Articles By: Mike Puhallo

Chinook Arch - Over the Thompson, Plus seven, and blowing strong... Chewid’s Call - The big Chinook’s bin blowin’, Most all day... My Summer Tan... - I hear it’s raining at the coast, There’s fresh slush and snow... Ready for Take Off - The harness has all been polished. They overhauled the sleigh as well... Across the River from Our House... - A ten mile string of Christmas lights, Made a marvellous, festive, scene... New Age Outlaws - There are still rustlers on the range,and gangsters in the streets... Prit Near Done - All the cows are off the mountain. I’ve just got one bull left to find... I’ll Wear a Poppy - In Flanders Field, The poppies grow... Small Pleasures - Finding pleasure the in simple things, That’s just part of a cowboy’s way... A Classic Political Joke - Will Rogers, once claimed, He never wrote political jokes... Teamwork - Big Rosa swings her head and stares. There’s something down in the trees... Just Passing Through - This time of year bears are constantly passing through here. Now and then one will stop... Cowboy Therapy - I had an appointment with the surgeon, That patched my busted knee and wrist... The Hitch Hiker - Dodging logging trucks and pot holes, Heading up to summer range... Crisp Enough? - I camped high on summer range, Just a couple of nights ago... Back in the Saddle - I’ve been ten days in the saddle, Trying to make up for lost time... Of Mice and Men and Back Yard Renovations - I tore the old deck down this spring, I told my wife, “Don’t worry none”... Let them eat cake - The signatures... have all been tallied... 2 Problems..1 Solution - It’s a problem in big city parks, From New York to Seattle... Smells like Summer - In the big valleys and the canyons, The smoke just tends to sit... Stir Crazy - The Doc says it will be August, Before I can crawl back on a horse... Considering a Change - I got an email from Miss Terri, (Editor of Canadian Cowboy Mag)... Making a Cow Horse - A perfect three point landing, Off side knee, left wrist and nose... Making a Cowhorse - The cattle moved off at a trot, I convinced Misty to trail behind... Making a Cowhorse - Now my wife has often cussed on me, For riding out alone... Father’s Day - Trying to think up what to draw, On a card for Father’s Day... Why I Ride - I usually saddle up at daybreak, From May on through the Fall... The First One - I nodded my head, the gate swung wide, The rest was just a blur... Honouring a legend - In the little town of OK Falls, Along the Old Cariboo Trail... Happy Mother’s Day - My mother is a lady, She stood just five foot two... Mother Nature... - Aint no ditsy hippy chick, With flowers in her hair... No feet, No Horse! - I threw a saddle Mystify today, And went out for a little ride... Don Quixote Rides Again! - His horse is old, his lance is splintered, Both relics of a bygone age... Mucho Gracias! El Nino! - El Nino, saddled up his sea horse, And rode North again this Year... All Fools Day - It was a rite of Spring, in ancient times, The Lord of Misrule would hold sway ... Just Words - Words, are about as durable, As campfire smoke... AWESOME ! - A melee of competition, Collisions of snow, ice, steel and granite... Olympic Mud Bogs & Rose Buds - A bunch more winter for folks back east! On the west coast... Ground Hog Day 2010 - Ten years of wishful thinking, A billion dollars in the pot... Heading to Elko - A seed planted in the desert, some twenty six years ago... How To Make Money off the Cow Business - I’ve seen more than half a century, from the tractor seat and saddle... Day Break at The Horse Trough - The river and the creeks are froze, So they come from near and far... Have a Politically Correct Green Christmas - Santa might be running late If it’s foggy Christmas night... A Christmas Meadow Muffin - A red crayon colored Santa, and a rumpled paper Dove... As I’m Pulling on My Boots to Go Out and Feed The Horses. - Just ten Shopping days ‘til Christmas, Says the guy on the radio, There’s a cold snap across Canada... An Environmental Summit - My horses worked all last winter, On their million acts of green... Just In Case - I sharpened my old chainsaw, And threw it in the truck... The Peruvian Gelding - I got a call from a neighbor lady, “Could you please bring your rope?... Ask Not, Who Wrote This... - Edgar Allen Poe, once wrote, Of a ghostly presence in the room ... Looking Up from the Bottom - Some wizard on the radio, Said the recession’s nearly over now... October Morning on Porcupine Ridge. - The rosy fingers of dawn, Sparkle on the frosted grass... First Day of Fall Roundup! - As I stepped down from the Saddle to unlatch the slip wire gate... Gone To Texas - I put my saddle in the barn, Turned my horses out to graze... Fall Grazing Plan ! - First cold rain in September, Starts them old cows moving down... Stumbling Towards a Fall - Will Rogers Once Said, “I