Cowboy Dan

Dan Harrell is a man of great faith, wisdom, courage and strength.

Many years ago we used to go to the same church.

Now he has a national TV show called Cowboy Dan's Frontier (check here for schedule).

It's for the young, as well as the young at heart.

His story will touch your heart ... and check out his show!

Doing The Hobo Bear Dance For The Man

Have you ever had an idea that made it to a TV show? A reader named Rawhide created a concept called the "Hobo Bear Dance". If I recall correctly, an office associate of his picked it up and passed it on to another associate who happened to be a television writer for "Cavemen". To view the final result, click here.

Under West Texas Skies

The beautiful Winkler County Courthouse is normally a quiet and stately place where smiling men in fashionable hats once hung out.

It's home to a dead cat (that used to live in the county clerk's office)

and a time capsule (to be opened soon, I see).

Well, forget all that, because it's time for "Under West Texas Skies." On July 30 (Yes, I'm way behind on blogging!), one of Midland/Odessa's TV stations, NewsWest9, came to town and did much of their 4 PM, 5 PM and 6 PM newscast live from the courthouse lawn. This was their first trip to Kermit in about seven years. Robert is interested in possibly being a newscaster someday, so we like to go to these things.

The chase van, so named because it's mainly used in the pursuit of storms, beams a signal 56 miles back to the station. Robert is also interested in stormchasing.

If I stand here long enough, I'll be on TV!.

A rare shot of Liz with three of her supervisors. From left to right: Kermit Elementary Principal Mr. Gabe Espino, KISD Superintendent Mr. Santos L. Lujan, Jr., Liz, and Kermit Elementary Vice Principal Ms. Sonia Gonzales. I think they were waiting for an interview that unfortunately never happened.

Kermit has no county fair, so I guess events like this fill a void ... or maybe I don't know what I'm talking about but I won't stop yammering!

The sports guy plays Frisbee with the "yutes" (youths).

These are some of the contestants in the Ugly Dog Contest, although IMHO none of them are ugly, just distinctive-looking:

There are larger rats in Kermit than the above chihuahua!

This was the eventual winner, owned by Don and Vida Simpson.

The mayor, Ted Westmoreland, gets interviewed.

Correspondents Crystal Crews and Michael Stafford.


Robert the autograph hound! Did I mention he might want to join the ghostbusters someday?

The mandatory ice cream eating contest.

GAAA! It's the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man! No, just an ice-cream cone from the local DQ, handing out free treats!

The hot dog eating contest.

Finally it's time to pack up the pineapples and go home.

This looks ... expensive ... and ... unguarded ... hmmm ...

One happy kid.

For a minute.

The Night I Got "Turned In" To America's Most Wanted

How do I start this story? From 2002 to 2006, before my wife found employment with the school district, I worked a weekend job at the local Pizza Hut as a delivery driver. This was in addition to my regular inventory gig during the week.

One Thursday night in 2005, I was on my way back from an inventory in Iraan, Texas, about 120 miles south of my home. Liz and Robert were at home. Liz heard a knock on the front door and opened it to find a U.S. Marshal standing there.

"Good evening, ma'am. Is your husband at home?" he asked.

"No, he's on his way back from Iraan," Liz answered.

"Do you have a recent picture of your husband, ma'am?"

Liz invited him in and showed him the most recent picture that was hanging in the hall.

"No, that's not the man we're looking for," said the Marshal. He thanked my wife and apologized for disturbing her. Apparently they had received an anonymous tip that a man named David Creamer, who had been recently featured on America's Most Wanted, was in the area and delivered pizzas in Kermit.

He doesn't look like me except for the glasses. His glasses are identical to the ones I wore at the time. He must have gotten his glasses at Wal-Mart just like me. And I did have a mustache at the time, but not a beard.

Interestingly, Creamer is a diabetic, which I am not. That condition must make life on the run even more difficult.

It wasn't until the Marshal left that Liz noticed the four other deputies on the porch, collectively carrying enough firepower to take down a brontosaurus!

"Is daddy in trouble?" Robert asked his mom.

About a week later, Johnny, the manager at the Hut, admitted to me that he knew the name of the customer who had "turned me in" because he (the customer) had been bragging about doing so. The guy who called the show is a security guard and fancies himself an amateur sleuth.

I still see this guy around town, and I've never spoken to him about the incident. I saw him at the grocery store on December 31 and wished him a happy new year. He wished me the same. I am trying to forgive him. Inwardly, though, I still say "G-r-r-r..."

