[AGL] Ride like the wind

[michelemason]

Gerry, I sympathize. Horses are much easier to fence than cattle. 
Cattle are like dozers with the key left on—they just keep moving 
forward bit by bit. It does take a tight "bobbed" wire to manage them.  
mm

On Jul 13, 2006, at 8:15 PM, Gerry wrote:

> Michelle,
> I doubt if you will find a cowboy or someone connected to the cow life 
> on this list. But you might find a lawyer if the stray horse gets into 
> trouble.
>  
> I have been building and patching fence on my acre to keep the stock 
> out. There is an ungodly herd of cattle (a brahma cow, 2 angus bulls, 
> several multi-colored yearlings, etc.) who roam up and down the river 
> and settle in here from time to time, most recently this past weekend. 
> I call them the "devil herd". Eventually the owner will come looking 
> for them and drive them home (about 5 miles up the river) but he 
> doesn't believe in fences. In NM you have to fence the stock out, and 
> it is legal for them to roam any areas they can penetrate.
>  
> My fences took a big hit a couple of years ago when I was flooded out. 
> This winter I was chasing cows off the property when I tripped and 
> fell, broke a rib. They are very hungry this year and also very 
> determined, but so am I. I think I have my garden protected, about 40 
> new t-posts driven by hand (with barbed and chain link wire). But the 
> perimeter fences are so bad I can't fix them all, just prop them as 
> best I can. I am also building some fence with rough cut lumber, looks 
> nice and works good but heavy and hard to handle.
>  
> It is very hot but quite beautiful here at present, clouds up most 
> afternoons. The drought was broken last week with nearly 3 inches of 
> soft rain over a 3 day period. It dowsed the forest fires and sent the 
> dormant seed layer asprouting throughout the valley. Also settled the 
> dust for the first time since last fall. So we are green again. The 
> garden plants are thriving and all's right with the world--until the 
> heat and wind dry it all up again. Typically this is the time of year 
> when we get most of our annual rainfall, the monsoon season.
>  
> I hope your horse doesn't get into too much trouble. Someone might 
> recognize him and bring him home.
>  
> Soaking it up in NM,
> G
>  
>  
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: michelemason
>> To: survivors' reminiscences about Austin Ghetto Daze in the 60s
>> Cc: michelemason
>> Sent: Thursday, July 13, 2006 11:48 AM
>> Subject: Re: [AGL] Ride like the wind
>>
>> Gerry, there is no passion to equal a oneness with your horse, 
>> looking across mile and mile of open land. I would gladly die to go 
>> that way. However, this is not about horse lovers, or haters. This is 
>> about being sued by someone who has a wreck with a horse on the 
>> hwy—they take your land! There's nothing romantic about it. Of course 
>> I love these horses, but I would be ruined and homeless without my 
>> land. Please, this is not a game, or hobby. mm
>>
>>
>> On Jul 13, 2006, at 12:35 PM, Gerry wrote:
>>
>>> Living in the midst of a cattle culture  I see horses everyday. 
>>> There are some small herds of cowboy ponies that I always enjoy 
>>> observing (at a distance), beautiful beasts.
>>>  
>>> I thought about Michelle the other day when I saw a trailer full of 
>>> horses at the main crossroads with a sign that read "horses for 
>>> sale". I counted four of them in the trailer, all bridled and ready 
>>> to show. It has been a hard year for the hard scrabble ranchers here 
>>> in beyond severe drought country.
>>>  
>>> My neighbors are mostly horse people and we get along fine. I have 
>>> seen some marvelous displays of horsemanship during my tenure here. 
>>> A number of girls and young women among the mounted crews that move 
>>> the cattle from pasture to pasture.
>>>  
>>> One of my friends, a California retiree with a big bankroll and 
>>> unrealistic ambitions, bought a couple of horses. He went to "horse 
>>> classes" for a time. I saw him in the saddle once and realized that 
>>> he was a disaster waiting to happen, no natural feel for the horse 
>>> at all. The first one which broke his hip socket occurred when he 
>>> was feeding them one day and foolishly stood in the gate while they 
>>> rushed through. The second one got him when the horse reared while 
>>> was mounted, he fell off and got stomped a little. This one resulted 
>>> in a crushed pelvis, long recovery, sometimes still uses a cane. He 
>>> has moved to town and no longer has horses.
>>>  
>>> Rode a few as a boy but wasn't around them at the right time and 
>>> developed no affection for them. But I have observed that "horse 
>>> fever", a passion that overtakes some people who embrace horses is 
>>> often incurable. I prefer baseball.
