Overheard at the Rodeo

A: "What kind of world is it when some of the best cowboys are indians?"

B: "One where some of the best indians are cowboys."

Turning Pages

I was just turning the pages of a handsome coffee table book on Jackson, Mississippi.
While I was doing so I got to thinking that it would be interesting to find a book that dealt with how the people of the “southern states” learned to be “southerners” from the time Lee and Grant quit fighting until we decided to kill Europeans in WWI. Can anyone recommend to me a social history of The South during that period?

Then I got to thinking that I’d like to find a similar history of the perceptions of the French people and the American people of their interactions from the signing of the Declaration of Independence to the Louisiana Purchase. It might be called “What Have They Ever Done for Us?” or “Thank Them for What?”

From Art

"Hi Richard,I'm sending you this email so your new address gets into my address book. How are you? Where are you? Art-- Aging is really, really bad for you. It shortens your life. So please look at my website today for a promising solution to end aging,http://www.alchemyrevealed.com/ (Note: I make frequent additions to this website so come back often).(And to "see" me, "roll-over" my name on top)"

Studs Terkle

He is dead. I miss him already.
He had brains and balls.
He was a gentle man.
He loved people and persons.
Considering his brains and balls, which do you think were Jewish and which do you think were Polish? Can any American not care?
Check with the Chicago Historical Society.

Federal Follow-Up

Thank you.



Dear rcsheehan1@aol.com,

Thank you for contacting the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). USDA requested that your query be addressed by the staff of the National Agricultural Library. Your question has been forwarded to a reference librarian and will be answered within five business days.

Sincerely,
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National Agricultural Library
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301-504-5755 agref@nal.usda.gov
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...advancing access to global information for agriculture

From: Webmaster [mailto:Webmaster@ARS.USDA.GOV] Sent: Friday, November 07, 2008 4:32 PMTo: Agricultural ReferenceSubject: FW: Question from Ask the Expert-- Agricultural Research - 1225934058261



From: rcsheehan1@aol.com [mailto:rcsheehan1@aol.com]Sent: Wed 11/5/2008 8:14 PMTo: WebmasterCc: Experts, -USDASubject: Question from Ask the Expert-- Agricultural Research - 1225934058261
This question was received by the Ask the Expert inbox on Wed, Nov 5, 2008. Please reply to the customer within five (5) business days, by Wed, Nov 12, 2008.If this email has been routed improperly, please return this email to the USDA Webmaster vic.powell@usda.gov with the phrase Improper Routing added to the beginning of the subject line. Thank you.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Where can I find information on changes in the nutritional value of truck crops in recent decades?Who handles such data?

Mago Bill

I have mentioned one of my great grandfathers, M. William Sheehan in two previous posts.
My sister Gerry, the family genealogist, says that her research shows that the "M" in M. William Sheehan stands for Mago, and she is a woman who stands behind her research. So, the name is Mago William Sheehan, Mago Sheehan.

My great grandfather is Mago Bill.
Cool!

Best Buckin' Bulls

The U. S. has the best bucking bulls in the world.

Today the best bucking bull riders are Guilherme Marchi and Robsen Palermo.
Marchi, and Palermo are both from Brazil.

I wondered why in Brazil I was asked about bucking bulls. My answer was something like my standard, "What does riding a bull have to do with cowboying or horsemanship? Followed by, "You have to be crazy." I wondered why my questioners responded politely but unenthusiastically. My more productive response might have been, "Why do you ask?"

There are good U.S. riders coming up and Justin Mcbride, the best for years, just retired.

Good Old Blue Eyes

Wasn't it Frank Sinatra who said, "do be, do be, do?" I'm thinking he had it right. I've sometimes thought that I should throw out "be" as too big to handle. Frank apparently suggests keeping the "be," but placing the emphasis on "do." Being sometimes seems pretty hard to me. Being good, being human, being happy, being joyous, being free, being an man all seem pretty difficult much of the time. Just "being" a husband, son, brother, or just a friend can seem overwhelming.

However, when I look at doing words, things look a bit less difficult. There are a lot of them. Even some 'being words' can become 'doing words.' Doing words, verbs, can be difficult too. 'To exist' may seem a difficult to know how to do. "Relax and enjoy it." is advice given about may doings; not always easy advice to take. Still many verbs seem more congenial to me than nouns. For example, if I am told to dance, I feel more capable of doing so than if I am told to be dance.

I heard a man say that his object in life was to be happy, joyous, and free. I believe that he tried to reach that goal. I don't know whether he succeeded or not. If he did, I bet it wasn't easy.

If someone tells me to be happy, it seems liked a good idea. But then when I consider how; how to put it into practice seems a bit of a problem. However, when I consider doing happy, or how happy is done, or doing something happy, I feel more capable. How can I tell if a person is happy? Isn't a smile an indication of happiness? I can smile. I can do happy. I can do something happy. I can do a happy act. I can smile.

If I am told to be good, it seems a big deal. It seems to be more that just "sit down and shut up." If I am told to do good, possibilities begin to open. If I decide to do something good, I think that it is probably possible to do so. I think I am capable of a good act. I think I can make a good move.

If I tell myself to be human, it seems that I have to do it all, and it seems difficult to me. However, when I try doing human, when I try to human, when I try one human act at a time, I can do it. I can walk. I can talk. I can crawl on my belly like a reptile(that's an act).

Being joyous seems easier than being joy. Doing a joyous act or making a joyous move seems easier yet. I can ask myself, "How does a joyous man look?" Well, if I see a man singing and dancing, and throwing his arms open to the universe I could call him mad, or I might call him joyous. I could do one of those joy acts.

Sounds a bit like the "fake it until you make it" suggestion, doesn't it. Well, is being a 'copy cat' all bad? Does "monkey see, monkey do" necessarily lead to mortal sin?

If I must be free, how do I do that. Well, 'to free' is a 'doing word.' I can do something to free myself from these tight shoes. by loosening these laces. I can free myself to spend more time in my garden by rearranging my time.

If I must be a man I may run into difficulties. Still, I usually feel capable of putting my pants on one leg at a time. That's a man thing. That is an act of a man. That is a way "to man."

I feel capable of doing a friendly act, or a brotherly thing even when I may not be sure of how to be a friend, or how to be a brother.

Thanks Frank. I have high hopes.