Eastern Cowboy

Our neighbor Don Davis runs a dairy farm. Sometimes in the evening, Maryellen and Waverly and Henry will go for a walk up to visit the cows. If Don is around, he will often come out from the barn and chat and let Wavy and Henry pet and feed the calves. All of this has made a huge impression on Henry. All he talks about is cows, and his favorite video is a Vermont classic about life on a dairy farm.

I saw Don at the general store one day and mentioned to him that Henry dreams of being a dairy farmer. Don thought this over for a minute and said with a grin, "Well, I am not sure if it is a dream or a nightmare." Dairying, you see, is not the easiest way to get rich.

But now that it is mud season, Henry has these mud boots he loves because they look like the barn boots that Don wears. He calls them his "cow boots".

Which reminds me of a song called "Eastern Cowboy" by Alan Greenleaf, folksinger and Peacham resident. Here is the chorus:

He's an Eastern Cowboy
He herds Holstein cattle
He ain't got a horse
And he ain't got a saddle
His range is kind of woody
But the snakes they don't rattle
and his boots are rubber and warm . . .

By the way, you can get Alan's songs on iTunes.