Not the Bean & Rice Stuffed Peppers in the Slow Cooker. They lived up to our expectations.
Last evening we were all watching television– Hee Haw, I think– and we saw a commercial for a television show: Red Steagall’s In the Bunkhouse on RFDTV. We like Red Steagall’s Cowboy poetry. Sure. Sure. Red’s writings are about the crappy olden days when men were men, courage was a virtue, failure was a choice, and mistakes were opportunities to learn. (No citations, Mr. Big Food and I are just surveying our memories of Steagall’s lyrics.)
We took note.
The big bold lettering is the reminder to tune in. The no-so big lettering is a reminder of when, exactly, to tune in.
We tuned in for the full 30 minutes and were disappointed.
Song at 8:30. Good.
Commercial. Commercial. Sponsored by. Commercial.
Jibber jabber interview with some Rodeo guy who has his own line of Rodeo ropes … . Commercial. Commercial. Sponsored by. Commercial. Some talk of food by folks who have a … cookbook for $19.95 IF YOU BUY IT NOW. Commercial. Commercial. Sponsored by. Commercial.
In the final minutes, Steagall read Blue Roan and the Kid. A Classic about a kid who’s trying to tame a horse, with his father looking on.
And then there were some commercials.
Years ago, Mr. Big Food eulogized a colleague and Friend– a fellow Texan– by quoting Steagall:
There's one empty cot in the bunkhouse
There's a saddle that nobody rides
One empty place at the table
The remuda is five horses shy We turned his string out to pasture
He'll never ride em no more
We buried him out on the hillside last Sunday
Another good cowboys gone home.
Our friend would be disappointed in Red, as are we all. [Insert commercial]
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