“Grade school kids with matching cowboy dreams grow old fulfilling youthful inclinations.”
Living in a rural community, students in the olden days walked to and from school including going home for dinner. Dennis is a couple years younger, yet friendship quickly bonded during the daily joint jaunts nearly a mile each direction.
Neither had horses, but cowboy boots and snap-yoked shirts revealed certain commonness. Without perfect attendance shared Sunday school class further enhanced comradery of Western life.
Wednesday was afternoon off for grocery store carryout boy frequently joining another cowboy dreamer fishing the nearby river. Then aspirations began to materialize.
Two acres with a barn in the city limits allowed for the older horse fascinator to get his own Spot. Dennis went to work as exercise rider for the trainer at a racetrack the community had just built. Saddle club’s arena infield the oval track became evening get together for the young horsemen.
Cowboy bond strengthened during high school in youth agriculture organizations with both envisioning rodeo successes. Saturday nights on the town began when stopping to get Dennis at home playing his electric guitar singing cowboy songs.
Team roping practices Thursday evenings started developing some rodeo skills soon leading to steer riding in yokel events. Jake contracted the annual summer rodeo and of course a couple teenagers were insistent to climb down into the chutes.
Dennis collected checks on broncs and bulls while his friend scowled getting up after High Pockets and others dumped him. Amateur circuit found the compadres paying entry fees fairly regularly with the partner’s payback furnishing gas money.
Still there was romancing as Dennis was groomsman for his friend and granted the sidekick best man honors.
Going different directions, Dennis became a renowned racehorse trainer, while subordinate pursued ranching with subsistence job. When head-on car crash hospitalized unconscious the city-worker-rancher, Dennis was bedside regular during convalescing.
It was then a black stallion registered as namesake Dennis Good was acquired starting the Quarter Horse breeding program.
Recent front page newspaper racehorse picture story of the cowboy friend’s family brought reflections from the past seven decades.
Staggering was sad passing of Dennis’ wife Nancy last year yet tradition continues. Daughters, son, children-in-law, grandchildren thrive the “Good” cowboy way.
Reminded of First Samuel 2:8: “He protectively cares for faithful friends, step by step.”
+++ALLELUIA+++
XV–20–5-16-2021