In all of the 19 years of knowing my rancher-husband, the only times
I’ve ever seen him get misty-eyed was when his hay fever got to him.
There are few things that cause my husband to get emotional — unless of
course we’re talking about money, ranch work, or maybe even hand signals
-- but that’s an emotion of a different kind for many future columns.
Showing his emotions is just not something my rancher’s walnut-tough
exterior will allow him to do. Only females like Samantha have the power
to stir up a rancher’s emotions. I witnessed once just how much buying
his first cow meant to him. It was during a time when he
had to endure a court ordeal that pertained to defending the morals of
his cowboy way regarding our land and cattle owner rights. When a lawyer
asked my husband how long he’d been a rancher, a hairline crack in his
stoic facial expression revealed how he truly felt about his cows. He
began his response with a long pause at the recollection of Samantha
before he said as simply and as quickly as possible with a hint of
emotion in his voice; “I bought my first cow when I was thirteen.” Ranchers don’t wear their emotions on their sleeves or anywhere else
that I’m aware of but when it comes to a man’s livestock, a rancher is
protective of the strong ties he has to them. The memories that are
created from putting a man’s whole heart and life into his livestock
everyday are not forgotten. Rare circumstances can cause
the most calloused, persevering, hardship-hardened men to reveal a
poignant, albeit brief moment of emotion regarding what his cows mean to
him. Something you’re not likely see with the same level of emotion
expressed on the faces of animal rights activists...
more
No comments:
Post a Comment