Sunday, September 30, 2007

Oh, Travis...

Oh my. I have not visited my own blog in a week. *cringes* Before you guys start throwing tomatoes at me, remember my last post where I mentioned Fall Works? Well last week was stuffed with it and after a long day horseback, you suddenly realize you're creative juices have leaked away. I was too tired to make a good blog post... Today is our first day of rest since Monday! And I hope that this post makes up for my abandoning you guys all week.

I won't bore you with details of what we actually did. We just gathered pastures, drove them over here to the house, sorted off the calves from the cows, then the heifer-calves from the bull-calves. We branded, vaccinated, and ear-marked calves, gave the cows some pour-on to keep the flies off and a black-leg shot. Castrated some of the bull calves. We had no wild cow chases, so nothing was exciting in the actual subject of WORK. But, what was very interesting was the day-help.

Day-hands are guys that just travel around the area and work for different ranches who need them at various times, and get paid by the day. They've been alot of places and usuall trade alot and can be fairly rambunctious. I must say these are the most fun cowboys I have ever been around. Their names are Travis, Justin and GR but I have nicknamed them the 'Three Amigos' as mentioned in my previous post. (Turns out that the Three Amigos is Travis' favorite movie!) I wish I could remember just half the things they did and/or said this week! Travis is the most hilarious one, I just love this guy to death. He is so awesome! So, instead of coming up with something stupid this time, I'll just post some of the Travis-isms that took place this week. Just random ones that come to mind. These are just some stories about what happened....

We were sitting at the dining table one night and he was talking about a stud-horse he knew of and he got to describing how it looked. This is how it went. "His head is so gosh-darned big, it probably wouldn't fit through a common doorway. His neck reaches from about this here table to the door there (it was about 10 feet), and his body is about this big (holds hands about 2 feet apart). He has little tooth-pick legs, and my rear end looks better than his!" That sure enough got a laugh out of us.

I was walking back from the barn to teh house, and he from the pens to the bunkhouse and we passed each other. I didn't say anything or do anything, just kind of looked up at him, and you know what he did? He put his thumbs to his temples, and spread his fingers, almost like a Bullwinkle impression or something. Then he crosses his eyes and sticks out his tongue.

I must say. It is pretty amusing to see a grown man, no, grown cowboy, make this face.

He also has a habit of sticking his tongue out at random times. And he only does it to me! Well, don't I feel special.... I'll just look over at him, and he'll stick his tongue out at me. I'll laugh, and do it too and then he tries to stick his out as far as it will go and makes funny noises.

Another day, we were standing out in the pasture by the trailer, waiting for it to get light. It was me, Daddy, Clint, GR and Travis. Daddy and Clint were talking, so were GR and Travis, and I was just kind of half-listening to both conversations. Suddenly, Travis (who often complains of the cold) stuffed his arms in his vest, so that is looked as if he had none. GR made some comment, and Travis starts walking around like a chicken. Bobbing his head in that way, walking and everything, like a chicken. I about died laughing it was so funny. And then he just leaned back against his horse, arms still in vest, and I started laughing again. He asked what, and I explained that if his hrose happened to shy away, with Travis leaning against him, he would have no arms to catch himself. Then we all laughed....

Justin was walking back to the hydraulic chute from a pen and Travis runs up behind him, and jumps up on Justin! (Travis is also a lot taller than Justin.) He puts his legs around his waist and arms around his shoulders and then Justin just starts bucking around like a bronc would, snorting and everything. Travis takes off his hat and fans with it and yells "heeeaw!" Then Justin made him stop becayse the button on his pants popped off and Travis had to give Justin his belt to borrow so his pants wouldn't fall off right in front of everybody.

Oh dear. That is a mental picture I did not want to have.

Another time at the dinner table. I guess Daddy had split the crew this day and Dave, Larin, Travis, Clint and Tyler were driving some cattle. Larin convinced Clint to sing and everybody said he can really sing- his wife, Tiffany, said people have tried to get him on one of those shows like American Idol, but he won't do it. I want to hear him sing now! Anyway... I guess Travis made Clint promise that when he becomes famous, he can be Clint's stage dancer. Dad asked if he was gonna wear a leather collar with spikes and Travis said, "I hadn't mentioned that one yet but it'd sure go with the costume I had in mind!"

My goodness. Yet another mental image. I am scarred for life!

