Blog
The Snuff Tasting
When I was very small, I imagine about 3 or 4, I was intrigued by my Dad and his snuff. He chewed Copenhagen, a 3 can a day habit. I of course figured it was candy and begged him every day for a little. Finally over the protests of my mother he gave in and gave me a big chew. I swallowed it very quickly and immediately it came back up. For years I couldn’t be around even the smell of it. Don’t know if this is in the parents manual how to keep a kid from chewing tobaccy, but it sure as heck worked with me. No I don’t...
read moreThe Wedding Dance
We attended a wedding for my wife’s cousin’s daughter this last weekend. My wife’s cousin Jeff is fighting cancer and is presently undergoing chemo. He and many others that have fought this battle know the fatigue, the not feeling good and the loss of hair, just to mention a few things. Jeff had been planning and looking forward to this wedding and was determined to walk down the aisle with his daughter and help with the setup and planning. He accomplished all of the above. But the highlight for me was the wedding dance...
read moreThe Belt
Almost every day for the past over 30 some years I’ve worn a belt made for me by a friend that has been dead since late 1979. I am reminded every day how lucky I am to be alive and somewhat in control of my faculties. My friend struggled mightily with his problems and in the end they were just too much for him. His problems didn’t allow him to go forward and drug him back into the pit he’d emerged from. The end came in an accident that took his life and 2 others. I think of you often my friend, it doesn’t seem that...
read more“Howdee”
This greeting you see in the title came from one of my favorite aunts who is gone now, Clydene Swinney. She was a large woman with a larger heart. Whenever you came to her house or came to visit her in the retirement home or rest home in later years you would be greeted by “Howdee”. My aunt was from Enid, Oklahoma and her southern hospitality and warm loving heart will stay with me forever. She was the world’s best cook, sorry mom, and you knew she loved you. I don’t want to ever forget the people who made me who I am...
read moreMy Acting Debut – Winter in the Blood
I was contacted by a fellow from our local radio station in the summer of 2011 looking for old cars for movie props for the movie Winter in the Blood. He came and looked at the cars and about 2 weeks later I was told on a Thursday I would need to bring 3 cars to the set at the Walleye Tavern between Kremlin and Havre on Saturday. What a scramble to get a couple of them running. Oh by the way the fellow said would you be interested in sitting in a bar scene? Do you remember how it was to sit in the bar? I said “I think I can...
read moreBook Signing at the Gildford Merc
The book signing went well in the old Gildford store or merc .. The old store has stood here for as long as the town I imagine. Nice people the Hausers’ run the store now, Ted and Laura, good friends and good people. We had a nice turnout. I explained that the book was based on a true incident, but the book is fictional. I’m just overwhelmed at the compliments and the interest this book has engendered.
read moreDamn Wind
The rusty barbed wire around the blog site is not just for decoration. I worked for a conductor on the Railroad who said to me after a discussion one day in the caboose, Russ, I like you, but you are a little rough around the edges! I think he was particularly exasperated with me that particular day, as I was griping and complaining about everyone and everything I could think of in colorful language. He was a gentle soul who never said a bad word about anyone, finally when I was complaining about the wind blowing as it always does in northern...
read moreThe Hat
Well for those that know me well, I don’t usually wear the Stetson you see in the picture. My normal attire is a baseball cap that is in a state of disrepair or cleanliness or both and glasses. When working on the railroad my attire consisted of the above baseball hat and striped railroad coveralls. So it is a bit of fun with the Stetson going back to my youth on the farm/ranch where I was raised. The Stetson is my dad’s and was on top of his coffin before we buried him. So it means a great deal to me. There is a saying in ol...
read moreThe Long Awakening is Now Available on Lulu
The Long Awakening is now available at Lulu.com in Paperback and eBook formats.
read moreGet Your Copies Today!
My newest book, The Dread, has just been published! Click the book cover below to read more.
The Long Awakening is now available in Paperback and eBook formats. Click the book cover below to purchase!
