Ol’ Dutch has long been a fan of old timey-type sayings that have been passed down through generations of people of every creed and race. There is a certain richness to these old sayings. Most of them began with a simple observation detailing a real-world experience but soon became something thrown around in a totally different context.  

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt said, “there is nothing to fear except fear itself” and it did help the American people in some very rough times. But people still use that phrase today, applying it to any and every scary situation they or others may face. And what is really funny is that's not really a true statement as there are a lot of things to fear, actually. Like bigfoot, UFO’s, snakes, spiders, ex-spouses with a knife and Miss Trixie.  

Winston Churchill who led Great Britain through its darkest hours of WWII said, “if you are going through Hell, keep on going.” Which seems like good advice, but I often wonder if maybe “turn around” may have been a better answer to that question. Ol’ Dutch has been through some Hell himself and let me tell you what, turning around would have been a much shorter path out of there as it turned out.  

The old saying about “chewing the fat” is generally about having a conversation with someone. That can be gossip or just a general chat, but today it refers to going one on one with another person about some subject. This actual phrase came from way back in the sailing days when sailors would sit around chewing on pork fat for their dinners and swapping tales or information while they partook of that tough, fatty, cured, salty, sour, cloven-footed goodness.  

Ol’ Dutch, ever the trend setting leader of men that I am, recently came up with his own new saying that I think will not only catch on, but will eventually lead to new discoveries. Let me tell you how I came up with this new and innovative idea to help mankind develop ideas never before thought of in human history.  

Last Sunday I hauled hay to the cows and was tired as I had not been feeling too well the last few days. So, I got in my truck and went and watched the cows eat the hay. I sat there mesmerized at the huge mouthfuls that went down their gullets all folded in half, so the loose ends went in last. I am not sure how they learn this, but they all do it and it's remarkable to me.  

As I watched them, the sun was setting on the ranch, and they all began to chew their cud. Now for the farming novice, this means that the cows basically burp up a wad of hay and re-chew it while they rest thereby helping with digestion. I watched for quite some time, and I honestly believe they were all chewing in some sort of timing most closely to that of a Bach or Beethoven symphony. Sitting there in the calm of the night, I realized that maybe they were onto something. 

For you see, they were taking the time to go over what they had eaten and though I don't claim that they were coming up with novel ideas or a new approach to quantum physics, it got me to thinking – a dangerous proposition according to Miss Trixie -- that mankind spends so very little time just thinking. We rush to and fro constantly bombarded by a million different stimuli from television to Internet to phones to kids to spouses and jobs and on and on and on without any time to really sit and think.  

So, I propose to you all that this next week or two that you just take some time and “chew your cud” so to speak. Regurgitate some of the ideas you may have come up with and see if those don't develop into something really good. As for Ol’ Dutch I suddenly realized that I was chewing along with the cows in time. Which is kind of crazy except now I know Mozart's Piano Sonata Number 11. 

Kevin Kirkpatrick spends his days fishing, hunting, ATVing, hiking or making people laugh. His email is Kevin@TroutRepublic.com. Additional news can be found at www.troutrepublic.com or on Twitter at TroutRepublic.