Sunday Readings

The neighbors weren't home so it was the perfect time to go over and pry their small, screened outbuilding off its foundation.

Gary had these five-foot-long, 2,000 pound pry bars (maybe they weighed a little less) and while he lifted the building I quickly stuffed a brick under the bottom. What had been an aviary for the neighbor (until the raccoons got his birds) will be a garden shed for the Bisels.

We had permission to lift the building, but would anyone have asked? Years ago, in a Mayberry far, far, away, Dewey and Verlie Hill were sitting on their front porch enjoying the summer breeze when a crew showed up at the log tobacco barn across the road and began to dismantle it. This is Mayberry, so everyone waved and the Hills watched as these hardworking boys loaded century-old logs onto their flatbed truck and drive away.

A couple of days later, the neighbors came knocking.
"Our barn is gone! Did you see where it went?"

"It went thataway," said Dewey, pointing away from town.

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One of my favorite ways to spend Sunday is in the cafe at Barnes and Noble with a cappuccino and a stack of magazines. Occasionally, I buy one.

Noel and I filled a basket with reading material and settled in by the window to watch the world go by and read particularly interesting excerpts to each other.

If a psychologist were examining my selections, I'm sure I'd be in a treatment program somewhere because they are always eclectic. I don't subscribe so much any more, because I can't afford to subscribe to all the magazines I love, but I also love going in and being surprised by the new issues and choosing which one deserves to come home with me. So between Veranda, Country Living, Military History Quarterly, Wild West, True West, Better Homes and Gardens, Mother Earth News, Grit, Country French, Armchair General, The Cowboy Way, American Cowboy, Cowboys and Indians, Cottage Living, Midwest Living, Southern Living, Country French, Southwest Art, a couple of books and poetry reviews--it sometimes takes two or three coffee refills.

To help narrow your own choices, here are a couple of gems I found yesterday:

The Cowboy Way--great article by Guy De Galard on the Artist Ride in which my friend Robert "Cowboy" Culbertson participated. Cowboy (above) posted on Facebook that it was good to do some hard riding, but he did some hard posing along the way. The photograph and subsequent painting of his iconic self are worth at least a thousand words. Maybe a thousand and one.

Also in The Cowboy Way, friend Dan Gagliasso (left) has a tremendous article, "Cowboy Cavalry Under Fire: Roosevelt's Rough Riders." Dan always delivers on solid writing with a compelling subject. My history buds are going to love this one.

Military History Quarterly--an exceptional issue. The United States has deployed the whole of its military might on eleven occasions, according to this article, to capture or kill ONE man. Among that elite and notorious group: Geronimo, Pancho Villa, Manuel Noriega, Saddam Hussein. This is a fascinating article with some compelling images.

Cowboys and Indians -- Mark Harmon on the cover. Enough said.

Flea Market Style -- One of the most fun and imaginative issues ever. The cover image says it all with a theme combining things I love -- old stuff and travel.

Now that I am sufficiently inspired, down to creating something -- though I can't decide whether to rearrange the guest room or take over a third world country. . . .

Sunday Morning Coming Down, with Caffeine and Magazines

Spent the morning with daughter, Noel, and her little boy, Devyn, at Barnes and Noble. This has always been a favorite way to spend Sunday morning for me and my girls. Grab a latte and about a dozen magazines, read the most interesting parts to each other, and watch the world hustle by on Wannamaker Road.

So, my dozen magazines this morning were the usual: history, military history, and home decor. I have some great stuff to pass along to you!

Armchair General has a fantastic cover and the inside is just as great with history-making photographs. You'll find many of these familiar; some less so. For example, the Boer farmers from the war by that name really struck me and made me want to know more about that episode in world history.

Veteran filmmaker, author and rodeo personality Dan Gagliasso has a really interesting article on father and son artists, and I believe this appeared in The Cowboy Way. Is that right, Dan? As always, his writing is so engaging and his subject is fascinating. Of course, American Cowboy featured lots of comments on Dan's article (or was it several?) on John Wayne. . . .

A big note of congratulations to American Heritage on 60 years!!!! Just the other day, I was perusing one of those hardbound-issues, June 1959, and found an excellent article on Sir Walter Raleigh. Bruce Catton was the editor then and surely it was the Golden Age of Journalism. This venerated publication keeps up the heritage of quality with this issue, a primer on American history by the best in the business! This copy is a must-have!! Kudos to the staff!

Finally, GQ. Yes, I read GQ. Clint Eastwood graces the cover and is billed as "Badass of the Year." (This is because GQ is a guy's magazine and you have to say something like that to get their attention; nonetheless, the writing is excellent!) I have to say Michael Hainey's article is one of the most honest and relevant interviews with a "star" that I have ever read. Get it. Read it. Take it to heart.

Oh, on a personal postscript....Christmas present for your mother, Karen. Renew my Barnes & Noble card:)