He broiled turkey over the red coals of his dying aspenwood fire.   With salt, a hard biscuit, and a cup of coffee he thought he fared sumptuously.”
              –Zane Grey  (Nevada)

My, my, my–that pie was shore mighty fine.  Of course I’ve got the best pie baker around.  Pard, I hope you fared well; that yur table saw plenty of feed.  The Lord sure blessed us richly with a fine day, friends and family, along with dee-licious food.  Plus we had plenty of good camp coffee.  Weren’t no “cinos” served out in God’s great cathedral.
    Sure hope yur gizzard and too full as I’ve got the coffee hot, black and strong.  Ahhh, it’s take a might full gizzard where a person couldn’t enjoy a cup.  Yuh know, there’s folks out there that got all a stir with Thanksgiving.  It really doesn’t rile me none about those anti-Thanksgivin’ folks.  The truth is I pity them.  “White supremacist, genocidal maniacs,” they say.  The idiocy is apparent.  Without the Pilgrims and folks like them comin’ to this New World they wouldn’t  be havin’ the freedom to say such a thing.  Then I saw where the vegan folk were all up in arms.  Pard, sometimes all I can do is shake my head.
    But as for me, I thank the Lord for His bountiful blessin’s!  When I look back over the year, He shore has been good to me.  Go ahead, I don’t mind a little slurpin’, but don’t spill any.  Speakin’ of the year, my mercy, only one month left!  If’n yuh haven’t fulfilled this year’s resolutions better be at it and as we move into the advent season don’t be a-frettin’ over the fools and their craziness–just take time to be thankful and love the Lord.
    In all yur doin’s for Christmas, don’t get so caught up in the busyness that yuh forget to check yur cinch.

He built a small fire and cooked some ham and beans he’d bought at the mercantile.  He made a pot of Arbuckle’s and enjoyed every sip.”
              –R.O. Lane  (Will Fain)

    Pard, come in here, the coffee’s ready.  I’m fed up with all that ego-stupidity in Washington.  I’m sure not goin’ to let it wear on my Thanksgivin’.  Those folk don’t know their gee from their haw.  Good thing that in the long run the Lord is in charge of it all, hmmm, in fact, He’s in charge even in the short run.
    Never in all my born days have I seen such hatred.  Taste that coffee and let it fill yur innards before I continue.  I was doin’ some readin’ this week and I found out that the Greek word for hatred means “malicious and unjustifiable feelings towards others.”  The Pharisees hated Christ–they had unjustifiable feelings and were definitely malicious.
    Finish that cup, since I’ve the pot in my hand.  Let’s go on to brighter things.  They ain’t goin’ to listen to this ol’ fence post anyway, and there’s nothing I can do about the situation except get my innards uptight.  Thanksgivin’ is approachin’!  Yeehaw!  As soon as we finish our coffee I’ll be headin’ on out to the camp.  It’s goin’ to be a time to be celebratin’ all the Lord has done for us.  Thank the Lord for what you’ve got, as there are some without much.  Ask the Lord to be takin’ care of them too.
    So you be havin’ yurself a grand Thanksgivin’, and be thankin’ the Lord that not once this year have you forgotten to check yur cinch.

A cup of good, strong coffee might make you feel better.  And I’ll be fixin’ breakfast before long.”
              –Elmer Kelton  (Other Men’s Horses)

Come on in, Pard, you need this as much as I do.  Ahhh, good, hot, strong coffee.  I had a few things to say, but then I read of somethin’ else, then somethin’ else came up.  This must be the week for fools!  It just don’t make sense, but then I turned to Proverbs and I found that there are 78 verses relatin’ to “fools”!  It helped me to see what a fool does and who a fool is, but my mercy, Pard, how come it seems as if they’re comin’ out of the woodwork all of a sudden?
    Nevermind the foolishness of the impeachment hearin’s and how one of the bureaucrats said that “hearsay is the best evidence.”  Now is that the talk of a fool or not?  Or Warren’s rantin’s about those who were and are the backbone of this country.  That one almost made me snort in my coffee.  The young people are being duped by Socialism, the fools.  Pard, I’m feared that gone are the days when men were men and women were glad of it.  That’s just a bit of what I read durin’ the week.  My, mercy, Lord help us through the jungles! as my Grandma used to say.  
    Pard, some of them are foolish enough to drink “cinos.”  At least we’re not foolish enough for that.  The Good Book, the Holy Bible tells us to forsake foolishness and live.  Try it pard, mark down everytime yuh hear something foolish this week, but let me warn yuh, yuh might run out of ink.
    “To do evil is like a sport to a fool, But a man of understanding has wisdom.”  That there is from ol’ Solomon and it’s sure ‘nough the truth.  I found it in Proverbs 10:23.  Now here’s a proverb from yur ol’ pard, Ira.  He who doesn’t check his cinch is like a fool and likely to fall on his head.

He made the coffee while they opened the food bags that had been prepared for each of them.  They were pleasantly surprised when each bag included two of her delicious apricot fried pies.  Each man took out one and ate it with his coffee.”
              –Donald L. Robertson  (Logan’s Word)

Hi-ya, Pard.  Just filled yur cup as I seen yuh a-comin’.  Now my wife sure does make a fine apricot pies, especially those smallest ones that you can thrust in your mouth and finish in a couple of bites.  No, sorry pal, she hasn’t been in the pie-makin’ mode.  Tryin’ to stay off the carbs–but then I’m a-hopin’ with Thanksgivin’ comin’ up…  And don’t yuh just know it, right after Thanksgivin’ is my doctor’s appointment.  She’d be right riled if I gained too much weight.
    I like November.  The leaves all fallin’ off the trees, the air has turned brisk; well, it’s just a good month for us to be thankful.  ‘Course we should be thankful not just every month, but every day.  The Lord has seen fit to give us another one, so we best be doin’ our best to make it a good un, and be thankful.  If yuh haven’t started a list of gratitude and thanksgivin’ be doin’ it now, and yuh can start off with those valiant men who have served our country.  Monday is Veterans Day, and we shouldn’t be forgettin’ that.
    Here, let me fill that cup again!  Yuh keep guzzlin’ like that and yur ol’ gizzard’ll be sloshin’ ’round.  Yuh remember the cornucopia?  No, not that grocery down on Arapaho, but the ones yuh used to see more of.  The signified the bounty of the fall harvest.  Maybe we don’t see it much because we take so much for granted.  It’s not like the most of us have to be out workin’ the fields and mindin’ the stock.  We let HEB or Kroger or WalMart tend to that for us we just have to trot down the aisles an’ pick our goodies off’n the shelf.  I’m a-thinkin’ we should be takin’ more time for the things that make life meanin’ful–those things the Lord has blest us with.
    Pard, yuh have yurself a good week.  I’ll hopefully be here next week with the coffee, hot and strong waitin’ for yuh.  That is, if’n yuh don’t forget to check yur cinch this week an’ fall off breakin’ yur crown.