{"id":19547,"date":"2023-05-03T00:32:42","date_gmt":"2023-05-03T00:32:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/?p=19547"},"modified":"2023-05-02T19:34:13","modified_gmt":"2023-05-02T19:34:13","slug":"this-old-hat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/2023\/05\/03\/this-old-hat\/","title":{"rendered":"THIS OLD HAT"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Bryce Angell – The outdoors has always been a large part of my life. My father was an outfitter and guide for 35 years and I was there to shoe and care for the horses and help him do the cooking. We took many great trips into the Yellowstone area. Even now that I\u2019m older, we still ride into the Tetons, Yellowstone and surrounding areas. My poems are mostly of personal experience. I am now retired and enjoying life to the fullest. I plan to do more riding and writing.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The other day I considered, was it time to buy a new hat? And one that would make me look skinny. I\u2019ve heard of miracles like that.<\/p>\n

I perused the cowboy hats on the wall. There were black ones and gray ones alike. I wanted to leave with a brand new hat but would soon hear about the price hike.<\/p>\n

I picked out a Stetson, at least the right name. And pointed it out to the clerk. He snatched it so fast, it made my head swim. I was thinking he might be a jerk.<\/p>\n

He said, \u201cYou sure you want this hat? It\u2019s got a hefty price.\u201d I asked how much. He said, \u201cThree hundred!\u201d Didn\u2019t have to tell me twice!<\/p>\n

The doggone clerk was wearing his smirk. Said, \u201cYour hat\u2019s a sad sad story.\u201d But I won\u2019t call him jerk, \u2018cuz he sounded more like a snollygoster in glory.<\/p>\n

This hat of mine was given to me some fifty years to date. A 10X Stetson from my folks, in hopes I\u2019d graduate.<\/p>\n

My hat ain\u2019t got a fancy shape like Yellowstone or Gus. Not every hat is Hollywood. So pardner, what\u2019s the fuss?<\/p>\n

This hat has kept my head warm from the frigid winter days. And blocks out all the sunburn from the sunshine\u2019s hottest rays.<\/p>\n

I remember the day when old Jake tossed me high. I came slamming hard to the ground. But my hat stayed in place. There is no disgrace for a lid that keeps your head sound.<\/p>\n

Now the top of my head ain\u2019t seen a hair\u2019s thread since forty-odd years passed me by. But my hat don\u2019t complain. It stays just the same, slightly cocked there above my right eye.<\/p>\n

To my daughter\u2019s despair, I wore my hat to see my grandson born. Yet I did take it off when Grandma passed, hat in hand we all did mourn.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m wearing my old hat again. How long will it be around? Each morning it\u2019s still on the hook. I know where it can be found.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll dust the dirt and grime off from my Stetson cowboy hat. And treat it much more kindly than a plain old head hat rack.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s more than just a hat. My Stetson\u2019s full of history. It don\u2019t matter \u2018bout its looks, my hat is good enough for me.<\/p>\n

So with luck for years I\u2019ll keep this hat. It\u2019s a classic at this place. \u2018Cuz it fits down snug, guarding my mug. Yes, I think it adds grit to my face.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The other day I considered, was it time to buy a new hat? And one that would make me look skinny. I\u2019ve heard of miracles like that. I perused the cowboy hats on the wall. There were black ones and gray ones alike. I wanted to leave with a brand new hat but would soon […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","_pvb_checkbox_block_on_post":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[160,2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-19547","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-cowboy-poetry","7":"category-commentary"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19547","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19547"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19547\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19551,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19547\/revisions\/19551"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19547"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19547"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19547"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}