The Canyons Of Our Minds!

Today has been wonderful. This morning I received the sweetest e-mail from Jimmie and Nelda and it made my day. I honestly love these people as if y'all couldn't tell. Then I opened up an e-mail from my friend Joni Daniel, the publisher and editor of Texas Animal Imprints, the incredibly great magazine that I am so excited about writing a column for.

Joni had sent me some ad copy to approve that she had designed (I aka Undepressable Press is running an ad in the November / December issue for my new book Meanwhile Back At The Rescue Ranch: The Dog Days Of Cousin Nancy and I absolutely loved the way the ad looked. It was brilliant! So I immediately shot her an e-mail to tell her so. "Joni, I love it! It's absolutely perfect! You're the best graphic designer in Texas. I can't wait for everyone to see it and..."

Well, since the Dunns from DeQueen, Arkansas had already made my day—I decided that Joni's fantastic design of the ad will make my day tomorrow. All I have to do is look at it first thing in the morning and it will make my day, so I am looking forward to waking up tomorrow morning.

This afternoon after lunch Buttermilk took us to Kerrville to get dog food at H-E-B. After Tone loaded the dog food into the back of Buttermilk I said, "Tony, I want to go the craft store to buy some watercolor supplies. Is that okay?" He laughed as he started Buttermilk.

"Watercoloring?" T. asked. "Like in elementary school? I thought that you were going to write your column today for Joni's magazine."

"Well, I was, but I got writer's block and I need to do something different. Hopefully, I'll start writing it tomorrow. T. ever since Cheryl Ratliff gave me that book, Canyon of Remembering by Lesley Poling-Kempes—I can't put it down. It is a fantastic read and the jacket artwork by Bryce Burton is so beautiful I can't quit admiring it, so I want to give watercoloring a try."

"That's fine. I'll get a haircut at Snippers while you get your watercoloring supplies, okay?" Thirty minutes later after Tone's ears were lowered, he came into the craft store as I was about to check out. As the friendly cashier started ringing up the cash register I saw our friends Denise and Les walk into the store, so I half-hollered, "Hi Denise and Les! We meet again!" We laughed.

Denise and Les are our friends that we always run into when we are in Kerr town. Usually we run into them at the H-E-B, Walmart or Home Depot, so this was a first for us at the craft store. After hugs and a short, but fun visit we adios-ed them and headed home.

After we left Kerrville and passed the last Mini-Mart on the right, I pulled my sack full of art supplies from the back seat to check them out. "I got a deal on this boxed "Deluxe Art Set." It was originally $34.00, but it was on sale for $17.49." Then I started laughing as I stared at the wooden box in my lap. "It says it is for ages 6 and up!" Tony started laughing. "And it has a choking warning too, Small parts. Not for children under 3 years! I guess I'm safe."

Then I showed him the brushes and the paper that I had bought, which were pretty expensive, as we went up the mountain pass.

Before turning off of 16, we went to the mailbox to get our mail. Besides bills and junk mail, there was a tube package sent from our friends, Mary and Roger Peach in Wichita, Kansas. They are the ones who bought Kinky's broken electric typewriter, the one with the dysfunctional F key. 

When we got home Tony opened up the tube and pulled this out. Their note read: "Roger made this for Mr. Rogers and the patent is pending. Hopefully, Mr. Rogers won't eat it in half like he has the other leashes. Love, Mary and Roger."

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Tony and I laughed at Roger's genius invention and we hope it works, because Mr. Rogers can eat a leash in half faster than any dog that we have ever had. We plan to try it out tomorrow. And, I love the rainbow colored"Woofstock" leash. Thank you, Mary and Roger! Come see us.

This evening, when Tony went fishing, I decided to watercolor even though I don't know how and in less than thirty minutes I had painted my first watercolor and it was a total disaster. I used the jacket artwork by Bryce Burton as a model and I apologize to you, Bryce. You're an extremely talented artist and I'm not. The proof is in the painting.

When T. came home I lied, in a serious voice, trying not to laugh, "Tony! Come look at what I painted! I am so proud of this!" Tony came over and took a look. I could tell that he was trying not to laugh as much as I was.

"It's good. I like it, Nance," he lied. And, that's one of the reasons that I love him so much.

All I could think of was "God bless you, Tony—you big fat liar. Pants on fire..." Here's Bryce Burton's beautiful artwork for the book Canyon of Remembering that inspired me—followed by my sorry attempt, Canyon of Forgetting to be an artist. I hope my so-called art makes you laugh as much as it has made me laugh!

 

And here is my goofy thirty-minute watercoloring. That I've signed and titled it the, Canyon Of Forgetting. I think my black cat's tail could be mistaken for his leg, so I guess maybe he could be a Manx.

Tomorrow I plan to write my column for Joni and then create another "fasterpiece" by Cousin Nancy. As a joke I have just put Canyon Of Forgetting up on eBay for auction for $5.00 to cover the shipping costs—with half of the money going to the rescue ranch. The item number is 130438156784 and I hope that you will check it out. Happy bidding!

Y'all have a great evening! I'm going to bed. Good night and sweet dreams.