don’t write political jokes... North Thomson Fall Fair - As Labour Day weekend rolls around I’m making plans to go... The View from the Saddle - I stop to give my horse a rest, We’re done moving cows for the day... A Diaper for a Deficit? - The Premiere of Vancouver, Knew he would soon begin to show... The Road Less Traveled - I’m pushing a couple dozen cows, Through a tangled alder run... Roping Lessons - At a day care on a quiet street, There are kids of every size... HOOKED - Each of us has our weakness, Be it liquor, cards or dice... Good Day for A Duck (or Cowboy) - It’s been raining hard for a couple days, Trails are slick, the creeks are high... Scars - The climb was steep so I paused a while, to give my horse a break... Canada Day 2009 - One hundred and forty two candles, Make a lovely light... Pet Grooming ? - Spent Monday morning sorting cattle, Took my yearling pup along... The Highway Calls! - Hockey Season is over! So I suppose Summer has begun... First week of May! - I flipped the page on the calendar, just the other day... Spring Tune Up! - I brought my ponies in this morning, trimmed their feet, and wormed them all... What Election? - While politicians argue, about how best to pick our pocket... Harrowing Pastures! - Lawns to rake, fields to harrow, This time of year I always find... Climatic Confusion! - Memo to David Suzuki and Al Gore; Turn off your computers and look outside! Spring! - Should be a joyous time of year! Free of stress, frustration and fear... Four Bored Horses =Two ton of hay and 500 board feet of lumber per month - The, BIG THAW... They promised us for Boxing Day, Finally ambled in this week... An Equine Economy - A nation’s economy is like a horse, it needs care and feed and rest ... Spooked! - Too exhausted to run, too nervous to stand, they bawl and mill about... Unemployed Cow-dog in Winter - She races me from house to barn, At the start of everyday... Ambushed! - Just three weeks left ‘til Christmas, I don’t know how it comes to be... Happy Birthday BC - On nineteenth of November, on a rainy west coast morn... Change - Mr. Obama made it his motto, “Change is on the way”... Lest We Forget - It is not for honour or for glory, That a young man fights and dies... Some Cows - Some cows know where home is, some cows darn sure don’t... Fall Equinox - The aspen leaves are turning. Frost coats the grass at dawn... Global Warming be Darned, We Better Cut Some More Wood! - It was a cold dismal spring, With frost well into May... Airborne - I nudged ol’ Dash into a lope, Collected him and circled around... Cowboy For a Day - Isn’t this cowboy stuff just nostalgia, from some bygone day... To My Four Legged Muse! - I commute to work on horseback, spend my week days moving cattle... Hey Gordy, Tax This! - It aint real hard to guess, how most rural folks... First Sign of Summer! - A calendar, is just ink and paper. When you live close to the land... Pinocchio Politics - Dead forests and empty factories? “That’s just the way it goes”... Tuned Out - Self important experts, chatter on my radio... Burning Daylight! - Saddled and gone, before the dawn, It’s just the cowboy’s way... Turn out Time - I’ve got new shoes on my ponies, Cleaned and oiled my chaps and saddle... The Math Don’t Work! - Been working on my income tax. I should have it done today. Perspective - Blame it all on Global Warming, They want us all to know... Crazy - Folks from far and wide are gathering, to our corner of the West... St. Paddy Taylor`s Budget - When I was but a tiny Child, a strange tale I was told... Natural Selection - We dickered over coffee. As cowboys often will... Ten Years of Mixing Muffins - It was four days after Ground Hog Day, in Nineteen-ninety-eight.. Full Moon - Dark shadows in the timber, Gray wraiths in the bright moonlight . . . Self Preservation ! - Our local city Council, felt the need to make their mark . . . Everywhere But Here? - The whole month of December, the snow stayed on the trees... Wild Horse Christmas - Silhouetted by moonlight,heads down, moving slow... Deadman Creek, Blizzard - We picked up their trail around midday, fresh tracks in the new fallen snow. Ready For Winter - My summer ridings over, time to pull my ponies’ shoes... The Big Show - In the Hallowed halls of Parliament, the big battle’s going on... Cowpoke Déjà Vous - Writing Cowboy humor, might seem harder than before... White Bulls In The Snow - Somewhere on the summer range, just where, I do not know... Circles in the Snow - A single wolf track, in the snow... Forty Shades of Green - Ethanol and bio-fuel, another environmental fee... First Snow - Slip-sliding in the white stuff, My horse aint real impressed... Irony - Through a thin screen of golden aspens, I hear those diesel engines roar... Young Horses, Cool Mornings - You Started with One broke horse and a pen of colts... Globalization - Sweet and Sour pork, Chicken