Friday, June 27, 2014

Boot Scootin' Country Girl

I admit it, I am a country girl at heart. I love log cabins, country roads, biscuits and gravy, and horses. Growing up, I was a city girl even though my cousins all lived on farms. Then I met and married John, and entered the wonderful world of country music. I had never listened to it before, but that was my loss. We went to a lot of dances when we met, and most of the music was classic country. All the greats Waylen and Willie, and the boys, Tanya Tucker, George Jones, and Dolly. I had cowboy boots, and a cowboy hat, and fell in love with the music.

At that time once a year we looked forward to The Douglas County Fair. For five days, we could enjoy all things country. Before they citified it and moved it to Omaha, we spent every night we could in Waterloo, Nebraska. We walked around and looked at the exhibits, met friends we only saw here, ate at the Church stand, and watched well known Country artists. We saw Goerge Jones, Tammy Wynette, and many more. After each concert they met their fans, signed autographs, and talked to us. They were all from modest beginnings, and never got too important for their fans. They loved God, their families, and their country, and they loved to make music.

We also met the Music Director for Omaha's main country station at that time. He and his wife had a side business of booking country music talent around Nebraska. John went to work for them for awhile, and we went to hear groups so John could get them booked Into various places in Omaha, and around Nebraska. We met so many people, and got to hear and see new talent. One of the most memorable was Conway Twitty's daughter Kathy. Our love of Country kept growing.

We also met a quirky little country gal, named Coleen. She was a DJ at her father's Country station in Omaha, WOW. She worked the late evening, early morning slot, and many times we called her while she was working, just to chat. She owned a horse, and invited us out to the place where he was boarded, so every weekend we spent riding at Rick's and being part of a fun place. We took the kids out riding a couple of times, but the middle son was the only one who shared our love of Country music. We later learned that when we thought he was sleeping, he too was calling Coleen, just to chat. He went to college, and majored in radio, and has been a DJ ever since in North Dakota, and Nebraska.

We still listen to Classic Country Radio, and our CDs. We used to display all the autographed pictures we had collected, but there comes a time when you pack them away, and just hang on to the memories. I still wear my boots, and we have added watching Bull Riding to our country style.Listening to Classic Country, of all the great ones who are slowly leaving us, and remembering those earlier years, still make me a boot scootin' Country girl!

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