>>>  
>>> G
>>>  
>>>  
>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>> From: Frances Morey
>>>> To: survivors' reminiscences about Austin Ghetto Daze in the 60s
>>>> Sent: Thursday, July 13, 2006 10:36 AM
>>>> Subject: Re: [AGL] Ride like the wind
>>>>
>>>> Michele,
>>>> I stopped liking horses when one of Tom Sutherland's Arabians tried 
>>>> to run under a low hanging limb to scrape me off its back. I had to 
>>>> hang off his side and ride like an Indian. My attitude was 
>>>> reinforced at a chili cook-off when a slow moving horse tangled his 
>>>> legs up in a low strung rope and tumbled. It was like slow motion 
>>>> and I was able to jump clear of having my leg crushed under the 
>>>> weight of the falling horse. Then there was the unfortunate demise 
>>>> of Chris Reeves...
>>>> you get the picture? As far as my love affair with animals goes I 
>>>> am down to a four guppies, four angels, five danios, and two albino 
>>>> catfish.
>>>> My advice is is to extricate yourself from the "country" and find a 
>>>> niche in town. Admitting to yourself that you can no longer do 
>>>> everything you would like to saves a lot of wasteful angst and 
>>>> regret. My lawyer and best friend at age 64 suffered a stroke two 
>>>> weeks ago and is not likely to recover. It makes sense to rethink 
>>>> priorities when we reach our sixties as our time draws neigh.
>>>> Best,
>>>> Frances
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> michelemason <coltrane at ev1.net> wrote:
>>>>> Frances, Sorry to interfere, but lost the list out of my book 
>>>>> somehow.
>>>>> URGENT! HELP NEEDED. Are there any real cowboys on the list. Found 
>>>>> my
>>>>> gelding outside the fence this am—a hole somewhere. As you know I 
>>>>> am
>>>>> too disabled to find and mend it. No hands available out here right
>>>>> now. Managed to pen, hay and water, but pens are flimsy as is 
>>>>> fence. I
>>>>> have a good notion, or two where the break is. ALSO, good to speak
>>>>> Spanish as one side is up against Mex bar and a Mex junkyard. The 
>>>>> road
>>>>> is on their side. It wouldn't be the first time a drunk ran thru 
>>>>> it and
>>>>> just drove off. No new people speak English out here. Will this
>>>>> message get to everyone?
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On Jul 13, 2006, at 2:16 AM, Frances Morey wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> > Ewie,
>>>>> > Thank you for sharing your sojourn. The sights made it all the 
>>>>> more
>>>>> > enjoyable and immediate. Your pictures are all the more 
>>>>> impressive for
>>>>> > having been accomplished the "old fashioned way," using film. 
>>>>> You do
>>>>> > have an eye for capturing the beauty of a scene.
>>>>> > It was a pleasant surprise seeing you at Jackson's memorial. I am
>>>>> > still new at filing, retrieving and sending pictures but 
>>>>> will attempt
>>>>> > to document (and make the web site you described) of my upcoming
>>>>> > trip. I am calling it my mid-America tour--departing for Chicago 
>>>>> on
>>>>> > Aug. 5. Like SF in '03, the visit to this city is a first for 
>>>>> me. More
>>>>> > as it unfolds. Is there a way to send a slide show and if so can 
>>>>> it be
>>>>> > done without overloading most servers?
>>>>> > Best,
>>>>> > Frances
>>>>> >
>>>>> > Bill Irwin wrote:
>>>>> >> I am glad that I had the opportunity to attend Jaxon's 
>>>>> funeral.  I
>>>>> >> really hadn't keep up with Jaxon's career since he left San 
>>>>> Francisco
>>>>> >> to return to Texas.  The funeral gave me a chance to hear about 
>>>>> his
>>>>> >> "other life" as historian.  My connection to Jaxon come from 
>>>>> the days
>>>>> >> of the Rip Off Press.  For a while I lived in his house on 
>>>>> Portero
>>>>> >> Hill with Moriarty.  Unknown to some is that the Rip Off was 
>>>>> also
>>>>> >> somewhat of a do it your self vanity press. One of these 
>>>>> projects was
>>>>> >> the printing of a collection of Jaxon's drawings and paintings 
>>>>> from
>>>>> >> '62 to '69.  Jaxon supplied the paper and drawings, Rip Off the 
>>>>> ink
>>>>> >> and press, and I did all the work for free.  The work was called
>>>>> >> "Exile Into Consciousness" a very rare item.  I think we also 
>>>>> did a
>>>>> >> reprint of "God Nose" this way.  Neither sold and had a very 
>>>>> small
>>>>> >> circulation.  The last time I saw Jaxon, a few years ago at a 
>>>>> party
>>>>> >> in Austin, he remembered the effort and thanked me once again 
>>>>> for my
>>>>> >> part.   His funeral was kind of inspiring in that may people 
>>>>> from the
>>>>> >> historian community spoke of Jaxon's historical work and its
>>>>> >> importance.  One that impressed me was a man from a 
>>>>> Texas/Mexican
>>>>> >> group who praised Jaxon for bringing to light the importance of
>>>>> >> Mexicans in Texas history, particularly the story of Juan 
>>>>> Segiun. 
>>>>> >> Another proof of the importance of history and its retelling.   
>>>>> I
>>>>> >> also had the chance to chat it up with a number ghettoits at the
>>>>> >> funeral.
