Showing posts with label kinky friedman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kinky friedman. Show all posts

Monday, May 5, 2025

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/

Monday, July 1, 2024

Thanks For The Memories, Kink!

 Here are several of my favorite pictures of Kinky. And after these photos I added two more short videos of Kinky. 

After hiking with his dear friends: Will Wallace, Dylan Ferrero, Kinky and Ben Welch

Kinky on set with Jimmy LaFave for movie Palo Pinto Gold

Kinky outside on his porch

Kinky holding Stella a rescued dog from hurricane Katrina

Kinky signing a guitar on his pool table

Kinky posing next to my writing cabin at our rescue ranch

Sandy Wolfmueller, Tony and me having a fun lunch with Kinky @ Cracker Barrel

Kinky posing with Mama, my rescued Great Pyrenees

Tony took this picture of Kinky and Sophie, his rescued dog

Kinky taking a walking break with David Beckham, our rescued wild hog that plays soccer.

Tony, Kinky, me and U.S. Representative Lamar Smith @ our rescue ranch

Kinky posing with Little Jewford

Bob, Kinky, me and Jay Pennington outside of the Lodge

Kinky signed his cigar poster to Tony & me

9 years ago Tony took this video of Kinky & me doing a video for an upcoming tribute to our dear friend Ruth Buzzi

Kinky's kind words 

Thanks for the memories, Kink!

Saturday, June 29, 2024

One of My Fondest Memories of Kink! or The California Texas Grudge Match!

God bless Kinky Friedman and may he rest in peace. One of my dearest and best friends, Kinky Friedman, passed away this past Wednesday evening, June 26th, and since then I've been sad and thinking about all of the fun times and good times that we shared over the past 38 years of our friendship.

I've written volumes over the years about Kinky, our beloved Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch and our long lasting friendship in books and on my blog, etc. And to say the least he was one of my all time favorite people.

Today I was looking at some of the funny videos that I took of Kinky and us and this video stood out and it made me laugh out loud. And trust me I needed to laugh.

Anyway, to set this video up, on May 31, 2009, Kinky, Tony & Kink's famous Hollywood friend John Mankieiwicz, who was at the ranch visiting Kinky, had decided to have an eight-ball pool tournament.

Kinky and Tony already had their pool-playing-nicknames. Kinky's was "The Hummingbird Man" and Tony's was "The Medina Bulldog." 

So before the pool tournament commenced, just to rattle John's nerves—Kinky and Tony jokingly nicknamed John—"Mr. California Wussie." And John thought his newly given nickname was pretty funny, too. 

But "sadly" for Kink and Tony their plan backfired, because John ended up winning the tournament—big time!

So later that day the five of us were outside, sitting on the porch visiting and Kinky decided, just for the "heck" of it, that I should make a video of Tony and Kinky presenting John with a pool championship trophy! 

So after we had all quit laughing Kinky sent me home to get my camera while he searched around The Lodge for an appropriate trophy for him and Tony to give to John. And the rest is history and it is also funny.

To watch this video please click below:

The California Texas Grudge Match

For Kinky's eyes only: "Hey Kink. Sadly, it looks like you won our long standing bet about who's horn God would honk first and unfortunately it was yours. And Hummingbird Man please know that I already miss you. Love Always, Nancy"



Thursday, May 16, 2024

Episode 31: Age Doesn't Matter!

 If you want to listen to this podcast rather than read it please click here on: The Cousin Nancy Show or click on The Cousin Nancy Show on the right side bar. 👉 )

Now I am going to tell you another story about the non-profit Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch that Tony & I and our dear friend Kinky Friedman co-founded in 1997. And we ran our rescue ranch until the three of us decided it was time to retire and shut its doors, in 2018.

This morning I had to clean our trailer because ABC’s affiliate, KSAT, out of San Antonio, was coming out to do a story about Kinky, his cigars, and to also see our rescue ranch. 


So I cleaned our trailer until it looked like Tony and I didn’t live here. Mission was accomplished by ten o’clock.


The cameraman interviewed Kinky early this morning for about an hour over, at the Lodge, and then Kinky and the television cameraman arrived over here about eleven-thirty. 


Tony, our dear friend John, and I were, in the kitchen, drinking coffee and trading funny stories when those two arrived. So Tony went outside to greet Kink and the cameraman.


A few minutes later Tony returned to the trailer and announced, “Kinky just told me that the cameraman is going to shoot him and the dogs first, and then he wants you to come outside to be interviewed and shot, too.”


I was mildly depressed by Tony’s news. Because the trailer had been cleaned up for nothing—and knowing full well that within twenty-four hours or less that it would be obvious to anyone who came inside—would instantly know that Tone and I live here. 


