Can't Sleep?

Me either. It's almost midnight and this is the second night in a row I've had insomnia. It's the pits. I literally tossed and turned like Shamu last night, and tonight I didn't want to keep Abe up, so here I sit. Blogging.

So, what I am going to do (in hopes that it makes me so tired I fall asleep on the couch) is recap a portion of my Memorial Day weekend- in which we spent in Midland, TX.

Weekend started out with a short road trip to Hobbs, NM where I lost $52 in slots at the casino. Then we ventured to Odessa the next day to "shop" and had dinner at "The Bar." (If you are ever in Midland, go to The Bar...it's great. http://www.thebarmidland.com ) On Saturday, we got some sun, cooked out, and then went to the RANCH RODEO in Andrews, Texas. Here's where the recap begins.

Ranch Rodeo- Andrews, Texas
If you've ever been to a Ranch Rodeo, then you know exactly what I am talking about. If you've been to a Rodeo, you have a slight understanding. If you've never seen a horse, a real cowboy (no, Brokeback Mountain doesn't count), or a calf (baby cow), you will need to YouTube/Google, Ranch Rodeo and watch what happens.

A Ranch Rodeo is a series of events performed in teams of cowboys. Events can include:
Buck Riding
Trailer Load
Mugging
And something that I've forgotten the name of, but it involves a large (very large) size of granny panties.

Here's the deal. $5 bucks gets you in the door to Andrews' great facility, cute cowboys, and yummy soft serve ice cream. PETA would have a field day had they been there, however I am told that no animals were injured. Honestly.

These cowboys rope the calves, take them to the ground and hog tie them- this is the 'mugging' portion of the event. Trailer loading involves 3 cowboys; they must rope a calf, get it into a large trailer and then put their 3 horses in the trailer. Wait- this isn't over yet. They have to then run to the pick up truck, attached to the trailer, get in, and some honked the horn to signify their completion.

The final event- involving before mentioned granny panties is a hoot. The cowboys must rope a calf, wrestle it into submission and fit the granny p's over the calf's tush. This, like the other events, is timed. It was astonishing to see these cowboys rope calves, buck broncs, and shove these animals into the trailer. It seriously took each team about 2-3 minutes to handle these obstacles. (Except for the bronc riding which only took 8 seconds.)

Funny that it only took them about 38 seconds to get the panties onto the calf. How did they do it so quickly? Is this something they "practice" on the ranch? Are they just experienced in that kind of maneuvering? Are they pros with the granny panties?

Needless to say, we had a great time visiting. Next visit I hope to see the Ranch Rodeo reversed- maybe the cows can put udders on the cowboys bottoms, rope them, and better yet- herd them into a trailer, all for the small price of $5.

Yee Haw.