Yesterday we were branding some calves, dragging them to the fire and such. Well we were waiting for them to bring up the next bunch of calves and Travis just started acting just like a little kid. I mean it was unbelievable! I need to get some pictures of Travis making some of the faces that he did. He crossed his eyes and put on this stupid, stupid, cheesey grin and started jigging around singing "Kumbaa Ja" or however you spell it. He started talking with a stupid accent. "Deese are dee games vee like to plaayyyyyyyy! Vee like to play deese games." Then Justin, Travis and I sat cross legged in the dirt and those two started drawing pictures in the dirt. It was ridiculous! And then Travis drew a donkey and put a "person" on it. Then he said, "I'm going to draw Caitlin now." I cringed. He drew a little person and then he put big tall lines on the head for hair and a big old smile and we all burst out laughing. He surveyed his artwork criticall and then proudly proclaimed, "She's puurrrrty!"

I have never, never, EVER seen a grown cowboy act in such a manner. Not that I mind, not at all! These are the reasons that we love Travis so dearly. There is nobody like him, he makes us all laugh to the point of crying, and he is just so entertaining and likable. Travis has to be one of my favorite people, outside of my family and close friends (like Sara and Hallie) that is.

Yesterday when they were getting ready to leave I was helping them out. GR and I had the following conversation.

Me: Sometimes I really worry about Travis.
GR: Yeah, me too.
Me: He must have the mentality of a twelve year old.
GR: Yeah, just about.
Me: But then again, I guess it's good that he's a kid at heart.
GR: Yeahhh, wellll, but then people start wondering about you.
Me: Oh, people are gonna wonder about Travis anyhow.
GR: *laughs* You're pretty rough on old Travis!
Me: Am not! People wonder about me, I bet...

GR: Well, no doubt.

GR is the quietest, most mature one of the bunch but I like talking to him, he's still funny and neat to talk to, just in a more... mature... way. =P So then Travis walks up and shakes my shoulders and tries to look mean or something....

Travis: What?! Huh!?! What are you talking about? Huh?!
Me: *laughs* You, Travis
Travis: *calms down and acts relaxed* Oh. Well that's a good topic.

Ohhhhh, Travis. I must worry about him, really. He had a rubber chicken hanging on the back of his trailer. It was bald, had sunglasses, a tattoo that said "MOM" with a heart, a muscle-shirt, and boxer shorts with flames on them. And to add a special touch, Travis had made a noose out of leather string and hung it around the chicken's neck.

Niiiiiice.

Travis also has an amusing habit of breaking out into random songs during the day. Everything from theme songs from the Lion King to that song "we ain't gonna take it, no we ain't gonna take it, no we ain't gonna take it no more". I'm guessing it's called "We Ain't Gonna Take It". I'm brilliant, eh? I was picking on Travis one day by the chute. This is how that conversation went....

Me: Travis, you're not doing that right. Can't you do anything proper?
Travis: I do everything right!
Me: *laughs*
Travis: I'm perfect. Right Justin?
Justin: Yup. Perfect in every way.
Travis: *breaks out into song* Oh Lord it's hard to be humble, when you're perfect in every way. I can't wait to look in the mirror, cause I get better looking each day!

And if you could just hear him sing, you'd be laughing as hard as I did. The way he sings.... He's pretty good, it's just he does it so soulfully and dramatically. I guess you just have to be there...

These are a very select few of the things that went on this week. I laughed so hard... You just have to love them, all three of them. They're coming back in two weeks and I can't wait for another round of it. I'll take notes this time. ;D

Poor Wyatt (my horse) is probably really tired... I rode him 6 days in a row! Oh, well, it was good for him, he's too fat and lazy anyhow. I was unloading him out of the trailer and he was being reluctant and pinning his ears at the horse in front of him so I said, "Oh, come on you hard-headed dummy." Dave was right next to me and says, "Talking to yourself again, Sugar?"

Some of this may not be funny to you, but it's 10 times more hilarious in real life. Really. I would not trade my life for anything, not anything at all. I had the best time this week, just love these guys.

I'll leave you on one more note. Clint is also pretty funny, but I wasn't really working with him this week, wasn't on the same drives and all. But here is a story he told at dinner time. He said they had a neighbor down the road when he was a kid who had a pet raccoon. He said this raccoon loved sleeping in the dirty laundry basket in the bathroom, kind of in front of the toilet. And it would pull the lid on top of itself and always sleep there. Well, the neigbor had his sister-in-law over one time, and while she was sitting on the pot, this little raccoon lifts up the lid, and pokes his little head out. He said the sister in law screamed bloody murder and went running through the house, pants between her legs, racoon on her heels.

Oh, what a sight that would have been to see.

Oh, and by the way. This is only one story. There are many more. Oh, so many more.

Some of them probably not exactly appropriate.

1 comment:

Sara said...

Oh dang, sounds like ya'll had a blast!