Everyone at Pizza Hut thought the whole thing was funny. My household was not amused.

As for Creamer, he remains at large, probably stopping in from time to time at Wal-Mart to get his glasses adjusted. And probably ordering testing supplies from Wilford Brimley.

And as for me, it was just a coincidence that I decided to get different glasses and shave my mustache off.

How do I end this story? Well ... if you're a fugitive from justice, why not leave me a comment? Or better yet, just keep running...

And as for the rest of you ... say, doesn't that person delivering pizza in your neighborhood look a little seedy?

Three Reasons I Like Christmas by Robert Kirk

(This is Robert's composition for school, and it is being blogged against his wishes. But I am bigger and stronger than him. This too shall pass.)

My favorite holiday is Christmas, and Christmas is a time of year for sharing and loving. Jolly old Kris Kringle, otherwise known as Santa Claus, comes and gives me presents. One of the reasons Christmas makes me happy is the chocolate candy, and chocolate coin candies are wrapped in foil and taste wonderful. Plus, they come in gold bags and cost less money than regular candies. Chocolate coin candies just taste wonderful to me on the Christmas holiday. Loving my family is another reason why Christmas makes me happy, and my family bonds like butter. They drink Coca-Cola easily, they watch TeleVision, and they love me so much. And that's why I love them. I light the tree with my family, and they think it is pretty. Plus, the lights sparkle and shine, along with the star. I like Christmas so much, I can't stop thinking about the reasons. So, there you have it, the three reasons I like about Christmas. I hope you enjoyed it, for Christmas is my favorite time of the year!

Signs You Might Be a Trekkie

(This was sent to me by a source who wishes to remain anonymous. I thought it was funny.)

Saying "make it so" in casual conversation.

Indignation because the periodic table doesn't include dilithium and tritanium.

Able to use "variable phase inverter" in a sentence without excessive thought first.

Have figured out the stardate system.

An urge to wear lots of Lycra. Scanning shelves at local liquor store for synthehol.

The Star Trek theme becomes background music for your computer, car stereo, dreams, etc.

Major quote sources for thesis are Shakespeare, the Bible, and "The Omega Glory".

Memorization of the crew's authorization codes. Attending a convention wearing non-Terran vestments.

Actual serious thoughts about buying that $300 model of the Enterprise from the Franklin Mint.Understanding Klingon.

Playing fizzbin and understanding it.

"The Outrageous Okona" seems like a fine piece of writing and dramatic stylistics.

Paying rapt attention during those endless special effects sequences in ST:TMP.

You send weekly love letters to the actress who played the green skinned Orion slave girl on episode number 7.
You pull the legs off your hamster so you'll have a tribble. Your wife left you because you wanted her to dress like a Klingon and torture you for information.

You went to San Francisco to see of you might bump into Kirk and crew while they were in the 20th century looking for a whale.

Your college thesis was a comparison of the careers of T.J. Hooker and Captain Kirk.

You fly into a homicidal rage anytime people say, "Star Trek? Isn't that the one with Luke Skywalker?" You join NASA, hijack a shuttle, and head for the coordinates you calculated for the planet Vulcan.

The UPS guy hands you his electronic clipboard and you're tempted to call him the "Captain's Yeoman" as you sign it. Phrases like 'sentient being' start creeping into your speech patterns.

When you find yourself singing "Headin' Back to Eden" in the shower and you know all the words.

You start practicing raising one eyebrow in front of a mirror.

Someone tells a joke and your only comment is: "Humor, a difficult concept"

You flip open your cellular phone and expect to hear it "chirp." You ask local pet stores if they stock tribbles . . and if they're neutered.

You find yourself executing the "Picard Maneuver." You get on an elevator full of people and have to catch yourself before you tell it what floor you want.

You walk to the microwave and start to order dinner.

Sitting in traffic you seriously start wondering why you're using this primitive form of transportation.

After seeing a news story about a police shooting you wonder, for a moment, why they just didn't set it on stun. You get upset when you go to get a vanity plate and find that WARPSPD has already been taken.

You see a car with a Starfleet Academy sticker and it seems perfectly normal.

Your wardrobe consists of a lot of black slacks with interchangeable gold, red and blue tops.

All babies start to remind you of Jean-Luc Picard.

You drive by a used car lot and start looking for Ferengi.

You start watching commercials because so many Trek alumni are doing the voice-overs.

You know you watch too much Trek when someone asks you to quote some Shakespeare and you do it in Klingon.

You recognize more than four references on this list.