Here they are. Kimmie Kae on the left and Millie Mae on the right. And the big Cowboy in the middle.

How do you feel about dogs. I grew up with a Cocker Spaniel named Skipper. He was black as the ace of spades. Then when I was about eight, I was riding my bicycle a few blocks from the house and some folks there had as litter of Fox Terriers. They let me have a little boy who was to become Toby and he was my companion all the way through school. Toby was with me on most of my fishing and hunting trips. He is now one of my fondest memories. Over the years We've had many dogs, each one has a spot in my heart. But, the best have come now, close to our end days. And I believe it was for a reason. We would not have been able to love and enjoy them when we were younger. When we moved to the "farm" we started raising show goats. In about 2014 we got Cowboy. He's a full blooded Australian shepherd. Then, a year later, we got his sister, from another liter, Kimmey Kae. These are the best dogs we have ever had! Smart, obedient, loyal and would do anything to please us. I had always wanted a squirrel dog and then in 2020 we found a man who raise Mountain Curs. And here comes Millie Mae. These are our "new" kids, what about yours?

It's strange how our desires change over the years. Eddy Ray and I have been friends for over 75 years. We grew up just a few houses apart. We played cowboy and indians together. As we were growing up and in high school, we talked about the time when we could buy a ranch in Colorado and raise Black Angus. For him, part of the dream did come true. He moved to Colorado. But, he became a very successful builder and now lives on the western side of the divide on a golf course in Cedar Ridge. For me it was excavating and law enforcement. Then, three years after my retirement from TxDPS in 2010, Linda and I bought three acres in Decatur. Now, at 79. it's a blessing that I only have the small place because it's all we can take care of. Over the last 10 years Linda and I have commented to each other many time that we don't know how we had time to have a job, because we have so much going on here. Muddy side down.

Great tail, Mr. Samples. You were lucky to have experienced apart of our heritage. I, too, experience some when I was growing up. I penned this little ditty a few years back. Hope you enjoy it. I call it "Wish'ted I Was an Old Time Cowboy".

Wish'ted I was an old time cowboy
I'd ride my spotted pony every day
Yeah, wish'ted I was an old time cowboy
Why, I'd work fer too little dern pay

Up ever morning long afore dawn
Slide into my jeans and my dirty felt hat
Sound mighty excitin'
I think I'd like something like that

Got no pine for the fire this morning
A plate of cold beans and some beef that's been jerked
I'd saddle the spotted pony
Then cut out them cattle to work

Them calves I be a roping
Heel "em, thro 'em hard to the ground
Bellerin', snortin', cussing
God what an awful sound

Slit their bags, take away their marbles
Thro "em into an old coffee can
I'll save 'em for later
Cook 'em up in my rusty frying pan

Brand them little doggies
Burn 'em real good
Watch fer the hoofs a flying
Passin, right next to me hood

And the fence it needs a fixing
Ya know the pasture down to the east
Of all the jobs on this dern ranch
That's one I like the least

The bob war it'll cut you
All the way down to your mess kit
It'll bleed and it'll gut you
In a flash, in a lickity split

And now a cold north winds a blowing
Blowing rain as cold as hell
Spotted pony he's a dancing
Jumping all around pellmell

Dang cold wind's a blowing
Dripping off my Stetson hat
Running rat down my collar
I weren't a planning for none of that

And you sure woulda knowed it
My slicker's in the barn
Laying on the feed troof
Atop the ponies corn

Now I get to thinkin'
I might not really wanta be
An old time cowboy
Back in 1893

That kinda life was mighty hard
Too difficult and too rough
Naw, give me my new Ram pickup
Cause I'm a powder puff

'lil Mutt' Forester
November 2003

Oh my gosh, Plumb, I'm learn this more and more with everyday.

Mr Samples, I thought of something that we failed to mention in the corn lineup. Corn Tortillas! And what reminded me was when Linda fixed breakfast this morning, along with my six eggs and pile of sausage, she had a platter of hot corn tortillas with butter. Oh, she put out the jar of Smuckers strawberry jam, too. And after four cups of coffee I returned to the shop for more piddling(threw in the piddling for you, Wolffy).

I put this together from a story my father had told me many many years ago. It was one of the adventures he had when he was growing up with his cousin, Clovis Shivers in north Tarrant County, Texas, in the late 1920s.

As I mentioned earlier, Dad had many stories of his childhood. I've tried to write as many down as I can remember. This one I put to rhyme. Hope you enjoy. For now, I give you " the Saga of Aunt Sara Blevins".

