May 16, 2003
Funny who responds when your life creeps close to the edge. My number one Zane Bro, Wonderful Russ came to my hospital room every night. Carole G. and Sue H. also dropped in. Richard Ignarski, the gunfighter artist, sent me a thoughtful card. Mark Boardman, John Boessenecker, J.Rae and Julie, among others, sent me very ice E-mails. But one response I would never have predicted is a very sweet E-mail from our former editor Marcus Huff, who left True West two years ago—in a huff.

For all of you who were wondering what happened to Marcus (and that would include me), he is living in Mesa (what a place-ah!) and working on publications for the FAA.

Another of my compadres, Mad Coyote Joe, brought by an expensive bottle of tequila and cooked lunch for the entire staff yesterday (this had nothing to do with blood clots, but more to do with a publishing contract for his latest cook book). Man was it good! Marinated Tri Tip, homemade potato salad and pintos.

Here’s a photo of the feed in progress. That’s Minnesota Mike front and center, and Mad Coyote Joe at right. Note the time.

Last night, Kathy and I drove out to Copper Creek Elementary School to see our nephew, E.J. Radina star in a Fourth Grade school pageant on Arizona History. He portrayed Wyatt Earp and he was fantastic. He had the string tie and he studied the latest issue of True West to see how he should cock his hat. In fact the entire production was a hoot. One of the kids got stage fright and threw up on the front of the stage (great effects) and then a parade of characters came up to the mikes and chronicled the entire history of Arizona from the Hohokam Indians to Barry Goldwater and Sandra Day O’Connor. A black kid in a great Smiley Burnett hat was Ed Scheffelein, an Asian kid was Father Keno, an anglo kid was Cochise. After each monologue, the kids would run back to the risers—they were spread out like an Up With People array—and they would do the boogaloo while taped music would play and they would sing, “Old Man Tucker” and “I’ve Been Working On The Railroad,” among others. When the cafeteria full of parents began clapping at what they assumed was the end, a young girl dressed as an Apache, signalled her parents, “Not yet! We have to sing another song!” And then they sang “I Love You Arizona,” written by Rex Allen, Jr., who was living in Nashville, Tennessee when he wrote it. The kids got a standing ovation.

“Only a fool would try to compress a hundred centuries into a hundred pages of hazardous conclusions. We proceed.”
—Oscar Wilde