I like the cicadas, but I don't do well in the heat, the canine I live with has to be drugged during thunderstorms, and I become unhinged in the presence of bats. (Weird faces, pointy teeth, fast, silent, get in your house, I could go on.)
But I am not complaining. Summer seems to have gone on forever in the rest of the country with its heat-bitten drought and shortage of hay. In that, and other ways, it's been a hard season.
Here are a few things I will remember about this summer.
Auction madness
There were a lot of auctions and I watched as many of them as I could. I didn't buy Amy's Pet, (or try to). Jeff Robinson did, (for a song). I didn't buy Gunslinger semen, (not sure who got that, if anyone). It wasn't all that clear, really, who ended up buying what in that auction. I know more people who thought they sold something and found out that they didn't, or who thought they bought something and found out that they didn't do that, either. It was kind of a mess, a minor controversy, good for a few days of "who bought what and what the heck happened."
But I like auctions, from the auctioneer's chant (no idea what they are saying, if indeed they are saying something) to the anonymous bidding wars, and I have a list of stuff that I will buy at one, some day when I have the chance (chance = money). I won't give you the whole thing, but the Gunslinger semen is on there.
Shootout at the O.K. Corral
I can tell you with some certainty that I do not like conflict and so far this summer has had more than its share. One of the things about becoming involved in a community is that not all of its members always like each other and not all of the ones I like, do. I'm a person who wants the people I like to also like each other, but yeah, that ain't happening. I also like some hot-blooded and determined people, so there's no hope of everyone getting along. All of this to say: There are people on both sides of a certain divide who have been good to me and who I have come to care about. Makes for a confusing position at times, but there I am.
Conference call
Some people who seemed pretty good, weren't, and some people who could have done things better, didn't. Sometimes you just want to say, ah, if only you had thought about this, you would have done it differently. But then again, maybe not. There's more to say, but not here, not now.
Good people
If you are one of the many people I've talked with this summer, who've emailed or called me from out of the blue (thank you), or have taken my calls from out of the blue (on horseback, in the barn, over lunch), or answered my emails, and have given your time and knowledge, thank you so much. You've made the summer more pleasant for me and this website, and have shown me (again) that my love of this industry is based on some really nice people.
Bull riding, pure and simple
Shane Proctor won the Calgary Stampede. Reindeer's son Ransom is coming on strong. Pit Boss, Poker Face, Bad Blake, and Back Bender dominate the Classics. And in a week the Built Ford Tough series will resume in Thackerville and on Versus, and it will be time for me to write again about bull riders and rides and buckoff percentages. Compared to some of the stuff that has gone on this summer, it will be simple and basic and uncomplicated. You put a guy on a bull and watch what happens. I'm looking forward to that.
