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<\/p>\nYou may have had this experience at one time as well\u2014as you\u2019re driving some stretch of backroad no-where across a fence line fading into the horizon, when\u2026 there it is. A single boot, maybe sun-bleached, coated in dirt, just sitting right on top of a fence post. Not falling, not dropped, but placed there.<\/p>\n
And perhaps you just kept driving and didn\u2019t think much about it. Or maybe you thought about it for just a little longer, and asked yourself \u2014 why? Why a boot? For what purpose? What is the purpose of the boot in that location?<\/p>\n
There is not one single reason. It depends on where you are at, who placed it there (and probably what kind of day they were having when they did it). But it is not random. Not really.<\/p>\n
A Kind of Farmer\u2019s Retirement Plan (for Boots)
\nSo first off, in farm country, boots are not just boots. Boots are work. Boots are tools for dawn-to-dusk cow-chasing, fence mending, mud slogging, and when a pair finally wears out\u2014like really bites the dust\u2014it is not always immediately relegated to the trash.<\/p>\n
Sometimes it gets some sort of symbolic reincarnation, stuck onto a fence post like a little personal shrine. A way to say \u201cThese boots earned their keep.\u201d Not a ceremony per se. Just\u2026 an act. Like, this pair did its bit and we honor that\u2014let it rest.<\/p>\n
A Quiet Memorial
\nOther times it is heavier than that. In some cultures, a boot on a fence is not about a boot at all\u2014it is about a person. A person who once walked that land, who wore out their own pair of boots and never came back to replace them. It\u2019s a memorial, after all. And we don\u2019t need a plaque for that. Out there, people remember their own. And one boot, quietly orphaned, can hold more memory than all that other language ever would<\/p>\n
Or perhaps it\u2019s merely\u2026 Fun.
\nThen again, not all boots-on-posts come with significance; some are just weird. Some people just like weird stuff; bright red cowboy boots, sparkly high heels (yes), or cow-painted rubber boots, some people just want to make people slow down to say, \u201cwait, what?\u201d<\/p>\n
I guess that\u2019s rural humor. Call it art. More often than not, some people are simply playing with the stuff they have around. You\u2019d be surprised how rare that explanation is for anything weird that happens in the country.<\/p>\n
Landmarks That Make Sense If You Live There
\nAnd okay, this one gives a little back. Directions in the country aren\u2019t \u201cturn at Main and 3rd.\u201d They\u2019re something more like \u201cgo past the second cattle gate, then keep going until you see the boots.\u201d<\/p>\n
So I guess a boot-on-post is not a random object; it\u2019s a landmark of some kind. A \u201cdirectional\u201d aid. An unofficial road sign. \u201cYou\u2019ll see it, big brown boot, you\u2019ll know.\u201d And they work astonishingly well.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Just Making a Mark
\nBut then there is also that, some people just want to mark a spot. It could be their land, it could be someone\u2019s land. But to put up a boot is to mark a place. Not too aggressively. Kind of like, \u201cMm-hm. I was here.\u201d<\/p>\n
The same concept as pink flamingos in the front yard or gnomes tucked under hedges. Some people select lawn ornaments. Others select their stable boots they used to shovel manure with. Choose your vibe.<\/p>\n
Remembering a Good Horse
\nThis may surprise you. In horse ranching circles, a boot on a fence post signifies a horse has passed. A good horse. A horse that was more than a work animal. A friend, companion, buddy for long rides and long days.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not a loud mourning\u2014just a little public showing. Kind of like saying \u201cHorse is not out in the pasture anymore, but I remember.\u201d And anyone who knows will understand.<\/p>\n
A Mode of \u201cI\u2019m Home\u201d Communication
\nAnd oddly enough, sometimes it is just a practical way of saying a kind of \u201cI\u2019m home.\u201d There\u2019s no text message. No note taped to the front door. Just boots hanging up on the fence. And anybody would acknowledge, \u201cYup, I am here and I\u2019m around, please stop by if you need anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Neighbors understand. Just like a flag flapping in the breeze, saying don\u2019t mind me, I am not out running errands, I am probably working on the tractor, or sitting and drinking coffee on the porch.<\/p>\n
Boots that have Worked, Done Work, and Rested
\nA boot hanging on a post is a lot of things. Use. Work. Whether it was a joke, a memorial of sorts, or simply something that was stuck up there one day and forgotten\u2014it still says something. Even if all the somethings are half gone and riddled with holes.<\/p>\n
So yeah, when you see one next time\u2014just a boot hanging out against a sky and barbed wire on a fence\u2014maybe you think to yourself that there\u2019s more there than just a weird bit of county random. It might be a marker. A memory. A vestige of someone\u2019s rough day.<\/p>\n
Or it might just be a boot. But maybe that\u2019s enough.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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