Anyway, twenty minutes later, the three of us went outside. Kinky quickly introduced John, Tony and me to the smiling cameraman. After shaking hands, the friendly cameraman put a wire and microphone on me, and then Kinky and I strolled past the dogs in their pens as the cameraman shot us.


When we reached Jedi’s pen with her two, yellow Lab-mixed pups I went inside their pen to visit with the dogs and then to be interviewed and shot some more.  


The cameraman asked me many questions, and I did pretty good until he asked me, “Do you get many calls from people wanting to bring you their dogs?”


“Yes, I do,” I said, as Kinky and John stood behind the cameraman, watching me with smiling faces. “I get about twenty calls a day from all over the country with people begging or trying to bribe me to take their dogs or cats. Unfortunately, pets have become disposable items to many people. And these people all have excuses why they want to dump their loving pets. It is very depressing.”


“Tell me,” he asked. “What is the most common excuse?”


“The number-one most common excuse that I hear, is from a young woman who is crying and begging me to please take her sweet, eight-year-old dog that she dearly loves, because her new boyfriend doesn’t like her dog—and he is making her get rid of it!”


“What do you tell them?”The cameraman asked.


Looking straight into the camera’s lens, I said, “Euthanize the boyfriend.”


Tony, Kinky, John and the cameraman all started to laugh! “That’s a good one, Nance,” Kinky remarked, as the others smiled and nodded their heads in agreement.


Feeling like I needed to explain myself a little further, I continued: “So I ask these young women,“Where are you going to be two years from now—with a creepy control freak like that? Will he be giving you permission to go outside or telling you when you can talk on the phone? Listen, if he truly loves you, he would never ask you to do something so horrible like that. Please, take my advice and keep your dog—because your dog loves you, and knows what real love is—and your stupid boyfriend doesn’t love you or even have a clue as to what love is all about.”


With that said, the interview lasted a few more minutes, and then I removed the wire and the microphone and handed it back to the cameraman. Then I returned to the trailer to return several phone calls.


This evening when the KSAT news ran the story, that television station had cut out my part about “euthanizing the boyfriend.” And that is the end of that story. Thank goodness.

*******

Okay. Here’s a Cousin Boomer Update for y’all:

The other day Cousin Boomer was over here and he told me that he didn't understand cloning and I told him, "That makes two of us.”

And Boomer also told me that he went to a sporting goods store last weekend to buy some camouflage pants, but he couldn’t find any.

******

Now it is My Thought For Today Time!


And this is itI think that age is something that doesn’t matter—unless you are cheese.

*******

Okay now it is Make Me Laugh Time! Thank goodness.


Where do fish keep their money?—In the river bank.


What do you call two ducks and a cow? Quackers and milk.


Did you hear about the cat who ate a ball of yarn?—She had mittens.


What did the cucumber say to the pickle? You mean a great dill to me.

And lastly, what did one hat say to the other? You stay here. I'll go on ahead.

And this concludes this segment of Make Me Laugh Time. 


*******

Folks I do hope that my podcast has made you laugh at least once, but if it didn’t—who cares!

Thank y’all for listening. And please remember my favorite quote;

Life is short and so am I! 

Y’all take care and keep on laughing!

Oh. Wait a second. Here is one more joke to hopefully make you laugh.

My dear friend Fourth sent me this joke that Milton Berle at 80 years-old told:

“I get sex almost ever night of the week!!!

Almost on Monday

Almost on Tuesday

Almost on Wednesda, etc.”


Adios y’all!

Sunday, April 28, 2024

Episode 30: The Jerk!

Please note that I am dedicating this 6.5 minute podcast to my dear friends Clive & Curtis, in the beautiful Texas Hill Country. And I hope that it makes them and you laugh out loud. And if you want to listen to this podcast please click here on: The Cousin Nancy Show or click on the The Cousin Nancy Show on the right side bar 👉


Now I am going to tell you a funny, true story about the non-profit Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch that Tony & I and our dear friend Kinky Friedman co-founded in 1997 and operated until we decided to retire and shut its doors in 2018. 

Back in 2007, on a beautiful spring morning, a church group of about twenty young children, along with a few adults, came out to the rescue ranch to let the kids do community service for us for a couple of hours. But because the children were so young, we decided the safest thing for them to do, was to let them remove the rocks from our huge pigpen. 

The kids instantly fell in love with our rescued pigs. And they were disappointed when their work was completed, and it was time for them to leave our rescue ranch. In fact, one of them even started crying and begged to live at the rescue ranch and I guess live with the pigs.

Anyway while the parents were loading up the children into their vans, trucks and cars, one cute little seven-year-old girl pointed over to our pigpen and screamed, “Look at that pig! What is he doing?”

Everyone looked back toward the pigpen and then gasped at what they saw! The children were laughing and screaming with delight, but the parents were more than mortified!

