Country Lifestyles
Cowboy Culture – The Night of the Dragon and Sasquatch
By Clay Reid
Now I wasn’t always a cowpuncher in my life. Through the years I wore many different kinds of hats. Started out as a dishwasher at the L & M Restaurant in Wichita Falls, then moved on to roofer, doodle-bug and various other occupations to pay the bills.
One of my favorite jobs though, was the few years I spent as a roughneck for Deen Drilling over in Archer City. Now you won’t hear many people testify that roughneck was a job they enjoyed, but for me it was hard honest work that I never had to turn my back to when picking up a check.
The other thing that was so special about working there was the crew I worked with and the men I worked for. Carlton and David Deen, the owners of Deen Drilling, took me in and worked the heck out of me, but they never looked at me as just an old roughneck. They treated their hands well, and to me, like family too, which I was short of at the time. The other good thing was the fact they were good to bail me out of jail after a Saturday night fisticuffs. They loved doing that just for the mere fact they knew I had to stay hooked at least until I paid off my debt.
Then there were the hands. Oh, my Lord the hands. I could write a book on these guys. Those with the likes of Steve Wright, daylight driller who was always late. David Wright, tool pusher and hard case. The man who kept us as straight as possible was Steve’s uncle Todd Kinnamon, morning tower driller and Mr. Reliable. Jeff Marney, man who was known for shooting himself in the thumb with a BB gun on a dare. Marvin Dodson was one of my oldest friends and chronic moaner A.K.A. Debbie Downer, and the other grandpa to my granddaughter.
To read more pick up a copy of the April 2018 issue. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.
By Nicholas Waters
As winter plods along – come Spring and gopher mounds – homeowners and farmers find themselves playing a familiar song – fiddling while Rome is burning.
Let’s make a mountain out of a molehill. Those mounds on your lawn and pasture could be moles, but they’re more than likely gophers; Plains Pocket Gophers to be pragmatic – Geomys bursarius to be scientific.
These rodents dig and chew, and the damage they can do goes beyond the mounds we mow over. Iowa State University cited a study in Nebraska showing a 35 percent loss in irrigated alfalfa fields due to the presence of pocket gophers; the number jumped to 46 percent in decreased production of non-irrigated alfalfa fields.
The internet is replete with academic research from coast-to-coast on how to curtail gopher populations, or at least control them. Kansas State University – then called Kansas State Agricultural College – also published a book [Bulletin 152] in February 1908 focused exclusively on the pocket gopher.
To read more, pick up a copy of the April issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By Annette Bridges
Everyone needs a room with a view that makes their heart happy. My honest favorite panorama would be either the mountains or the ocean. I have yet to convince my hubby to make permanent moves to either, although he does enjoy the visits as much as I do.
The location of our house on our ranch does not provide the expansive field of vision of our land that I would enjoy. So, I have created a room decorated and furnished in a way that gives me smiles, giggles, and a wonderful peace-filled feeling when I am hanging out in it. I am in that place right now writing this column. I am in a lounging position with my computer in my lap on the chaise that was once my sweet mama’s. I had it reupholstered this year to give it a fresh look.
To read more, pick up a copy of the April issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
Local celebrity dancers of the greater Gainesville area brought the house down recently at the second annual “Dancing With Our Stars” contest in Lindsay. The event raised more than $200,000 as the sponsored dance teams did their best to take home the grand prize.
The money raised will go to the “Heart of NTMC” Campaign for the purchase of a cardiac capable CT machine for the Gainesville hospital. Rodolfo “Rudy” Martinez and Sherry Sherriden took home the Mirror Ball Trophy.
To read more, pick up a copy of the April issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
-
Country Lifestyles1 year agoScott & Stacey Schumacher: A Growth Mindset
-
Equine7 months agoThe Will to Win
-
Country Lifestyles7 years agoStyle Your Profile – What your style cowboy hat says about you and new trends in 2017
-
Country Lifestyles4 years agoAmber Crawford, Breakaway Roper
-
HOME7 years agoGrazing North Texas – Wilman Lovegrass
-
Country Lifestyles7 years agoDecember 2016 Profile, Rusty Riddle – The Riddle Way
-
Country Lifestyles8 years agoJune 2016 Profile – The man behind the mic: Bob Tallman
-
Outdoor9 years agoButtercup or Primrose?