Before I go any further, I want to thank everybody who wrote about my blog post about Terry’s shooting accident, and to all of you who wrote in response to Friday’s blog about our anniversary. There was so much response, both in posts to the blog and in personal e-mails, that I just did not have the time to answer every one individually. Terry and I are both touched by your kindness, good thoughts, and support. You make us feel very, very special.
Speaking of special people, our dear friends Orv and Nancy Hazelton came through Casa Grande yesterday on their way to Quartzsite and took time out of their travel schedule to meet us for lunch. Orv has been enjoying the extended travel RV lifestyle part time for years now, but Nancy just retired from the V.A. hospital in Lexington, Kentucky and they started their life as fulltimers just a couple of weeks ago.
They were having problems getting their satellite TV working, and after lunch I fiddled with the controls for their TV, switch box, and King Dome antenna, and managed to get it set up properly for them.
Orv was also having trouble getting the built-in air card on his Dell computer to connect, and we got that problem resolved too. I was feeling pretty proud of myself, and then Orv mentioned that his hydraulic leveling jacks were not working properly. I figured that rather than press my luck, I’d retire an undefeated champion, and told him that job needed the skills of a mechanic.
Back at the Pinal County Fairgrounds, we had to thread our way past a fleet of livestock trailers and pickup trucks that arrived early yesterday morning for a horse show.
If you’ve been reading my blog or the Gypsy Journal for very long, you already know that I’m not exactly politically correct, and I step on toes occasionally. So if you’re an equestrian lover, get your feet out of the way, because I’m about to tap dance on them.
I don’t like horse people. I’m sure that there are millions of horse owners who are the salt of the earth, and I’ve even met a few over the years. But in my mind, there is a big difference between horse owners and horse people.
The folks I am talking about are into the show circuit or the rodeo thing, and there’s nothing wrong with either activity. But does that give them an excuse to be rude and inconsiderate?
Case in point; this fairgrounds has acres and acres of open space, and electrical and water hookups everywhere you look. But yesterday morning about 7 a.m. a family with a long horse trailer complete with living quarters pulled in right next to us, and soon they were outside yelling, slamming doors, and unloading their horses. They were even walking between our van and the bus, and when we went out later to meet Orv and Nancy for lunch, I had to walk around piles of horse crap to get to the van.
By the time we returned to the fairgrounds in the afternoon, there was trash laying all over, several horse trailers had stacks of empty beer cartons piled up by the living quarters doors, and the place looked like a cowboy version of a Third World country.
Okay, it’s a fairgrounds. I get that. But is than an excuse to intrude on other people’s space? To leave “landmines” from your animals that you don’t clean up, and to make the entire place look like a dump?
We saw the same thing with this crowd in prior visits to the fairgrounds, but we have also seen it at fairgrounds in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Oklahoma. Someone told me that country folks think differently than us. That’s wrong. We know lots of country folks. They have always impressed us with their courteousness and good manners. Country folks make good neighbors.
These guys and gals at the fairgrounds may have horses, they may even live in the country. But they are not country folks. They are the typical “Me First” mindset kind of selfish, irresponsible people who are always bores to be around, whether you encounter them in a high rise city apartment with stereos blasting through the walls disturbing their neighbors’ peace, speeding through a no wake swimming zone in their power boats, shooting up road signs, or tearing up the countryside riding ATVs in protected wildlife areas. Bad manners are bad manners.
Thought For The Day – We are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.
Nick Russell
World-Famous, New York Times Best Selling Author, and All-Around Nice Guy!
Go get ’em, Tiger!
Nick, you have to be more explicit in letting your feelings be known 🙂 !! Your blog brightens my day every morning – Thanks
If I recall correctly, your bus has wheels. If you don’t like whats going on around you start it up and move…. simple to solve. George had the same problem a while back.He didn’t snivel and cry he just moved.
I have thought For some time you have been a way to sensitive to “MY SPACE”. Complaining about kids or adults in your holy space. landmines just hep fertilizer the soil. I haven’t owned a horse since 1963 0r 64. when I did, I don’t ever recall seeing anybody pick up Landmines at the Rodeos. You just learn to do the Cowboy shuffle to wipe it off your Boots.
Got a feeling Grumpy ole men and Cowboys will get along about as well as Bikers and Cowboys.
Rojo
I wish you would tell how you really feel!
I agree, bad manners are bad manners no matter who has them. I think maybe I’d have moved to a cleaner space but I don’t think you could have gotten far away enough to not be bothered by the horse people..
Good Luck
Yes. We do have wheels on our RV homes, but we should not always have to flee bad manners and arrogant behavior. But it is a nice option.
Good luck, Nick, with the Pinal Country Fairgrounds management.
I agree with you Nick. I am at a large park that has signs all over asking people to clean up after their dogs, no dogs on the grass, etc. I think I’m the only person who carries a plastic bag when walking the dogs. Rude and ill-mannered people are everywhere, but to say that it’s up to us to move away from them, and keep moving away from them, is unrealistic and unfair. All I can think of is that they just weren’t raised right.
N ick that usally come with public or state federal camp grounds that lnvolve seasonal or young campers.
Dang Nick, glad I got out of there last Sunday before the cowboys showed up. None of that over here at Quartzsite. I have owned several horses. Hope I was never rude to folks like that, though.
Dan
mm 99
NICK: Nancy and I so very much enjoyed our time with you. . . I think that we’ll just become “good neighbors” and move in next door to you full time. . . what do ya think? Aw shucks, Nick. . . I thought we were buds. Oh well, a little bit of me goes a long way. . . right? Thanks again for your magical skills in enabling my electrical toys. I suppose that now I owe you and Terry a dinner. Consider it done. Thanks again, Orv and Nan
Nick, we have 30 acres you”re welcome to stay as long as you like if ever passing thru. miss. on I-20 Edwards, between vicksburg&jackson miss. nothing but peace and quite. exit 19. .you and miss terry. when a man talk about his wife as much as you do you have to be good peoples, I feel the same way about my wife.