Before I grew up, I apparently had a past life as a cowgirl. My little red tricycle has been cropped out of the above picture. I'd like you to think I was actually galloping on a wild stallion up and down South 9th Street, protecting my neighbors from the bad guys. Stick horses were more my speed, however. Like most kids growing up in the 1950s, I did get to live vicariously through the magic of television westerns--and there were plenty to go around in those days.
My two favorites were on Saturday mornings: My Friend Flicka and Fury ("The story of a horse and the boy who loved him.") They were pretty much interchangeable: boy on ranch, boy has horse, boy is always screwing up, and horse saves the day. I preferred Joey, the orphan kid who lived with his adopted dad Jim, foreman Pete, and rode Fury on the Broken Wheel Ranch, over Ken, who lived with his parents, foreman Gus, and rode Flicka on the Goose Bar Ranch. Joey was a bit older and cuter and not a crybaby like Ken, who always seemed to be blubbering about something. When Joey was in trouble, he didn't bawl about it. He just had this pained look on his face like: "Well, I mucked up again!"
My favorite Fury episode was when Joey was hanging out with his pals Pee Wee and Packy and they got lost from each other. It actually started out as a game where they'd go in different directions, and they'd use a symbolic yell, "Eee-Ah-Key!" to keep in touch with each other. Well, of course, eventually someone got lost and hurt and the "Eee-Ah-Keys" were no more to be heard. It's getting dark. It's getting scary. But who should save the day and reunite the boys? Fury, of course!! The horses on these shows were always 10 times smarter than any adults. They even had ESP.
I never got the opportunity to get on a real horse until I was 17, and that was out at the Fredonia 4-H barn with a friend leading it. I was scared spitless. My second attempt was on a trail ride in Wyoming. My horse, Smokey, kept moseying off the path, mainly because its rider (me!) was unknowingly guiding it that way. My aching butt gave up on horses after that little adventure. If I ever get the nerve to saddle up again, it's going to be on a merry-go-round!
4 comments:
How cute, your making the same face in your cowgirl pic as your profile pic.
You haven't changed. See you were riding your bike through town just yesterday.
You know what, after I finished writing the blog I noticed the same thing about the faces. Kinda creepy. Just put a pompadour and pigtails on me now and I'd look the same. Yikes! (Don't own such a "sharp" looking outfit now, though!)
I found Ken so annoying too and these were two of my fav shows. We didn't get a TV until I was 13 so had to go to Gradnma's to watch them though. Love the picture!! I got to ride at Girl Scout camp. When we lived in New Jersey, we used to go trail riding in the Pocono Mts. in Pa. My fav ones were after dark. Do you remember getting to set on Suella Claiborn's horse at her birthday parties?? That was a treat!
Suella and you were Lincoln School products (until you got wise and moved to 9th Street!), and I was a Mound kid, so I didn't really know her until 6th or 7th grade. --Poconos are so beautiful, but I don't think I would have had the nerve to saddle up in the dark. Of course, since horses have ESP, they must have night vision, too!
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