THE SECRET OF THE RED CABOOSE
EVERYBODY KNOWS AROUND EASTER TIME HERE AT THE FEED STORE IN TOWN, YOU CAN BUY A BABY EASTER BUNNY! OR AN EASTER CHICK OR TWO! TO PUT IN YOUR EASTER BASKET! AT EASTER TIME! JUST FOR YOU!
‘DICKI CHICKY’ WAS HIS NAME! SOMETIMES CALLED ‘DICKI DOO’! HE WAS A FAT YELLOW CHICK! THAT COULD CHASE YOU AROUNDTHE HOUSE ALL DAY LONG! HE WAS FAST! AS FAST AS A MOUSE! AND HE WAS A LOT OF FUN! FOLLOWING YOU AROUND! MAYBE HE BELIEVED YOU LAID HIS EGG! OR MAYBE HE THOUGHT YOU WAS HIS MOTHER! OR HIS BIG BROTHER!
WE LOVED TO PLAY HIDE AND SEEK! HE ALWAYS FOUND ME! HIDDEN UNDER MY COVERS! OR UNDER MY BED! OR IN THE CLOSET BEHIND THE BOXES! HE LOVED TO SLEEP UNDER MY HAT! NOW IF YOU LIVE IN THE CITY AND IF YOU DON’T HAVE AN EASTER BASKET, YOU WILL NEED A CARDBOARD BOX! TO PUT YOUR BABY CHICK IN! AND YOU WILL NEED TWO JAR LIDS! ONE FOR HIS WATER! AND ONE FOR HIS CHICKI FEED! AND AT NIGHT, YOU WILL NEED A TEESHIRT TO COVER UP YOUR CARDBOARD BOX. SO YOUR BABY CHICK WILL STAY WARM! MAYBE HE BELIEVES YOU ARE HIS MOTHER! AND MAYBE HE THINKS YOU MUST BE SITTING ON HIS NEST! SO WHEN HE GROWS UP! HE WON’T BE SUCH A PEST!
SOMEBODY BROUGHT LITTLE DICKY CHICKY OUT TO THE RANCH WHEN HE GOT TOO BIG TO LIVE IN TOWN! HE LIVED WITHTHE RANCH HAND IN THE OLD CABOOSE RANCH HOUSE THAT WAS PARKED UNDER SOME TALL PINE TREES AT THE BUZZARD ROOST RANCH! THIS IS WHERE HE LEARNED TO CROW! ‘COCKEL DOODY DOOOO!’ ‘COCKEL DOODY DOO! COCKEL DOODY DOOOO!”.OVER AND OVER AGAIN! HE WOULDN’T SHUT UP! AND HE GOT LOUD! LOUDER! THAN ANYTHING ELSE ON THE RANCH! EVEN LOUDERTHAN THE DUCKS! DOWN AT THE POND! THE RANCH HOUND DOG WOULD ‘GRUMBLE AND GROAN’ AND COVER HIS EARS WITH HIS PAWS!
IF SOMEBODY LEFT THE CABOOSE DOOR OPEN, DICKIE DOO WOULD COME CHARGING IN! RUFFLEING UP HIS FEATHERS! SRUTTING FROM SIDE TO SIDE! GETTING READY TO PECK ON YOUR TOES! QUICK! HIDE YOUR TOES! HIDE YOUR TOES!
EVERY MORNING! DICKI CHICKI WOULD JUMP UP ON JONJUAN’S BED! AND SOUND OFF! ‘COCKEL DOODLE DOOOO‘! OVER AND OVER AGAIN! UNTIL BIG RED WOULD GET UP AND CHASE HIM OUT THE BACKDOOR! BUT THIS MADE HIM REAL MAD! SO HE WOULD COME BACK! ALL PUFFED UP! LIKE A BIG SHOT! EVEN MADDER! THAN A WET HEN! WANTING TO FIGHT! UNTILL SOMEBODY HAD TO GET UP! AND GET OUT OF BED AND RUN HIM OUT! AGAIN! THEN HE WOULD JUMP UP ON THE ENDRAILS OF THE OLD CABOOSE AND PECK ON THE WINDOWS! TRYING TO GET BACK IN! BIG RED WOULD SMILE! SHOWING HIS TEETH! AND JONJUAN WOULD LAUGH! AT ‘DICKYDOO!’ PECKING AT THE WINDOW!
