Episode 38: The Upside of The North Side of Down! or Ladies & Gentlemen Please Meet Nancy J. Bailey!

Earlier today my dear friend Eileen Gotke came out to Big Foot Ranch, to help me interview Nancy J. Bailey for The Cousin Nancy Show. And Eileen did such an awesome job, because of her research. And visiting with Nancy Bailey was so much fun I wished the three of us could have talked and laughed for another hour or two.

Nancy is a Michigan native, wildlife artist and author and she flavors all her work with her signature brand of self-effacing humor. Here's a list of just some of Nancy J. Bailey's books and her many accomplishments. She wrote: Clifford of Drummond Island, Return to Manitou, and Clifford’s Bay, a trilogy featuring true horse stories.

I discovered Nancy about 10 years ago when for my birthday present, Eileen gave me Nancy's book The North Side of Down: A True Story of Two Sisters, co-authored by her sister Amanda Bailey. And the winner of the 2015 Honorary Medallion from the Book Reader's Appreciation Group.

Other books by Nancy include: My Best Cat, a murder mystery, Holding the Ladder, a novel, The Sleeping Lion, a novel, The Cure for Shyness: A Love Story.

Nancy has a heart of gold and she is a big-time animal lover and an avid animal trainer. She has published four instructional books to share her training methods: 25 Ways to Raise a Great Puppy, 15 Rules for Clicker Training Your Horse, 15 Rules for Clicker Training Your Cat and 15 Rules for Clicker Training Your Dog.

Ms. Bailey is a community theatre buff and she has written, directed, produced and acted in several of her own plays, including On Lining Up, a comedy which earned her a CTAM Award. 

Not only is Nancy one of Eileen's and my favorite authors—she is also a prolific artist, specializing in paintings of animals. She is winner of the Ex Arte Equinuus Award for Equine Art. She uses watercolor, acrylics, oils, pencil, pen and ink, and enjoys painting on slate, too. 

Nancy paints commissioned pet portraits, capturing the spirit of the individual animal in each. Nancy admits that unfortunately, most of her portraits are post-mortem, so she describes herself as, "The Angel of Death." Or as she likes to say, "It's like being a playground bully. When someone starts to cry, I know I've done a good job." And here is the beautiful watercolor that Nancy gave to me over ten years ago. Which now hangs on a wall inside my writing cabin to help inspire me.

                                                                    

Anyway, I had so much fun today talking with Eileen and Nancy. We laughed a lot and we talked about life's ups and downs, animals, and we shared a few corny jokes. 

I promise that you will love and enjoy listening to this podcast. And to find out more about this amazing, super-talented woman please visit her Facebook page: Cliffy's Mom and you can check out her many books on Amazon. And lastly, please check out Nancy's book The North Side of Down.

And please go to Nancy Bailey's podcast to sign up, so you can listen to Nancy read her entire book The North Side of Down for free! And if it is free then it is for me!!!

To listen to this podcast either click here on The Cousin Nancy Show or the side bar on the left.

Before I finish writing this I would like to leave you with my favorite quote: "Life is short and so am I!" And if we did not make you laugh—who cares!

Y'all take care and keep on laughing!

P.S. As a teaser if you listened to the podcast here is that picture that Nancy drew of her sister having lunch with the cast of the TV show Friends.

P.S. During this super-fun podcast Eileen took this hilarious picture of me sharing my microphone with Nancy Bailey. Because Nancy was calling-in from Michigan, I placed my iPhone on top of my box of fine, Franzia Chillable Red wine, which was the perfect height for the mic to record Nancy talking on my iPhone and me. And the rest is history.

Please Watch This If You Want To Or Need To Laugh!

 Today I was feeling a little depressed and I really wanted to laugh or better said, "I needed to laugh."  So I remembered that hilarious video that I watched years ago, of Jay Thomas telling his true, hilarious story about him and the Lone Ranger (Clayton Moore). And I laughed so hard I just want to share it with you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfpZsue5vas/

Enjoy and keep on laughing!

God Bless Ruth Buzzi!

Kinky Friedman, Tony and I loved Ruth Buzzi so much and when Tony and I heard the sad news about Ruthie's passing our hearts were broken once again this year, because we lost Kinky back in June, and now we've lost Ruthie. 

Tony and I are so blessed that Ruthie was our dear friend and that we got to spend so much time enjoying her and her husband Kent Perkins many visits at the rescue ranch and Big Foot ranch . And I will never forget the hilarious time that Ruthie taught me how to make her famous, Italian beignets, inside our trailer and I can't believe that was over 20 years ago.

While Kinky, Tony and Kent sat outside, in Outer Space (aka our screened-in-porch), talking about ranch life, etc., Ruthie and I were inside cooking up her delicious beignets. Or should I say trying to cook up her "secret beignet recipe," because we were laughing so much. And please note that my kitchen counters and stove were all covered in powdered sugar and flour and so were we! And it still makes me laugh just thinking about it and the big mess that we made.

In fact, we were cutting-up with each other and laughing so much, the men actually came inside our trailer just to see what was so funny. (And to also refill their coffee cups and to eat all of the beignets that we had just cooked.)

Anyway, the bottom line is that We Loved Ruthie so much. And Tony and I will always treasure all of those precious, good times and the fond memories that we spent with sweet Ruthie and Kent. 

And not to brag, but to really brag big time—I am so honored to say that Ruth Buzzi once chased and hit me with her purse, onstage at one of our Bonefits. And I am so proud to be an exclusive member of the "Ruth Buzzi Hit Me With Her Purse" club, which includes famous members such as Elton John and Muhammad Ali— just to name a few.

Here are just a few of my favorite pictures of Ruthie that I want to share with you:

Kent & Ruthie and Little Debbie at Big Foot Ranch

Ruthie, Kent and Tony listening to Chet O'Keefe playing guitar, in our trailer, at the rescue ranch. Just before I grabbed my keyboard to let Kent play along with Chet.

                                           Best friends: Ruthie and Little Debbie

                                   Ruthie signing the door inside my writing cabin!

                                                        Ruthie and me in Kerrville, Texas

This is my favorite of all. Ruthie signed and sent us this picture of the famous character Gladys Ormphby that she played on Laugh In!

On the evening of November 20th, 2014 Tony took this short video of Kinky and me, standing outsidehis lodge, for an upcoming Tribute to Ruth Buzzi event, in Dallas. It is one of my favorite videos because Kinky, Tony and I loved Ruth Buzzi so much. Rest In Peace Ruthie. You were the BEST!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsLuePP-ulw/