Spider

A cool Google gadget.

Well, "cool" is in the eye of the beholder, I suppose.

(Sometimes it doesn't show up; you may have to do as I do, refresh the page)

Ol' Smokey

This is Smokey, a horse who belongs to a pal's dad. Both Smokey and his owner are retired, and ol' Smokey is allowed to run free on the half-section where my friend's father has a small cow-calf operation south of Miami, Texas.

My friend was off work yesterday and called me, wanting me to come down. After I rolled into town, I couldn't find my buddy at home, so I went to his folk's house. His mom was there and told me they were moving some cattle from one pasture to another. She wasn't for sure which place they'd be at (they lease another half-section a few miles away) but she said they'd wind up at the place they own before they went home and I couldn't miss 'em.

I told her I would just visit with Smokey until they got there and had brought some sugar cubes and an apple for him. I really like this horse; he's more personable than most horses I've been around, and enjoys the treats I bring him and likes me to rub his ol' gnarly head.

My friend's mom said they were bringing Smokey into town; they were going to have him shot! I was taken aback, and said "Have him shot???"

She laughed, and said "No, have him SHOD!"

I am such a doofus.

The gate to their place was locked, so I knew they were at the other pasture. I drove over there, but didn't see them, so decided I'd go back and wait at the other place. This time, the gate was open so I drove down to the pens. They weren't there, but I knew they'd be back soon because Smokey was tied up to the fence.



He was glad to see me, happy to get the treats, but I could tell he was a bit miffed at being tied up. He kept looking down the road; I expect he was looking for his owner and hoping he'd soon be let loose.



He kept stamping his feet; not merely to get the flies off, but to show his displeasure at being tied up so short!

I took several videos of him; this one is the "best".

Beatle on the Road

Paul McCartney on Route 66

Sir Paul and new girlfriend stop in Amarillo on his Route 66 tour.

Glad he found someone to cook him a vegetarian meal here in Beef Country.

I'm not so sure Ru Paul would've gone as relatively unnoticed.

I like McCartney, and loved the Beatles' music, but....

I'd rather have met Ron Paul, though.

What's in the Cards?

What Your Playing Cards Tell About Your Future

Right now you are focused on your internal emotions, including a bit of pain and suffering. Your emotions are currently tied to a trusted woman in your life. She is just, and she has your best interests at heart. A close friend who you've lost contact is ready to reconnect with you. And this new relationship is likely to be romantic in nature. The near future will bring a shady, selfish person into your life. This person will bring a lot of bad news. Beware of some very bad news. This may mean the loss of someone close - or the loss of a close relationship.

The Playing Card Test

What a crock.

Viva La Vida - Coldplay

Hot practices, Bucks and fawns

Great article on h.s. football on Amarillo.com today.

It mentions my alma mater and speaks highly of the football field. I tried to leave a comment, but it's either been rejected (the story of my online life) or hasn't been approved yet.

I believe I've mentioned it before (and I did in my comment at the website), but the field wasn't nearly as nice when I was playing as it is today. There were so many sticker patches, we named it "Goathead Bowl". Back then, coaches thought going without water would make us stronger (duh, we weren't camels, fer cryin' out loud) and would give us only one water break for a three/four hour practice.

"Drink water, you'll just have to stop and pee it out!" they'd bellow at us.

So many times, when a water break was called, we would all rush over to the irrigation pipe, turn it on and start gulping down water only to have a salamander (or two or three) crawl out (of the hose, not our mouths) after slaking our thirst.

We finally learned to let it run for a while and shake the hose to rid it of any amphibians. I don't remember any "Ewwww"s being said, as most of us boys had quenched our thirst several times in horse troughs/cattle tanks...just pushed away the scum on top and drank our fill.