Clothes then and now

We have been super busy the past week or so. We finished the fencing back by the pipelines so our steers are back on the new grass. When Marge and I opened the gate, they ran and bucked and kicked up their heels in excitement. They enjoyed the new grass but also being turned into a new pasture. Down through the years, we have fed a bunch of calves on the bottle. Usually we kept them in the barn till they were drinking the milk bottle pretty good. Once you turned them out of the barn, they had a blast running and having a good time.

It kind of reminds me of when growing up we would get a new pair of tennis shoes. We didn't get very many, but, man, when we put on those new canvas tennis shoes, we felt like we could outrun Superman. Usually the tennis shoes were black canvas with a white sole and white laces. Sure were nice shoes. Comfortable and lasted pretty good.

As we got older and more conscious of how we dressed and looked, Mom and Dad would buy us cowboy boots. Back then the cheaper boots were Acme boots, but we didn't want them. We wanted real cowboy boots like the cowboys wore. So Mom and Dad would buy us Hyer or Tony Lama or Cowtown or such. Man, they were comfortable.

Funny how clothes have changed down through the years. Most everyone wore button fly Levi's when I was growing up. You bought them two inches longer then you needed and one inch bigger in the waist. Then when they shrunk, they would fit just right. Back then most of the time Mom would hang our clothes on the clothes line to dry. It seemed like the dryer would shrink them, so she would hang them and let them dry outdoors. Man, they smelled good.

Shirts had to be a non-iron type shirt. Mom didn't like to iron so they had to be those that didn't need ironing. My favorite shirt has always been an all-cotton shirt or t-shirt. There is nothing like a cotton shirt for comfort. Sometimes Mom would use those pants stretchers when drying them on the line. It made the Levi's have a seam down the front of both legs. Really looked neat. Almost like the pants had been ironed.

Back then there seemed like there were two hat makers, Stetson and Resistol. I always wore Stetson. I just liked them better. Most of the time the felt hats came with a kind of generic crease or pinch to the crown. Those where you was buying the hat would start up their steamer and put the pinch or crease in it just like you wanted and then shape the brim to your liking.

Dad worked for a large ranch close to where we grew up, and Dad talked about one of the guys who worked there always wore bib overalls. I believe he was a darn-good roper the way Dad talked. But back in the early days or first part of the 1900s, a lot of guys wore bib overalls. A friend of ours puts a lot of early pictures on Facebook and a good many of the guys and children are in bibs.

When we first moved to Missouri, we would drive out by Bolliver, Missouri, every year to hunt deer. The owner of the land we hunted on wore bibs, so one day I asked him why? He said if something falls in the top of the bibs it will fall out the bottom. Sounded good so I tried some bibs. Man they were comfortable, so bibs are my go-to dress on a daily basis. Down through the years, I've preached a good many sermons in a pair of Lee or Big Smith bibs.

I got a call several years ago when a friend of mine died, and the family wanted me to preach his funeral message. I said I'd be honored to, but since I had shingles around my waist I wondered if I could wear bibs. They had no problem with my bibs, so I preached Clarence's funeral in a new pair of bibs. Still was uncomfortable. Shingles are no fun at all. After getting over the shingles, I waited for the required time and got the shot. Cost me a little over $200, but that was the best $200 I think I ever spent. Since then, I got a booster and I'm fixing to get the new one that just came out.

Growing up, when we were working in the hay field, we usually wore a plain ball cap. Super comfortable. The only drawback is it leaves ones ears kind of hanging out there in the sun. Man, I've fried my ears more than once wearing a ball cap. A few years ago they came out with a flat brimmed ball cap. Really don't care for them, at least as far as looks are concerned. I stick with the curve in the brim.

A good many years ago I met a really neat gardener who always wore one of those safari type straw hats. Never saw him that he wasn't in that straw hat. I asked him where he got it, and he said his boss, Wendy, bought it for him. I did some searching and found a forestry company who stocked the straw safari hat. That's about all I wear in the sun anymore. The first ones I bought were well constructed and lasted a good many years. The ones I have bought lately are cheaply made and aren't worth a flip. So I decided to rebuild one of my old ones. Four pop rivets and some of those little washers and I'm back in business. Not sure what to do when that old safari hat has finally given out.

Every year I go to a skin doctor and have him check me over for damage from the sun. Much of the damage was done back when I was growing up and wasn't even a little bit careful. Buy some good sunscreen and wear it. Invest in a hat that also covers your ears. Don't forget your hands as well. If you don't wear gloves, they are in the sun all year long.

Coffee update

I've been roasting and drinking Ethiopia Guji Uraga Tome Station green coffee beans. They have sure been good. At a light to medium roast, "Tome shows a perfumed, sweet cup character with intense florals and simple syrup sweetness, elegant top notes of Earl Grey tea, mace, strawberry hard candy and lemon-like acidity." I know it seems to taste better day after day.