No Texas home should be without the awesomeness that a Texas Longhorn skull hanging in the den gives the home. Now, you can add the awesomeness with class by hanging Buford in the place of honor.
* No animals were harmed in the creation of this painting!
How Buford saved the day.
Buford was of the species bos taurus. Better known as cattle. And more specifically known as a bull.
It was in the late 1800’s during a long drought. My ggg granddad, Rufus T. Firefly, was the proud owner of this legendary bull (as well as other cattle). But his well had dried up as did everyone’s in the area. The creek out back was down to a trickle. Soon, everyone’s cattle, crops, and other farm and ranch animals were going to die of thirst!
One day, a gigantic and rough looking man came knocking on Rufus’ door, and said, “HI, my name is Paul, and my horse ran away. Do you have a horse I can buy?”
Rufus T wasn’t a rich man and the only horse he had took him to town and back. So he said, “Sorry, I do not. However, I do have a bull that you could buy. He usually lets people ride on his back.”
Paul replied, “OK, but I don’t have any money.” He looked away thoughtful and then added fortuitously, “Would you like a nice lake out back on your property instead?”
A lake would save him, his cattle and the whole town! So they struck a deal. Paul Bunyan rode off on Buford’s back. A few days later, water from the creek out back started pooling instead of trickling and before long there was a nice big lake in Rufus’s back 40!
And thus started the legend of Paul Bunyan and Buford! But, someone - I suspect Paul Bunyan himself - thought that his trusty steed, Buford, needed embellishment, so he and everyone started calling Buford, “Babe, the Blue Ox.” Yeah, well… nobody back then knew any better.
At any rate, I just inherited good ol’ Buford’s remains and here he is in all his glory!
- Subject Matter: Still life
- Collections: Bold, Shadow and Light, Wildlife