Piddlin’ Decor | Gameday Cowbells

How was your Week 2?  Whelp, things around our house got a little rocky…

It was tough enough for our “house divided” heading into last Saturday knowing we’d have two games to watch simultaneously.  However, as we have done many times before, we raised our split flag out front, set up our two TVs + settled in for the long night.

Things started out pretty pitiful for The Gamecocks, but they went from bad to worse following a long weather delay in Starkville, Mississippi followed by a flailing, second-half, Hokie team in Bristol + all in all, it made for a rather unpleasant night of football watching.

Despite over 500 miles between our two game venues there was an obvious theme–the annoying reiterance of two well-known + beloved (by many) gameday traditions: the Tennessee Volunteers’ catchy-at-first fight song, “Rocky Top” + the clanging cowbells of the Mississippi State Bulldog faithful. (read more about the cowbell tradition here)

I have always loved the sound of a simple dinging cowbell–that is, a single bell by it’s lonesome, or even the strands of bells seen around the holidays, mostly for the bucholic visions it brings to mind– however it certainly became it’s own entitity among the crowd at Davis Wade on Saturday.  Gamecock fans present, went from outnumbering Vanderbilt at home in Week 1 to fading into the similarly colored sea of maroon–and cowbells!  Yikes…rough start to our season.

I believe wholeheartedily that gameday traditions are what they are + if they adequately deter from a game, well then your team should come up with something to overcome it– it’s part of how you play the game– I digress.

This is my antique cowbell that I found in my early piddlin’ days… it is a rusty, perfectly patinated thing of beauty and each time I pick it up, I imagine the farm animal that once wore it.  It’s sound is one not often heard much anymore in its original fashion, but it brings an instant smile to my face–as long as it’s not naptime…

Whether the cowbells of Mississippi State have worn on your last nerve or not, you have to admit it’s a pretty unique tradition + a no brainer to share with you here today!

Here’s to another fun weekend of football–

 

| keep piddlin’