–Louis L’Amour  (Conagher)

 

       Almost didn’t recognize yuh, Pard.  Yuh wearin’ a rain barrel for a coat nowadays?  Ah, I see, too much turkey and all the trimmin’s, oh, and the pies.  Pard, at this age yuh should know better.  But I will say that barrel sorta rounds out yur personality.

       Sit down, the coffee is ready and for sure, it’s not fattenin’.  More like soothin’ an’ calmin’ to the soul.  If’n yuh went out shoppin’ yesterday yuh sure could push folks out of the way with that new shape.

       Thanksgivin’ was great.  Kimberly and her family camped out at Lake Livingston and since it’s only fifteen miles we would go out, but stayed the nights at home.  We ate breakfast out there every day, supper most days, but we chowed down with the Thanksgivin’ Dinner.  Pard, and I’m tellin’ the gospel truth, I nary touched a piece of pie for Thanksgiving meal.  Nope, not when I got home neither.  But I will tell yuh this, I had a piece of pumpkin and German chocolate pie for breakfast.  I reckoned instead of eatin’ it twice I’d just go whole hog and eat both pieces at the same time.  And speakin’ of hog, we had plenty of that as well.

       Pard, I sorta pity those who want to steal and destroy our heritage, especially Thanksgivin’.  It seems that everythin’ today is cross culture, racist, or political.  My mercy, hardly a person can bow their head to the Almighty God to thank Him for His marvelous, wonderful blessin’s without some numbskull pipin’ up.  Why them folks are the same ones that want to deny the Lord altogether.  Ignorant morons, they don’t have a brain that would fit a flea.

       But honestly Pard, the Lord has blessed us, and what those folk don’t realize that because of believers God blesses those around them.  Let them live in some other country then look back at the blessin’s they threw to the wind.  What was it that ol’ Joshua said, “As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.”

       Pard, yuh need a push t’ get in the saddle?  Train yur kids right, equip them properly, and Pard that means teach them to check their cinch before mounting up for the day.

        Vaya con Dios.

                    –D.C. Adkisson  (The Shepherd)

 

Welcome, Pard, sure was hopin’ yuh’d show up this mornin’.  I need some help as I’ve been strugglin’ with something I’ve been ponderin’ most of the week.  Sure, I’ll pour the coffee first.  Priorities right?  Well, let me get right down to it.  Oh, yuh need to taste the brew first,  Hot enough for yuh?  Strong enough for yuh?  Or do yuh need some of the cream to make a latte?  Cino!!!  Pard, yuh have to be kiddin’ me!

       Whew, I was a mite worried ’bout yuh for a second.  Glad yuh were just teasin’.  Cino, my ol’ Grandpa would be rollin’ over in his grave.  Now to my ponderin’ if’n yuh don’t mind.  Here it is:  has our nation turned into a carnival or is it a circus?  Let that soak in yur pea-brain for a minute.  That there’s some difficult thinkin’.  

       I remember as a kid goin’ to the carnival.  There was always a couple that came to town durin’ the year.  They had all kinds of rides, but they all had one thing in common–they all went around in circles.  Yep, the circle might have ups and downs like one of them small rolly-coasters, but it was still in a circle.  That merry-go-round went around and ’round and there would be some horses that went up and down whilst it was goin’ round and round.  Then there were a few rides, Tilt-O-Whirl, where the half-basket shaped seat would spin around as the whole contraption went around.  Now ponder that, and if’n that don’t sound like what’s goin’ on in some places in this country, I’ll eat my hat.  I mean them politicians up in Washington haven’t a clue as to what they’re a-doin’–just goin’ ’round and around.  Up and down, and ’round and ’round.

       Now to the other show–the circus.  I’ve been to a few in my lifetime.  They always kept the ferocious beasts in cages worried to let them out.  But what I want to bring to yur attention is the show.  Sometimes there was a one-ring circus, like we saw in that court case this week with those lawyer a-jawin’ and the media a-frettin’ and tryin’ to worry the jury.  Other times, we have a regular three-ring circus a-goin’.  But what I see is the problem with the circus, there ain’t no ring-master to control it.  The President ain’t in charge, poor ol’ feller can’t hardly think for himself.  His partner can’t be found half the time and she just reminds me of a clown laughin’ ’bout most everything–things that ain’t even funny.  And that Mouth who they call the Speaker, my mercy, I cringe when I see her.

       So Pard, which is we?  Carnival or circus.  We have spectators watching.  Some close up, some from afar.  Yuh don’t finished that cup?  Reckon ponderin’ does make a person a mite thirsty.  Still have some coffee in the pot.

