COWBOYS

I would guess that most boys and some girls born in the thirties went to the movies on Saturday morning and watched the cowboy movies, and in their moments of daydreaming wanted to be just like that guy on the screen. I was no different; of course I wanted to be a cowboy. I dreamt of filling my saddle bags with grub and riding my horse on the lone prairie kicking up dust, riding with no destination. I never thought at that time of having a cowgirl with me, a dog would do just fine. I remember I used to like Gene Autry the best in the cowboy movies. I don't quite know why, because when I see an old movie of his now, he seems to be singing an awfully lot and I'm quite sure I would have grown bored with that real quick. But whatever, he was my favorite at the time. My father in law also wanted to be a cowboy. He also wanted to be in the merchant marine, but a boy grows up and family responsibility suddenly puts those dreams into perspective. So it is that way with most of us, we grow up and those old unfulfilled dreams become the stuff of stories we tell our grandchildren or whomever else we might get to listen to us.