Holly- I think you need to be writing BOOKS.. Ev

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  17. Funny post. That must have been a riot.

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  18. Sounds like you went hog wild in town together..:)

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  19. You can take the country girl out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the country girl. Looks like you both had a good time.

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