Country Lifestyle
Parlez Vous Francais?

(Do you speak French?)
By Judy Wade
It is 4,896 miles from Ringling, Okla., to Paris, France. This is the story of how one young man made that journey.
His great-great-grandfather Noah, his great-grandfather Wilton, his grandfather Paul and his father Randall (Randy) were all ranchers. He grew up on a ranch, riding horses, doing all the things a cowboy does. In high school he played baseball and became interested in rodeo, where he team roped.
In 1991, working as a welder after graduating from Ringling High School four years prior, he saw an advertisement in a rodeo magazine for try-outs for positions in the soon-to-open Euro Disney outside of Paris. As a lark, he and some friends went to Mesquite, Texas, and tried out. Returning to work, it was several months before he got a phone call asking if he was still interested.
“I was at the barn getting ready to go rope and my mom yelled at me and said someone from Disney was on the phone,” he explained. “Because it had been so long since the audition, I had forgotten about it and thought it was a joke so I hung up. Mom yelled out again, ‘It’s that same woman calling back!’ I’m thinking what if it really was Mickey Mouse calling and I’m already fired because I hung up on the Mouse?”
That’s where Shawn Howard’s life took a different direction.
Howard was soon on a plane headed for Orlando, Fla., where he joined the group who had all been selected for this adventure before the flight to France.
“He’ll be back soon,” his father Randy thought.
He was wrong. More than 25 years later, Howard is still working for what is now Disneyland Paris.
“There were about 35 cowboys and 30 Indians,” Howard added. “Some of those Indians had never been off the reservation let alone in a taxi or airplane. I thought, ‘Oh, boy, is this going to be fun, or is this going to be like the battle at Little Big Horn?’”
Arriving in Paris after an 11 hour flight, they found two obstacles. First, it was cold,
“The coldest I had ever been,” he said.
Next was the language barrier.
“Some of the guys thought if you spoke louder, the French people would understand. They did not,” Howard recalled.
First came working with the stunt coordinator, Mario Luraschi, one of the most famous horse stunt men in Europe. The first day everyone lined up to check out a saddle. The line was so long and it was so cold Howard went back to the bus to warm up. By the time he got in line, all the saddles had been issued and more would not be available for three weeks so “I had to ride bareback. The horse I was assigned was named Snowflake, but it should have been Cocaine. No saddle, cold, wet and rainy-no problem. After my riding without a saddle for three weeks, they left me as an Indian.”
“Luraschi is amazing with horses,” Howard continued. “I learned a lot. As a rodeo cowboy and team roper, I had spent all my life trying to stay on a horse, and now he’s wanting me to fall off and pull the horse over for horse falls!”
Disneyland Paris is actually about 30 miles east of Paris. The 4,800 acre park that opened in April 1992 has a multitude of attractions and draws over 13 million visitors each year.
Howard’s role began with Buffalo Bills Wild West Show.
“I played an Indian for eight year and sometimes was a cowboy, he explained. “Now I drive the stagecoach.”
He can expertly handle a four-up and a six-up hitch to drive a wagon.
Michael Eisner, the CEO of the Walt Disney World Florida Company, loved the western way of life. He wanted something real and unique for the opening of the new Disney Park in Paris. The Europeans are fascinated by the cowboys and Indians, but all they have seen is on television or the Internet. So he put together a remake of the Buffalo Bills Wild West Show. The original Buffalo Bills Wild West Show toured Europe eight times, the first four tours between 1887 and 1892, and the last four from 1902 to 1906. The new show has been an enormous hit.
“I was part of the history-making reenactment of a show that started back in the 1800’s,” Howard remarked. “Not a lot of people can say they are a part of history like this—bringing this all to life with actors like Peter MacLean who played Buffalo Bill, Tim Reevis as Sitting Bull and one of the best hands I’ve seen on a horse is Sonna Warvell who plays Annie Oakley. Working with actors like this only brings out the best in you. You could not have chosen any better actors to plays these roles. They are the best!”
The show has toured all over Europe.
Learn more in the December issue of OKFR!
Country Lifestyle
Farm Dogs & Table Scraps

What’s Safe and What’s Not?
Growing up on a farm, our dogs were tough. They roamed the pastures, slept under the barn, and ate just about anything they could get their paws on—whether we meant for them to or not. I’ll admit, I never thought twice when one of our old cow dogs snatched a biscuit off the table or licked up a spill from the barn floor. I’ve even seen a dog steal a whole rib bone off a plate and trot off like he’d won the lottery. And somehow, they always seemed fine.
But here’s the thing—just because they survived doesn’t mean it was safe. For every farm dog that lucked out, there’s another that wasn’t so fortunate. Some human foods can be downright toxic to dogs, and a little bit of bad luck (or a smaller, more sensitive dog) can turn a harmless snack into an emergency.
Common toxic foods lying around the farmhouse
If you’ve got a farm dog—or any dog, really—you need to be aware of the dangers lurking in everyday foods. Some of the biggest culprits include:
Chocolate – The darker it is, the worse it is. Even a little can cause vomiting, seizures, or worse.
Grapes & Raisins – No one’s exactly sure why, but they can cause kidney failure fast.
Onions & Garlic – In large enough amounts, these can destroy red blood cells, leading to anemia.
Xylitol (Found in Sugar-Free Gum & Candy) – This artificial sweetener can send a dog’s blood sugar crashing and cause liver failure.
Alcohol – Even small amounts can be deadly to dogs, affecting their nervous system much more than it does ours.
Bones from Cooked Meat – While not necessarily toxic, they can splinter and cause serious internal injuries.
Macadamia Nuts – These can lead to weakness, vomiting, and even paralysis in dogs.
What to do if your dog eats something toxic
First, don’t panic—but don’t ignore it either. If you know your dog ate something dangerous, call your vet immediately. They can tell you whether to induce vomiting or if it’s something that requires urgent care. If it’s after hours, contact the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (888-426-4435) or the Pet Poison Helpline (855-764-7661).
Prevention is always the best medicine, so keep toxic foods out of reach. That might mean keeping the trash can secured, making sure kids don’t slip the dog a treat under the table, or just being more mindful of what’s left on the counter.
Our farm dogs might have been lucky, but luck isn’t a great strategy when it comes to their health. A little awareness goes a long way in making sure they stay happy, healthy, and ready for the next day’s work.
For more information
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control
Pet Poison Helpline: www.petpoisonhelpline.com
Visit www.akc.org/expert-advice/nutrition/foods-your-dog-should-never-eat
Country Lifestyle
Summer Squash and Corn Chowder

