I HAVE RECENTLY BEEN ASKED HOW I CAME TO BE CALLED "BUTTERCUP".  WE HAVE TO TRAVEL BACK IN TIME ABOUT 43 YEARS.  I STARTED DATING MY HUBBY-TO-BE AND HE LIKED MY EYES.  EVENTUALLY, HE CAME TO LIKE MORE OF ME.....BUT THAT'S ANOTHER STORY!    SOOOOO, AS TIME WENT ON, HE TOOK TO CALLING ME "KOO AUGEN",  WHICH IS "COW EYES" IN GERMAN!  ODD AS THAT SOUNDS, IT BECAME A TERM OF ENDEARMENT FOR US.   AFTER GOING TOGETHER FOR 4 LONG MONTHS, WE FINALLY MARRIED!!!   I GUESS AT 18 "LOVE" REALLY IS.......BLIND, DEAF, DUMB,, ETC. ETC.!!  ANYHOW,  ON OUR HONEYMOON...........A TRIP TO J.C. PENNYS.........MY DARLING SPOTTED A SET OF "COWS".  IT CONSISTED OF A LARGE COW COOKIE JAR & A SET OF CHUNKY COW SALT & PEPPER SHAKERS.  WELLLLLLLL,  HE HAD TO REALLY SWEEP ME OFF MY FEET [ again ] AND BUY THEM!   NOW I WAS STUCK WITH THE  "OH-SO-SWEET" CERAMIC BOVINES AND THE EQUALLY SWEET "KOO AUGEN" !!!    AS THE YEARS FLEW BY, MY HERD GREW AND GREW AND GREW SOME MORE.  I HAD ENOUGH "CRYSTAL CATTLE" TO OVER-RUN TEXAS!  OUR FAMILY GREW ALSO.  THREE CHILDREN WHO HAD, OF COURSE, MULTITUDES OF PLUSH COWS!  MINUTES LATER, THE "GRANDS" STARTED ARRIVING.  AND SOON I GOT THE NEW TERM OF ENDEARMENT......GRANDMA COW!   O.K. FAST FORWARD TO 1992.  EVEN THOUGH I HAD TO BE GRANNYCOW TO A FEW,  I WAS, IN SECRET, A WILD, YOUNG GROUPIE OF GARTH BROOKS!  WHEN THE LOCAL COUNTRY RADIO STATION ANNOUNCED A CONTEST TO MEET GARTH,  I WAS RIGHT ON IT!!  BUT YOU SEE, YOU HAD TO TELL THEM SOME MAJORLY OUTRAGEOUS THING YOU WOULD DO TO WIN!  WELL....ALL I COULD THINK OF WAS COWS............DON'T KNOW WHY!  HA-HA    LONG STORY SHORT........WE TOLD THEM WE HAD A COW THAT WOULD SING A GARTH SONG WHILE BEING MILKED!   LUCKLY FOR ME THAT DARLING HUBBY WAS STILL IN LOVE WITH THIS BOVINE!!!  ALL OUR BRAINS WENT INTO OVERDRIVE WHEN HE SAID....."HOW ARE YOU GOING TO DO THAT"?  AND I SAID....." I HAVE NO IDEA, I NEVER THOUGHT I'D BE A FINALIST"!!   NOW HERE COMES THE "BUTTERCUP" PART............ I GOT IN THE FINALS, HUBBY SPENT ALL OF HIS VACATION WEEK "BUILDING" A BOVINE THAT ACTUALLY GAVE MILK, AND I TRYED TO LEARN THE WORDS TO A GARTH TUNE!  OF COURSE, IF I WANTED TO WIN, I NEEDED A "STAGE" & "PROPS" TOO.  WE BORROWED A FRIENDS PICK-UP TRUCK.  STOLE SOME HAY BALES.  MADE A BARN OUT OF A PACKING CRATE.  AND ADDED HALF A HERD OF STUFFED HEIFERS!  CONTEST DAY ARRIVED AND I REALIZED IT WAS GOING TO BE "LIVE" ON THE RADIO.  SOOOOOO, WHEN THEY ASKED MY NAME, I PROMPTLY SAID..............BUTTERCUP!!!!!   WELL, I WON THE CONTEST, GOT TO MEET GARTH & HAVE BEEN KNOWN AS BUTTERCUP EVER SINCE!    AND I STILL HAVE THE SAME WONDERFUL HUBBY AND THE VERY FIRST COWS.    P.S. YOU CAN SEE "BUTTERCUP" IN MY PHOTOS.........AND A 1992 GARTH TOO!  

          

 

Since this is my FIRST BLOG, here is the poem I wrote when I started my chapter. You can "read between the lines" and see why i am sooooo thankful I found th RHS!!!

                           WE'RE OUT OF THE BLUE

                           THE SWEET LADY SAID

                    AS SHE PLACED A BRIGHT RED HAT

                           ON TOP OF MY HEAD

                       NOW BLUE WAS MY COLOR

                       IT WENT WITH MY MOOD

                   BUT THE RED HAT WAS FLASHY

                     AND MADE ME PRECLUDE

                I'VE GOT TO GET OUT.....START LIVING

                      AND NOT ALWAYS BROOD

                SO I BOUGHT ME THE RED HAT

                        FEATHERS AND ALL

                 AND VOWED TO BE THE TOWN'S NEXT

                       QUEEN OF THE BALL

                 IT'S FUNNY HOW SUDDENLY

                    " OUT OF THE BLUE "

                  I MADE A NEW FRIEND

                     AND THEN I MADE TWO

                 AND NOW I KEEP ADDING

                    MORE FRIENDS OF TRUE BLUE

               AND DRESSED IN OUR PURPLE

                    WITH BRIGHT HATS OF RED

               INSTEAD OF THOSE BLUE MOODS

                  WE'RE ALL HAPPY INSTEAD

                WE'RE " OUT OF THE BLUE "

                  AND OUT ON THE TOWN

                 WE'VE PUT ON BRIGHT SMILES

                INSTEAD OF A FROWN

             BECAUSE OF OUR RED HATS

                WE'VE CHANGED OUR LIFE STORY

             WE THANK  SUE ELLEN COOPER

                 AND GIVE GOD ALL THE GLORY

                                               c.2004/queen mother buttercup

That's how we became " OUT of the BLUE ".......p.s. RED & BLUE make PURPLE!!!!!