Chow Mien, Fried rice and prawns, ... Opening Day , Deer Season! - Dust rises over the gravel roads, as the ditches fill with cans... Rumors - My wife got a letter from a friend down South just the other day... BUGS - The government boys watched for many years, as the problem grew and grew... I Wish I Was In Texas - The “Will Rogers Awards” are on in Texas, I wish I could be there... Cowboys Were Not Designed To Walk! - The roan colt lost a front shoe, on a trail that was mostly rock... The Letter of The Law - With one round bale in my pick up truck After sixty miles of gravel road... My Ponies - My roan colt still spooks a bit, at each log truck passing by... Pan Phillips Said It Best - In the saddle by daybreak,the cows brush-up by ten... I attended my first ever, Bluegrass event last weekend. The Canadian Rockies Bluegrass Festival - Hillbilly pickers and music fans, came from near and far away... The Turkey Roundup - I jumped my pony out of the stock truck, Another day on the range was done… Every Rock & Tree is there to see. - I bin’ four weeks riding a new range, trying get the roads and trails ... When Nature Rolls the Dice - The neighbouring fields are under water but the house is. . ., Commuting by Caballo - My commute to work on weekdays is about twenty minutes at a trot. . . Sold! - The paper is signed, the deed is done . . . Grilled Venison At Daybreak - This was about to be a morning I wouldn't forget . . . Signposts Along The River - The signs of spring are evident along the river. Stylin’ Stephen! - In the past I have hinted Don Cherry may have influenced our Prime Minister’s sense of style. Lately he has been looking so good; the opposition leaders appear to be a little jealous. . . Seasonal Priorities! - Getting my Spring priorities straight . . . Wyoming On My Mind - April 12-15, I will be appearing at the 25th Annual Cowboy Songs and Range Ballads celebration at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody Wyoming. So, lately I've had Wyoming On My Mind . . . About Time You Guys Showed Up! - I’m on my second cup of coffee. In the first grey light of dawn, I see them . . . The Cowboy Festival Is Over . . . - . . . For Another Year! We Are Overdue For A Refill - Does anybody remember where we parked the Ark? Priorities - We're stocking up for calving time . . . Hey Cowboy, Where's Your Horse? - A cowboy on foot must be a pitiful sight! That Sad Empty Feeling! - It's always sad to see a loving relationship end! Empty Saddles - ... and an enduring legacy. Ground Hog Day 2007 - You know the real downside of global warming is the inequity of it, I have not seen a patch of bare ground around here since November... Maybe Ol' Man Winter is Just Toying with Us! - Observations on our fickle winter weather. A New Year A New Day - Each new year presents an opportunity to start afresh on the masterpiece of your life. The Gift - Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from Mike Puhallo . . . The Spirit of Giving - Dedicated to the volunteers at the Food Banks, Salvation Army, The SPCA and other organisations, who show the true Spirit of Christmas all year round! They really need our help now! Santa Must Be A Cowboy - You know for a little fat man, Ol’ Kris Kringle is quite a hand . . . Good Fences - There’s a growing epidemic of open gates and fences down . . . Min-Pin Puppies - Fatty and Skinny are about five weeks old. They’ve now got the run of the house . . . Lest We Forget - . . . in remembrance. The Pine Beetle Clear Cut - A mare, a dozen cows, and a clear cut. Chilcotin Halloween - There have been a lot of stories told about The Gang Ranch’s Graveyard Valley, I thought I’d add one more! Must Be October? - The rituals of autumn - packrats and all! How Do You Get a Bean Burrito in a Tooth Paste Tube? - Shortly after Atlantis made it's rendevous, with that space station, just last week. The NASA boys hit the panic button, when they smelled some kind of leak. Have You Ever Seen An Equinox? - OK, does this Latin make any sense to you? If You Can't Stop It, Tax It! - Could this be Revenue Canada's newest tax? The Challenge - On a recent trip to Alberta I was asked to judge a "Horse Trainers Challenge" Pass the Ketchup! - Mike's culinary capers with ketchup. BC's # 1 Cash Crop - That blue haze in the Valley, Does not mean the forest is on fire. It's just harvest time in the old pot patch, and the smoke is rising higher. Mechanicly Inclined!! - On a holiday Monday in Williams Lake, the only thing open was Canadian Tire, So when my my ol' pick-up broke down, I spent most of the day, pacing the aisles and reading their flyer. Prit' Near House Broke - What really holds the Puhallo household together! It Ain't Easy Being Green - In today's world it's not always easy - or at least affordable - to do the right thing! Holes - Somebody wants to dig a hole, to see what they can see. . . Bad