Apparently after we had left the pigpen, a three-hundred-pound black-and-white-spotted wild hog had wandered up to the pig pen, because of Alice, one of our new sows that was in heat. 

And this wild hog was outside of the pigpen, standing up on his hind legs, leaning on the fence trying to get Alice’s attention! From where we stood, it looked like male wild hog was doing that popular Sixties dance—the “Jerk!"

As Tony took off to run the “lovesick” hog off, I was thinking fast! I told the smiling children, “Oh, he’s just dancing. That’s our neighbor’s dancing hog. He loves to dance.”

With the children inside the vehicles, laughing hysterically at the "dancing" wild hog, the parents quickly thanked me, jumped into their vehicles and quickly sped away! 

That wild hog made several more visits to our pigpen during that week, and he did do a lot of dancing, so to speak. And fortunately for us, Alice didn’t feel like dancing with him and we got her spayed soon after that. But unfortunately for us, that nice church group of kids never returned to the rescue ranch to do volunteer work.

Now it is My Thought For Today Time!


And it is ten simple words to live by—Always forgive your enemies, because it messes with their heads.


Now it is Make Me Laugh Time!


If you have 13 apples in one hand and 10 oranges in the other, what do you have? Big hands.


Now here are a couple of bar jokes for you:


What did the man say when he walked into a bar? Ouch!


The past, present, and future walked into a bar. It was tense.


A few days ago I was watching some Johnny Carson Show reruns.


In fact, I watched an hilarious episode where Johnny interviewed the late great Robin Williams.


And to say the least I loved Robin Williams and his humor. He was absolutely brilliant. 


So I am going to try to tell you one of my favorite jokes that he told Carson on that episode.


Robin Williams was wearing a straight face when he looked at Johnny and told him, “I suffer from dyslexia.


As a kid I was the only kid on my block on Halloween that would go—Trick or Trout!


And the neighbors would go—Here comes that Williams boy—Better go get some fish.”


******


Rodney Dangerfield is another great comedian that I loved. And one of my favorite jokes that he told is:


When I was a kid my Dad didn’t like me. He gave me my allowance in traveler’s checks.


******


And this concludes this segment of Make Me Laugh Time. 


I do hope that my podcast has made you laugh at least once, but if it didn’t—who cares!

Thank y’all for listening. And please remember my favorite quote;

Life is short and so am I! Take care Curtis & Clive and y’all keep on laughing!

Sunday, February 11, 2024

Episode 27: Life Is Good And Even Better When It Is Funny!

In this hilarious episode I interview a couple of my favorite people—sisters: Eileen and Dean. I love these two women, because they are extremely funny sisters and their way of telling a story is like no other, because they will have you laughing from the git-go.

So grab your favorite beverage and sit back and enjoy listening to my funniest friends tell their humorous stories about a monkey and a horse named Silver, the Hell's Angels on an airplane, ghosts, a moonshiner, John Wayne's birthday celebration at the Wooden Nickel in Crested Butte, Colorado and Willie Nelson, etc.

I did not transcribe this episode, so if you would like to listen to this podcast please click on The Cousin Nancy Show or click on the right side bar The Cousin Nancy Show👉.

Our dear friend Gerry Olert took these two pictures of us standing outside, in front of my mural. Dean is on the left and Eileen is on the right and I am the short one.



And Gerry also took this one of us right after we finished doing the podcast. 
Left to right: Lisa, Eileen, me and Dean.


Y'all have a great evening and keep on laughing!

Tuesday, March 28, 2023

Episode 24: Down Under! or Digging Up Bones!

In this entertaining podcast I had the pleasure of interviewing our dear friends, Lyle & Roxanne,  who are retired gave diggers. Grave digging is a very serious subject for this couple, so I tried to keep it light with their best upbeat stories only.

During this podcast Lyle & his beautiful wife traded some funny jokes with me and we also talked about their mutual love of dogs, love of all animals, Roxanne's & Lyle's beloved dog Cooper, who they had rescued from a shelter, then fostered and then adopted. Seriously Cooper now has it made in the shade.

So pop a top off of your favorite beer or favorite beverage and then kick back and enjoy listening to another fun interview.

Here are pictures of Lyle & Roxanne doing the podcast with me that Tony took and a before and after pictures of sweet, beautiful Cooper.




To listen to this podcast please click here.

Thank y'all for listening and keep on laughing!

Saturday, July 30, 2022

Episode 18: The Phill Brush Interview!

I had such a great time doing my 18th podcast with Tony's and my dear friend, singer/songwriter Phill Brush. Tony and I have known Phill for over 20 years and he is one super talented man.



In this fun to listen to podcast Phill and I talked about many subjects including his valuable work volunteering, at Kinky Friedman's and his sister Marcie Friedman's Echo Hill Gold Star Camp.  And I gave a Cousin Boomer update and Phill and I traded a few good jokes.

