The belly-button of the horse.

[Alpheratz]

I’ve chosen “Alpheratz” as my screen name for this site.

It means “The belly-button of the horse”.

It is a second magnitude star in the constellation Pegasus.

It is 120 light years from here.

That’s 840 doggie light years.

I’m pretty much second magnitude myself. Haven’t reached the first-magnitude pay scale yet. Have to go supernova for that. Spectacular finish, but not very rewarding afterwards.

Generally when I’m looking up at the belly-button of my horse
things haven’t been going well for me.

But at least they’re looking up.

I have another screen name that I use on a different site. It is Soba Losa. That is Chickasaw for “Black Horse”, and is the name of my ranch, which is located on the Chickasaw Nation in South Central Oklahoma.

I am not Chickasaw nor of any other Original American extraction.
I have studied the Chickasaw language because it’s... Well, it’s fun, and I do, after all, live on the Chickasaw Nation. It’s a beautiful language that is dying out. I use it a lot around the ranch. You likely use some of it too. The word “Hokay” is from the Chickasaw/Choctaw language. It means a variety of things like “Sure, why not.” “Well, yeah.” “Oh shit yes.” and such. Andrew Jackson heard some of his Choctaw guides using it and took it to the Whitehouse and shortened it to “OK”. Now everybody’s doing it. Another Chickasaw/Choctaw word you know is “Tuscaloosa”. It means “Black Warrior”. Chickasaw and Choctaw are similar the way American English and British English are similar. They are Muskogean languages and share roots with Seminole, Creek and Natchez languages. There’ll be a pop quiz on this at some unannounced time in the future.

My ancestry is Irish and German–more Irish than German.
I, however, am a North American Texan living in Oklahoma.

I was born a Texan in Indiana. Don’t ask me how. I was far too young to get all the facts straight and everybody was too busy with WWII to tell me. My brothers and I were all cops in Brownsville, Texas and other nearby cities. I’m the only one of them left. The rest all went to that Great Duty Room in the Sky. Not because of anything they did. Guess their time was up. We’ll all get together again someday. Five of us. Heaven or Hell, don’t matter. We’ll all be ex-Texas cops. Ain’t nobody gonna mess with us in either place.

What I do now: I dole out a minimum daily requirement of lovin’
spoonfuls to Soba Tobi (The name I call my wife on-line. It means “White Horse”), the three dogs and the five horses. That’s my job. Showing living things that they are loved. Don’t always do that with folks downtown, but I try from time to time.

I am retired from the U.S. Coast Guard. Some of you didn’t likely know we were the fifth Armed Force of the U.S. It was the adventure of a lifetime. I’m also a Viet Nam Combat Vet. Means some sonofabitch shot at me. Means he didn’t hit me.
And yeah, the Coast Guard does go to war.

Also a law enforcement agency. That’s how I got into law enforcement. That and my brothers. Had a lot of fun. Note– Cops have fun arresting lawbreakers. It just is. Can’t help it. It’s even more fun when four of your brothers are also cops. We would keep straight faces most of the time to offer some dignity to the situation, then laugh our asses off over coffee afterwards. And no, nobody was ever innocent, no matter how loud they squalled.

For a couple of years I was an airplane bum. Means I bought a plane. Worked as an alcohol and drug abuse counselor to finance it. I Took two years off and just plane-dated. It was before I met Soba Tobi. Any of you single guys want a guaranteed romantic evening, learn to fly, take her up in a plane. She’ll love it.

Sold my plane when I went to Southwest Texas State. That’s where they gave me an art degree for drawing pictures of naked girls. Y’all want a heluva fun college education? Study art. Dang. Nekkid coeds. Everyday. Dang.

Sowannyway, first rule of writing is to write about what you know. I know me pretty dang well. If I knew y’all, I could write about you but I don’t. That’s why this is all about me. Well, it ain’t exactly ALL about me, but it’s a lot.

So tell me about yourselves. Don’t hesitate to brag when it will
move the story line along. Talk about your successes. Ain’t that interested in your failures. Let those other folks remember them. They’ll remind you of them when you forget.

Hugs.

 

[Selena_Kitt]

Welcome to the AH, Alph... nice to meetcha...

 

[impressive]

That’s 840 doggie light years.

 

[entitled]

So tell me about yourselves. Don’t hesitate to brag when it will
move the story line along. Talk about your successes. Ain’t that interested in your failures. Let those other folks remember them. They’ll remind you of them when you forget.

Hugs.

i'll admit, the first thing i thought when i saw the title of the thread was "Holy cow! Somebody took a picture of Shang's belly button!"

*ahem*

Anyway, you asked for it.