Days Make Good Stories - I put new shoes on the sorrel four year old, this morning before the sun got high. Then headed out for a half day ride beneath a perfect azure sky. Hard Concrete Muffins - I always wondered why them urban poets, seem angry all the time, Why They shout and scream profanity , and can't make nothin' rhyme. The Stuff That Counts - Ol' Jake is a good cow hand, one of the best I ever seen, An' I was asked to write about ol' Jake for this cowboy magazine. Rosie The Rocket Scientist - To say we're proud of our little, Rosie Would be the understatement of the year! After all those years of work and study, .Our baby girl is an Engineer. Westsyde Elementary School - January 5 1920 - June 2006 It was a little one room school-house, by an orchard, a few miles north of town, where education began, Two Days Old - Only two days before she first struggled to stand, on legs so impossibly long... so wobbly and knobbly, it's hard to believe , how quick they become, straight and strong. The Condor, is Like a Really Big Vulture! - Bob Redford made that movie, More than twenty years ago, And folks confused about today, Should really watch that show ! Off To the Rodeo! - My old bronc saddle has been retired, for a dozen years or so, And while I don't ride bucking stock no more, I still judge the odd rodeo. Early May Reminders - I planted the onions in my garden, and the first few rows of corn, Along with; lettuce, peas and radishes, Which don't mind a frosty morn'. Branding Time 2006 - Methods learned from them old Vaqueros, time has shown no need to change, We rope and drag our calves to the branding fire. It's spring on the northern Range. One more reason not to wash the truck! - This time of year, cock pheasants, Are always on the fight, To keep the other boys away, from their own hearts delight. First Taste of Spring! - I've only got three horses in right now, Two youngsters and the old brood mare. The page wire around their wintering ground, Is showing some wear and tear. Whinny - (From The valley Of The Wild Horses) Her mother was a gentle sort, a dude mare in a string, Who had a brief affair with an outlaw stud, four years ago this Spring. Every Cowboys Dream - We had a high old time, At this years Kamloops Cowboy Fest, With cowboy poets, pickers and artists from every corner of the West! Balancing the Books - We got the welfare cheque for our cows last week, It come out to about ten bucks a head. CAIS Payment for Two Thousand Four, was what the remittance slip said. Go Kiss A Duck! - A dozen Government Veterinarians, in a circle on their knees, Listening through their stethoscopes, In case one baby duck should sneeze! Kamloops Cowboy Festival ! - (March 10-12, 2006 www.bcchs.com) For a decade it's been growing, Getting bigger every year, The Best Cowboy Fest in the whole darn West, Is drawing folks from far and near. Hockey Night In Italy? - Them Olympic Games are nowhere near as fun, as a Trappers Rendezvous, But that's all they got on the CBC, So I guess it will have to do. In Answer to Willy Shakespeare's Questions... - A Rose...by any other name...would be ten bucks cheaper a dozen,and likely smell the same! Jerry Zucker Just Wanted a New Coat ! - That fellow from South Carolina , just bought out the Old Hudson's Bay, It's the biggest Canadian sell out, since Gretzky went down to L.A. Catching up on the News - It's freezing cold from England, Clear over to Japan, With snow so heavy, Buildings have collapsed like a paper fan Are You Sure These Are The Only Choices? - The Socialist from Toronto? A white knight with a paste on smile. Or the re-formed new Conservative, with Don Cherry's sense of Style? The Liberals have a brand new scandal, As they sing the same old song, It's Going to be a Very Foggy January - Santa turned the Reindeer out to pasture, And parked his sled for another year. The Elves are all in Mexico, laying on a beach and drinking beer. The Millennium Bug is six years old, And still aint showed up yet, Never Look Back - Well good riddance, to Two Thousand Five, Boy I'm glad it's finally done, Because for this little wore out cowboy, It aint been a lot of fun. I bust my wrist, and then my leg, A Christmas Wish, for those that winter out... - May the Joy of the Christmas Season, Stick with you through the year, With a good supply of winter feed, and friends and family near. Game On! - In a season reserved for Hockey, Peace on earth and Joy to all. The political goons have hit the ice, For a big midwinter brawl. Another Bowl of Chicken Soup? - Talk about a bunch of chicken noodles, with no integrity or pride. Like five year olds caught raiding the cookie jar, The Campbell kids all run and hide. Can You Hear Me Now ? "Thanks !" - Two horses in the trailer, and a round bale in the truck, And two hundred fifty miles to home, I suppose I was pushing my luck! "Prit Near" Ready For Winter - The cows are out on winter range, the calves have gone to town, The "around home" list of late fall chores, is finally getting whittled down. Mired in the Gommery Gumbo, And Waiting for Freeze up! - So, Two Tongued Jean, will get one more chance, to lie and shift the blame, Before he fades into the mist of history, showing no trace of regret or shame. Of all the Charlie Browns in the world, He was the Charlie Brownest! - As the full moon rises o'er the pumpkin patch, An eerie mist floats from the ground In ragged wisps it whirls and swirls, But there's no breath of wind around. A Discouraging Word - It gets beyound discouraging, It's really downright strange, What urban buerocrats are doing , with the laws out on the range. Fight! Fight! - When I was young a schoolyard brawl, would always draw a crowd. The mob made sure it was one on one, and low blows weren't allowed. New Flu ? - Now, they are talking about a pandemic, Of this Asian Avian flu, The medical experts and government folks, Just aint sure what to do. George said, he'd call out the Marines, instead of trying vaccination, Thanksgiving 05 - Thanksgiving's nearly here again, And regardless of ones view, On religion, sports or politics, it's a healthy thing to do, To tally up your blessings, the bright spots along the way, Some Cows Want to Come Home, some don't. - There's a touch of frost in the air, and a little less time each day, To say goodbye to summer, and get the equipment put away, Just a B.S. artist - "To stretch The Truth, just enough, That's the story tellers art, You now that half my tale is lies, But, can you figure out which part! " Easy Rider - Summer has sneaked right on by, my saddle horses are lazy and fat. But a couple of weeks of fall riding, soon ought to remedy that. That Early Fall Buzz - Skimming inches off the ground, a low pitched droning fills the air Flying loose formation , airborne squadrons everywhere. Last Week of Summer - Corn on the cob, and home grown tomatoes, the calves are big and fat, We're on the downhill slope of Summer, There's no denying that. Beware the Blue Eyed Arabs - It cost me over a hundred bucks, To fill the tank on my ol' truck, In Washington and Ottawa, They pretend it's just bad luck. Back in the Saddle - He figures city life prit near killed him, stuck in that apartment with nothing to do So he packed up his gear and moved back to the ranch, Though last fall he turned eighty-two. The Daily Chicken Run - I set down my cup of coffee... I could see the high grass quiver, Once more they began the perilous dash, from the rough ground by the river. Nemiah Valley - It's one of those places I had heard about all my life but never been to, so when they asked me to judge their rodeo I jumped in the pick-up and went! I've heard stories and legends about Nemiah, Since I was a very young child, A beautiful valley tucked away in the mountains The Sort Of Open Border - ( US border opens to live cattle under 30 months of age) Why did the heifer cross the border? Why, just because she could! and after two years of this BSE -BS, any sort of normal trade sounds good. Good Time to Be a Bear! - For early July it's kinda damp, 'cause it's been raining for a bit. And the Fire Hazard is so darn low, I can't get a camp fire lit. Jack and Jill Went up Parliament Hill. - Just one loose end to tidy up, before their Summer Holiday. It seems Paul Martin and Jack and Gilles, got married yesterday. Courage - The West, is creation's best, sculpted by ice, wind and fire., Her children made to match the land,, twisted rawhide and barb wire. Springtime in the Rockies - There are ripe strawberries in my garden, My corns nearly two foot high. but I'm Alberta bound this weekend I shake my head and wonder why. Sharpening My Pencil - Being laid up just a bit, Until this busted wrist can heal, I aint much help around the homestead, So I'll try a different deal. I used to be an honest lad, Right Where I left It - I started life a South paw, In grade one, I slipped right through. But they set out to put the cure on me, When I was in grade two. Heck It Could Have Been Worse! - I remember checking out when my horse started to fall, I don't remember much else until they loaded me in the ambulance. Steep Slopes and Green Horses - Inspired in that instant when I kicked my feet out the stirrups as I cleared the front of my saddle and noticed I was about 20 feet in the air with nothing but rocks and pavement below. Turn Out Time - The Saskatoons are blooming, There's green grass on the Southern slope. We finally made though to May The month of blossoms, joy and hope! Up in Smoke ... - With all the technology available for communication these days, I notice the Vatican is still using smoke signals, while here in BC the race is on... Face to Face - Yesterday I went over to help the neighbours brand a bunch of Fall Calves, some were pretty big and