Old boots etc.

 These boots are not made for walking. I found that out a number of years ago when I wore them to an all day and half the night affair at the Black Hills Stock Show.  Vanity can be a miserable companion. You have no idea the struggle the boot jack and I had getting them off at 2 in the morning. Justin shook his head and went to bed.

I still love 'em though. These Blucher boots were custom made in Fairfax, Oklahoma a number of years ago. When my first pair was wearing out, Justin suggested I order another pair. You could pick the design and color from a little catalog,and the Bohemian in me became carried away with color. Even the boot maker was dubious and double checked to make sure I wanted blue and orange.  I should have told the fine folks in Fairfax that these colorful characters  won a contest for prettiest boots on the Family Wagon Train. It probably helped that the wagon master was also Bohemian.

They're all polished up now and still look good. And though I've worn them quite a bit, they're not my first choice when we're working cattle. I save that honor for this pair: 

 

The green tops with the yellow butterfly was my first pair, and  Justin ordered them from Olathe, Kansas about 49 years ago. They carry me through dust and manure and lots of miles in the saddle. They're a comfortable old pair but lately they've been grumbling about retiring. And, they also tell me a little cleaning and polishing wouldn't hurt either. The sad fact of the matter is that after I'm done riding, my bones and body feel the same way these boots look. And, as one of the characters say in Goodbye, Belvidere, 'that ain't purty.'

Aw well, most likely the boots and I both have some saddle time left. Not only that, but I have the second book in the Goodbye, Belvidere series to write, and it's sure to include both boots and Bohemians.  Of course there's also grandkids to hug, and great grands to hold,  friends to have coffee with----new music to play-----maybe I should retire the butterfly boots and start wearing the horseshoe/heart ones more----after all, with all the help in the corral from kids and grandkids,  I could just stand on the sideline and yell encouragements. Oh, even better, I could sit on the four wheeler and yell. With a cup of coffee in one hand----

Have a good and Godly day!


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Fifty

And here we go again. I'm starting a new blog site. Down and away with the old---actually, the old site just disappeared one day, and so goes one more tie with the old and defunct publishing company, WinePress. I'm sure you're hoping I won't bore you with yet another blog of WP Woes, and I promise I won't!

Actually, what I wanted to yak about was the Fourth of July. Fourth, Fun, Family, and Fifty. Justin and I will be married fifty years this fall, and our son and daughter-in-law surprised us with a small gathering of family and friends, and our original wedding party---

Don't laugh. Our wedding party was as small as we could make it. Our friend George, and Justin's sister, (my future sister-in-law) Charmaine stood up with us. Our parents, the minister, and Justin's grandmother were the only other guests. When we talked 'small wedding', we were seriously meaning 'small'. Actually, plan A was to sort of elope, but we settled for plan B, which included minimal family.

It was a cold and snowy day in November----and we had already postponed our tiny event once. Justin had pneumonia and my Dad had a horse wreck which resulted in a broken ankle.  After the ceremony, Justin and I had a wreck when someone ran into his beautiful '57 Chevy.

So, standing in the snow, just barely croaking, was my new husband, my father with his ankle in a cast, and the rest of the crew. In those long ago days, everyone always opened up the hood and looked at the motor. Usually they sighed, nodded, and fixed whatever looked fixable. In this case, it worked, and we continued on our honeymoon.

And in those days, Gillette, Wy. was not a huge booming town. It was a quiet little village, and the only theater had just burned down. In the morning, the doors to the yellow and white '57 Chevy had frozen shut. I don't remember how long it took to unthaw them.

 We finally started for home via Devil's tower. We were young, in love, and to shower us with loveliness, a beautiful full moon was rising above the Black Hills. I thought it was romantic, but Justin was frowning.

The Chevy was jerking. The Chevy had a bearing going out. The Chevy needed a doctor. We ended our honeymoon in a garage in Spearfish.

Now, fifty years later, we are planning on sailing to Alaska via Princess Cruise Lines. It's what I would call a perfect second honeymoon. We hope the boat doesn't sink. (This is the second time we celebrated with an Alaskan cruise---the picture below is from our 45th wedding anniversary)

Justin and I have fought, argued, laughed, raised our children, cried, and hopefully, matured a little. We've been blessed with great kids, grandkids, great-grandkids, family, friends and fun. And we're grateful our wedding day has provided us with many a merry telling and re-telling. With a start like that, the rest of our marriage seemed like a breeze!

Have a good and Godly day!

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