July 25, 2006
Woke up to a muggy morning. Went out on the bike early (6:15). Big thunderheads over Skull Ridge. Smell of freshly mown hay up by Barro’s. Cutting horse practicers spinning in circles and going backwards up at Rockaway Hills.

Lots of feedback on recent blogs. Here’s my faves:

Tora! Nora! Tora!
“I love Nora Roberts, good story line, you can read it fast, doesn't take
much brain power and just enough sex to keep you interested. Kind of like your blog.”
—Julie Duerinck

Hey Ho, It’s Not TV It’s HBO
“I just caught a promo for the series Deadwood on HBO a few minutes ago. It showed Wyatt Earp & his brother arriving in town. I remembered us having a discussion about this subject a couple of years ago. You said that the Writer/Producer was known to check out your blog from time to time and don't be surprised to see the Earps on the show. This is the first confirmation that I have on it. It couldn't happen any too soon as the show has been boring as hell lately! I thought you would like to know.”
—Jim Hatzell

Harpin’ On Earp II
“Happened to watch an old episode of Cimarron Strip with Stuart Whitman over the weekend.

“It feature a character named Wylie Harpe, an old lawdog friend of the marshal's, who had come to town looking for some easy money. He kept referring to Tombstone, and said he'd come from the gold fields in Idaho.

“Eventually, the two had a falling out...with the Whitman character saying that some folks thought Harpe a hero for what he did in Tombstone, but Bill Breakenridge told a different story...and that Harpe's tale of driving Ben Thompson out of Ellsworth was a myth. He then accused Harpe of being a two bit thug, con man, grifter, card cheat, etc., etc.

“It was a big evisceration of Earp...er, Harpe...and when it came time for the two men to shoot it out, he walked away.

“What I found interesting was not just the slam on Earp. But his character's name, Wiley Harpe, is that of a real live guy. Wiley--also known as Little Harpe--and his brother Micajah (Big Harpe) terrorized parts of Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinois, Missouri and Arkansas around 1800. They were accused of dozens of murders, many of them incredibly gruesome (they supposedly killed their own infants for making too much noise). Some books refer to them as America's first serial killers. Micajah was shot down by a posse. Wiley disappeared for a few years. He helped track down another Natchez Trace killer named Sam Mason, using the alias Sedden. But when he brought in Mason's head, somebody recognized him. He died on the gallows.

“It can't be a coincidence that they named the Earp character after this guy...eh?”
—Mark Boardman

Oh, This Is Bush
“US Senator Craig Thomas gave me the letter he received from President Bush stating Bush's support for the National Day of the Cowboy resolution for 2006. I brought it in to the office in case any of you would be interested in seeing it.”
—Bethany Braley, Regional Sales Manager, True West Magazine

Proof That KFI Has 1,200 Affiliates
“I heard you being interviewed on a radio news program last week about Pioneer
Town being burned. Best regards.”
—Joe de Kehoe

I’m driving up to Orme Ranch this afternoon to pick up my son. He couldn’t get a ride. Sometimes I worry that I have not been tough enough on him. My father said as much, but no doubt his father said the same thing about me. Kathy and I had fights over raising him. One time I was out on the patio and Tomas was trying to kick a soccer ball past me and I wasn’t letting him. He was getting frustrated because I wasn’t coddling him, and Kathy comes out madder than a wet hen, because she felt I was abusing him. She wanted me to let him win. She went back into the house and we went back to the game and I still didn’t let him score.

“When we confuse pampering and coddling with instilling self-esteem we really encourage the upbringing of young, sensitive children who have no inner strength whatsoever. When it comes time for such overpraised, underachieving kids to find success in the competitive global market-place, they will be confused, fearful and ineffective.”
—Steve Chandler