Aunt Sara Blevins was old, old in anybodys book
She carried a cane, it had a little crook

Her eyes were dull and often she did squint
Sometimes she felt her way the direction she did went

The sound had left her ears many years ago
A tin horn she carried to help her hear, but it was just a show

Every Sunday after church as the habit was
The family would gather, uncles, aunts and all the cous

Our little ranch house was a handy place
For our family to meet, to dine and to Him give grace

After lunch was over all the grownups around did sat
Aunt Sara felt her belly groaning, a sounding like a cat

Down in the woods, well over by the barn
Stood the little outhouse, heavy with all it's charms

Right then for Aunt Sara, Nature gave a call
She started down that pathway to that house used by all

But to her disappointment the outhouse was in use
Another place she had to find or make a great excuse

The barn was her salvation of this she was sure
The spotted pony's empty stall would do for her cure

As fate would have it on this very day
The barn was the place me and Cousin Clovis chose to play

Clovis noticed her a coming, using that short step shuffle
He said to me, ''Her bowels must be in quite a scuffle

Then Clovis giggled and said he had a plan
We knew if anyone could do it, me and Clovis can

Aunt Sara Blevins slipped into the stall
We was in the next one, as best as I recall

Seven petticoats Aunt Sara gathered to her waist
You could tell she was in an awful haste

I reached for the corn scoop that was in the corn bin
And when Aunt Sara squatted, the tool I slid under her rear end

She let lose a mighty load. It gave satisfaction
Not knowing me and Clovis was watching all the action

She cleaned herself with corncobs found on the stall floor
We pulled away the shovel, in the corner it was stored

Aunt Sara stepped forward and straightened all her clothes
Ten turned around and looked at the spot she had chose

Squint she did, but she could not find the efforts of her job
But on the floor there laid three lonely corn cob

Quickly up she jerked the petticoats and shook them one by one
And all the time me and Clovis was having all the fun

Me and my accomplish knew we had succeed
For twice aunt Sara checked her garments for her stinky deed

But when she could not find it , she started to he house
Then half way there she changed her mind and returned for one more joust

Of course she did not find it as me and Clovis rolled
Cause we opened up the ground and put it in a hole

Poor Aunt Sara went to her grave never knowing why
She could not find the mess she made that Sunday in July

Now it's sixty years later. Me and Clovis still rant and rave and scoff
But if Aunt Sara's name is mentioned we laugh our asses off

Commander, sir, that is an unusual vehicle to say the least. How would you bet in a Citroen Ami vs Peterbuilt? Just a quick what-do-you-think here. I live in Decatur Texas on Hwy 380, twentyfive miles east is Denton, Texas, where Peterbuilt is manufactured. Between the two cities a several storage yards where hundreds of new Peterbuilt tractors are stored. The story goes that they are waiting for chips to place in the computer before they can be delivered. I suppose we are so dependent on the Chinese that we cannot complete our manufacturing for delivery.

Thanks, Wulffy. I'm trying to figure out just how much and where to go here. Not that anything I do is nasty, but the length and how in depth I want to go. I'm learning by watching you old pros. You guys are good! You make me feel like a slacker. But I did just get promoted to Topic Starter rank #25. That makes my chest all puffy. Now I need to learn how to put pictures on here.

Mr. Samples, you do come up with some good subjects. Yep, we ate a lotsa cornbread growing up and still do today. My Momma's Momma, Grand is what we called her, was from Louisiana and she made what she called "hot water" cornbread in a frying pan. She taught Linda how to cook it just after we married. Now she will fry "hot water" cornbread about half the time. The other half is baked in the over in the frying pan. The red beans and cornbread with a half a onion is to kill for. I stopped by one of the freezers this morning and took out some frozen green beans. Supper tonight is green beans with potatoes in them. Pork ribs and, you guessed it, CORNBREAD!

There ya go again, Plum. Hittin' the nail on the head.

Welcome to the mix. It's a pretty good bunch. You may have a little bit of cold water in the Bay for a few months, but if you scratch around I'm sure you'll find something Set the hook and keep a tight line.

You know, there were times we were scraping the bottom of the mayonnaise jar. But, today the jar is full and we even have half a loaf of bread to smear it on. Every now and again we'll find a slice of ham and apiece of cheese. Maybe the world could be a little brighter. But from my place in line, I'm bathed in sunshine.

Ah, Plum, I'm a piddler from way back. And, being from Texas, I'm "a fixin' to". And Linda's a Mississippi girl and she's always "ova yonder". And, of course, everybody here is "y'all". We just can't get away from our raisin'.