Back to His Roots

One thing about getting married quickly is that you have to learn a lot about your spouse after the fact. In our case, I have always been fine with it. But it is interesting. For example, one day a couple of years into our marriage we were talking and had this conversation:

Chancho: I hate horses.
Me: WHAT?! What are you talking about?
C: I just don't like them.
Me: Well, I have always wanted to have my own horse so this isn't right. And besides, you can't hate horses.
C: Yes, I can. I do.
Me: But you are a TEXAN. It is absolutely unacceptable for you to hate horses. Have you ever even been on a horse?
C: No. But one tried to bite me once.
Me: ::pshaw::

We started doing some of his family history and as we learned about his heritage I would occasionally think, "Cowboy-ing is in his blood. He doesn't hate horses!" But he still said he did.

I found this photo at his parent's house, copied it and framed it. "Look at you, you are a Texas cowboy!"
"Nope," he'd say. From the time I knew him he was more of a hip snowboarder than a cowboy, so I mostly let it rest. Besides, I've never been big on modern cowboys myself. Never been a fan of country music in any form. And, supposedly, neither had Chancho (although I recently learned that he took a date to a Tim McGraw concert before we met).

Awhile ago we saw part of Comanche Moon on TV and I was shocked to find out he'd never seen Lonesome Dove. We watched it and now own it. Seeing those cowboys in Texas, I think, made him think more about what his great and great great grandparents might have been like. At least that is what it made me think about and I didn't ask him what he thought.

Around this same time Megan and Josh bought two horses. Chancho said he wasn't interested in riding them and I didn't push the issue but thought he would probably give it a try if the opportunity arose. I hoped that the bitter memory of a horse bite from childhood could be assuaged by a more positive experience. When we visited Meg, Chancho got on Gus right away and looked, to me, like quite a natural. Meg and Josh were surprised it was his first time. Chancho enjoyed it a lot and when we came home he started learning more about horses and is now very interested in learning how to ride better and hopefully owning some of our own someday.I was pleased with his open heart. But little did I know what would happen next. We were driving along and he was changing through the stations and stopped on country.

Me: What are you doing?
C: I like this song.
Me: What do you mean?
C: I'm kind of starting to like country. On my commute home from work sometimes I get tired of sports talk radio and other music stresses me out so I've been listening to country and I like it. It relaxes me. It's not all full of angst.
Me: ::pshaw::

And just a few weeks ago while getting dressed in the morning, Chancho suddenly says to me:
"I think I'm just going to give in to my inner redneck."

Me: What does that mean?
C: I don't know, I just like it. It suits me.
Me: Do you have to be a 'redneck'? Can't you give in to your inner 'Texan'?
C: ::shrug:: I guess.

We got in his jeep to go to dinner as a family the other night and he turns on Tim McGraw--a new 3 CD set that he bought. He turns on something like this song (you will have to turn off the player at the top if you are interested in hearing this and then click 'play'):


On one of the CDs I found this song and thought I could do okay with it. It is actually Nelly featuring Tim McGraw and I like this song. Its not exactly typical country (haha) but I'm trying, too, to open up a bit:


So, that is what is happening right now. Chancho is going back to his roots. And I kid you not that just this very moment while writing this post he called to me from the TV room and said, "You should come watch this show with me. It's pretty funny." So, I went in to check it out and it is something like the "50 Best Redneck Moments" on CMT!