Baxter Black: Lorraine

To supplement farm income, some get their wives jobs in town. Others expand their hobbies, i.e. making saddles, braiding horsehair or running for county commissioner. Some, in desperation, get a real estate license!

I chose the conservative, low risk venture of making a home video! After considering several subjects, "Documentary of the Brucellosis Eradication Program 1936-92", "The Hatch Act; a Review" and "Fasciola Hepatica; Peril of Fluke?" I decided to use some of my poems and invent Cowboy Poetry MTV! I would invite my cowboy friends and we would act out each poem.

Included in the video was "THE CULL", a poem in which a young vet and an experienced cowman argue the merits of keeping or culling a cow. The cow described in the poem was definitely beyond "one more year"!

I sent a copy to Hank at the sale barn in Willcox and asked him to find me this cow. I called three days before I had the big shooting scheduled. He said he had the cow. I reminded him that I'd encouraged him to buy two or three so I could cast just the right cow for the starring role. He said, "Don't worry, I've got the cow!"

He was right…she cost sixty bucks!

I got her home and ran her in the chute to examine her. I was lucky to have my old pardner, Jake, who had a supporting role, to help me. She was in fair condition and had only the lower corner incisors left. There was a healed lump at the angle of her jaw, her left horn curled back into the side of her head and the right horn swooped out gracefully to the northeast. She looked like she was directing traffic!

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