My wife and I were shopping at the Stephenville, Texas Walmart store when I met an old rancher that I know pretty well. He was with his brother. Both of them live on the old family ranch, and both of them are widowers. They are old school, traditional ranchers that live on land that has been in their family since the 1880's. Both of them had well trimmed mustaches, dress cowboy boots, starched jeans and shirts, wide leather belts with a folding knife in a sheath, big buckles and traditional Stetson hats with the old cattleman's crease. One wore a long sleeved white shirt and the other a tan shirt, but both had sharp creases. When I spoke to Ed, the brother I knew, he introduced me to his brother Jack. After a good hand shake my wife appeared, and they took off their hats as I introduced her to them. Now I ask you ladies, how many men have taken their hats off and bowed to shake your hand lately. They are old school cowboys that work from dawn to dark and come to town on Saturday, and they dress their finest to come to town. They are the strong silent guys that work the land and live on what it gives them. They are fiercely independent, but very charitable. They are willing to help all people that want to work, but they would not support one person that did not want to work. These guys are a dying breed of men that will be sorely missed. They are the last of the great American cowboys. We still have some young men that make a living working cattle, but only a few of them are fortunate enough to own enough land to make their living from it. These guys rode fence lines on horseback, penned cattle with horses and dogs, doctored cattle in the field, in lieu of a nice set of steel pens complete with a squeeze chute. They are the real deal, and I wish all of you could have been there with me to mingle with real men.
lazy
