Monday, December 14, 2009

The 12 Days of Christmas #1


When I look back at our relationship, I see that Danish Cowboy and I have a foundation in rodeos in both a literal and figurative sense: i.e. us watching people do insane things in the name of tradition and us getting great amusement out of it all. Take our first date for example. He traveled to Missoula and took me out for a nice dinner. We ended up at Red's playing pool and watching the National Finals Rodeo. I had no idea there was such a thing.
And then take our third date a few weeks later. We met in Billings, Montana for the weekend and he took me out for dinner and you guessed it, a rodeo. As we walked up to the Metrapark Arena, I commented on the cool statue out front. "Oh, that's a nice statue of a cowboy. Anyone special?" Although I didn't know it at the time, Danish Cowboy probably wanted to hide in a cave. "That's Dan Mortensen," he replied. "He's been the top saddle bronc rider in the world blah-blah-blah times. Everybody in Montana knows who he is." I then further tested our young relationship during the rodeo by remarking loudly how cruel I found the tie-down calf roping to be.
Danish Cowboy did not keep me for my rodeo knowledge, obviously, but I have learned my fair share over the years. Like the rule about "8 seconds" and "marking out" the horse as he leaves the bucking chute and having learned these things I am now an expert on the subject when the National Finals Rodeo comes about every December. You can ask me anything during these 10 days and I'll know it all. Please don't ask any other time of the year. I simply won't know. (Eerily similar to Super Bowl time, Olympics time, and World Series time). I've learned to cheer for the locals or the people who used to be locals but have since moved just across the state line.
And you always cheer for the ones from Montana. Always. Even if you've never heard their names before.
And the hometown girls? We cheer the loudest for them and although I've never met her and although I'm not a native, I'm glad she calls our little town her original hometown.
Danish Cowboy abandoned me this past weekend to go to Missoula (again) on a guys football-watching trip. I had a most wonderful time watching rodeo, taking random pictures of the television and wrapping presents for the family back East after I got the rugrats in to bed. I enjoyed the rodeo and I most certainly enjoyed running out of Scotch tape. So I used packing tape on the packages for my 5 year old niece. I am so funny.

3 comments:

  1. Does this mean we are going to get 12 consecutive posts? What a fabulous Christmas gift to all of us!

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  2. You betcha there's going to be 12 consecutive posts. And thank you for recognizing what a fabulous gift it is. My generosity overwhelms me.

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  3. Packing tape? She's going to love that but it's not quite as cool as her Tinkerbell tape.

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