just a little wild.I was working in the run pushing calves up to the chute, things went pretty well until we got down to the last few... She used me for a launch pad, Hiding in Plain Sight - Creatures of myth and mystery, scurry out of sight, Cloaked by publication bans, they avoid the probing light. What Income? - It's a perfect Springtime morning, gentle breeze and clear blue sky, From the window of my prison, I watch my horses racing by. Officially Sprung. - Outside our kitchen window, in the old crab apple tree, A robin tries to harmonize, with the mountain chickadee. Chee-wit switched a month ago. Thrice Three - The Kamloops Cowboy Festival began nine years ago, and like cowboy tales 'round a campfire, it just seems to grow and grow. We are in the biggest theatre in town, Open Sesame ? - Do you want to know just how silly bureaucracy can be ? I was recently asked by a local broadcasting company to speak at a Canadian Radio and Television Commission hearing in favour of their application to launch a new country music station in Kamloops, I sent the letter off on time but was informed I could not appear at the hearings because... The Sponsorship Enquiry - Hotels, golf courses and carnivals, bogus contracts to party friends... When it comes to politics in old Quebec, The corruption never ends. The last few years have been way too interesting... I am tired of seeing us on the National news! - If the ground hog sees his shadow.. It matters not to me, Just an average so - so kind of Spring, Is what I'd like to see. We've had fire and drought and BSE, School Daze - I left Dean to feed the cattle, and took the Highway South. Escaped the bitter Chilcotin winter, and stepped into the Lions Mouth. Procrastination's Price, - It started leaking, back in August, A little steel Hydraulic line. A bit of rubber and a hose clamp, seemed to stop the leak just fine. Kinda Chilly Huh? - The packed snow creaks, like pole gate hinges, beneath the cloven feet. of cattle shrouded in a fog bank formed, of exhaled breath and body heat. After a half dozen mild winters, A New Day - A field of bright diamonds, sparkle and glow. First rays of Dawn, crisp, new fallen snow. A new day, A new year, A fresh page bright and Clean 2004 - It's a year, that may look better, once it's safely in the past! To a fire and drought ravaged West, The Rain, returned at last. What's it all about, Charlie Brown ? - And, Lo, The Angel of the Lord Came upon them, and The Angel said unto them Fear not: for behold I bring you tidings of great joy! I feel a lot like Charlie Brown, each year when Christmas comes around. The Santa Claus Dun - I rode the Dun along the river trail, and loped some circles in the snow. He's soft and easy on the bridle, though he's still got a ways to go. Running in the team - Santa Claus is nearly on his way, He's just got two weeks or so,It's time to get them reindeer caught, and gentled some you know. Duck Tape Diplomacy - They say George is coming over, To wine and dine with Paul, after four years, I guess he figured out, We're neighbours after all. How does that old song go...? - "If you got The money, Honey..I got the time." - Little Brother has a pair of colts at the ranch, He'd like me to come up there and ride, But I'm waltzing each day with the big Zebra Dun, Canadian Finals Rodeo - The cows are out on winter range, so far there aint much snow. So I figured I could sneak away to the Canadian Finals Rodeo. I'll watch the broncs and bucking bulls, Patience, Trust and A Little Luck - There's a dozen old cowboy songs and poems, about the Zebra Dun, And this line backed gelding I'm working now, just might be another one. Weaning Time 2004 - Three days, the snow's been falling, right across the West. As Weather goes at weaning time, this really aint the best. Hangin' On - We were going to wean our calves last week, but the offer was to low. We turned down the bid and turned out the herd, for another week or so. Ontario's Not as Far From Home as I Thought - Ambling along down Yonge Street, In my boots and and old felt hat, I feel just a tad, conspicuous, City folks don't dress like that! Just One More Diabolical CIA Plot ? - From Come by Chance to Campbell River Our great nation is cast in Mourning, Tragedy beyond our deepest fears, Though we all had ample warning. September Blues - Little Brother is out guiding moose hunters, I'm trying to catch up on chores around here, after a month of steady rain, we're way behind, I fear. Small Boys, Trains and Outlaws - There was derelict old Steam engine, I played on when I was ten, I'd hear that lonesome whistle blow, and the old west would live again, I rode with Billy Miner's gang, To rob The CPR, Does This Mean The Drought Is Over ? - I hear the Peace River country had some snow, and we've had six weeks of rain, If you're looking at the river level, You'd swear it's June again. Salsa