By the time they sat down at the long table in the middle of the cook shack, the cook stood by them, ready to pour strong, black coffee for them both.  ‘Pie’s comin’ up.'”
               –C. Wayne Winkle (Frank Brannon-Reluctant Marshal)

Mornin’ to yuh, Pard.  Trust yuh had a good week, and a safe Fourth of July.  Coffee’s hot, strong and ready to pour.  Ahhh, needed that this mornin’.  I’ll have to tell yuh, now don’t be downcast when I give yuh the news.  My sweety made her first pie at the new house this week.  Nope, ’tweren’t apple or cherry, nor even butterscotch, but it sure was tasty–lime meringue.  Too bad you didn’t stop by earlier.
     Slept in some this mornin’, pard, and tryin’ to get the cobwebs out of my head.  Maybe another cup of that coffee will help get the broom movin’ up there.  I was ponderin’ some yesterday.  We were out with the grandkids pickin’ blueberries.  My they were tasty, but what I was thinkin’ is that so many folk are just too busy to enjoy what the Lord has givin’ them.  I might be wrong, but I’m a-thinkin’ that it just might be a human trait not to count your blessin’s until one day yuh look around and find those blessin’s gone.  Won’t be long the oldest grandkid will be gone from the house.  In fact, who knows if we’ll be together again pickin’ blueberries.  I was countin’ my blessin’s for sure.  My daughter and I was up in the bushes together have a grand time chattin’.
     Maybe we ought to take time each day, to just ponder the blessin’s of the day.  If yur busy, just write it on your daily calendar.  Think I’m goin’ to start doin’ it.  Coffee is finally makin’ the ol’ gizzard smile.  An’ can yuh guess what the wife is doin’?  Sorry, yu’ll be gone before it’s baked, but blueberry is on the menu for breakfast.  Ahhh, the blessin’s of life–thank you, Lord.
     A thought just struck me.  I’ve et at several cookshacks and camps over the years and cayn’t remember one cook that ever came by and poured my coffee.  Was at one once where the cook brought out coffee on a silver set.  Yep, it seemed like someone at the table thought they were almighty important.  Silver coffeepot on a silver tray, the cook poured it right in the cup for him.  I wondered if he wasn’t goin’ to produce a silver straw.  Oh well, that’s the life for some…
     Yuh take care this week, y’hear!  Check that cinch!

    I scouted buffalo chips to make a fire.  Careful to make no smoke, for this was Comanche country, I made coffee and sliced bacon into a skillet.”
              –Louis L’Amour  (Tucker)

Mornin’ pard, come on in an’ throw yur ankles under the table.  Best you be careful with those spurs though; new floor and wife might not like yuh scarring it so soon.  Coffee’s just ’bout done so I’ll grab a couple of cups.
    Ahhh, those first few swallows are good.  Makes the ol’ gizzard sit up and take notice.  Yuh know, this is sort of a solemn day.  Yuh realize that the year is half over?  Yep, it’s a-flyin’ by.  Sure does make a man wonder what he’s done with his time.  
    How are yuh comin’ with yur goals and resolutions?  Half way over so if yur not on schedule this would be a good time to get back on track.  I know that it’s easy to get relaxed an’ forget; that nice comfortable bed, a good cook stove, ahh, those wonderful things.  Sure not like the ol’ day when we had to be lookin’ over our shoulder when we drank our coffee and ate our bacon.
    Go ahead, finish yur cup, there’s a whole pot here.  Supposed to be havin’ a treat for breakfast.  No, not a pie, but almost as good.  Wife is goin’ to put the fixin’s together for some biscuits ‘n’ gravy.  But back to what I was sayin’.  Perhaps we’re bein’ lulled into complacency.  That’s why I keep tellin’ yuh to get yur gun handy; right next to yur Bible.  These are perilous times, and yuh cayn’t afford not to stay aware of yur surroundin’s.  
    We live in different times, an’ that means different enemies.  The bureaucrats are gettin’ worse, and there are more and more crazies out there. People sure are fixin’ to get their own way, even if you are in it.  Right and wrong don’t mean much anymore, but that don’t mean that right ain’t right!
    Pard, in these times, yuh best be adherin’ to the words of Scripture.  Don’t be goin’ to the left or right, but stay straight in steady.
    My land, but we finished that pot in a hurry this mornin’.  Maybe it was the fresh air; gettin’ out of the city sure does help.  You be careful with those fireworks come the 4th, but do have some fun with yur family and celebrate.
    That bein’ said, keep alert.  There’s enemies out there wantin’ yur hide.  Don’t help ’em out none by not checkin’ yur cinch.

