Willow shows pioneering spirit in quest for cool water

My step-father used to play the Sons of the Pioneers album with this song, Cool Water. He and my mother shared an appreciation for cowboy -- not country-western -- music. Where my sister and I used to squirm on the couch in peels of laughter at some of the songs (so uncool they were) I now actually have a sense of nostalgia when I hear real cowboy music. I really dislike country-western, but the cowboy songs are pure, descriptive, and non-commercial.

Along that line of thought, I've always thought it would be fascinating to attend the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering held annually in Elko, Nevada. Here's a bit of what happened at the 2009 gathering:

Silver Anniversary Will Reunite Artists From a Quarter Century of Gatherings in Elko

Elko - The National Cowboy Poetry Gathering - America's quintessential event honoring the western cowboy - is turning 25 in 2009. From January 24 to 31, the small community of Elko, Nevada, will overflow with thousands of cowboys and cowgirls, poets and musicians, artisans and scholars, rural people and city folks -- all of whom share a love of the American West -- for a grand celebration of the region's ranching and rural culture. . .

. . . The 25th Gathering will feature dozens of performances on six simultaneous stages by 53 poets and 24 musicians and musical groups, including 15 individuals who participated in the very first Elko Cowboy Poetry Gathering in 1985. . .

- from America's Bridle & Bit

There is lots of information, including videos, about the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, which is one of numerous cowboy-related sponsors of the extensive site, Cowboy Poetry at the Bar-D Ranch.......

I read a poem there at the Bar-D about barn cats. As you know by now, Willow is certainly no barn cat. Here at her favorite sink, this video was shot in May. There are a few parts during the clip when you can see glimpses of her little beard, so whimsical.

To see how Willow has grown, you can compare this clip to an earlier video shot at the same sink in January. She has since begun to grow a bit of a mane at nine-months of age. She continues to sleep on my pillow each night. I continue to fall more in love with her each day. Life is good.

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