Straight From the Horse's Mouth

Duane A. Lienemann, UNL Extension Educator, Webster County January 10, 2010 Edition Finally some nice weather! It is immeasurable how welcome a warm front is. I know, 25 degrees doesn’t sound much like a warm front, but it kind of feels like shirt sleeve weather to many after that -20 degree stuff. We are a long way from losing the snow and the ice from underneath it, and a long ways from having enough corn stalks exposed to satisfy all those cows that have been standing in the corners hunched up and shivering. If we can continue with this “tropical” weather it will help out the bottom line with hay supplies as well. I know that a lot of producers have been digging into their calving season hay piles and hay is getting to be a scarce commodity. Some people are already fretting about the mud that is going to be a result of the warm-up and they have good reason with calving season coming up. That is a very valid concern and we will try to look at that in next week’s article. I want this week to address something a little different than the usual fare. I had the opportunity to do this weekend that brought back some good old memories and I thought it would be kind of fun to share it with you. When I was a young kid in the 50’s and early 60’s I remember my dad and several area farmers getting into a car and heading to Professional Wrestling matches or “Wrasseling”. They would talk about it for a couple of weeks before and after, bringing up impressive names like Mad Dog Vachone and his brother Butcher Vachone (from Omaha); Otto Von Krupp (a “Nazi type German”, who I believe also wrestled as Boris Melenko, a “Communist Russian” and whose real name was Larry Simon; Jack Pesek (a rancher from around Ravenna and played for the Huskers); Ernie and Emil Dusek from Omaha; Ed (The Sheik) Farhat; Wahoo McDaniels (supposedly a real Chickasaw Indian from Oklahoma); Johnny Valentine; Crusher Lisouski; Killer Kowalski; Wild Haired, Pampero Firpo from Argentino; “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers; Haystack Calhoun (My personal favorite); and my dad’s favorite Verne Gagne. They would come home, smelling of cigars, and take the verbal jabs from their wives, who couldn’t understand what they got out of that “entertainment”. I would venture to say that there are others out there of my generation that may have watched their dads and uncles or even grandpas do the same thing. You may even know those names and perhaps got to go see them in action right here in South Central Nebraska. Now why would I bring that ancient history up? Let me set it up by telling you that one of my fond memories of youth is that I actually got to go with my dad and grandpa to one of those “Wrasseling Matches” at the Franklin County Fairgrounds when I was finally old enough to go. I was awestruck and was certainly exposed to “boos”, “cat-calls”, and “physical violence” that I had never experienced before. It was like living on the edge! I know why my mother and probably all those wives who were not enamored by these events, but then it was entertainment, and farmers then, just like now, needed to get away from their fields, livestock and the endless work on the farm and I think this served that purpose. Sometimes I think we get so set in on making a living or working the job or the farm and forget that once in awhile it is good to let your hair down – and perhaps even take in some mindless entertainment! It has been kind of fun to watch my grandkids join thousands of other young people who like watching WWE Raw, Smack Down, etc. They know the new names in wrestling like John Cena, Batista, The Undertaker, Ray Mysterio, Triple H and the Heartbreak Kid, and a host of others, including names from the past. Yes, the sons and/or grandsons of some of the wrestlers that entertained us years ago. They have the trading cards, pajamas, T-shirts, posters and faithfully watch WWE Monday Night Raw or Friday Night Smack Down on big screen televisions. Their mothers are not really fond of it, but kids are much more exposed to everything than we even thought about back in the dark ages, and in reality are probably not any more adversely affected as they would be watching a prime time television show. Well, old grandpa Lienemann got to relive some of his childhood memories by taking his grandkids and son-in-laws to a modern version of “Wrasseling” in Lincoln this weekend. Grandma managed to find some front row seats, right up front and personal. It was a surprise for the grandkids and a treat for their grandpa. All of a sudden, memories of finally getting to go to that big event flashed back, and I could see in my mind and hear the crowd roar when that big old Country boy, Haystack Calhoun, body slammed that hated German, Otto Von Krupp. It was fun to see those kids run up to the ring and get to slap hands with these athletes, to chant with the other young (and old) people and escape into another realm. And to see the eyes of my 4 year old grandson, Scott, light up when the Heart Break Kid (Shawn Michaels) take his sweat band off and put in right on his wrist. That was priceless! If only my Grandpa and my Dad could have been there? It was as if they were, away from the farm, the livestock, and the daily worries that come with that territory. What is the lesson from this? It is simple. We in agriculture have endured a lot this past couple of years, and will in weeks and months ahead. Get away from it once in awhile, live on the edge, and cheer for your hero or boo your supposed enemy, even if it isn’t really real or it seems a little corny. Life is too short to not have a little fun, to enjoy being around friends and family. Once in awhile it is good to gather up the friends, load up a car, smoke those cigars and get away! The preceding information comes from the research and personal observations of the writer which may or may not reflect the views of UNL or UNL Extension. For more further information on these or other topics contact D. A. Lienemann, UNL Extension Educator for Webster County in Red Cloud, (402) 746-3417 or email to: dlienemann2@unl.edu or go to the website at: http://www.webster.unl.edu/home