Hi. This is me. Deal with it. It's a bad attitude to have, but i learned early that it's not worth the time and effort to try to meet somebody else's idea of a good person. i became my own individual self years before puberty hit. Haven't looked back since.

Having grown up in Colorado, it was pretty obvious that boys were supposed to do one thing, girls another. i didn't follow that rule. i'm the girl that refused to let them deny me the right to try out for football in high school. i'm the one that was just as likely to jump at the chance to ride a wild critter as the boy down the road.

i'm also the one that packed a backpack and took off. Three months of hiking by myself - and survived it.

i lived for a short time on the reservation in the four corners, and was accepted there. Doubt anybody would recognize me now.

All of that was in the 'previous life' - before kids. Now there are three younguns running around the house, and i'm more proud of having given birth to them than anything else. They're my little miracles. Nobody gets between me and the three of them. They don't last long if they try.

What else do you want to know?

 

[Alpheratz]

Dang, entitled.

You sound like the original country mom.

I admire such spirit. Too bad you're not nearby. We could ride up to the ridge together. Got a horse that you'd love; a pinto named "Mingo". He's an intelligent outlaw. Never has forgiven the folks that gelded him and he takes it out on most everybody.

And a fierce mom that protects her babies. Gotta love it.

 

[entitled]

Dang, entitled.

You sound like the original country mom.

I admire such spirit. Too bad you're not nearby. We could ride up to the ridge together. Got a horse that you'd love; a pinto named "Mingo". He's an intelligent outlaw. Never has forgiven the folks that gelded him and he takes it out on most everybody.

And a fierce mom that protects her babies. Gotta love it.

The original country mom, huh? Well... maybe. Definitely the one that's not afraid to dig cactus prickles out of somebody's butt. Had to do that in high school. Some friends and i were playing full contact football out in the yard. You're on the plains, you know what it's like. Have to be careful where you land or you end up in the middle of a big cactus patch. He wasn't careful. Decided to save him the embarrassment of running him to the er, so we got out the tweezers. It was interesting to say the least.

i'm closer than you'd think. Four hours from here to Tulsa if the cops aren't out. Straight east on 40 from the OK border and a little side trip at the end.

i'd love that critter. Wouldn't be able to ride him just yet - it's been almost seven years since riding a horse - but it would be fun to try.

 

[Guest]

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[entitled]

hey, hokay?

(BTW I am a man, despite what might be inferred from my current AV, which INCLUDES me, but does not features me...as I drew it)

Speaking of drawing... Tattoo design? Hmmmm?

 

[TxRad]

hey, hokay?

(BTW I am a man, despite what might be inferred from my current AV, which INCLUDES me, but does not feature me as the principle character...as I drew it)

Hey dark....

he's another one of you drawing people... I've heard about his drawings but ain't seen any... work on him... get him up to your art thread....

 

[Guest]

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[Guest]

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[entitled]

shit!

didn't I do that already?

*insert tapping of foot here*

 

[cloudy]

I'll try....

I was born too late to really be a hippy, but I try anyway.

I grew up in Santa Barbara, California. A gorgeous city on the ocean - my high school was three blocks from the beach. I was active in just about everything, but specialized in track (went to the junior olympics in Phoenix one year - long jump and mile relay), and barrelracing (state finals, twice). My parents were trusting souls, bless them, and I don't remember being home very much during that time. If school was out, and rodeo season was over, I lived at the beach.

My parents moved to Tennessee my senior year of high school, and it took me literally years to forgive them for it. As a result, I had to go to college in Tennessee instead of California - first at the University of Tennessee, and then at Tennessee Technological University - majored in Business and English.

Somewhere in there, I managed to have a daughter while working full time and taking classes full time.

I got married the first time right out of college - to my college sweetheart, of course. The marriage didn't last as long as the courtship had. We did have a son, though, and my first husband and I are still buddies.

Married again, three years after the divorce, and it was a major mistake. Had another son who's now five. Only good thing that's come out of it.

Most already know, but you don't - my grandmother was full-blooded Choctaw, and I identify very strongly with that part of my heritage. The rest of me is a mish-mash of Welsh, Scottish and Creole....interesting mix, I suppose. My screen name comes from my grandmother, who said, when I was very small, that I acted like I had a cloud over my head...was much too serious for such a small child. In junior high, some friends overheard a reference to it, and I've been Cloudy ever since.

I speak Danish, Spanish and Cherokee passably, and working on getting better. Language fascinates me.

I currently live in Alabama with my husband, the youngest son, and a wide assortment of horses, dogs, and cats. I hate it here, and feel like a fish out of water, but hopefully, the location will be changing soon.

