We're Talkin' Dead!

This morning I walked eight fast miles, because I didn't walk any with Leslie yesterday! After I cleaned up, while I was checking my e-mails, a fax came in that I wanted to show to Kinky, so I called him.

"Hi, Kinky."

"Hey Nance," Kinky said. "I just got back from Kerrville. John and I met Max for breakfast —at your favorite restaurant." Then Kinky started laughing.

"How sad. I thought John was your friend?" I teased. Then it was my turn to laugh.

"What's up? Is everything okay?"

"Yes. Tony and I have to go to Bandera, in a few minutes. I've got a fax that I want you to see. It's pretty cool!"

"Come on over." Five minutes later, Trigger, Tony and I were at the Lodge. I gave the fax to Kinky.

"I can't believe that you took John to that restaurant this morning!" I said.

"The food was great, and John really liked it," Kinky declared, defensively.

"Did y'all go to Wolfmuellers to get your books that John wanted?" I asked.

"Yes. John got the books he wanted, and we had a nice visit with Sandy and Jon. Could y'all do me a favor when you go to Bandera?"

"Sure," Tony said.

"Would y'all mind swinging by the O.S.T. (Old Spanish Trail restaurant) to pick up John's sweater? We met Jay for dinner at the O.S.T. last night, and John left his sweater there." We told Kinky that we would, and then I turned on my iPod, and we took off for Bandera.

Near the end of our twenty-two mile ride to Bandera, Jerry Jeff Walker started singing, 'Woman In Texas," just as we entered the city limits, Tony started singing it to me.! "I've got a woman in Texas..." I love that song so much, and I loved hearing Tony sing! He has an incredibly beautiful voice, but he is shy about singing in front of people—and will only sing to me!

Tony and Jerry Jeff quit singing when we arrived at the drive-up window at the bank, because we had to turn the iPod off, so we could take care of our business. Five minutes later, we parked Trigger in front of the O.S.T. and went inside. I asked the friendly cashier about John's sweater, and she quickly handed it over to me. I thanked her, and then we left the popular cowboy restaurant, and came back home!

I called Kinky when we got home, and he was delighted that we had retrieved John's sweater. I told him that I would bring it over in a little while, because I had a few phone calls to make and to return.

I called Jon at Wolfmueller's, first. We had a short, but fun visit. Jon told me that Sandy and him had met John this morning, and they really liked him, too! Then we talked about my funny video clip of John, Kinky and Tony— 'The Pool Award!' Jon thought it was hilarious!

Steve Wilson in North Carolina, was the next phone call that I made. Steve had sent an e-mail to me, requesting a donated auction item for his favorite charity. "Hi Steve! This is Cousin Nancy..." After I had told him that I would be glad to donate a copy of my book for the auction—there was silence! Steve said nothing! I waited a few more seconds, and then I hung up, and redialed his phone number, but there was the sound of silence—no dial tone—nothing! "Tony!" I half-hollered, down the hall. "The phones are down! We're talkin' dead! We need to go down the road to report it." Tony and I drove to Highway16, where our mailboxes are located, which is the only place where our cell phones work out here. I called the phone company, on my cell phone, and told them our phones were dead. Then we returned to the rescue ranch.

"Tone, I'm going over to the Lodge to tell Kinky about the phone lines being down." A few minutes later, "Hi Kinky! I'm sorry for showing up without calling first, but our phones are dead, and I just wanted to make sure that you knew about it."

"Great," Kinky said, unenthusiastically. "I need a wake up call in the morning, because I am doing Imus at 6:30." Kinky then went and checked his phone, and it had died, too! "Nance, let's go down to 16, so I can report this to the phone company."

"Where's your phone book? I need to write down that phone repair number, again." Kinky handed me the phone book. I looked up the service number and wrote it down—then we jumped into Mr. Green Jeans and took off for the mailboxes. "What time do you need to get up in the morning?" I asked, as we crossed over the cattle guard, leaving Echo Hill ranch.

"Six or earlier. But if I can't call Imus—it won't really matter."

"I've got an idea. Tony can come over in the morning, before he goes to the Old Timer, to wake you up, and then you could do Imus out on 16—using your cell phone! That'd work. I had to do it once, a while back, when I did the Harley Show. Nobody will ever know."

After Kinky had parked Green Jeans—he called the telephone people, and talked to them for a few minutes. After hanging up, as we rode back to the ranch, Kinky told me that the phone company was working on the problem, and that we should have phone service soon! At six-thirty-two, this evening, I called Kinky. "We've got phone!" We were both delighted!

Y'all have a great evening!