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Carol Tallman Jones
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 REMEMBERING A REAL COWBOYCarrizozo, NM
But was a real cowboy, from down in Southern Colorado. He cowboyed some in the early fifties near Pecos, Texas Before 4-wheelers, brandin' chutes, and the battle of the sexes. A ranch full of wild-eyed broncs n' crazy corriente cattle Made just stayin' in one place a day-to-day battle. But it was a ranchin' Ph.D. for the freckled young redhead -- A fast fading way of life, soon to be only sung or read. Those years passed on the ranch where he was born, Sunrise lighting the Sangre de Cristos afire each morn. Here were the basics of life -- and its lessons for all -- The Columbine in the Spring and Aspens in the fall. Then came a wife n' family to make the simple world whole, Good horses, a heelin' dog, n' a little time to use his fishin' pole. Sometimes, when supper was over, he'd play his guitar for maybe an hour. He'd sing and strum and yodel, then end with "The Wildwood Flower." He lived in the days when a contract was a man's handshake. Too far to town, so you made do with what you could make. Denim shirts, bags of Bull Durham, and rollin' your own, A sweat-soaked Stetson, shotgun chaps, and a saddle were home. His strong hands were soothing and ever-so-gentle. Be it for a scared kid or a colt needin' a handle, He could put a stop on 'em and spin 'em on a dime. Patience n' horse-sense let him win, time after time. His saddle has been empty for several years now. But, if you talk about cowboying...he darn-sure knew how. His ways will ever be a part of me, so I'll not feel sad -- Only memories of the love. For this real cowboy was my dad. 
Raised on a ranch in the mountains of Southern Colorado, in the Westcliffe area, Julie L. Carter says, "I am a rancher's wife and a rancher's daughter. Cowgirl life has been part of me always. Even in the years I wasn't on a ranch...I rodeoed with a vengeance."
The rodeo bug, as Julie found, is an indiscriminate critter who pays absolutely no attention to gender. Rodeo is just one of those things that gets in a person's blood. Undoubtedly remembering the thrill, Julie admits, "It was very much part of my life, and I loved it."
During those rodeo days, Julie ran barrels mostly, but did some roping, too. She was active in rodeo associations and barrel racing associations, always finding herself as an officer somewhere.
When asked about her writing, Julie says, "I started writing poetry when I was rodeoing...inspired by that. I was writing articles for a rodeo newspaper, and the poetry just seemed to go hand in hand with it. I find that a spoken line or a scene will inspire me...and the words just seem to fall out from there."
If the above submission is typical of how this cowgirl's words "fall", we at CowPokin' Fun would like to add that they certainly "land with grace."
Thanks, Julie L. Carter, for entering our arena. *** If you'd like to see one of your poems here, see our Submission Guidelines. ***
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Julie is the mother of two grown daughters, aged 22 and 25, and a four-year-old son, Lane, whom she calls: "our surprise and delight of our life." She, Lane, and her husband, Bob, live on a ranch in South Central New Mexico, where they raise Hereford cattle.