I’ll get my coffeepot and you can make us some, long as you make it strong enough.”
              –Charles G. West  (Hell Hath No Fury)

It is a pure delight to welcome you to our little abode this mornin’.  Don’t worry, the coffee is plenty strong.  That’s one thing that’s hard to find anymore–strong coffee.  Pard, I’ve even seen folk water down weak coffee.  Take a sip, ahhh, now that makes the gizzard smile with delight.
    Speakin’ of coffee, I was sure in a dilemma this week.  The wife and I took the grandkids to Chuck E Cheese on Monday.  We decided not to eat, but then I spied a coffeepot, well, not exactly, one of those Keurig contraptions.  I decided to get me a cup and watch the kids run around and do their thing.  Then I was placed in a big consternation.  I had to make a choice between bad and worse.  They had decaf and they had a couple of those yucky flavored mixes:  either vanilla or mocha.  Now, those aren’t bad choices for ice cream, but coffee???  What a dilemma, but as I wrote the other day, I had to make a choice.  Either that or no coffee at all.  I chose the plain coffee, no flavorin’, even though it was decaf.  Oh, well, sometimes we have to suffer with the choices we make.
    I’ve been makin’ up for it.  Coffee’s been hot, strong, and black all week, and I make several pots.  Ahh, let me fill yur cup up again.  We’ll knock this pot out real quick like.
    Say, you might find this interestin’.  I was unpackin’ my knives the other day when I came across this little note from Al Buck, founder of Buck Knives.  It’s a might long, but take time to read and then ponder what he said.
         “…From the beginning, management determined to make God the Senior Partner.  In a crisis, the problem was turned over to Him, and He hasn’t failed to help us with the answer.  Each knife must reflect the integrity of management, including our Senior Partner.  If sometimes we fail on our end, because we are human, we find it imperative to do our utmost to make it right.  Of course, to us, besides being Senior Partner, He is our heavenly Father also, and it’s a great blessing to us to have this security in these troubled times.  If any of you are troubled or perplexed and looking for answers, may we invite you to look to Him, for God loves you.”
    Pard, do you know if the company still includes that note with their knives?  
    Have to be gettin’ this ol’ fence post cleaned up.  Have some fancy doin’s to attend to and it takes a while to whittle on this post.
    Don’t fret none, I won’t be cause I’ll be checkin’ my cinch.

He walked over to the stove and poured them two cups of coffee.  Steam drifted up from the tin cups, the smell of fresh coffee perfuming the air around him.  He walked back over to the small table and handed the cup of steaming goodness.”
              –M. Allen (The Rifleman)

The coffee’s pipin’ hot, get in here and sit yurself down, pard.  Yur all in one piece so I reckon yuh had a good week.  We’ve been workin’ steady at gettin’ the new homestead all up and runnin’.  Takes time, with the bones achin’ a body just doesn’t get as fast as he did back in the day.
    Ahhh, that’s good coffee this mornin’.  Sure enjoy havin’ yuh come ’round; some folk are just good company.  Let me tell you a story.  When we would go campin’ we used little plastic containers for items such as: salt, pepper, chili powder, etc.  Well, I decided that it was time to fix up some chili; get that aroma into the walls of the new place as soon as possible.  I had my fixin’s out and was brownin’ the meat.  Of course it needed salt so I saw on the butcher block a small plastic container.  Opening the lid, I started sprinkling “salt” on the meat.  Pard, let me tell yuh, right here, something didn’t look right.  Very carefully, I reached into the skillet and pulled out a piece of meat, tasted it, and quickly spat it out.  Soap!  I had covered my meat in soap.  That sure made me feel like a dummy!  Had to throw out a skillet full of meat.  On the positive side, sure was glad I caught it before I had the rest of the fixin’s stewin’ in it.  Imagine, sittin’ down to the table, takin’ my spoon for a nice, hot bite of chili and tastin’ soap.  One way to clean yur innards out.
    ‘Nother cup, sure ‘nough pard.  We’ll drain this pot before yuh mount up to leave.  But, let me tell yuh, it got me to ponderin’.  I’ve been around folk like that.  They tend to look like the real thing.  They seem to have the right container, they look like the real stuff, but put them to the test, ha, or should I say the taste, and they leave a funny taste in yur mouth.  Yuh find out that they are the seasonin’ that was needed, and yu’ll have to throw away anything they touched.  They’re the kind of folk that think they are good for anythin’ but there is a purpose for soap, and it’s sure not for seasonin’ meat that is there to bring nutrition to the body and soul.
    My mercy, where has the time gone?  Where has the coffee gone?  Guess, we done whipped that pot.  Guess yuh better be gettin’ on yur way and gettin’ yur chores done.  Check that cinch, don’t want yuh fallin’ off somewhere down the road.