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4A – Daily News – Friday, April 15, 2011 Opinion Pocket full of Round-Up D NEWSAILY RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U N T Y S I N C E 1 8 8 5 Greg Stevens, Publisher gstevens@redbluffdailynews.com Chip Thompson, Editor editor@redbluffdailynews.com Editorial policy The Daily News opinion is expressed in the editorial. The opinions expressed in columns, letters and cartoons are those of the authors and artists. Letter policy The Daily News welcomes let- ters from its readers on timely topics of public interest. All let- ters must be signed and pro- vide the writer’s home street address and home phone num- ber. Anonymous letters, open letters to others, pen names and petition-style letters will not be allowed. Letters should be typed and cannot exceed two double-spaced pages or 500 words. When several letters address the same issue, a cross section of those submit- ted will be considered for publi- cation. Letters will be edited. Letters are published at the discretion of the editor. Mission Statement We believe that a strong com- munity newspaper is essential to a strong community, creating citizens who are better informed and more involved. The Daily News will be the indispensible guide to life and living in Tehama County. We will be the premier provider of local news, information and advertising through our daily newspaper, online edition and other print and Internet vehi- cles. The Daily News will reflect and support the unique identities of Tehama County and its cities; record the history of its com- munities and their people and make a positive difference in the quality of life for the resi- dents and businesses of Tehama County. How to reach us Main office: 527-2151 Classified: 527-2151 Circulation: 527-2151 News tips: 527-2153 Sports: 527-2153 Obituaries: 527-2151 Photo: 527-2153 On the Web www.redbluffdailynews.com Fax Newsroom: 527-9251 Classified: 527-5774 Retail Adv.: 527-5774 Legal Adv.: 527-5774 Business Office: 527-3719 Address 545 Diamond Ave. Red Bluff, CA 96080, or P.O. Box 220 Red Bluff, CA 96080 I’m a city slicker. I’ve been to more rodeos than most of the people with whom I grew up and was even thrown from a horse or two in my younger days, but that entitles me to no more than dressing like a cowboy for a week each April. Here are some observations after nearly a week as a davenport daredevil. I have several Western shirts garnered from local thrift stores and all have one thing in common — the breast pockets are quite shallow. I have to wonder what exactly cowboys carry in these pint-sized pouches? Certainly not an iPhone, which pokes out precariously, ready to flop over onto the ground the first time I bend forward. A pack of cigarettes? Forget about it. Combine this with the tight pockets jeans provide and I spent the week searching for places to carry my belongings, while still dressing in the spirit of the week. When I covered county meet- ings in Idaho, many of the speak- ers, and some of the officials, were farmers. They all wore Western shirts and always seemed to have notes and other things overflowing the pockets. Now I understand. It’s not that they had too much to carry, just too small pockets. On the other hand, I stopped in to the Baxter Black meet and greet event Monday evening at the Odd- fellows Hall. In one of the pre- views of Black’s visit, it was noted that he does not own a cell phone. Must be why his cowboy shirt looked so damn smart on him. Maybe next year I’ll have to find a way to make do with less. It takes my feet about a week to get used to my cowboy boots, so they’re feeling pretty good right about now. If I could figure out a way to get them on and off without sending myself into spasms that cause my dog great concern for my well being, I’d probably wear them more often. A hot topic this week has been the toe shape of boots. When I was a kid, cowboy boots enjoyed a col- orful nickname that indicated they would be useful in a fight — hence, I’ve always considered pointy toes to be a necessary fea- ture of real boots. Several female acquaintances disagreed, typically while wearing round or square toe boots. During the reception for Sue Rosoff’s rodeo photography at The Big Pic- ture Tuesday, I engaged in such a spirited debate with a round-toed lady. I was holding my own until she motioned over to professional bullfighter Ash “Crash” Cooper, who wore non-pointy boots. Weighing the options of admitting defeat or giving “Crash” what for about what constitutes real cowboy boots, I’ve since relinquished my stance on pointy-toe boots. My hat is a cheap one I bought to wear while on the riding mower years ago. It doesn’t see much action these days, but I do dust it off each April. Thanks to Circu- lation Manager Kathy Hogan, I learned this year the proper way to set it on a table — brim up. Now, if I could just remember to take it off before getting in my car, I’ll save myself some bruises next year. Finally there’s the belt — most may have given me pause. As it is, I’ll reserve my self respect for things non-cowboy and am quick to point out to admirers that the buckle was purchased and not earned. It may be a stretch, Chip Thompson 545 Diamond Ave. but a bunch of city slick- ers dressing up like cowboys for a week is more than just getting in the spirit of one of the year’s biggest events. The week is a metaphor for the cooperation that takes place each year between Round-Up organizers and all us non-cowboys in the community. Just look at the 11 Days of Round-Up of us have worn jeans our whole lives, so they don’t count. I have a tan belt that matches my boots and sports a medium-sized silver buck- le. One of the first things I learned in Red Bluff is that no self-respect- ing cowboy would wear a buckle he didn’t earn during a rodeo com- petition. Had I known this 14 years ago when I purchased this buckle, it events. Most were organized by folks in the business community and service clubs. The Round-Up organizers put on a great rodeo. The rest of Red Bluff dresses it up with 11 days of community events. No matter whether you’re a cowboy or a city slicker, Round- Up week is a good fit for Tehama County. Chip Thompson can be reached at 527-2151, Ext.112, or by e-mail at editor@redbluffdailynews.com. Your officials STATE ASSEMBLYMAN — Jim Nielsen (R) State Capitol Bldg., Room 6031 Sacramento, CA 95814 (916) 319-2002; Fax (916) 319-2102 STATE SENATOR — Doug LaMalfa (R) State Capitol Bldg., Room 3070 Sacramento, CA 95814 (916) 651-4004;Fax (916) 445-7750 GOVERNOR — Jerry Brown, State Capitol Bldg., Sacramento, CA 95814;(916) 445-2841;Fax (916) 558- 3160; E-mail: governor@governor.ca.gov. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE — Wally Herger (R), 2635 Forest Ave. Ste. 100, Chico, CA 95928; 893- 8363. U.S. SENATORS — Dianne Feinstein (D), One Post Street, Suite 2450, San Francisco, CA 94104; (415) 393-0707. Fax (415) 393- 0710. Barbara Boxer (D), 1700 Mont- gomery St., Suite 240, San Francis- co, CA 94111; (415) 403-0100. Fax (202) 224-0454. Baxter Black for president Commentary The concert at the great State Theatre Mon- day evening will have received much praise by now, and I can only second the motion. It was a terrific show and just the ticket to illustrate the wisdom of public investment via the Capital Campaign program for purchasing the grand old theatre. The evening began with Master of Ceremonies Bill Cornelius exercising his droll sense of humor as he introduced local poets Bill Hooten and the Siskiyou Six. Their poetry ren- derings were so exceptional that I thought they would be a hard act to follow for the main attraction, Baxter Black. I was wrong. Black brought down the house again and again with his stories, his poems and his flair for the the- atrics. Here was a younger incarnation of Mark Twain, only instead of a white suit, he was attired in a Roy Rogers type outfit featuring a blue shirt with a white chest panel, black pants with large silver buckle, boots and a white Stet- son. He was every inch the cowboy who just stepped out of a Republic Western. With his bushy moustache and facial contortions he slightly resembles the old time character actor Andy Clyde, a side kick of Hopalong Cassidy. Baxter has done for poetry what George Burns did for the cigar. If that seems over the top, so is Baxter Black. What a showman! Rumor has it his fee is $10,000 per appearance. With his concerts and DVD’s and books, he may be the highest paid poet ever! He could afford to build his own Deist Church! * * ** Note to “Libyan Rebels”: It would be much to your credit, if you would refrain from firing your weapons randomly into the air every time a camera is pointed in your direction. It is a stu- pid waste of ammunition. * * * The Daily News website is gaining back a bit of response via the Facebook connection. Last Friday’s reproduction of “I Say” garnered quite a few hits despite the subject being Sci- entology, which had been thought, in some quarters, of little interest up here in the provinces. Perhaps Mencken’s admonition does not apply to our local intelligentsia. * * * If you are so inclined to donate to the Humane Society of the United States, be advised that this organization does not own, operate, or directly control a single animal shel- ter in our country, despite a budget of over $100 million! Tsk, tsk. * * * From the always inspiring police reports: “A woman reported that her dentures had been stolen and painted black. The call turned out to be unfounded as the dentures were black from brownies the woman had eaten”. This could be more of an emotion- al rather than dental problem. In my many years of wearing a partial, I have never accused anyone of theft. Of what use would they be to another? What are the odds that a ran- dom theft of dentures would result in a good fit? The Lord made man and woman with 32 teeth as I recall. They are designed for mastication and occasionally can be used in self defense. “Hell hath no fury like a woman with sharp incisors” as the saying goes. But, through misfortune, we sometimes lose teeth and the results can be socially unac- ceptable or lead to starvation unless a person’s shelves are stocked with “Ensure”. Anyhow, the woman reporting the theft should get a grip with Fixodent and move on. The police are woefully short staffed and have more important things like muggings, stabbings and gasoline theft to deal with. * * * Did I mention that I received a one year old burro for my birthday? I named her Jackie. She, according to the family, is adorable. She is small and brown and was acquired from the Wild Mustang and Burro sale at the fair- grounds. She has dainty feet and follows our 30 year old burro Joanie very closely as they wan- der the pasture. We have been careful to keep the burros separate or only allow them to graze with our older and more responsible horses. Horses have a tendency, when bored, to devil burros, but the sure footed latter can run circles around their bigger cousins and may enjoy the diversion. In any event, if a horse gets too close to Jackie, Joanie will step in between and defuse the moment. It is rewarding to observe our little menagerie as they exercise their peck- ing order. Every ranch should have a burro and this is not an endorsement for the Democrats. * * * Robert Minch I Say Last week’s quiz was full of controversy…if one response can be considered full. L. Brown knew that “roundel, haiku, jintishi and ruba’i are all forms of poet- ry. But when it came to ask- ing what “piam” signified, he said the word means “loving memory” or “pious”...and has nothing to do with poetry! I replied I had misspelled the name, it should be “piem” and it is a form of poetry in which pi’s digits are represented by the num- ber of letters in each word. For example, “How I want a drink”, would represent 3.1415 and so forth. Mr. Brown maintains that is not poetry. The author of an article on the subject claims it is. I am therefore on the horns, not of a bull at the Roundup, but of a dilemma. This week’s quiz: Who said, “Trifles make perfection and perfection is no trifle.”, who was Mayor La Trivia on what radio show, and was “Go Giants” embroidered on Hester Prynne’s dress? * * * Three men were playing poker with a dachs- hund. The stakes were high and an onlooker was amazed that the dachshund won two hands in a row. “That’s incredible,” said the onlooker. “I’ve never seen such a smart dog!” “He ain’t that smart,” whispered one of the players. “Whenever he gets a good hand, he wags his tail.” Robert Minch is a lifelong resident of Red Bluff and former columnist for the Corning Daily Observer and Meat Industry magazine. He can be reached at rminchandmurray@hotmail.com.