THE OLD CABOOSE HAD A LOT OF FLAGS FLYING ON IT! AND ‘DICKIE CHICKIE’ DIDN’T LIKE FLAGS! AND WHENEVER YOU WAVED A LITTLE FLAG IN ‘DICKYDOO’S’ FACE! HE WANTED TO FIGHT! HE WANTED TO TEAR THAT FLAG UP! HE WANTED TO THROW THAT FLAG HIGH UP INTO THE AIR!! NOW EVERYBODY HERE AT THE RANCH THOUGHT THAT WAS FUNNY! DICKI CHICKY’ WANTED TO SCRATCH AND STOMP THAT FLAG! HE WANTED TO SPUR IT! AND HE WANTED TO RAKE IT UP! AND TEAR IT! AND THIS BIG RED WOULD GET BIG RED EXCITED! AND HE WOULD RUN WITH THE FLAG! WITH DICKIDOO CHASING AFTER HIM! THEY HAD TUG OF WARS! DICKICHICKI WOULD NOT GIVE UP! ALL THIS ACTION EXCITED HOBOLOCO! THE RED BULL! HE WOULD COME CHARGING IN! SHAKING HIS HORNS! TO STOP ALL THAT NOISE! THEN EVERYBODY WOULD RUN! AND HIDE BEHIND THE PINE TREES! UNTIL EL HOBOLOCO! WOULD COOL DOWN! AND WANDER OFF! NOW IF YOU HAVE A LITTLE FLAG? WHATEVER YOU DO! DON’T WAVE IT!!! AT YOUR BABY CHICK! DON’T YOU DO IT!
IN THE SUMMER,THE RANCH WAS A PEACEFUL PLACE! BUT WHEN IT GOT REALLY HOT! SALLY THE DUCK, BIG RED, AND ‘DICKI CHICKI’ WOULD ALL LAY UP IN THE CABOOSE ALL DAY LONG! WATCHING TV WITH JONJUAN… WITH THE AIR CONDITIONER ON FULL BLAST! THE COLD AIR ROARED LIKE A FREIGHT TRAIN! AND SOON THE ROARING SOUNDS WOULD PUT EVERYBODY TO SLEEP! EVERYBODY WAS DREAMING… THEY WERE ALL RIDING THE RAILS IN THE OLD RED CABOOSE… TIMETRAVELING THRU TEXAS~~~~ GOING PLACES INTHEIR SLEEP~~~ HAVING FUN! TRAVELING IN THEIR DREAMS…
SOMETIMES ON DARK NIGHTS, AFTER DARK, JONJUAN WOULD PUT HIS HEADLIGHT ON! AND LOAD UP HIS HUNTING RIFLE! AND WAIT FOR ‘DICKI CHICKI’ TO GO TO SLEEP! ANDTHEN BIG RED WOULD FOLLOW JONJUAN DOWN TO THE CATFISH POND TO SHINE HIS HEADLIGHT AROUND IN THE DARK! IT WAS FUN! TO SEE ALL THE NIGHT CRITTERS! AND NIGHT CREATURES! SHINING THEIR LIGHT IN THEIR LITTLE EYES BACK AT YOU! LIKE LITTLE STARS! SHINING FROM HEAVEN! ARMADILLOS WERE DIGGING! SNAKES WERE CRAWLING! FROGS WERE JUMPING! RATCOONS WERE RUNNING! TURKEYS WERE ROOSTING! SKUNKS WERE SMELLING! POSSUMS WERE POUTING! RABBITS WERE MUNCHING! DEER WERE CRUNCHING!,CATS WERE CALLING! AND COYOTES WERE HOWLING! EVEN ALLIGATORS WERE CRAWLING AROUND BLOWIN’G BUBBLES! FLOATING ONTHE POND! WITH SOME SCARY LOOKING CATFISH COMING UP TO THE TOP OF THE WATER TO LOOK AT YOUR BRIGHT LIGHT! BUT WHEN YOU SAW THOSE TIMBER WOLVES RUNNING AROUND THE POND! CHASING THE DUCKS! YOU HAD TO RAISE YOUR HUNTING RIFLE FAST! AND FIRE IT FAST! TO SHOOT TWICE! BUT MISSING… BOTH TIMES! UNTILTHE TIMBER WOLVES RAN OFF~~~ SCARED!
