Does every city have its own rodeo?
MAR 06, 2025
Dear Reader,
Apparently Houston has a rodeo! Now that I say that out loud, it makes perfect sense. Fort Worth has the stockyards, so why wouldn’t Houston have a giant rodeo? This is Texas, land of cows and land. Lots and lots of land. And oil wells. And tumbleweeds. And tornados.
Anyway, the other night we were heading out to dinner and noticed everyone was wearing cowboy hats and boots and almost all of them had sparkly rhinestones or other bling on them. It wasn’t just cowboy…it was cowboy couture. When I asked what was up I was told “the BBQ.”
Oh…kay. Where? On the roof? You know, the air did smell like mesquite smoke.
I’ve never in my life dressed up for a BBQ but as it turns out this wasn’t just any BBQ. It was the World’s Championship Bar-B-Que Contest. Never mind that I think the apostrophe is tagging along where it shouldn’t be, this is an invitation only competition that inspired bales of hay and statues of cows to appear all over the city.
The rodeo has been going on since 1932, and features all the bull riding, bucking horse-ing, barrel racing, and BBQ-ing your heart could desire. We didn’t go, because we’re still suffering from moving shock and it sounded exhausting. But I did take advantage of the giant cowboy boot photo op just down the street.
Houston’s rodeo sounds just like the one in Calgary, but a lot closer to home and a lot more people. Calgary Stampede’s attendance: 1.4 million. Houston Livestock Show: 2.5 million.
MILLION.
That’s a lot of people.
Maybe next year I’ll take my parents!
Until next time,
**Book News**
GaG — I have populated a town! There’s a Main Street with shops and people who run them and everything. One of my favorite stores so far is Cattermole’s Curios & Curiosities. It features two shop cats because of course it does.
My goal is to start putting actual story words on the page starting on Monday. We’ll see how that goes…I have several stores that still need names and I have to tell you for a writer, naming things is a slippery slope down never ending bunny holes. It’s so much fun!
Ms. Edwina is attempting to stain, varnish, and assemble a piece of Ikea furniture. It’s been…a process. But it’ll be so pretty when it’s done! I, on the other hand, purchased my bedroom furniture fully finished, assembled, and delivered because I know myself. I’d never have finished the project and it’d still be sitting out there on the balcony and my clothes would still be in boxes three years from now.