September 21, 2004
Went for a walk with Kathy and the dogs this morning at seven. I came back early while Kath and the dogs went running across the creek (too much exercise for me). Really nice day out. Enjoyed the quiet walk back. Just when I got back in the house, the phone rang. It was the owner of a horse ranch north of us and he said he had a red dog that had been chasing coyotes and they ganged up on him and ran him right into a cholla patch and the red dog had so many cholla in him he couldn’t move.

“Yes, that’s my dog,” I replied wearily. “He’s an idiot from Manhattan.”

Just as I went out the door, Kathy came running up with Peaches and I told her the bad news. She had heard the yelping, couldn’t find him and came home to get the truck. I drove the truck down with a tarp in the back so I could load him and not get myself covered with those sharp little pricks, but when I pulled into the barn area of the horse ranch, the ranch hands had already pulled most of the big chucks out of him. The ground was littered with cholla spines, big green chunks, scattered here and there. Of course Buddy Boze Hatkiller sees the truck, wiggles free and jumps in the front seat, his mouth riddled with little white spines, and a goofy look on his face, that says, “Hey, let’s go for a ride!” We drove him home and he’s slobbering on us and he looks like Gabby Hays with half a beard. We held him in the front seat and tried to get out the rest of the little pricks. One went right through his ear, another was buried deep in his nose and he had an entire spine cluster hanging from the roof of his mouth. Now that was a fun one to get!

Got into work at about eight. More spine removal. Heavy duty business stuff getting ready for Board of Director’s meeting. Got most of it done, or at least in line.

Took the sales staff to Carefree Conference Center. My treat.

Went over cover stories for 2005. Very ambitious and exciting. Talked to Jackie King Ellis on the phone. She was my fave model for Honkytonk Sue and she now lives in Durango, Colorado has two kids and a loving husband. She’s coming down in October and I told her we’d like to do an article on her. She is a true cowgirl, former Miss Arizona Rodeo Queen. I’ll put up a photo of her so you can take a gander.

“So what if my telephone is turned off again at home? Or my electricity is shut off?  Or my credit cards canceled?  If you don't bet, you don't have a chance to win.  It's so silly in life not to pursue the highest possible thing you can imagine, even if you run the risk of losing it all, because if you don't pursue it you've lost it anyway.  You can't be an artist and be safe.”
—Francis Ford Coppola