Julie Carter
Any cowboy will tell you that bachelorhood has its advantages, but cooking isn't always one of them.
A fella is usually pretty busy all summer - in a hurry and trying to get his work done so he can do his other stuff that involves horses, saddles, trailers and ropes.
The recent monsoon rains forced through the area by the landlocked hurricanes have left Dan the team roper fending for himself for days on end because there is no roping practice at his partner's and therefore no home cooked meals from his partner's wife.
For Dan, rain brings on some of the issues that become glaring in bachelorhood. No one to visit with except the dog, and while that's acceptable most of the time, there is also no one to cook for him except ... himself.
Proof of the danger in that came one night this week.
Leaving his work at the farm implement dealership quite hungry, Dan said he had stopped on the way home and bought a bag of frozen tater tots with a plan to make a tater tot casserole.
Upon arrival at his humble homestead, he placed them in a the bottom of casserole dish, added a can of Wolf Brand Chili on top and then a nice covering of grated cheese for the next layer.
Thinking his culinary creation was looking quite good, he added a few sliced-up wieners on top and then yet another layer of some diced jalapeños.
To his way of thinking, this had to be about the best supper ever.
Knowing he had piled a lot of food into the one dish, he shoved it in the microwave and cranked it up a ways, thinking it would take awhile to get it all warmed completely through.
He wasn't sure exactly how long he needed to set it for, so he allowed plenty of time for his masterpiece to get done all the way through.
Then, remembering he needed to go check on Pittsburgh's water, he headed out the horse corrals while his delectable dinner cooked nuclear-style.
He got sidetracked, as cowboys are wont to do, and it was a good 30 minutes before he got back to the house.
What he found inside his kitchen was the aftermath of the complete explosion of his microwave and its contents.
There was chili, wieners and tater tots all over the ceiling with tendrils of cheese hanging in various places around the room.
His first move was to pick up the microwave and deliver it to the trash, knowing it would never be the same again.
Too tired to care much about the mess, his main concern was still the fact he was very hungry.
Like most cowboys in cow camp after long hard day, he resorted to the old stand by - canned peaches.
He first drank off the liquid, then, he filled the can up with whiskey, sat down, and ate his supper of "pickled" peaches.
None of this would have happened if it hadn't rained for days and days and had he just been able to rope.
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