Country 101: First Day of Class

How does one go about immersing one's self in the Western culture? I've been pondering on this for about a week, now. Then it dawned on me; that store I've driven by a bunch of times, the one where I go when I need a shovel or some good lettuce for the garden because no one else carries good lettuce OR decorative kale, for that matter. D and B Supply.

I pictured myself walking down the 'horse' aisle (they call it the 'tack' aisle), looking like that guy in the Carl's Jr.'s commercials that knows nothing about cooking and poking the beef in its package, timidly and with a small amount of awe. I could see myself looking at gear that I had no idea of where, exactly, it would go on a horse...and feeling kinda silly.

But this is how it really went. First, I took a picture of the outside of the store, where it said in bold letters, "TACK" and "PLUMBING" and "BOOTS"...because I thought that it was getting to be a rarity nowadays to see such a thing. I walked in, just as I had many times before (because I've bought a lot of shovels...don't ask...) and was met by a girl up front named Kim. Since I had a digital camera in one hand, and my notebook in the other, I thought I'd explain to her why I was there. I told her that I was trying to absorb some Western culture. She didn't laugh. Instead, she advised me on what she would wear to the Rodeo, if she were me,(some nice jeans, boots, maybe a belt, and just any good shirt; it didn't have to be Western to fit in) and we took a walk back to the boot section, where she showed me the boots she would buy if she could have any boots there. She showed me what boots would be the most 'in', country-speaking. Not once did I feel as though she were mocking me...rather, she seemed happy to educate me on all things Western. She told me that she used to ride horses all the time, and grew up in a small town just west of here. But her schedule nowadays didn't allow for much riding; she sounded like she missed it.

Karen came around the corner, another friendly face and a girl that I'd seen at D and B for years. As I looked at the women's clothing, which I was impressed with, I chatted with her a bit and learned that she and I were neighbors. I'd had no idea. She smiled that bright smile of hers, and upon learning what I was doing there, said, "We'll dress you up Western and take pictures!" She was sure to introduce me to the manager, Brad, who she called over to our end of the store on her walkie-talkie deal. He was very nice and told me that I was welcome to linger and take pictures for as long as I'd like.

Looking at the racks of clothing, I was amazed. This wasn't the striped, plaid Western that I remembered. Where were the thick, unflattering dungarees, built for the ranch? They had white frilly sundresses, great looking, modern-style blouses and shirts, and some of the cutest jeans ever. This was....Western? Seriously? I guess it was time I re-thought it. I put together a whole Western outfit; a lime-green straw hat with white daisies above the brim, the white frilly sundress, some white sandals with one big daisy near the toes, and some brass and silver Western earrings and necklace. I walked past the perfume section and discovered that my favorite was "Sunset", so I added that to the ensemble, just to make it look like a magazine staging. I think that Karen was amused. Every now and then she would call out, "Are you doing all right?" and I would call back, "Yep! I'm having a lot of FUN!"....only for me to realize that she was talking to another customer who'd gone to try on something in the dressing room. I remembered, too late, that she told me she'd leave me alone to do my 'absorbing', unless I had any questions. Oops. She didn't seem too bothered by my chiming in, though. She just kept smiling.

I got stuck in the shoe section, where I actually found some Sketcher's Shape-Up's! (A Western store has Shape-Up's?) Not to mention many other pairs of nice looking sandals that I immediately began to covet. Oh, great, now this store was making me break one of the Top Ten Commandments. Thanks, D and B. Lucky for you I like warm weather.

On to the men's section, where I saw paisley button-up shirts, and a whole lot of pink. I was surprised at this until I remembered the Tough Enough For Pink night at the Rodeo, in support of a cure for breast cancer. Wrangler makes a lot of those shirts; they are a sponsor of the Rodeo, so it all started to make sense. A lot of the clothing I would love to see my husband in...and he's a very picky dresser, so that's saying something. One of the girls told me that they'd seen an increase in the pink, after an episode of the Bachelor (or was it the Bachelorette?) where there was the big wedding, and it was pink and that's what the guys were wearing. Hey, whatever works.

I wandered every aisle, soaking in the country-ness. Every D and B employee that saw me asked me if they could help me. I felt almost sheepish explaining what I was doing, but thought that I should since I was taking so many pictures. I got a kick out of the doggie outfits; they had pink cheerleading uniforms with hoodies for your pooch. And one cape-like getup that said, "Talk to the Paw".

I took pictures of everything, and wandered everywhere, but saved the horse aisle for last. Probably because it intimidated me. All of the other employees had told me to talk to 'the other Kim', who was in charge of the horse department. I put off the equine aisle, though. I wandered the nursery outdoors for a good long time before I worked up the nerve to walk back there and ask the associate if she would 'tell me all about horse gear'. Nervously, I scoped out the area. I walked the adjoining aisles. I even went clear to the back of the store, where I'd never been before. Right there in plain sight was a hay bale. Just sitting there. You don't see stuff like that at the grocery store. I even took a picture of it.

I finally spotted the horse department lady. Then I instantly realized that I knew her from....somewhere. Yes! It was at our friend Sherry's house! I'd been to several barbeques with her, up at Sherry's! She was THAT Kim, the one that I used to be neighbors with, when I lived out in the country! I knew then that it all would be just fine.

Kim was as friendly as I remembered, still with that kind look in her eye that she'd always had. She very patiently walked me down the horse aisle, acting as if we were going to gear up a horse for me. She showed me the halters. She showed me the bridles. Then the cinches, snaffle bits, and spurs. She told me that the larger and more jingly the spurs were, the 'showier' they were, but hurriedly said that some cowboys might not agree with that statement. We both laughed.

She showed me the multiple rows of hygiene and maintenance product for the horses. They have a sheen/shine product that I'm curious about...would it work on humans, I asked? She said that the Mane and Tail formulas get used all the time by people. She did say to keep the shiner stuff away from a horse's saddle and gear; it tended to make it slippery, and if you were riding this could make things kind of interesting; and not in a good way.

On to the health aisle; horse owners need to prevent worms in the horses, at all costs. You could lose a horse to worms. Worms lead to colic, which lead to nothing good. I asked about skin issues; Kim said those should be minimal, if the horse maintains a proper diet. She took a lot of time with me and explained everything very well, but I never had the sense that she was talking down to me. She was simply sharing what she knew.

When I went to leave, she gave me a hug.

I went back to the front of the store; it was time to go. I had spent two hours at D and B Supply! I went to find Karen in the clothing department, telling her that I was out of time for the day, but that I would return next week, and she could dress me up Western. She made sure to tell me not to come in on her day off, and gave me her schedule for next week so that we could plan it all out. When I went to leave, Karen gave me a hug, too.

At the door, I said a thank you to Kim, the one who'd greeted me when I'd first walked in, two hours ago. Very gracious and friendly, she wished me well with my 'research'. I practically skipped out of there, feeling like I'd just made some new friends.

I think my initial theory on the whole Western culture was right: Welcoming. Warm. Anxious to teach their lifestyle to others. And passionate about preserving that lifestyle. I'm beginning to understand why.



Copyright (c) Amy Larson 2010. All Rights Reserved.