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Bob & Rhonda
When Bob first moved
to the Double Spear Ranch Bill was gone haying
most of the time, so Bob decided to bond with
Rhonda, even though she was supposed to be
Bill’s dog. As she matured she discovered she
has enough love for both of them, but she
persists in being Rhonda’s shadow, earning her
an Indian name,
Underfoot.
Bob and Rhonda took a bad fall together and
neither Bob’s hip and hind leg nor Rhonda’s knee
have ever been the same.
Bob
attended her first Cowboy Poetry & Music
Gathering at the age of 3 months, and everyone
thought she was a miniature because “no puppy
can be that well trained.”After a
less-than-favorable debut with ranch work (when
she at first decided to heel Rhonda’s horse,
since she couldn’t see any cattle), Bob proved
her prowess as a very savvy and obedient cowdog.
Her short legs and hip injury prevent her making
most of the long jaunts in the big prickly pear,
though, so she took up some other careers –
namely yodeling and playing pool.
Bob Stearns is the
worlds’ only yodeling dog, and probably the
worlds’ only pool playing Blue Heeler, and she
does a fine job of both. Ovations for her skills
at the pool table (where she’s known as
Wyoming Fats)
are always long and loud, interspersed with
exclamations of disbelief.
As to her yodeling,
along with being on television she’s appeared on
stages in Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, Texas
and California. She gets lots of applause and
received a compliment from a fellow performer in
Texas for her “amazing stage presence.” Another
fellow performer, Jim Dalglish, was so impressed
he wrote a poem about her, which resulted in her
being on
www.cowboypoetry.com.
Here's Jim Dalglish & Bob with his poem below...
The
Creation of Yodeling Bob
Bill Lowman hosts
a Gathering each year 'round Memorial Day.
Poets and Singers
come to Medora. Some come a considerable
way.
There's locals
from Western Dakota, Montana, Wyoming and
more.
Canucks from the
Ozarks, like Eli & John, and Glen Ohrlin
from West Arkansoer.
Idaho's Ernie
Sites, on his way to Ft. Worth, sure had
some unusual things goin'.
Like Cowboy Songs
with a Memphis Blues Beat, and a "Rap
Version Strawberry Roan."
Packer fans from
Wisconsin. Lots o' people named Johnson from
the Land of 10,000 Lakes.
Colorado,
Nebraska had each sent a few. 'Twas a big
crowd, make no mistake.
Most of the Poets
had written their stuff, but a few read from
Classical Prose.
Lots o' pickin'
an' singin' of old Cowboy Songs, and a few
"Karaokers" arose.
53 people got up
and performed. They filled all of two
afternoons.
The "Headliners"
worked in the evening, doing poems and
wonderful tunes.
Some 300 people
had gathered on Sunday, AM, to hear and to
sing Gospel Tunes.
All of the
singers had time to perform, 'cause it
lasted from 9 until noon.
Eli Barsi and
Sites started out the event. Each did a
couple of hymns.
Headliners
performed, they filled up two hours. Then
they said "Would YOU like to sing Jim?
I hadn't played
or performed Gospel Music for at least 20
years, I revealed.
"Well, we need
someone to fill the last quarter hour" the
MC named Rhonda appealed.
Maybe I could
remember a song that would fit in some sorta
"church category."
"I could do some
"Ghost Riders" cause the Devil's Own Herd's
an integral part of the story"
She asked if I
needed some "back up musicians", but I
didn't know many folks there.
If she got me a
couple like Barsi and Sites, I said that
would sure be a nice pair.
She said "They've
already put their stuff away, but there's
one who would do a nice job,"
As long as you're
doing a song like "Ghost Riders," you could
sure use old "Yodeling Bob"
She said Bob
would really be perfect, 'cause Ghost Riders
was his favorite song.
I said I'd like
to meet him. She said "He's outside, but
he'll be right along."
A few minutes
went by and no backup appeared, but she said
"Don't worry, he'll show"
Then she
introduced me, and I stepped on the stage,
and she said "Don't worry - just GO."
I began to
perform, and I sang the first verse of old
Ghost Riders in the Sky.
Then I happened
to see a strange sight on Stage Left, just
out of the corner o' my eye.
This DOG just
trots out, and it stops next to me as I'm
finishing up the 1st verse.
I start on the
"Whoopie Eye Aye" of the chorus. The DOG
SINGS as though we'd rehearsed
He goes "WOOF &
ARF" and a long WOO WOO HOO ! He even
performed in MY KEY.
I gave him a
look, started on the next verse, but he just
waited there patiently.
Then I started
again on the chorus. He took over and sang
"WOO WOO HOO"
Next, we got a
standing ovation, both for me and for old
YOU KNOW WHO.
They asked us to
do it all over again, so we gave it another
encore.
"Lets hear it for
YODELING BOB (& for Jim)" They laughed until
they got sore.
Sites and D. W.
Groethe inquired how I got BOB to yodel that
way.
I told 'em that
I'd never met "Bob" before, but was sure he
made everyone's day.
Two cowboys were
standing in the parking lot, alongside their
old pickup trucks.
The discussion
that those two were havin' 'bout ME, well,
it was worth 10 million bucks.
The slim guy, he
says to to the heavier fella "Say, how about
that LAST ACT?"
The other guy
stops an' he thinks fer a while, like he's
tryin' to remember each fact.
Then he smiles,
and he mumbles what I'm sure will be one of
my all time favorite quotes...
"I guess that the
BIG guy could sing real LOUD, but that DOG
could sure hit the high notes"
I'm sure if I go
to Medora again, that I'll be assured of a
job.
But I'm NOT sure
they'll take me without my BACKUP, our old
friend YODELING BOB !
© 200 5,
Jim Dalglish
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