–Ernest Haycox  (Saddle and Ride)

 

Come on in, Pard, sit yurself down, I’ve just been ponderin’ whilst sippin’ my coffee.  Been awhile since I’ve drank straight from the pot or pan; guess I’m what yu’d call sophisticated now.  Big word for such a simple fella.  

     I quoted from that ol’ puncher Lou Bradshaw the other day ’bout the monsters bein’ set loose.  I haven’t heard anything ’bout him in the last couple of years.  Wonder if one of those monsters got him, or he succumbed to a pestilence or the elements.  Most likely he’s crossed over the Great Divide.  Sure hope he went peaceful; I’d hate if one of those monsters came ’round to snatch him.

     Don’t be a-doubtin’ me, Pard.  Those monsters are real.  Why even ol’ Peter hisself spoke of them, saying the devil was like a lion seekin’ someone to devour.  Pard, just hold yur cup for a minute and think, if’n that’s possible for yuh.  How many have you known that some monster has grabbed an’ sent them down to perdition?  Good folks, who at one time were doin’ the Lord’s work and they up an’ give in to the monsters that were chasin’ them.  I read of Hugh Glass bein’ chawed on by that monster grizzly.  That ol’ boy survived an ordeal like few others have been through, and yet, sad to say, some get a kitty scratch and go into fits like they had the hydrophoby.

     Ahhh, good coffee, helps bring the memories back of days gone before.  Pard, don’t get me wrong ’bout that kitty scratch.  I reckon I know it could get infected and the lockjaw could set in, but mercies’ sake sometimes we are so feeble-kneed and whiny that a person would wonder.  I have had the mountains on my mind a time or two, but I wouldn’t succumb to the jaws of the monster.  Yep, back in the summer of ’15, the ol’ heart was smacked by a monster, but my faith was in the Lord, an’ He took care of me and has continued to do so.

     Don’t get me goin’, Pard.  I know that we all got to face that last enemy–Death.  Why he stalks us all the time, and his cohort the devil are always lookin’ for ways to bring us down.  He’s an outlaw for shore, but we know that Death has been defeated by the Lord Jesus Christ.  How we come to face that outlaw, we don’t know.  It may be a monster after us, or a storm, or pestilence, or a battle, or just plain wearin’ out, but one thing we do know is that the Lord is with us.  Yuh need to lay hold of that for a fact!

     Sorry, if I seem a little melancholy, but Pard we got to face those evil monsters out there.  Some are after our family an’ it might be time to tote out the ol’ .44.  Sayin’ that it’ll be a shame if yuh met yur demise by failin’ to check yur cinch.  Yep, sometimes it ain’t the monsters that get us, but those little imps.  Yuh, be careful this week, have yur weapons ready in case yur attacked–hang on to the faith!

      Vaya con Dios.

                      –G. Wayne Tilman  (The Marshal of Jerome)

 

Ha, just had to use this quotation this mornin’ for the Perc.  Wouldn’t it be nice down here in warm Texas to use snow as the water for coffee?  Mid-90s all week, but what should we expect, it’s summer.  Pard, yuh don’t mind the heat, do yuh?  My ol’ college pard said that it had to be in the 90s before yuh could have a decent baseball game and he was a catcher.  He wanted that heat.  People whine and complain ’bout the weather and I don’t know why, there’s not a thing they can do about it except possibly move.  The rain falls on the just and the unjust, and as does the rays of the sun.  Get over it creampuff and face the day.

     Some say it’s too hot for coffee.  Well, they don’t know the joy of the wonderful elixir, or they run to buy one of those ice cinos.  Silly goofs.  Ahhh, smell the aroma, Pard, let the brew slide down yur gullet to make the ol’ gizzard smile.

     Pard, I didn’t watch much of the Olympics, only a highlight here and there, but some folks are just plain fools.  If yuh followed, Noah Lyles didn’t win the 200, and he did the right thing by immediately congratulatin’ the winner.  There came an outcry from people, primarily the media I’m supposin’ that he should be arrested; that he doesn’t care about the plight of humanity.  See, he gave a slight hug to the gold medal winner when it seems that he ran with COVID.  If he didn’t congratulate the winner the pundits would be shoutin’ that he’s a spoiled sport.   All I can do is shake my head.  ‘Course I know there are whiners and murmurers and complainers no matter what  . . . just ask ol’ Moses ’bout that.

     Been busy, the grandson came home with us and spent most of his time with the cousins.  Momma came to bring him home and they left yesterday afternoon.  We celebrated the eldest granddaughter’s birthday as she will be on a missions trip on the actual date of her birthday.  Sure does this ol’ fence post good to see her servin’ the Lord that way.  The others will all start school next week.  Boy don’t they need the Lord with all the junk they throw at the kids’ minds these days.

     Pard, we need to be constantly on guard–guardin’ the truth of God’s Word, makin’ sure that our children and grandchildren know the right trail that’ll lead onto glory.  We need to be teachin’ them to keep their weapons clean and ready for use.  We need to be makin’ sure they know that they don’t just mount up, but that they check their cinch before doin’ so.  There are so many basic, simple things that are vital to practice and also be ready to use in this crazy, evil world.

       Vaya con Dios.

