A Penny for A Penny vs A Penny for Your Thoughts

 December 21, 2025

   It's the shortest day of the year and I'd like to say this post will emulate that with my own brevity, but, you know me—and Bruce ("they said sit down, I stood up. . .").

Coming Soon From Boze Studios

   West of Patagonia, there was no borderline , at least one you could see. The Rurales and the Rangers knew, of course, but even they had a hard time pinning down exactly where it was.

Daily Whip Out: 

"Rurales Crossing The San Pedro"

Adventures In The Gouache Zone

   I love doing gouache washes to see where it might take me. This morning I got a surprise when I was working on a potential dust storm and I felt something under my drawing table. I leaned back to see this visitor.

Tornado Head

In-din Humor

   Every time Floyd Red Crow Westerman was introduced to someone who claimed a Cherokee grandmother, he would turn them around and look at their butt and say, "I can usually tell by the high cheekbones."

A Penny for Your Thoughts

   When I was a much younger lad, whenever I saw a penny on the ground, I would pick it up, squeeze it and say one word, "Western," and pocket the penny. It was a ritual I followed for decades and I admit it was kind of superstitious and goofy, but personally it was a great way to center my thoughts and efforts and, to be honest, it was kind of effective. Today, I co-own True West magazine, I have authored 15 illustrated books on Western icons and I am a YouTube Western historian with a couple million views. So, goofy or not, it kind of worked for me in a Western kind of way.

   So, it was with great interest I read about a recent end of the penny. Some guy named Jarell Mique, was a co-producer of an event to mark the passing and he claims he was hired to "create a silly moment." He hired actors and comedians to dress up as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and the Lincolns to give remarks at the event. The faux Mary Todd Lincoln asked the audience if they had ever heard of the old "pick up a penny and you'll have good luck" thing. Many raised their hands, including myself. Then she added this: "The penny poured out all its good luck for us and saved none for itself. If only the penny could have picked up another penny for good luck. A penny for a penny."

   Now, that's rich.

"If we all do it and we don't wanna talk about it, it's funny, man."

—George Carlin