 

[Guest]

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[entitled]

fine.
tell me what you want.
size, location, theme, color (or lack of)...

You forgot all of that?

*siiiigh*
Never mind, then.

 

[Aurora Black]

Is this one of those tell-all threads?

I've got to run to my voice lesson now, but I'll bore the hell out of you all later with my brief life story if this is one of those threads (and if you're interested).

 

[sophia jane]

Welcome to the AH.

(I'm in Oklahoma, too, moved from Texas but I don't think I was ever a true Texan).

 

[Alpheratz]

Cloudy, so your grandmother was full-blooded Choctaw. And now you live in Alabama. See, in the goofy way I look at things, that ain't no accident. You wound up back home. There are a lot of towns around southern Alabama that carry Choctaw names. And some from Louisiana. Maybe your Grandma (Appo'si) wanted you to live in her world for awhile. Before you leave it for good, take a walk in some deep woods somewhere. Leave your mind blank. You can go back in time that way. Maybe you'll meet her.

Anyway, "Cloudy" in Choctaw/Chickasaw is "Hoshonti". You can go a little heavy on the nasal "n". Pretty, ain't it.

You sound like a well educated pretty woman. I've always admired well-educated pretty women. They don't get enough credit. Lots of guys can't see past the pretty.

And track. I ran a marathon once. New Orleans in 83. Finished. Didn't win. I just wanted to see how it felt to do that. Shortly after that I ran the Capital 10K
in Austin, Texas and developed a stress fracture that kept me from running for 7 months. By the time it healed I had lost most of the discipline and kept it down to about 5 miles a day. Now I let my horses do my running for me.

 

[Alpheratz]

Sophia Jane. Oklahoma. Sounds like a pretty country song in there somewhere.

Actually, though I spent a lot of my life being from Texas, and saw a lot of adventure there, I have to admit I was captivated by Oklahoma the first time I saw it. It was everything that Texas had grown out of--green pastures, few houses, little of the garish hiway buildings, just wide open spaces.

Maybe, after we've grown to know each other, and you learn I'm not really an axe murderer, you might want to visit the Soba Losa Ranch and have coffee by a campfire and listen to the coyotes at sunset. You'd be most welcome.

I'm pleased to know you.

 

[Alpheratz]

And Dark Glasses, I s'pose I could put a picture of my work up somewhere as soon as I figure out how to do it. Put the picture up, that is.

I might take a few days to be modest first, though. Don't want to splat the site with too much of myself. Have to keep a prancing ego under tight rein.

Meanwhile, I want to hear more about y'all. I already like a bunch of you folks.

 

[cloudy]

Cloudy, so your grandmother was full-blooded Choctaw. And now you live in Alabama. See, in the goofy way I look at things, that ain't no accident. You wound up back home. There are a lot of towns around southern Alabama that carry Choctaw names. And some from Louisiana. Maybe your Grandma (Appo'si) wanted you to live in her world for awhile. Before you leave it for good, take a walk in some deep woods somewhere. Leave your mind blank. You can go back in time that way. Maybe you'll meet her.

Anyway, "Cloudy" in Choctaw/Chickasaw is "Hoshonti". You can go a little heavy on the nasal "n". Pretty, ain't it.

You sound like a well educated pretty woman. I've always admired well-educated pretty women. They don't get enough credit. Lots of guys can't see past the pretty.

And track. I ran a marathon once. New Orleans in 83. Finished. Didn't win. I just wanted to see how it felt to do that. Shortly after that I ran the Capital 10K
in Austin, Texas and developed a stress fracture that kept me from running for 7 months. By the time it healed I had lost most of the discipline and kept it down to about 5 miles a day. Now I let my horses do my running for me.

I live in Northern Alabama, so most of what we see around here is either Chickasaw, Cherokee, or Creek....Creek is predominant.

Hoshonti is prettier than Ulogili - "cloudy" in Cherokee. Actually, the Choctaw language is prettier to the ears than Cherokee to me, but it's more difficult to learn. Here's a factoid for ya: Chickasaw/Choctaw was the trade language for the southeast. Sorta cool to know.

My great-grandmother was a young girl during the removal to Oklahoma, but I've never been there. Maybe one day.

 

[entitled]

It's not that hard to post stuff, Alpha. You can either use the image thingy right above where you type your response (if the pic is online) or upload an image, where it says Manage Attachments down under the typing screen.

 

[sophia jane]

My great-grandmother was a young girl during the removal to Oklahoma, but I've never been there. Maybe one day.

You're always welcome at my house.

 

[cloudy]

You're always welcome at my house.

Thanks, love.

 

[Guest]

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