FOLK COLLECTION 11: The Skaggs Foundation Cowboy Poetry Collection

Riding With Jim: Adventures with Cowboys and Farriers: Stories and Cowboy Poetry

FC 11 N-13

186

Andy Nelson

A Visit with an Old Friend

I could taste the antiseptic, as I wandered throughout the halls; Weaving through wheelchairs and walkers, in search of a name on the walls. Not the best place on earth to live, But was now the humble abode; Of the old U.C. ranch foreman, the man with whom I worked and rode.

Riding With Jim: Adventures with Cowboys and Farriers: Stories and Cowboy Poetry

FC 11 N-13

194

Andy Nelson

The Great Ones

The perfect farrier cannot be found, but great ones are worth more than gold; They are not judged by the outfits they wear, or the pickups they drive, I'm told. How one behaves before nailing the shoe, often shows his level of skill.

Riding With Jim: Adventures with Cowboys and Farriers: Stories and Cowboy Poetry

FC 11 N-13

202

Andy Nelson

Morning

My world is gently awakened to the glow of a brand new day, as the moonlight falls prisoner to the dawn; Morning is quietly welcomed, with the glint of a twilight ray, and soon the shadows of sunrise will be gone.

Riding With Jim: Adventures with Cowboys and Farriers: Stories and Cowboy Poetry

FC 11 N-13

207

Andy Nelson

Chili-Dog Nightmare

Boby's conscience was a-gigging him, like salt in an open sore; His psyche was all but shattered, couldn't take it anymore. It had been a memorable day for this local DVM; With his one thousandth neutering came the shame of all of them.

Riding With Jim: Adventures with Cowboys and Farriers: Stories and Cowboy Poetry

FC 11 N-13

215

Andy Nelson

Farewell for Now

Heaven knows why they were the best of friends, they were different as earth and air; Bruce was an eye catching Paint horse gelding, and she was a Morgan cross mare. He was my horse and she was my daughter's, and they spent their days together; A stranger horse pair, one never would see, even if you lived forever.

Riding With Jim: Adventures with Cowboys and Farriers: Stories and Cowboy Poetry

FC 11 N-13

222

Andy Nelson

The Cat Wrangler

I wake up every morning, and I go to start my day; Run out to see the horses, and fork them off some hay. But my life on new contraptions is enough to make you sob; I've improved our place so much, that I'm left without a job!

Riding With Jim: Adventures with Cowboys and Farriers: Stories and Cowboy Poetry

FC 11 N-13

229

Andy Nelson

Betsy's Best Quilt

She's been around for many years, this symbol of everything good; She's recognized throughout the world, yet is often misunderstood. She is Betsy Ross's quilt, standing for pride and liberty; She's held solid, faithful, and strong, in surplus and in poverty.

Riding With Jim: Adventures with Cowboys and Farriers: Stories and Cowboy Poetry

FC 11 N-13

235

Andy Nelson

My Father's Anvil Rings

No heavenly chorus or angel's song, or pure notes that a songbird sings; Can compare to the captivating sound, like when my father's anvil rings. No church bell on Sunday morn tolls sweeter, such peace of mind the echo brings; A sermon can't hold my attention like, the way my father's anvil rings.

Riding With Jim: Adventures with Cowboys and Farriers: Stories and Cowboy Poetry

FC 11 N-13

244

Andy Nelson

Change

My office sits in the big wide open, my job takes me there every day; My duties of both ridin' and ropin', are the only reasons I stay. I work in the sagebrush and alkali, from the comfort of my saddle; Living the cowboy lifestyle and code I care for my horses and cattle.

Riding With Jim: Adventures with Cowboys and Farriers: Stories and Cowboy Poetry

FC 11 N-13

248

Andy Nelson

Knute's Boot

Knute's job was to drive to the ranch landfill, in the boss's old garbage truck; To dump the trash at the top of the hill, and then return home before chuck. But to Knute the dump was a shopping mall, full of undiscovered treasures; They were free for taking, best of all, fulfilling his guilty pleasures.