Season - It was a good year for tomatoes, and the Spanish onions did real well, I've got home grown chilli peppers... red, yellow and green bell. North Thompson Fall Fair, - Labour Day weekend means Fall fair time, The Midway and Cattle show, Chuck wagon races and an old time dance, after the Rodeo. Where there's Smoke, there's a reporter! - In much of BC the tourism industry is being hurt by unfounded worries about forest fires..kind of a hangover from last year's disasters. We had big rain again last week, The hills are nice and green, For the middle part of August , It's about the best I've ever seen. Dog Days Of Summer - I saw four young wolves while I was riding on summer range last week. Hunting mice among the willows, and sedge meadow along the creek. Life’s Little Mysteries - I gathered about twenty cows this morning, And moved them through the gate, To the back end of our summer range, When I finished up it wasn’t too late. McClure Ferry - White water boiling off her flanks The main cable creaks as she comes about, Steel wheels sing upon the braided wire, As the current pulls her out. Welcome to da Swamp... Ayeeee! - Matt and I joined some friends In a the southern USA ,To do a little entertainin',down Texas and Louisiana Way. Adios Farmers - They're baling hay down in the valley heat waves blur the distant view, The cattle are in the high country, But I've got one more chore to do. Canadians in Old Fort Worth - Wandering around in the old Cowtown, Doris, Matt and Tammy-Dee Checking out the sights of ol' Fort Worth along with Frank, Jim and Me. Limping Into Summer - Through endless summers of our childhood, running barefoot, all day long, Through pasture field and pen, we grew up quick and strong. Canada Is - Canada is a poets dream, A land so diverse and wide It takes a lot of imagination to see the other side Horse Trading, - I've been horse poor nearly all my life, Which don't bother me a lot, Done some trading, raised a few, and one or two was bought. The Dance - The Election campaign is under way, and the bull is flyin' thick. Red, Blue, Green or sort of Pink, You have to take your pick. The Graduate - The round pen is a classroom, where we're taught, how to learn, From the larger lessons life brings our way, around every curve and turn. Counting Sheep... - Spring, is a season full of promises, that summer's heat will wither with on the vine, So if you gotta hold an election campaign, It's probably the perfect time. Don't ruin a beautiful Spring by fretting about Summer! - The corn is up in my garden, I ate a radish yesterday, There's blossoms on our tomato plants , and it's only the fourth week of May. Yeah, though we drive through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I fear no evil, 'cause I aint a chicken. - You know birds have been around a while, and I bet it's nothing new, That some would catch a sniffle, and some would get the flu. The Dickens You Say .. - Health care workers ordered back to work with a 15% pay cut... In a foggy Victorian City, across the Dire Strait, A bumbling band of cut throats, meet to plan their victims' fate. Mother's Day - Mother's day is coming up you could send flowers and a card, but I bet she'd rather have a hug and a little bit of your time... I Missed Arbor Day ? - " I think that I shall never see, a poem as lovely as a tree", Well, I suppose Longfellow was not talking about Chinese Elms or riding a green colt through a Jackpine jungle when he wrote that drivel. I can't believe it! I missed Earth Day, Arbor Day and National Poetry Week, Tax Time - Papers, papers every where, Scattered two feet deep, Faded, wrinkled, torn, and mutilated, Hotel bill or gas reciept? First I rake then into windrows, After forty years of lies we're finally right again! - For forty years, margarine, was touted as a healthy choice, "Veggie fats are good for you," said the scientific voice. El Caballo, Sacred Dog - In the Summer of 1493, ... fresh hoof prints in the sand. Spanish Horses, crossed the stormy sea, then swam ashore to land. Reality Entertainment? - Actors, Writers, Puppeteers, Entertainers everywhere, Your lively hood is threatened And you had best beware! The guy on the radio says it's Spring! - The snow in the valley is prit near gone, There's some green on the southern slope, Spring, is a time of muddy boots, new life and renewed hope. Where did all them people come from? - Ten years ago, in the sawdust, of the Kamloops Bull Sale ring, we gathered to spout some rhymes and lies, and hear The Cowboy's Sweet-Heart sing. The Strenuous Life? - The round corral is a sheet of ice, It seems winter aint quite gone, I've got two fillies in to start their training, but the crusty snow keeps hanging on. - Osama is a Republican ? - He's probably hiding out in Florida, wearing alligator boots. I think Osama and the Bush boys, just might be in cahoots. Tales Of the