Soapweed
Well-known member
SOMETIMES THINGS DON'T TURN OUT QUITE AS PLANNED
By Steve Moreland, February 17, 2019
Back in the 1970's in the RAPID CITY JOURNAL, there was an accident report of interest. A man was driving down the highway on a very dark night. Ahead on the road, he saw two jackrabbits. He sped up his pickup, with the goal of trying to hit both rabbits with one swipe. Imagine his chagrin when the "rabbits" turned out to be the two white stocking legs of an otherwise all black horse. The horse was killed, the pickup was badly damaged, and the man suffered severe injuries. Sometimes things don't turn out quite as planned.
Buff Tinnan was an old-time cowboy. He had driven cattle up the Texas Trail, and had eventually settled near the Niobrara River south of Rushville, Nebraska. Many years ago in the Gordon Journal, in the "100 Years Ago" or "75 Years Ago" feature, the rest of the story was told. Buff Tinnan had recently died. It seems Mr. Tinnan had hurriedly jumped out of bed in the middle of the night, and stepped on the sharp rowel of a spur which was attached to his boot. The wound was deep, and blood poisoning set in which caused his death.
A friend Marty Blocker was working on the Joy Ranch north of Lakeside, Nebraska back in the late 1970's. A young cowboy who also worked on that ranch had purchased a new saddle. This saddle didn't have a rope strap, but the creative cowboy just pounded a common fence staple into the fork of the saddle and attached a leather strap. The innovation worked quite well until one morning when the cowboy was trying to top off a bronc. The horse was bucking to the best of its ability, and the cowboy was grabbing for anything he could find while trying to remain in the saddle. Somehow his little finger went through the open end of the staple, and the last joint of said finger was jerked off in the process.
Jack Cobb told of a cowboy who awoke from a deep sleep to see two ghosts at the foot of his bed. He quickly grabbed the pistol from under his pillow and shot at one of the "ghosts." The ghost turned out to be one of his own feet, which was covered by a white sheet. Being startled from his deep slumber, and probably right in the middle of a nightmare, the cowboy over-reacted at the sight of two spooky ghosts. Sheet happens! Even in the lives of tough old cowboys, sometimes things don't turn out quite as planned.
Paul Harvey was a long-time radio personality, and his daily show was called "Paul Harvey News and Comment." One of his stories told of a cat that had climbed about 70 feet high up into a tree. This occurred in a city, and people living nearby were aware of the cat's quandary. They thought that given enough time, the cat would come down on its own. Three days had gone by, and the cat was still up in the tree. The local fire department was notified, and a couple volunteer fire-fighters were only too happy to help with the situation. They arrived on location with a shiny red fire truck, and extended the ladder up into the tree. One of the firemen climbed up and retrieved the cat, with accompanying cheers from the crowd gathered below. As the heroic firemen drove away in the shiny red fire truck, they ran over the cat. Sometimes things don't turn out quite as planned.
By Steve Moreland, February 17, 2019
Back in the 1970's in the RAPID CITY JOURNAL, there was an accident report of interest. A man was driving down the highway on a very dark night. Ahead on the road, he saw two jackrabbits. He sped up his pickup, with the goal of trying to hit both rabbits with one swipe. Imagine his chagrin when the "rabbits" turned out to be the two white stocking legs of an otherwise all black horse. The horse was killed, the pickup was badly damaged, and the man suffered severe injuries. Sometimes things don't turn out quite as planned.
Buff Tinnan was an old-time cowboy. He had driven cattle up the Texas Trail, and had eventually settled near the Niobrara River south of Rushville, Nebraska. Many years ago in the Gordon Journal, in the "100 Years Ago" or "75 Years Ago" feature, the rest of the story was told. Buff Tinnan had recently died. It seems Mr. Tinnan had hurriedly jumped out of bed in the middle of the night, and stepped on the sharp rowel of a spur which was attached to his boot. The wound was deep, and blood poisoning set in which caused his death.
A friend Marty Blocker was working on the Joy Ranch north of Lakeside, Nebraska back in the late 1970's. A young cowboy who also worked on that ranch had purchased a new saddle. This saddle didn't have a rope strap, but the creative cowboy just pounded a common fence staple into the fork of the saddle and attached a leather strap. The innovation worked quite well until one morning when the cowboy was trying to top off a bronc. The horse was bucking to the best of its ability, and the cowboy was grabbing for anything he could find while trying to remain in the saddle. Somehow his little finger went through the open end of the staple, and the last joint of said finger was jerked off in the process.
Jack Cobb told of a cowboy who awoke from a deep sleep to see two ghosts at the foot of his bed. He quickly grabbed the pistol from under his pillow and shot at one of the "ghosts." The ghost turned out to be one of his own feet, which was covered by a white sheet. Being startled from his deep slumber, and probably right in the middle of a nightmare, the cowboy over-reacted at the sight of two spooky ghosts. Sheet happens! Even in the lives of tough old cowboys, sometimes things don't turn out quite as planned.
Paul Harvey was a long-time radio personality, and his daily show was called "Paul Harvey News and Comment." One of his stories told of a cat that had climbed about 70 feet high up into a tree. This occurred in a city, and people living nearby were aware of the cat's quandary. They thought that given enough time, the cat would come down on its own. Three days had gone by, and the cat was still up in the tree. The local fire department was notified, and a couple volunteer fire-fighters were only too happy to help with the situation. They arrived on location with a shiny red fire truck, and extended the ladder up into the tree. One of the firemen climbed up and retrieved the cat, with accompanying cheers from the crowd gathered below. As the heroic firemen drove away in the shiny red fire truck, they ran over the cat. Sometimes things don't turn out quite as planned.