A slightly older cowboy was asked the other day about how this ‘cowboy’ thing began. He said that he knew at a young age that there was an inner cowboy that needed to be respected….the one who dressed up at age four in a western hat and dashed out the back door to mount his bicycle like his idol, The Lone Ranger. ‘How,’ the student asked, ‘did it manifest itself as you grew older?’ ‘Well, it became apparent in my teens and twenties when there was a fascination with movies like Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid and then later with the westerns Blazing Saddles and 3:10 to Yuma. Let’s not forget those classic Clint Eastwood flicks like The Outlaw Josey Wales that I’d see multiple times.’ The student persisted and wanted to know the story about the origin of aging fella’s nickname. It was a Tuesday evening in the fall of 2002. I was at the computer writing a poem when it occurred to me that my given name was a bit tame for an aspiring writer. Closing my eyes for a few seconds, it came to me in a strange way. I opened my eyes and it appeared in a most unique way. Glancing up and to the right, there was a cartoon bubble with the nickname inside. Cowboy Bob Fahrencroggin. Voila!! Perfect…..it was meant to be. It’s always wise to honor that inner cowboy or writer that yearns to express themselves. Who knows, there might also be a senior rodeo circuit that is in the future. They’d better utilize very tame broncos and have an ambulance nearby.
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