Every January, the City of Denver regresses back to its Wild Western roots, during the National Western Stock Show. Sometimes, this time of year brings frigid temperatures and blizzards to Colorado. This year, the sun shown brightly in the crispy cold air while the blizzards stayed in the high country. Plenty of ranch folks came to town to show off their best livestock. The Old West was alive and well during the exhibitions of beautiful animals all all sorts.
Post-holiday January was predictably chaotic for me, with membership renewals to process for Women Writing the West, history research, articles to write, while fighting off a wicked, nasty cold. What a delight it was to head off to the stock show, as if skipping school, with my pal, Carol, both of us wearing cowboy boots, letting our inner cowgirls run free for the day.
After we watched draft horse classes, we meandered through the stockyards to visit with mules, longhorn steers, yaks, and buffalo. Nothing clears the brain like being outdoors on a sunny, winter day, visiting with critters who remind us of our Western history and culture.
Joyce B. Lohse, 2/1/10
www.lohseworks.com