Christmas for Cowgirls

CHRISTMASY COWBOY BOOT EARRINGS
~ ACCUSTOMED, CEREMONIOUS ~

"Cowgirl is an attitude, really; a pioneer spirit, a special brand of courage.
The cowgirl faces life head on, lives by her own lights, and makes no excuses.
Cowgirls take stands. They speak up. They defend the things they hold dear.
A cowgirl might be a rancher, or a barrel racer, or a bull rider, or an actress.
But she's just as likely to be a checker at the local Winn Dixie,
a full-time mother, a banker, an attorney, or an astronaut."

Dale Evans ~ 1912 - 2001

Back in the day (1965 or so), on our shelf of Christmas classics, right next to the Big Golden Christmas Book, stood the Big Golden Dale Evans Prayer Book For Children:

Many of the writers in this anthology are anonymous, but others are classic: William Blake, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Alexander Pope, and Christine Rosetti -- authors a girl needs to know if she's going to get a Ph. D. in English one day. As the editor, Evans shares a few of her own small poems, not so much as a legendary poet but rather as a legendary cowgirl! Her work in the anthology also serves the worthy purpose of raising the number of female authors from a scant three to four (Elsa Ruth Nast, Sara E. Wiltse; plus charming illustrations by Eleanor Dart).

You can find a bit of pantheism in the pages there, alongside more standard verses of faith:
Where is God?
In the sun, the moon, the sky,
On the mountains, wild and high,
In the thunder, in the rain,
In the vale, he wood, the plain,
In the little birds that sing . . .

A little sparrow cannot fall
Unnoticed Lord, by Thee;
And though I am so young and small
Thou dost take care of me.
A little sparrow? Could that be true? Oh well, time enough in January to resume the skepticism that has been with me -- just like this book -- since girlhood. Hey, even young cowgirls who love the holidays get the existential blues sometimes and question the universe around them.

Cowgirl Keychain from my friend Eve.
I gave the little boot to my dad decades ago --
and now it has found its way back to Christmas tree.
In addition to stuffing your tree with mementoes and souvenirs, here are a few ways to cheer yourself up should the post - Christmas blues [or reds] come knocking:

1. Poach a previous blogpost from yourself as a shortcut. Presto! You've just made some quick progress on your holiday "to - do" list!

2. Read the novel by Tom Robbins

3. Eat some hard candy and sing along with Dolly Parton

4. Sing along with Emmylou Harris
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues

She's a rounder I can tell you that
She can sing 'em all night, too
She'll raise hell about the sleep she lost
But even cowgirls get the blues

Especially cowgirls, they're the gypsy kind
And need their reins laid on 'em loose
She's lived to see the world turned upside down
Hitchin' rides out of the blues

But even cowgirls get the blues sometimes
Bound to don't know what to do sometimes
Get this feelin' like she's too far gone
The only way she's ever been

Lonely nights are out there on the road
Motel ceiling stares you down
There must be safer ways to pay your dues
But even cowgirls get the blues

Even cowgirls get the blues sometime
Bound to don't know what to do sometime
Get this feelin' like she's too far gone
The only way she's ever been

Even cowgirls get the blues sometime
Bound to don't know what to do sometime
Get this feelin' like the restless wind
The only way she's ever been

Written by & music by Rodney Crowell

5. And with John Denver
Christmas for Cowboys

Tall in the saddle, we spend Christmas Day
Driving the cattle over snow covered plains
All of the good gifts given today
Ours is the sky and the wide open range

Back in the cities, they have different ways
Football and eggnog and Christmas parades
I'll take my blanket, I'll take the reins
It's Christmas for cowboys and wide open plains

A campfire for warmth as we stop for the night
The stars overhead are Christmas tree lights
The wind sings a hymn as we bow down to pray
It's Christmas for cowboys, wide open plains

It's tall in the saddle, we spend Christmas Day
Driving the cattle over snow covered plains
So many gifts have been opened today
Ours is the sky and the wide open range
It's Christmas for cowboys and wide open plains

Written by Steve Weisberg

These songs always lift my spirits, as do the inspiring lives of Dale Evans and Anne Morrow Lindbergh. So, saddle up, and enjoy all the good gifts from seas, plains, and wide open skies! Channel your inner cowboy or cowgirl, live by your own light, stand for what you hold dear, and have a Happy New Year, despite the odds!

Next Fortnightly Post
Friday, January 14th

Between now and then, read
THE QUOTIDIAN KIT
my shorter, almost daily blog posts
www.dailykitticarriker.blogspot.com

Looking for a good book? Try
KITTI'S LIST
my running list of recent reading
www.kittislist.blogsppot.com