>>>>> >>  
>>>>> >> Here are a couple of photos of Jaxon I would like to share with 
>>>>> you.
>>>>> >>  
>>>>> >> Jaxon as the serious painter, 1969.
>>>>> >>  
>>>>> >> Jaxon at the Rip Off Press.
>>>>> >>  
>>>>> >> Self portrait from "Exile Into Consciousness".
>>>>> >>  
>>>>> >>  
>>>>> >> On with the road trip:
>>>>> >>  
>>>>> >> I did have one prophetic dream on the trip.  The problem with 
>>>>> dreams
>>>>> >> of premonition is that hey are mostly over produced and over
>>>>> >> dramatized making them easy to dismiss.
>>>>> >> The dream: I dreamed that I went to this location in Florida 
>>>>> that I
>>>>> >> wanted to visit.  The first part of the dream I saw my truck 
>>>>> parked
>>>>> >> in sand or maybe stuck in sand, it wasn't that clear what was
>>>>> >> happening.  I went to see the sights and when I returned to the 
>>>>> truck
>>>>> >> I found that something had run into the right rear of the 
>>>>> truck.  The
>>>>> >> right side of the camper-shell was all broken up and the right 
>>>>> rear
>>>>> >> fender was also severely  damaged.  Parked on the right side of 
>>>>> my
>>>>> >> truck was a large van, the kind that is often used to deliver 
>>>>> stuff. 
>>>>> >> It didn't seem to be damaged and I couldn't figure if it was the
>>>>> >> vehicle that hit my truck or not.  All this visualization was 
>>>>> done in
>>>>> >> high drama.
>>>>> >> What happened: The next day I almost decided not to go to this
>>>>> >> location because of the dream but decided not to pay attention 
>>>>> to
>>>>> >> that kind of stuff.  I arrived at the location and all the soil 
>>>>> was
>>>>> >> sandy as was the place I parked.  I backed into the parking 
>>>>> spot and
>>>>> >> hit a small tree that I didn't see, since the truck was going
>>>>> >> very slow and has a strong rear bumper I didn't think much of 
>>>>> the
>>>>> >> incident and went to see the sights with out checking.  When I
>>>>> >> returned I went to the rear of the truck to get a cold drink, 
>>>>> then
>>>>> >> noticed that the right rear tail-light was damaged - the 
>>>>> plastic part
>>>>> >> was all broken up.  Parked on the right side of my truck was a 
>>>>> van, a
>>>>> >> small Jeep SUV.
>>>>> >>  
>>>>> >> I'll have to make a note to pay more attention to premonitions.
>>>>> >>  
>>>>> >> One of the places I visited was Roswell, NM.  There I learned 
>>>>> of the
>>>>> >> shocking medical treatment that is afforded to our aliens.  You 
>>>>> would
>>>>> >> think that such a rich country could do more to help aliens in 
>>>>> need. 
>>>>> >> Somebody should do something about this sad situation.
>>>>> >>  
>>>>> >> Roswell, New Mexico
>>>>> >>  
>>>>> >> One of the places I always like to visit in the Southwest is the
>>>>> >> Painted Desert/ Petrified Forest - I like the strange weathered
>>>>> >> formations there.  There is also a free camping place at the 
>>>>> back
>>>>> >> door there.
>>>>> >>  
>>>>> >> Arizona
>>>>> >>  
>>>>> >> Finally, a few notes about the world of the dust:
>>>>> >>  
>>>>> >> Dust live in a world of their own.  Their world is a delusion 
>>>>> often
>>>>> >> involving visions of grandeur and their importance in the 
>>>>> world. 
>>>>> >> Mostly it is an artificial construct designed to support their
>>>>> >> delusions when really it is a made-up facade.
>>>>> >>  
>>>>> >> Las Vegas
>>>>> >>  
>>>>> >>  
>>>>> >> Dust are attracted to bright lights, the sense of novelty, the
>>>>> >> trendy, they think the flashy is a sign of advancement.
>>>>> >>  
>>>>> >> Las Vegas
>>>>> >>  
>>>>> >> One of the saddest things is what happens to dust when there is 
>>>>> an
>>>>> >> evil wind blowing.  They are caught up in a swirling cloud of
>>>>> >> emotions.  Their capacity for reason is destroyed.  They do 
>>>>> what they
>>>>> >> would never ordinarily do.  They are blown about with no 
>>>>> control.
>>>>> >>  
>>>>> >>  
>>>>> >>  
>>>>> >> Zen-hearted, washed free of all desire
>>>>> >> never again will I wander the noisy dust.
>>>>> >> - Shih-shu
>>>>> >>  
>>>>> >> Aloha, have a good trip
>>>>> >> Ewie
>>>>> > Do you Yahoo!?
>>>>> > Everyone is raving about the all-new Yahoo! Mail Beta.
>>>> Do you Yahoo!?
>>>> Everyone is raving about the all-new Yahoo! Mail Beta.
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