By Lacey Vilhauer
Total time: 40 minutes
Servings: 6-7
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled and 1 1/2 Tbsp rendered bacon fat reserved
- 1 1/2 lbs yellow squash, chopped (about 3 medium)
- 2/3 cup thinly sliced celery
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 Tbsp flour
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 3/4 cup milk (I used 1%)
- 5 cups canned or fresh cut corn (from about 6 ears corn), divided
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp dried)
- 3/4 tsp salt, then more to taste
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper, then more to taste if desired
- 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese, for serving
- Chopped green onion for garnish (optional)
Instructions
Heat 4 tsp reserved bacon fat in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add celery and onion and sauté 2 minutes then add the squash.
Saute until tender, about 6 minutes, adding in garlic and flour during last 2 minutes of sauteing. Reduce heat slightly.
Add 1 1/2 cups milk, 2 cups of the corn, thyme, salt and pepper to the sauteed veggies.
To a blender add remaining 3 cups of corn, remaining 1 1/4 cups milk and the cream. Process in blender until nearly smooth (about 30 seconds).
Add pureed mixture to pot and stir to blend. Cook until mixture reaches a light boil.
Serve warm with shredded cheese, crumbled bacon and sliced green onions if desired.
Country Lifestyle
Western Housewives – May 2025

By Summer McMillen
All my married life I have thought that when husbands all got together horseback after a hard days work they were probably rating their wives on a scale from one to ten based on their various capabilities. Did Wife A have a good hat crease? Was Wife B good help in the branding pen? Was Wife C an excellent mother? Was Wife D hospitable to everyone? Could Wife E make a decent gallon of sweet tea? Did Wife F keep a tidy saddle house?
Presumably, when Wife B did not live up to Wife A there was a fist fight followed by wife shaming of Husband B. His status amongst the cowboys immediately fell and he would be behind for the rest of his life in his cowboy career.
He would come home ashamed his wife couldn’t flambé a decent bananas foster and she couldn’t hoolihan either. He would be distraught and said wife would feel his pain.
Of course, this never happened to me like I thought it would. My husband always came home with a smile on his face and I’m pretty sure “flambé” isn’t even in a cowboys vocabulary.
Nonetheless, these imaginary fights and social rankings have plagued my brain for years. It has caused me to always be in competition with myself to be the very best at everything I did. Which I have eventually realized is a trait of women all around the world.
While we are cooking a four course meal for our families we start to think about how we actually should be practicing heading steers instead.
While we are practicing our horsemanship we start to think about how we should actually be preparing a nutritious and elaborate meal for our families.
It is a constant battle that women have created and proceeded to fight for centuries.
One day the inner battle got to me and I finally broke down as we were riding wheat pasture and confessed to my husband my guilt. I was so sorry that I wasn’t a better cowgirl. I was so sorry that the house was a mess. I was so sorry that I would never be on The Cowboy Channel. I was so sorry that I had lost his good pair of gloves. (Except I didn’t actually mean to confess that last part. Some things are just better left unknown.) I apologized again and again and told him I was sorry and he probably never wanted to bring his friends over for supper ever again.
Instead of consoling me, he just started looking at me like I was crazy. Which is what all good husbands do.
He stopped his horse and looked at me and said “Do you know how cowboys rate each other’s ranch wives?”
So many thoughts started filling my brain. Was it looks? Gentleness? Laundry speed? Work ethic?
Then he revealed their secret. “Cowboys rate each other’s wives by how well they can cook eggs for breakfast.”
His point of course, was that men don’t think about each other’s wives. As long as they get their eggs for breakfast. In another twist of irony, my husband taught me how to fry the perfect egg. What can I say? It’s a man’s world.
Since then, I have let go of my irrational fears and doubt and have simply been living life. It’s all anyone can do. I may not team rope the best. I may get my fingers when I’m trying to dally and I may not have the tidiest saddle house. But I try hard at everything I do and I do it all out of love for my family and finally, myself.
So, if you’re a woman this Mother’s Day and you catch yourself feeling down amongst life constant pressures just remember you are not alone. You can almost guarantee there is a woman in every household that needs a little pick me up. Maybe you should just go outside. Maybe you should sit down and count your blessings. Or, maybe you should have your husband fry you some eggs.
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