Riding With Jim: Adventures with Cowboys and Farriers: Stories and Cowboy Poetry

FC 11 N-13

254

Andy Nelson

Doing Winter Work

It's windy and gray, a cold winter day, out where the mountain pinion meet the sage; The cows are callin', new snow has fallen, my cowboy diary starts the next page. The sun's hidden yet, my gloves are still wet from yesterday's snow I didn't forsee; I am miles from home and chilled to the bone, and there is no place I would rather be.

The Mystique Of Grouse Creek

FC 11 S-64

3

Elden K. Shaw

Memories

My thought oft go back to a special place, That time and distance cannot erase, Transported there on memories wings, I experience again these precious things. The clean fresh smell of new mown hay, Watching sunbeams on the screen-door play.

The Mystique Of Grouse Creek

FC 11 S-64

4

Elden K. Shaw

The Pioneers Of Crouse Creek

About one hundred and twenty five years ago, There lived by the Grouse Creek's gentle flow, A small company of stolid and hardy pioneers, Whose heritage echoes down through the years. Sailing across the ocean from the British Isles, Then traveling another two thousand miles, They gathered far out in the Mountain West, In obedience to a Prophet's inspired request.

The Mystique Of Grouse Creek

FC 11 S-64

5

Elden K. Shaw

It All Depends On Your Point Of View

A few years ago on a bright summer day, I decided to give my RAVE4 R.V. a test, By driving up Ingham Canyon all the way, To the Grouse Creek Mountain's lofty crest.

The Mystique Of Grouse Creek

FC 11 S-64

6

Elden K. Shaw

The Desert

To most the desert's a foreboding place, With miles and miles of only empty space, So to those who never have lived there, Here are some thoughts I'd like to share.

The Mystique Of Grouse Creek

FC 11 S-64

7

Elden K. Shaw

The Yellow Rose

My Father spoke of a hardy yellow rose, That on the banks of the Grouse Creek grows, Planted long years ago with loving care, By my Grandma on our homestead there.

The Mystique Of Grouse Creek

FC 11 S-64

9

Elden K. Shaw

The Fire!

Awakened in the middle of the night, With words that caused an awful fright, Came his grandson's words most dire, "Grandpa, our house has caught on fire".

The Mystique Of Grouse Creek

FC 11 S-64

10

Elden K. Shaw

Cotton Thomas Basin

Located far out in the Mountain West, In an isolated valley by Nature blessed, The "Basin" was surely by God arranged, A pristine place as yet by man unchanged.

The Mystique Of Grouse Creek

FC 11 S-64

11

Elden K. Shaw

Lucin

Three or four houses and a small store, A Water Tower and not much more, Near Lucin there was nothing green, All-in-all a bleak and desolate scene.

The Mystique Of Grouse Creek

FC 11 S-64

13

Elden K. Shaw

The Grouse Creek Church

Our church was built by sturdy pioneers, Who through faith overcame their fears, To settle in a harsh and foreign earth, Far from the green isles of their birth.

The Mystique Of Grouse Creek

FC 11 S-64

14

Elden K. Shaw

The Grouse Creek Co-Op

Because our town was very, very small, Of course there was no shopping mall, So the townsfolk with a few dollars parted, And the Grouse Creek Co-Op was started.

The Mystique Of Grouse Creek

FC 11 S-64

15

Elden K. Shaw

The Grouse Creek School

Imagine a small grade-school if you can, Where everyone is a member of your clan, Related either by marriage or by birth, With no such things as gangs or "turf".

The Mystique Of Grouse Creek

FC 11 S-64

18

Elden K. Shaw

Decoration Day

It was much more than a family tradition, My mother seemed to have a mission, To travel one hundred sixty miles each way, And honor our dead on Decoration Day.

The Mystique Of Grouse Creek

FC 11 S-64

19

Elden K. Shaw

Easter

Of course we did not go hiking on Sunday, Saturday was reserved for our Easter fun-day. We often went on a hike and had a picnic lunch, That made two little boys as "pleased as punch".

The Mystique Of Grouse Creek

FC 11 S-64

21

Elden K. Shaw

Grouse Creek Fourth Of July

Grouse Creek observed Independence Day, In its own traditional and down-home way, By holding a day-long community celebration, Honoring the birthday of our great nation.