Cariboo Trail, - It's been nearly two hundred years, since David Stuart rode up from the South On a moccasin trail ten thousand years old, from the Okanagan's mouth. Hey ! We finally found "Two Tongued Jean's Legacy ! " - So after a life time spent in politics, this is how it ends. With our tax dollars used to line, the pockets of his friends. Scour Pills and Roses - Well ! so it is, once again, that romantic time of year. Time to tally up the vet supplies,'cause calving time is near. Elko - the deserts of Nevada, There's a quiet old cow town, that was on the verge of folding up, when the nearby mines shut down. Where Garcia's made their silver bits, and they still grazed a cow or two, Ode To Chee Witt - Sometime in late winter the Mountain Chickadee suddenly changes it's tune from the familiar "chick-de de" to three long clear notes rising then falling "deee - deee - deeee." A snowy road, - we're half way home , I see that pick-up swerve a bit, I start moving over as he straightens out, then he really looses it.... Forty Below - Forty Below The hard packed, snow creaks, beneath the tractor wheels, in the half-light before dawn, Lined cover-alls, felt pack boots, and your "Elmer Fudd" hat on. Cowboy Up! - The past year was a rank one , with lots of twists and turns, the kind that leaves the best of hands, with bruises and rope burns. Now the boss has run a new one in, that's bound to test our sand, Is It Really Over? - Well it's Meadow Muffin Number Fifty-Two, Time for my traditional..... year end review.This time around it don't seem fair, as my wife keeps sayin', "now Darlin' don't swear" The Gift - I suppose for some folks, Christmas is just a holiday. We forget the promise of The Child, Who came to show the way. Enhancing Your Festive Spirit - Canada post changed our address recently, to conform with the enhanced nine-one-one. So the SWAT team can find me If I forget to register a gun. Cow Country Christmas Memory - The cattle and horses got fed first, That was a tradition at our place. Christmas in Cow Country, Without that hectic urban pace. If a tree falls across the road, it's mine! - The Artic Front made it's first visit here , and ripped some shingles off our roof. blew down some trees and dusted snow, on the valley rim for proof. Lots of Official Visits and Photo Ops, but no real relief in sight! - Heavy rains the last few days, have snuffed out the smouldering embers, So there really aint much left to see, for that parade of V.I.P.s and Parliamentary members. Heading into town - I don't know why it always snows the most, on the days I plan to go to town. But with a little weight in the back and studded tires, I can always get around. Jean Chretien Steps down Paul Martin Steps Up. - Well, Ol' Two Tongued Jean, is set to retire and let Commodore Martin take the wheel. Canadian democracy being alive and well, He's got about five years to run the whole deal. Lest We Forget, - When we pause to honor the sacrifice, Of those who gave their lives and more, Let us not forget that few of them, would have chosen to go to war. Ma's New Pocket Size Cow Dog. - My wife got herself new puppy That aint more than six inches tall, Hannah,the Min-Pin, is a cute little rascal, but as dogs go, she is awful small. "How's Thing's going out your way?" - I got a note from a friend in Calgary by email yesterday, that ended with that innocent question, "How's Thing's going out your way?" Well the forest fires are finally out, and we've got the cows all in , My old truck is out of action , 'cause the clutch is broke again. Bob Jesson, 1914 - August 8, 2003 A tall man on a bay horse, That's the picture in my head, "Best all around horseman I ever met" , was what my father said. Bulls Don't Care - Well, nearly all the cows are home , but half our bulls are still out there. Hanging up on the summer range. Because bulls don't really care. Daybreak At Twilight Ranch - A crisp and frosty, golden morning, I cinch my saddle and swing on, Horse, snorting, dancing, full of beans, cold backed in the dawn. Drifters - A cowboy song-writer friend, from Louisiana, Stopped to visit for a time. We swapped some lies and points of view, on music craft and rhyme. Happy Birthday Dad - My Dad turns seventy nine today, Born in nineteen twenty four, He seen some changes along the way and he figures to see some more. Just keep Dancin' !!! - "Timing is the secret, to a successful Raindance" some will say, I'll tell you here and now, It just don't work that way. Please excuse my handwriting - Mixing Meadow Muffins by hand, can be a messy job indeed! But if young Billy did his job better, there wouldn't be no need. The Project - A few lines I penned a month ago, about courage and a blood red moon, have inspired a friend to craft a song, and compose a brand new tune . The musicians and the studio boys, donated their talent and time. Meadow Muffin Archives -