IT WAS LONG WAY TO WALK AROUND THE BUZZARD ROOST RANCH AT NIGHT! AND AFTER THOSE LONG, SLOW WALKS, BIG RED WOULD FOLLOW JONJUAN BACK TO THE OLD CABOOSE HOUSE TO SLEEP A LITTLE BIT… BEFORE ‘DICKICHICKI’ WOULD WAKE EVERYBODY UP! JUST BEFORE DAYLIGHT! “COCKEL DOODY DOO! COCKEL DOODY DOOO!”
YES, EVEN BEFORE THE SUN COMES UP OUT HERE! IT CAN GET A LITTLE NOISY! WITH THE DUCKS QUACKING! WITH THE COWS MOOooooin’ FOR THEIR CALVES! WITH THE HORSES STOMPING! AND HORSEING AROUND! WITH THE WHITE BUFFALO BIRDS FOLLOWING THE COWS AROUND MAKING WISE CRACKS! ALL DAY! WITH THE BEES BUZZING… IN YOUR EARS!
THE CROWS ALWAYS CAME CALLING EARLY! LOOKING FOR CORN IN THE CORN FEEDER ON THE ROOF OF THE OLD RED CABOOSE! THEN NEXT CAME THE DUCKS FLYING IN FROM THE POND! LANDING ON THE ROOF! OF THE OLD CABOOSE WITH A THUMP! A BUMP! AND A BOOM! WITH A BOUNCE! OR TWO! WITH PITTER PATTERS GOING AROUND EVERYWHERE ON THE ROOF! THERE WAS A WHOLE LOTTA CRUNCHIN’ GOING ON! EVEN THE BABY CALVES MADE NOISE! PULLIN’AND CHEWING! ON THE WATER HOSES! NO-ONE GOT TOO MUCH SLEEP AT THE BUZZARD ROOST RANCH! IT WAS A NOISY PLACE TO BE WHEN EVERYTHING WAS HANGING AROUND!
NOW THIS WAS THE SECRET! IF YOU TURNED THE TV ON REAL LOUD! AND YOU TURNED THE AIR CONDITIONER ON FULL BLAST! THE OLD RED CABOOSE WOULD ROAR LIKE A FREIGHT TRAIN! ROARING SO LOUD! THAT YOU COULDN’T HEAR ALLTHE NOISE!
BUT TODAY! IT’S QUIET AROUND HERE! SO PLEASE DON‘T WAKE UP ‘DICKI CHICKI’! HE MUST BE SLEEPING SOMEWHERE OR STANDING GUARD! OR HE MIGHT BE OVER THERE WATCHING YOU! SO PLEASE DON’T STAND TOO CLOSE DOWN THERE UNDER HIS BASKET! MAYBE YOU SHOULD MOVE OVER HERE! AND STAND A LITTLE BIT CLOSER BY ME! THERE IS A LITTLE DICKIDOODO EVERYWHERE OUT HERE AT THE RANCH! SO LOOK OUT! AND PLEASE DON’T RUN! SOMETHING OUT HERE MIGHT WANT TO CHASE YOU! AND YOU MIGHT STEP ON A SQUIGGLEY SQUAT! WHILE YOU ARE HAVING FUN…
SO WHY DON’T YOU HOP ON A TRAIN! AND RIDE IT OUT HERE! TO SEE US! AND COME SEE FOR YOURSELF ! IT’S A FUN RIDE! EVERYBODY WHO COMES OUT HERE JUST LOVES IT! SO COME ON! HOP ON A CHOO-CHOO! AND COME SEE MY LITTLE DICKEYDOO-DOO!
DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS!
WITH A HA! HA! HA!
AND A ‘COCKEL DOODLE DOOooo’ TO YOU!
SO COME ON! AND PUT A SMILE ON YOUR FACE!
IF YOU AINT A CHICKEN!