Phill sang us three beautiful songs that he has written and he talked about the Western Express Band's new CD that is being released next week. And to find out more about Phill Brush and the Western Express band please click here.

To listen to The Cousin Nancy Show's 18th podcast please click here or on the upper left sidebar.


Here are some upcoming August play dates for the Western Express Band:

July 31  Austin TX  Guero's Taco Bar

August 3  Bertram, TX  The Globe Theatre

August 4  Austin, TX   Broken Spoke

August 5  Austin, TX  Sam's Town Point

August 6  Kerrville, TX  Trailhead Beer Garden

August 7  Helotes, TX  John T. Floore's Country Store

August 17  Austin, TX   Broken Spoke

And Bluegrass every Saturday (in the summer) Jester King in Dripping Springs, TX

To find out more information on Phill Brush and his music please check him out on Facebook and Spotify!

Thank y'all for listening to my podcasts. Take care and keep on laughing!

Wednesday, June 22, 2022

Episode 16: Never Tell A Lie (To Jean Weber)! or Knit-Wit!

 Today has been great. This afternoon I did a super fun podcast with Tony's and my dear friend Jean Weber.

We first met Jean on November 14, 2016, when Tony and I walked into Wolfmueller's Books looking for Sandy to help me finish tying off my unfinished, pink potholder. Needless to say Sandy and Jon were gone and Jon's sister, Jean, an accomplished knitter, was "holding down the fort for them" and she tied it off for me instead.

Long story short, to refresh your memory, you can read all about that famous potholder that I wrote about in my November 14th, 2016 blog post, "The One And Only!" Here.




Jean told us some great stories about her beloved cat Tiger and here are a few pictures of her beautiful feline companion who keeps things interesting for her.




And here is a link to the famous Paul Bunyan Land amusement park which now resides in Brainerd, Minnesota, so you can see this famous, 26 foot tall, talking Paul Bunyan who mysteriously knew my brothers' and my sister's and my name, and knew where we had come from, when we first entered this popular park. 
Here's Paul!


This 20 minute podcast episode was so much fun to do with Jean and I hope that it will make you laugh as much as I did. 

To listen to the podcast please click here or click onThe Cousin Nancy Show near the top of the sidebar on this page.

Y'all take care and keep on laughing!

P.S. Sandy & Jon—Happy 49th Anniversary tomorrow!

Thursday, March 3, 2022

Episode 14: The Cravotta's Close Encounters of the Famous Kind!

 I had one heck of a good time interviewing Tony's and my dear artists friends: Liz & Jim Cravotta for The Cousin Nancy Show's 14th episode.

Tony and I love Jim & Liz and we have know these two, extremely talented artist for nearly thirty years. Over the years the Cravotta's have helped out our Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch many times and they have even adopted a dog from us, Arkey Blue Heeler and they also helped us get many of our dogs adopted to great homes.

In this super fun interview I had with Liz & Jim they told one hilarious story after another about how they met, their first date, their world famous wedding, "The Great Hippie Wedding of 1975, in Montague County" and many other fascinating stories about their famous friend Burt Finger, Liz's close encounters with the Beatles and the Rolling Stones and Jim's close encounter with the Kennedys, etc. And we also discussed Liz's art and her fabulous cards and Jim's whimsical Bare Bones Sculptures.

At the end of the interview I suggested that everyone check out this blog, so they could see some of  the Cravotta's world famous art and sculptures, their popular Space #42 inventory, at the EAST END MARKET, in Kerrville, owned by Cindy & Rick Burton and managed by their always smiling, friendly store manager Aislinn Byrne. Located @ 1712 Water Street (Between G Street and H Street). And please note that besides the Cravotta's Space #42 the East End Market also has all kinds of great collections in their huge building and some of the best vibes, in Kerrville. Please click here to visit the East End Market website.

So let's begin shall we:

First, here are a couple of photos of Liz's awesome cards and a couple of pictures of Jim's whimsical Bare Bones Sculptures:





Here are a few more pictures of the Cravotta's Space #42










Here are the links to:



And here are three pictures when we were at the Grey Goose Saloon shooting the final scenes of Longmire—Texas Style!

The first picture is Liz behind scene, holding up a prop. The second picture is of Liz & Jim talking with Little Debbie and me after the filming of Longmire—Texas Style. aThe 3rd shot is the entire cast and crew of Longmire—Texas Style that was taken on the steps of the Grey Goose Saloon.




To listen to The Cousin Nancy Show: Episode 14: The Cravotta's Close Encounters of the Famous Kind! Please click here or near the top of the right-hand side bar.

I hope that y'all will enjoy the podcast and it will make you laugh at least once of twice. And please remember my favorite quote: "Life is short and so am I."

Y'all take care and keep on laughing!