Not too sure why but the cutting horse world seems blessed with redneck engineers. It’s amazing what cutters can do with a piece of wire or a hunk of duck tape.

One of those rednecks lives with me, proven by our new redneck pipeline. Hey, we’re really proud of this!

Lake Nettles, as the mini lake in front of our barn was christened, shriveled up like a prune this summer. The lake is an integral working part around here – furnishing water to wet the round pen and water for washing out the barn. Before we lost the fishing poles from the back of the truck one day (think speed) it was also the backdrop for wonderful fishing memories - like the time the kids caught Brim about 3 inches long. They insisted on having them for supper.  That’s another story though.

While Lake Nettles was bone dry Redneck Ronnie, decided to enlarge it. We don’t own a bulldozer but we do own a skid steer and front loader. Ever watch an ant try to move a leaf? Few rednecks take no for an answer, though, so with little sleep and lots of lights he succeeded.

But then it didn’t rain, and what good is a lake without water?

When red neck cowboys get desperate, they find a solution. Enter our pipeline. It may not appear in “Architectural Digest,” but it solved the problem!

Years ago we built swimming “lane” for horses behind the barn – long, lean and deep. With those dimensions it never went dry, even during the drought and in fact, about 3 weeks ago when that first good rain came, it caught lots of water. Not Lake Nettles. The rain disappeared in a crowd of cracks and crevices. The swimming lane made Ronnie salivate.

Next thing I knew he was dumping a load of PVC pipe in front of the barn! Add a motor leftover from an aerobic septic system, a generator, and a line of gasoline cans to keep the generator ginning a rope swung over a limb and voila! A redneck pipeline! Yep, that’s it snaking across the road –with protective boards on each side– our very own speed bump.

That generator ran around the clock for nine days pumping water out of the swimming hole across the machine-parking area, over the road, down the slope and into Lake Nettles. Sure enough, it rose and rose and rose and sure enough, there is now water to wash out the barn and wet down the round pen.

The moral of this story? If you’ve got a problem, call me: I’ll send the redneck!  Understand up front though, we’re talking functional, not necessarily beautiful. But then, that’s what makes it redneck, isn’t it?

The late legendary horseman Don Dodge, the only cowboy to have been inducted into six Halls of Fame – that’s right; six – told me rather adamantly one New Years to make those New Year resolutions. The crusty old character, the last one whom I would have thought to make the darn things stated they are good for you. New Year’s resolutions give you goals, and life has more meaning when you are looking forward, he preached.

You know, Dodge was right about that. After thinking about it, that’s probably how he got inducted into those six Halls of Fame. Every day had meaning.

Above my desk is the quote, "Don't ever be disappointed ... good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience, and your worst days give you a lesson." Don’t know the author of that statement, but like Dodge’s quip about resolutions, it’s all about moving forward, no matter the outcome. Maybe that’s what we should call them, moving forward ideas.

So, have you made a list of your moving forward ideas yet? I’ve got a suggestion for you. Take a look at Man’s Best Friend for guidance. Heck, almost every one of us has a traveling buddy/sleeping buddy/working buddy, so you don’t have far to look. Here are their suggestions for 2012.  My favorite is No. 9, but the wisest ones are perhaps No. 8,14, and 15. What do you think? Author is unknown, but if you tape them to the inside of that trailer door, your best friend just might help you have a great 2012.

Suggestions from Man’s Best Friend for New Year’s Resolutions

1. When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.

2. Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joy ride.

3. Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure Ecstasy.

4. Take naps.

5. Stretch before rising.

6. Run, romp, and play daily.

7. Thrive on attention and let people touch you.

8. Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.

9. On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.

10. On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.

11. When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.

12. Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.

13. Be loyal.

14. Never pretend to be something you're not.

15. If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.

16. When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.

17. Enjoy every moment of every day!

Central Texas has been considered an “exceptional drought section” – nice words for as bad as it gets. This year, two ponds and Lake Nettles in front of the horse barn withered away.

Naturally, the loss of each water supply changed ranch operations. The ponds were watering holes for pasture horses, so their loss meant the horses started drinking the well water. Now Lake Nettles served numerous purposes and that was double trouble. Ronnie pumped water to wet the round pen each dusty morning and also pumped water f to wash out the barn each evening. Lake Nettles, along with a good water pump and a good fire hose made washing out that barn a breeze. Losing it lake was a real bummer!

Hoping to keep Mother Nature from a future repeats Ronnie decided to dig it deeper. That’s the good thing about droughts. It’s a great opportunity to enlarge those watering holes! Working  day and night by the headlights of the skid steer with its frontend loader he scooped from the bottom and sides of Lake Nettles, some nights until after 11 p.m.  We had people come out and watch that – during the daytime hours of course.

When the weekend rolled around and the focus changed to seasoning young horses at shows he did finally rent a dozer to hurry the process.  After all, logic said that if you started digging out the lake, it would rain, so dig fast.

It didn’t work that way, though. Days passed. No rain.

Then the weather forecaster hinted the liquid gold might be coming our way. To ensure the sides of Lake Nettles didn’t end up on the bottom of the lake we cast rye grass along the bottom and sides hoping the forecasted rain would foster a dense stand of rye grass and hold the sides nicely in tact – just in case a future gully washer was on its way.

Again days passed and alas, no rain. The seed just laid there.

Then came the morning I saw a sprinkler twirling nicely in the depths of the lake. That’s right. Watering the lake; well, where the lake was supposed to be. Using a sprinkler when the rain won’t come did more than just grow the rye grass, though: it brought the rain!

I figured it out. Rain is just like cutters.  Rain is not about to let that water from the sprinkler get by without a little challenging competition. Forget washing your truck; forget leaving your umbrella at home. Go water your pond or tank or lake!