Ponderosa Pine

The proud, old ponderosa pine
masthead over mountain seas

stands as sentry throughout time

guarding dreams and memories:

stalwart men who stole my heart

from the moment it first came to beat

cowboy knights who plied the art

of chivalry with courageous feats

fighting outlaws, holding hope

teaching truth along the way

helping me to grow and cope

when the world itself seemed to betray

all that was and what should be

and what I knew could be again

if I but tried to look, to see

the path to love, to faith, to friends.

When words like polished leather shine

I’ll rest my pen, my hand, my screen

And wait for that majestic pine

To ferry me to kindred dreams.

Bonanza Brand's New Library -- Planning

I just wanted to let folks know some of the changes I'm planning to make in moving posts to the new library when my turn comes up later this week:

1. "Ballad of Brothers" and "Beyond the Ballad" will not make the transition. After the original posting, these stories were replaced by a further edited and combined version, "Ballad of Brothers: Opus." I might try to capture the original reviews for both stories--those reviews that haven't disappeared, anyway---and paste them into a closing "page"

2. The following poems will be combined, as separate pages in a single post, probably titled “Ponderosa Pining”:

·         “Ben’s Advice” --- *Cherish what you have, for blessings often have a price

·         “The Cartwright Brothers, Three” --  A sad yet endearing tale of Adam, old and tired, returning to what isn't quite the empty home he'd expected.

·         “From Sea to Saddle” --- A sonnet for Adam to honor Pernell's birthday in response to a challenge posted by Cheaux at the forums.

·         “To Joe” --- When letters don't suffice, Adam drafts a poem to help Joe understand why he left.

3. "The Darkest Hour" and "No One" will be combined into a single post, with the new title: "For the Soul is Dead that Slumbers," a tale told in 2 parts:

·         The Darkest Hour: When Joe is missing, he’s not the only one trapped in darkness.

·         No One: Even after Joe comes home, a part of him remains lost.

4. The 5 separate short stories, that, when combined make up the Dime Novel Rescue Series will, in fact, be combined in a single post with multiple pages:

·         The Dime Novel Rescue Series: *A complete tale told in 5 progressive short stories (each of which can stand alone)

·         Summary: Wounded, trapped in the desert and surrounded by a renegade band of Bannocks, Paiutes and Shoshones, Adam and Joe prepare for death, unaware of the unfolding chain of tiny miracles that is setting them up for an improbable, last-minute rescue.

o   “Too Late for Lies: The Story of Adam and Little Joe” as told by Joe

o   “An Ace Up and Angel’s Sleeve” as told by Adam

o   “Trusting in Angels” as told by Hoss

o   “The Spark Within” as told by Ben

o   “Heroes Often Do” as told by Joe

5. Just a Little Disagreement and Just a Poker Game will also be combined (I don't have that file configured just yet, so am not copy/pasting with summaries here just yet)

So, if my math is correct....My number of stories will drop from 52 to 40.....

My first and rather quick message here:

The Bonanza Brand library is changing! My stories will be moved from the old to the new late next week. As one of the top ten most prolific writers there, I have a lot of stories to move. I will, however, be condensing, combining and eliminating redundant stories (I'll explain that in another post here soon.) Here's hoping I get them all moved in the time allotted. But, if not, I'm sure there will be time to do so later.