       While yur sippin’ and ponderin’ I know Thanksgivin’ is comin’ up.  My, what a wondrous holiday to stop for a spell and thank the good Lord for all His blessin’s to us.  Why, as I wrote above, I think of the many times my sweet wife poured me a cup of coffee or slid a piece of pie in front of me.  She’s a wonder–she’s had to be to put up with me all these years.

       Pard yuh be ponderin’ that question until next I see yuh.  Don’t worry yur brain too hard that yuh miss out on the pumpkin pie, or forget to check yur cinch.

      Vaya con Dios.

                     –G.P. Hutchinson  (Strong Suspicions)

 

Come on in Pard, ain’t the Lord given us a beautiful mornin’?  ‘Course if’n yur breathin’ it’s a regular wonderful mornin’ as well.  One thing this ol’ virus that’s among has done; it’s made us aware of the breath we take.  Pard, I’m convinced that we take a lot in life for granted.  We take God’s faithfulness for granted, we take the pumping of our heart and the breathing of our lungs for granted, why Pard, I think at times we even take coffee for granted.  

       My, think of that–we take pure delight for granted, and not just the coffee the fellowship ’round the table as well.  God is good in so many ways, and we take that for granted as well.  So my friend, I’ve made the coffee strong and it’s deep black and hot this mornin’.  I want to savor the taste, breathe in deeply the aroma, sit back and enjoy it with yuh.

       So much of the time I’ve noticed when people make coffee, and I know part of it’s the fault of the “progress” of coffee makers.  People don’t put in enough coffee and too much water when they make coffee.  We take for granted good coffee–like yur drinkin’ this mornin’.

       Pard, when yuh look at the craziness of the world around yuh, it’s important to take the time to savor the life that the good Lord has given yuh.  I mean the real important things of life.  Understand that yur not rich ’cause yuh have money, or a fancy vehicle, or a boat, or a large house.  Look at what the Lord has blessed yuh with.  The fools out there that are riotin’ and gripping’ and whinin’ and whimperin’ simply because they don’t value what they’ve been given.  So, Pard, let’s enjoy our coffee this mornin’, finish the pot then be out doin’ the errands and chores of the day.

       Say, one of those simple things yuh need to do, is check yur cinch.  That’s one thing yuh shouldn’t take for granted either.

        Vaya con Dios.

                         –D.C. Adkisson  (Mal de Ojo)

 

Mornin’ to yuh, Pard.  Hope yuh had a good week.  Oh, the quotation, well, Pard, once in a while I have to do some advertisin’.  Yuh realize since ol’ Louis up an’ died several years back there’s been no one to take his place so I’m givin’ it a try.  I will say, I think my books are worth the time to read.  So there–I’ll toot my own horn for a spell.

       Did I forget the coffee?  Come on…it’s sittin’ there in the pot on the stove.  I’ll mosey on over an’ get yuh a cup.  Hope yur ready for it, ’cause it’s black, hot, and strong.  Yep, it’ll make yuh sit up an’ say “howdy.”  

       Remember me a-tellin’ yuh that we went to my wife’s 50th reunion of her college class?  That brought back some memories of how some of us would hang around in the cafeteria drinkin’ coffee.  Now back in that day I didn’t have much money.  I’d try to keep a dime a night for a date.  Good thing Annie wasn’t hard to please, but my mercy, she had me to gaze at, but what I was sayin’ I would keep a dime and we could share a coke from the snack room, or maybe some coffee.  Now if’n yuh want bad coffee those ol’ coffee vendor machines made the worst of the worst.

       Sometimes, back in the day, we would go out to get a cup of coffee.  Back then it was dime for a bottomless cup.  I’d drink about five cups figurin’ that was equal to a hamburger and coffee.  Ha, I remember a few times goin’ and askin’ for a “pine float.”  Ever had one of those?  Yep, glass of water and a toothpick.  Not very n’urishin’ but if yuh drank enough water it’ll fill yuh up.  I read once person once said, “Coffee is the cheapest meal one can get.”

       Yuh know we’re in the month of November–the Thanksgivin’ month.  Be sure to be thankin’ the Lord for all His blessin’s on yuh.  Even the small ones, like that coffee yur drinkin’, well guzzlin’, this mornin’.  Yep, the Lord sure is good to us even in the midst of these tryin’ times and those fools up in Washington.  Why thinkin’ they’re wise they’ve become idiots, and thinkin’ they’re progressive they’ve put our country back forty years or more.  Just yuh be thankin’ that yur in ol’ Ira’s kitchen drinkin’ his coffee an’ enjoyin’ a good mornin’.

       Check that cinch, now before yuh go to mountin’.  Don’t want to see that coffee burstin’ back out of yur gizzard should yuh fall off.

        Vaya con Dios.