A Blog by Gail Cushman and Cowboy Bob
I had on my mind this Idaho Gal who I met while back at a Super Bowl party and although she was with some big ole boy, we had a great conversation in the kitchen over a cup of coffee. She was mighty good to talk with and was pretty easy on the eyes, if you know what I mean. I headed back to my calving duties, but I admit this Idaho gal was in my dreams.
A month or so later, while at home, I discovered online dating and I had several text conversations with some silver-haired widow vixens from all around this mountain region and I felt pretty good, the blues were slipping away, grass was greening up and the crocus were coming through the snow.
I was online flipping through and saw a very familiar picture. It sure looked like the Super Bowl gal and she was standing in front of a lock, so I asked, “Where is the picture taken” and she said, “It is the Panama Canal, and I have been through three times.” This lady over in Idaho sure knew how to write and she made me feel a bit bashful because she fired back tweets almost as fast as I could text on my old flip phone. My grandkids said they could not believe I could text on that old thing and so my grandson gave me his latest “smart phone” that he had dumped, and it took me a couple of days to get back to this Idaho gal. Boy, she was impatient, I had a load of questions when I finally figured out how to work this fancy-pants phone and I tried to catch up.
I thought of a couple of questions, I like to boat on the rivers and so I ask if she could swim and faster than a jackrabbit she said yes and quoted her Marine Corp training. I ask if she had a passport and she said she did and, of course, with all the references in her profile about traveling she asked if I could read. Well, nothing like be pulled up short to a snubbing post, so I thought “I’ll get her,” and asked if she would like to go to Paris. That shut her down for a half minute and she replied, “Why do you ask?” By this time my new phone was beginning to run short on juice, I discovered I did not use the right charger, and felt dumber than usual, so I just sent back “Paris is for lovers,” and plugged in the phone for the night.
The next morning, I checked my new phone, and she was loaded for bear, and with a smiley face, asked all kinds of questions. We texted for the next week or so, and I finally called her, and she had a cute accent, kind of a cross between Nebraska and Utah, but it was music to my ears. By all she said, she was a traveler and a writer with a love of life that opened my mind to more possibilities, so I asked another question, “Where can we get a cup of coffee?” Well, that sparked a conversation, she said, “Sure.” She is in central Idaho, and I am in central Montana, and she had the exact halfway spot worked out, Idaho Falls, before I could even think. In my flirty way I said, “The first thing I am going to do when I see you is to kiss you.” She didn’t say no. Wahoo!
Because it is about 300 miles for each of us, she asked if I was driving back after the date and when I said, “No, probably stay the night and head back to Montana the next morning.” She said, well, I will reserve a couple of rooms so we can enjoy our meal and not need to hurry.” And, she added, “Just so you understand, no means no.” She’s a mighty proper lady, I thought, and sent her a smiley face, like my grandkids showed me. Dang, this phone thing is mighty handy.
I calculated the mileage and since I had a date at 5:00, figured on 4:30 into Idaho Falls. But as I headed down the road, my calculations seemed to be off, and I had to run some over the speed limit to make 5:00 and roared into the parking lot at the fancy restaurant about 5:03. I was late, but there she was, standing next to her fancy electric car. I could imagine her foot tapping as I pulled up next to her, oh boy. I climbed out trying to hide my stiff joints after sitting in the truck for five hours, and as spry as I could, I pulled off my hat and walked over, put my arms around her and kissed her on the lips. She looked up at me as I pulled back, holding her at arm’s length and those green eyes captured my soul. She blushed, smiled, and said, “Let’s go eat, Cowboy.” Wahoo, indeed!
