Ya can't roller skate in a buffalo herd
Ya can't roller skate in a buffalo herd
But you can be happy if you've a mind to
All ya gotta do is put your mind to it
Knuckle down, buckle down, do it, do it, do it
Lyrics by Roger Miller
"Follow me boss."
"Ok Baron. Lead the way."
It was sunrise and we followed the fence line for maybe a
half a mile before we saw anything beyond a few field sparrows and a flock of
migrating nighthawks. Then Baron stopped
and began sniffing the air. He started to run ahead and I hurried to catch up.
Coming over a small rise, there they were, right along the fence line and
beyond. Baron lowered his head
watching intently and I heard a low growl, almost a purring sound. A few of the
buffalo began to snort. Still they were curious.
"It's okay boy," I said. He gave me that
"what do I do now" look. We stood there for some time just watching.
Slowly the herd, from all over the hillside approached, eventually to number at
least a hundred. The herd seemed to
surround some of the young calves as if they were protecting them.
Then one of the "big guys" came right up to me at the fence. I looked at him in my best nonthreatening smile and asked quietly, "You wouldn't mind if we did some roller skating here, would you, Sir?" I got, in return, kind of a wild look, as if I were crazy. We decided to move on...... and a little bit further on I saw the warning sign.
Hmmmm.
Then one of the "big guys" came right up to me at the fence. I looked at him in my best nonthreatening smile and asked quietly, "You wouldn't mind if we did some roller skating here, would you, Sir?" I got, in return, kind of a wild look, as if I were crazy. We decided to move on...... and a little bit further on I saw the warning sign.
Hmmmm.
haha. such a goofy song and you had a story to go with it. :)
ReplyDeleteguess buffalo are as curious as cattle about dogs.
Love that Roger Miller song.... BUT--I'd love to see you roller skating around a herd of buffalo...
ReplyDeleteBaron really knew how to behave around those big guys!!!!
Hugs,
Betsy
Cool post! Roger Miller was one of my favorites.
ReplyDeleteHa! I guess I would have backed off, too. :-)
ReplyDeleteThose are some big guys and you were pretty close...always good to hear Baron stories:)
ReplyDeleteHahaha!!! I love that sign! What a perfect ending!
ReplyDeleteGreat story. Baron did well to respect those big guys.
ReplyDeleteThey did put the babies out of harms way. I need to look that herd over.
ReplyDeleteHaHa! I remember that silly song. Nice photos and story, and I love the sign at the end!
ReplyDeleteWhat a good laugh for this morning. I needed that!
ReplyDeleteHow neat to have been so close to a buffalo herd. One was really giving you the evil eye. Such magnificent animals and Baron was protective but well behaved.
ReplyDeleteFunny song lyrics! The buffalo look pretty tame, but they might take offense if you roller skated amongst them.
ReplyDeleteBaron looked like he was enjoying himself.
No roller skating! Lol. Great pictures. Thay are a weird lookng beast with that enormous head and those tiny hind quarters. We saw them up close on a trip to the North.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great story. And photos, too!
ReplyDeleteGot an out-loud laugh at the ending to your post. I must say you are brave to stand there with only a thin wire fence between you and Baron and a hundred buffalo! Nice shoots of the buffalo. -- barbara
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post! I'm glad you were able to get up close and personal with the buffalo and even work in Roger Miller. Well done!
ReplyDeleteEven with the fencing between you I would have been a bit leery. Somehow I can't imagine Baron on roller skates ... much less rolicking midst the herd !
ReplyDeleteOh, fun story! I think buffalo are quite interesting. Although my husband maintains that they are bison, not buffalo. He gets grumpy if I call them buffalo. He's from Nebraska. Maybe it's a Nebraska thing.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great story.
ReplyDeleteYou wonder what the reaction will be from a dog who may have only seen beasts like that on television. But he didn't send them stampeding into South Dakota!
The hit album of Roger Miller's that had that song, and England Swings, Kansas City Star, a lot of good ones, was in our house when I was a kid and so later when I was driving truck I noticed the sign on Interstate 40 in Western Oklahoma, at Erick, about it being the boyhood home of Roger Miller. After passing it by a couple more times I got off once and drove through town - it's one of those exits where you follow the old highway for awhile, Rte 66 in this case, and get back on the interstate at the next exit.
Erick is the last town before the Texas panhandle and it's like the panhandle, geographically. Nothing but vast, flat fields of corn and oats and pastureland. There are houses in Erick but most pf the businesses, except the farm equipment dealer, are closed. People probably go to the Wal Mart in Sayre.
After the town I pulled over in the big grass berm, which was dry and hard and you could tell farm equipment used it, and shut the motor off and got out and just soaked up some of the vast sky and dusty fields to the horizons and warm breeze and solitude. I wanted to stay there. I suppose Roger couldn't wait to leave.
Oh my, what a great place to take a hike. :-)
ReplyDeleteLove your story...and the added song. But now it is stuck in my head. ;-)
Have a great week.
Carla
I can sing every one of those songs on the Roger Miller album. My favorites besides Buffalo Herd are Chug-a-lug and King of Kansas City. Love the buffalo and wonderful Baron.
ReplyDeleteRoger Miller was the master of the funny song (along with Ray Stevens. Fifty years ago this month, he had a big hit with that great high school drinking song "Chug-A-Lug."
ReplyDeleteIf I remember correctly, a town along Route 66 has the Roger Miller museum.
Makes You Wanna Holler Hi-De-Ho!! --RoadDog