What intimidates you, gentle reader? Oh, come on now, I would bet ya a dollar against an upside down horseshoe on the bunkhouse door, you have felt intimidated before.

I know that I have. When we are in our teens we feel as if we HAVE to measure up before our peers. My legs were so skinny and my feet so big when I was 15, anyone with calves in their legs, small feet and especially if they were shaving or had lots of hair on their legs, intimidated me. In the dressing room in the field house getting suited up to either practice or go play any sport, I was always intimidated. How silly I realized later in life.

Turns out I was an all district selection two years in a row on offense and defense on the only football team that went undefeated, and still hold that honor, since it played it’s first game in 1938. We were never defeated in regular season play the last two years of high school.

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I really grew into my feet and yes, my legs are still a little skinny but “Little Miss Martha” always told me how handsome my legs were. Go figure.

Hoss traders sometimes would intimidate me when I was first entertaining the thought of being a “real cowboy” and making that my life’s profession. I remember when we lived on our 75 acres north of Amarillo. I contracted to take care of several hundred steers on the four section ranch that joined us. I needed another horse, or so I thought. I had one pony that was adequate but went to look at a hoss a feller had advertised on a post up board at our local quick stop. The place where the horse was, was junky to say the least. Old scrap iron, wire, truck parts, you name it were everywhere. The feller that owned him fit right in. This ol’ pony was a big, tall, skinny roan with a little pig eye. He had him saddled up when I arrived.

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Many times they will do that so you can’t see all of their scars and whatnot. We were in a small pen and there was a reason for that for when I stepped up on him, he reared straight up and almost went over backwards. When he came down, I offered, “I don’t think he will work for me.” “Whatsamatter, is he a little too much hoss for ya?” “Yup, he is, but he must not be for you cause you still got’em,” I shot back. I was a little intimidated that he recognized I was purty green, green but not stupid. That was a trader’s story line if you didn’t buy their horse.

I have learned over the years that I just don’t need to be intimidated for any reason by anyone. There have been those occasions when I would find myself engaged in a conversation with someone much more educated than myself and realize that maybe I should listen and learn and come out the better for it.

In our society it appears to me that we put so much pressure on folks to get all that a higher education offers, that many times folks just fail in life because of the yoke placed upon their back. Don’t get me wrong. There are those that higher education is exactly what they need.

Doctors, lawyers, scientist and the likes make our world go round. I think I will just leave you with a quote from the late Steve Jobs, billionaire, who died at 56 from cancer. Steve says, “don’t educate your kids to be rich! Educate them to be happy so when they grow up, they will know the value of things and not the PRICE!” He had also said that he couldn’t pay anyone to die for him or to do all of the things that he would have done if he could live!

One more thing, I mentioned wolves in my last column… well guess what? I received a photo from a neighbor who had a friend take this photo of a large wolf just a few miles up the road from the ONO. Yep, I reckon they are here and have been for a good while.

Stay tuned, check yer cinch on occasion, remember, basic research is what you are doin’ when you don’t know WHAT you are doing!, I’ll c. y’all, all y’all.