A perodic publication. Copyrighted 2010 and all rights reserved.
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Howdy all you buckeroos and buckerettes,
This will be the last newspaper of 2010. And, unless my situation improves greatly, it will also the very last newsletter for me. Period.
My mom, who is 88 years of age and has advanced Alzheimer's Disease, has lived with us since March. Caring for her in her last years is something both Peggy and I embraced with deep love for her. Through all of her adult life she has been a devoted Christian mother who always put the needs of others first. So it is an honor to care for one of the sweetest persons on God's green earth.
However, she usually does not know who Peggy or I . . . or anyone else . . . is. She doesn't usually recognize herself in photo albums, and often does not recognize herself in the mirror. She cannot be left alone for even a few minutes. Most of the time she cannot find her way from the living room to the restroom. She often wants to telephone her mother . . . or her sister, each of whom has been dead for many years. She has lost all understanding of time-frames, so what happened to her in 1930 seems just as real to her as today.
Caring for her at home is also a very time-consuming and stressful 24-hour-a-day activity. And the cumulative effect of such intense caregiving can be very hard on the care provider's emotions and physical and mental health. The biggest decision is still ahead of us, of course, in deciding when it is in her best interest and ours to place her in a care facility of some kind.
Right now, though, we're just trying to cut back on some "optional" activities in order to have enough mental and physical energy to prolong the time she can spend with us. And we must free-up some time for Peggy and me to spend together, without mom.
And so, . . . my current plan is simply to maintain this Cowboy Directory.Com web site that I love so much until the domain expires. That will be on July 30, 2011. "Maintaining" means no more additions, no more newsletters, nothing other than keeping the material alive and online for a few more months.
Thank you for your encouragement over the 11 years I've been the creator and editor of this little puppie. It is simply time to move on.
--Stan
. . . Out West
Randy Gunn and wife Heidi
You know, if your name is Randy Gunn you might just as well use it to your advantage. So Randy's ministry is called . . . GunnPoint Ministries . He and wife Heidi offer a free GunnPoint Newsletter in which each of them writes helpful and encouraging articles about the Christian life.
Cowboy hats serve function, fashion
CHEYENNE -- Steam too many felt hats and the place starts to smell like a wet dog, says Devin Marcum.
It's a necessary evil for a necessary item.
Behind the hat-shaping counter at The Wrangler, Marcum, a representative for Resistol, is surrounded by cowboy hats of every shape and size.
A final steam and shaping are the only parts of the 200-step hat-making process, and an important one at that.
There seem as many styles of creases and brim shapes as
there are cowboys under them, but frankly, what's better than a cowboy
with a well-shaped Stetson? Who cares about a little wet dog smell?
Despite their timeless
feel, cowboy hats have been in a
state of constant flux since their inception. Unlike many style
revolutions, the evolution of this Western icon has roots more in
function than in fashion.
Before the time of John Stetson, most cowhands wore whatever they had with them.
Bowlers were said to be popular as were everything from formal top hats, derbies, remnants of Civil War headgear, tams and sailor hats. In short, a cowboy was not yet defined by what he wore on his head.
During the 1870s, Montgomery Ward became popular, offering rural Americans a broad-brimmed hat called the "Men's Panama Hat" and later the "Men's Planter Hat."
These styles were relatively plain, wide and large, giving farmers respite from the sun.
Then came John B. Stetson.
The story goes something like this: While on a hunting trip, Stetson and some buddies were goofing off, and he showed them how he could make cloth out of fur without weaving.
"After creating his 'fur blanket,' Stetson fashioned an enormous hat with a huge brim as a joke, but the hat was noted to be big enough to protect a man from sun, rain and all the rigors the outdoors could throw at him," wrote William Reynolds and Ritch Rand in "The Cowboy Hat Book."
But Stetson didn't leave it at that. He continued to wear the hat for the hunting trip and the rest of his travels in the West. Somewhere along the line, he sold it to a horseman for $5, which eventually sparked an idea.
As the cattle business boomed, Stetson decided that Westerners needed a hat that would be useful, and thus he designed what was originally called the "Boss of the Plains." From there, orders began rolling in quickly.
Beyond the statement the hats made, their ultimate sell was functionality.
Sheltering men and women from sun and inclement weather, the hat was also useful for things such as fanning fires, signaling other riders and hiding treasures in its large crown.
The style still seen today was adopted gradually. As cowboys put their hats on, they pinched the crown, creating permanent creases. Pulling it low over their head developed the dips in the brim.
