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May 12, 2009 - Issue 31

The Horse: The Original SUV

[ Cartoon sent to me by friend Rex Berryhill of New Mexico ]


Cowboy Church in Guthrie
Pastors Randy and Linda Reasoner are  establishing a cowboy church in Guthrie, Oklahoma. They write, "New Hope Cowboy Ministry is a family church with a 'come as you are' relaxed atmosphere. Our vision is that all people who have an interest int he Western traditions would have a place to worship, learn the word of God, and grow spiritually. You don't have to be a cowboy to come and feel welcome." They meet the 2nd Tuesday of each month in the Educational Building at the Logan County Fairgrounds at 7 pm. For more information, contact the Reasoners at 405-964-2630.


If you are in the Guthrie, Oklahoma area you'll want to stop by a gift shop called "Kokopelli Trails," located at 113 W. Oklahoma Ave (just east of the Post Office). The owner is a friendly gal named Kami Cain, and she takes great pride in her fine collection of Indian jewelry, art and collectables. 405-260-066 or see her web page at www.kokopellitrails.com .

Molly: The Horse with a Heart
---Author Unknown (see, there it is, again).

Meet Molly. She's a grey speckled pony who was abandoned by her owners when Hurricane Katrina hit southern Louisiana . She spent weeks on her own before finally being rescued and taken to a farm where abandoned animals were stockpiled.

While there, she was attacked by a pit bull terrier and almost died. Her gnawed right front leg became infected, and her vet went to LSU for help, but LSU was overwhelmed, and this pony was a welfare case. You know how that goes.

But after surgeon Rustin Moore met Molly, he changed his mind. He saw how the pony was careful to lie down on different sides so she didn't seem to get sores, and how she allowed people to handle her.She protected her injured leg.She constantly shifted her weight and didn't overload her good leg. She was a smart pony with a serious survival ethic.

Moore agreed to remove her leg below the knee, and a temporary artificial limb was built. Molly walked out of the clinic and her story really begins there.

"This was the right horse and the right owner," Moore insists. Molly happened to be a one-in-a-million patient. She's tough as nails, but sweet, and she was willing to cope with pain. She made it obvious she understood that she was in trouble.The other important factor, according to Moore , is having a truly committed and compliant owner who is dedicated to providing the daily care required over the lifetime of the horse.

Molly's story turns into a parable for life in Post-Katrina Louisiana ....The little pony gained weight, and her mane finally felt a comb. A human prosthesis designer built her a leg.

The prosthetic has given Molly a whole new life, Allison Barca DVM, Molly's regular vet, reports. "She actually asks for the artificial limb. She will put her little limb out, and come to you and let you know that she wants you to put it on. Sometimes she wants you to take lt off too."

 
And sometimes, Molly gets away from Barca. "It can be pretty bad when you can't catch a three-legged horse," she laughs.

Most important of all, Molly has a job now. Kay, the rescue farm owner, started taking Molly to shelters, hospitals, nursing homes, and rehabilitation centers. Anywhere she thought that people needed hope. Wherever Molly went, she showed people her pluck. She inspired people, and she had a good time doing it.

"It's obvious to me that Molly had a bigger role to play in life, Moore said. She survived the hurricane, she survived a horrible injury, and now she is giving hope to others."

Barca concluded, "She's not back to normal, but she's going to be better.To me, she could be a symbol for New Orleans itself."

And oh, by the way, Molly's most recent prosthesis has a smiley face embossed on the bottom of it. So wherever Molly goes, she leaves a smiley hoof print behind. 

[ This story sent to me by Glenda DeJarnette, a high school classmate of mine. ]


Want to be Published?

Author W.R. Benton, better known around his house as Gary Benton, writes to say he has a new publishing company. His outfit will be a "print on demand" publishing firm. He would like for our readers to give them a try.  Gary says, "We charge nothing, except after the book is in print we will take a cut.  The author will earn 30% and that's much better than most publishers give and believe me, as published author I know.  We grew tired of publishers charging for even stamps, so we decided to start our own company. There is absolutely no cost for reading and evaluating a manuscript, setting the book up, or limited proofing.  I mean not one red penny.  We can even design the author a web site, for a low price, but that's an option and not required when publishing with us."