                    –Dan Arnold  (The Fourth Horseman)

 

Yeehaw, Pard!  Glad yuh could join me.  Back to the ol’ perkolater.  Ha, that could mean either good coffee or some thoughts spewin’ and boilin’ in my mind.  Once in a while I get the ol’ graymatter to perkin’.  But shore ‘nough, it’s good to be back here with yuh sharin’ a cup.  If’n yur a teetotaler, that’s alright too, like I said, yuh can share the perkin’ from my mind.

     Good coffee this mornin’.  Usin’ up the last of some Woods coffee that my son-in-law gave me.  Viking Blend it’s called, from up in the Northwest.  Had some decent coffee on my trip at my eldest daughter’s home.  ‘Course she had a good teacher and knows how to make it.  She has one of those fancy-dancy coffee makers, not just an ol’ perkolater or drip pot.  Now on the road, that was a different matter.  I think that the coffee in hotel rooms must be half sawdust.  Usually the missus makes a half cup or pot whichever with what they give us and it’s drinkable.  However, this trip, even that didn’t help and it wasn’t much better down in the lobby where they were servin’ something that they were a-callin’ biscuits ‘n’ gravy.  But I’ve learned over the years while on the road to be thankful for what yu’ve got, and to ignore the irregular taste or no taste of the food and coffee.

     Time for a big sip or a gulp, whichever yuh prefer.  Ahhh, smoothes all the way down the gullet to delight that ol’ stomach and gizzard.  Why I even figure that the liver is enjoyin’ this cup.  

     Haven’t been watchin’ the Olympics, ‘specially after that blasphemous opening ceremony.  Pard, I know that there’s always been controversy of some kind at the Olympics.  In the past, during the Cold War, it was with the judgin’ and maybe yuh remember some of those East German “women” swimmers.  But this time they went beyond just politics and decided to mock the holy God.  Now, I don’t get the understandin’, maybe yuh can help.  They allow a mockery of God, yet I saw a commentator was fired for makin’ disparagin’ remarks about John Lennon.  Figure that one.  It reminds me of the writin’ of that early ‘postle John–the whole world is under the control of the evil one.

     Some are sayin’ that the depiction was not that of the Last Supper.  Makes no difference, they were flauntin’ what God calls an abomination.  On top of that they were mockin’ the image of man.  What did they show of the French Revolution, but the decapitated head of the Queen and the god of wine and debauchery.  Yep, man at his finest–ha.  Read the first chapter of Proverbs.  “Mock me, when calamity comes, I’ll mock you,” a paraphrase from ol’ Ira, in fact in these verses if one of the few times it says that God laughs.

     But, in all of this, Pard, we have good coffee, good fellowship, and a God that will take care of us.  In the midst of a world mockin’, there is comfort in the Rock of Ages, our Lord.  So be of good cheer, enjoy yur coffee, and know that you can trust in the faithfulness of God.  Know that He is with yuh, even when yuh forget to check yur cinch.  Ride wary, ride ready, keep a smile on yur face, and trust in the Lord.

    Vaya con Dios.

                    –Louis L’Amour   (The Man From the Broken Hills)

 

     Let’s see, stash of jerky, biscuits, sausage, coffee…yep, all set.  Howdy, Pard, just gettin’ ready.  The trail is beckonin’ us for one more ride.  Headin’ eastward to see the eldest then bring my grandson back here to Texas.  It’ll be his first trip by himself.  Not sure which trail we’ll take yet; depends on that storm out in the Gulf.  But we’ve got the gear to weather the storm if need be.  The old steel mount will be makin’ it fine.  Hopefully it’ll be as dependable as ol’ blue.

     I’d like to say that the missus and I have made it from coast to coast, but we missed that thar west coast; only made it to Yosemite and the Sierras.  But, my, my, we’ve put on the miles of this journey of life.  Wish I had me a journal to look back at all the miles we’ve traveled, the things we’ve seen, the myriad experiences we’ve faced.  Almost could count the miles by the coffee cups, but can’t remember every stream, backroad, highway stop where we’ve had a cup.  We’ve had good coffee, when I made my own, all the way to coffee that had the look of dishwater–tasted ’bout the same.

     How ’bout today’s coffee?  Tastes fine, sure hope I fine something most as good on the road.  I’ll have enough to get started, but along the way, the pickin’ can get slim.  If’n we go the northern route, thars a place I know that keeps that Community coffee a-brewin’.  That’s mighty fine coffee if’n they brew it right.  After that, well…

     Don’t be frettin’, Pard.  Either trail we take, I know the route.  ‘Course, I realize thar can be obstacles along the way.  Not expectin’ any hostiles though, but ready just in case.  Don’t think thars’ no high water we have to be crossin’.  The weather will take care of itself, not goin’ to be frettin’ over it.  Pard, a person should be knowin’ where he’s a-goin’, just like in life.  A person is on the trail to either glory, or perdition; it’s just that on either trail there are the unknowns along the way.  As for me and the missus, we’re sure ‘nough travelin’ the glory road.  Been on that journey for many a year now.

      We’ll be doin’ what that sage of yore said, “Inch by inch time draws the cinch/Till the saddle will creak no more.”  Yuh remember ol’ S. Omar Barker don’t yuh?  Wasn’t it up near Deckers along the Platte we shared our campfire with him?  Hmm, or was that some other puncher?  The ol’ bean doesn’t run as clear as those mountain streams no more.  See yuh, in a few weeks…now, yuh have to make yur own coffee.

         Vaya con Dios.