Eventually, what started as function developed into fashion, and customers preferred their hats coming with those shapes pre-made. Today, hats come in all shapes and sizes.
At the Jackson Hole Hat Company, they are seeing resurgence in the vaquero style, a flatter brimmed round hat that hails from the Southwest.
Larry Harrelson, representative of Hatco Incorporated, which makes Resistol and Stetson hats, says he also is seeing a rise in the original unshaped hat within the young rodeo crowd. The hat has an open crown with no creases or folds, similar to what the first cowboy hats would have looked like.
"They think it's brand new," he says, laughing. "But
they're 18. What do they know?"
There's a brand spankin' new cowboy organization in town. They call themselves "Western Fictioneers," an organization of professional authors of traditional western novels and short stories. Their announced mission is "to promote western fiction in general and to recognize outstanding work in this field that we love."
Membership is $50 per year and is limited to those folks who have had their fiction published in the western genre . . . and actually received payment for it. That would include published novels, novellas or short stories whose setting is in America's old west.
These men are among the founders of the new organization:
Frank Roderus -- Kerry Newcomb -- Jory Sherman
Parade magazine recently gave this answer as to why horses are always mounted from the left: "The tradition comes from horses being ridden to war, says Texas horse-trainer Craig Cameron. 'Most people are right-handed, and they carried their saber on the left,' Cameron tells us. 'You mounted from the left so that your sword would not get in the way.'" [Parade magazine, July 18, 2010, p. 2]
Something to think about: If a man has enough horse sense to treat his wife like a thoroughbred, she will never turn into an old nag.
File this one under one of life's little suprises. Peggy and I the other night had settled into our respective recliners to watch John Wayne in the wonderful classic film, "The Quiet Man". No, he doesn't herd a single cow (or even a married one) in the movie. But he and Maureen O'Hara work their onscreen magic chemistry to produce a couple of hours of good entertainment. Having seen the film a few times over the years, I remembered that John Wayne's ol' college friend at USC and drinking buddy, Ward Bond, played in the film.
But then came the surprise, early in the film, as an actor named Ken Curtis steps up in the local pub and sings an Irish song while playing the guitar. And on two later occasions in the film he sings and plays a small accordian. You may recall Ken better by his name on the TV show "Gunsmoke". He played the role of the simple, uneducated but smart-as-a-whip guy with a heart as big as your hat -- none other than Matt Dillon's deputy, Festus Hagin.
Most people are
unaware that Ken Curtis was the replacement chosen when none other than
Frank Sinatra left one of the Dorsey bands. That is how good a singer
Ken Curtis was. He
went on to also sing with the Sons of the Pioneers. The next time you
watch the classic film, "South Pacific," look for Ken as a singing
sailor. Well, we watched "The Quiet Man" with great pleasure. Then, lo and behold, another John Wayne film followed -- "Rio Grande," a Western in which he is an officer at a fort in the west. It also featues Maureen O'Hara, as well as such super support actors as Ben Johnson and Harry Carey, Jr. I had things to do in my study, so I left Peggy watching it and I sorta listened as I worked. And right off the bat there was Ken Curtis, backed by a couple of other soldiers, serenading Wayne and O'Hara with the song, "Take Me Home, Again, Kathleen". The movie seemed like a showcase for him. He also sang,"Ah, Hey, San Antone," "Cattle Call," "Erie Canal," and "Where the Purple Shadows Die".
Doggone it, we sure do miss such talented folks as Ken Curtis in movies today, westerns and otherwise.
A friend of mine named Henry Cook was out exploring some land in northeast Oklahoma recently. He was looking to lease some land on which to deer hunt. He stopped at one ranch with a modest ranch house next to a barn and corrals. He visited with the owner about what he wanted and, as they talked, Henry learned man was a Christian like himself. After further discussion, the rancher handed him a compact-sized copy of the New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs in the New International Version. That particular Bible had an attractive cover (see at right) that says, "The Way for Cowboys".
Well, Henry gladly accepted the gift from his new friend and Christian brother. And, knowing my interest in most everything cowboy, he was kind enough to give it to me. It has a number of beautiful color photos of cowboys and cowgirls. Even has a photo of Jeff Gore, one of our favorite cowboy singers, who is also a minister.
Anyway, if you're looking for a great gift for some ol' cowpoke in your life, this would be a good one. You may order copies from the International Bible Society, 1820 Jet Stream Dr., Colorado Springs, CO 809221.
Ah, yes. Curb service rides, again.
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