 

You can see Gary's site, http://www.dancingfoxpublishing, on line. They are interested in publishing westerns, of course. 

 

Dusty Richards Writes, Again
Our ol' saddle pal, Dusty Richards of Springdale, Arkansas has another Western novel to his credit. I've lost track of exactly how many books he has written, since he writes under several names, but it is a pretty doggone big stack. He even has a YouTube promo of his latest. CLICK HERE to take a gander.

Dogs Dont Care If You're Ugly
Our ol' pard Harvey Derrick, who lives just up the trail a bit from us, is a cowboy singer, musician and songwriter. And we have enjoyed, over the years, hearing him sing his novelty song, "Dogs Don't Care If You're Ugly". Harvey writes that his song is starting to get noiced by others: "It seems the novelty songs are the ones that get the most interest.  I wrote this song 18 years ago.  I don't know how the people at Westwood Intl. Records found it.  The told me it will be on the market in a few months." But right now you can   CLICK HERE  and hear/see it being performed by a female artist on YouTube.

Shades of Lash LaRue
Robert Dante, bullwhip artist extraordinaire, writes: "Guinness [Book of World Records] just officially approved my claim for a new world record, so at this moment I am the 'fastest whip in the world.'  Here is what their web site says: "The most bull whip cracks in one minute is 254 set by Robert Dante (USA) at Sunset Park, Minnesota, USA, on 12 October 2008."

The second edition of Robert Dante's book, "Let's Get Cracking! The How-To Book of Bullwhip Skills" is now on sale at Amazon.com. Call him at 831-869-1717 or go to his web site, www.bullwhip.net.

Dan Seals, singer, died from a form of lymphoma on March 25, 2009 at his home in Nashville, TN. He was 61. . His songs, "God Must Be a Cowboy" and "One Friend Left" are two of my very favorite. Click on these song titles to see him sing "God Must Be a Cowboy" and here to see "One Friend Left" on YouTube.

Dan Wayland Seals was born Feb. 8, 1948, in McCamey, Texas. By age 4, he was standing on an apple crate to play stand-up bass in the Seals Family band formed by his father, E.W. "Waylon" Seals. When his parents split up, Dan Seals moved around Texas with his mother before settling in Dallas in 1958. There he met John Ford Coley and, together, they had several hits. His older brother, Jim Seals, was half of the "Seals & Crofts" singing team.


Monte Hale, singing cowboy movie star, died on March 29, 2009 at his home in Studio City, CA. He was 89 years of age. Hale was born on June 8, 1919 in Ada, Oklahoma (according to the Los Angeles Times and his wife; other sources say he was born in San Angelo, Texas). He made 27 "B-Westerns" for Republic Pictures, including one titled "Home On The Range" that was the very first Republic western to be filmed in color.

In the 1959 film "Giant," Monte Hale played the part of Rock Hudson's lawyer. He had a small role in a highly forgettable Marlan Brando film, "Chase" (1963).His last film, "Guns of a Stranger," was in 1973 and starred country singer Marty Robbins.

Monte Hale's acting efforts were enhanced by being accompanied at first by the Sons of the Pioneers. Later, his musical partners were Foy Willing and the Riders of the Purple Sage. He received a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on November 12, 2004. His star is in the 7000 block of Hollywood Boulevard.

Monte Hale and his wife, Joanne, were instrumental in helping Gene Autry to plan and establish the museum now called the Autry National Center of the American West, located in Griffith Park in Los Angeles. And she was the director of the museum for many years. They lived most of their married life in the San Fernando Valley.

CLICK HERE to go to the official Monte Hale web site.

A few members of the Oklahoma Chapter of the Western Music
Association are shown at a jam on May 9. Left to right are:
Stan & Peggy Paregien, Gary Parent, Jim Garling,
Janine Handler and Marshall Mitchell (photo by Doris Garling)

Adios, my friends, until next time.



stan@cowboydirectory.com

CowboyDirectory.Com  News   is an occasional newsletter for those who enjoy reading about Western writers and entertainers and the Western lifestyle in general. If that isn't you and you wish to be removed from our mailing list, just write to stan@cowboydirectory.com and put "Remove -- John Smith"                         (your name) in the subject line.