June 19, 2003

Oh Lordy, Folks! I think I have a problem here!

Well….you know how it's been rain, rain and more rain for a good while now? All the way from lower Georgia to northern Ohio? All the flooding and high water and people just having a terrible time of it? Well……..I think it's all my fault! Yes, I do….I think all this rain is my fault from the word "go". Wait just a minute now and don't laugh until you hear how it happened……and the reason I know for sure that it was ME who caused all this rain!

One of my very dear friends (who probably WON'T be after she reads THIS!) and her cousin were playing a little game one day on the internet…...banterin' back and forth about songs about "Rain" or that had the word "rain" in it. Over a few days…..she'd think of a song….then he'd think of a song and then….she asked me if I'd like to join the contest……'cause that's what it had become by then…and they were keeping score too! And I thought it was kind of silly……but fun….so I cranked off a couple of "rain" songs to add to the list….and then I thought of another one……and …..another one…..and before I knew it ……I had about 20 songs that had the word "Rain" in them! I sent them to my friend by E-mail…..and she laughingly called me the "Rain-Guru"…….and Folks…That's when it started! Folks…..I swear to you……that night it started to Thunder!!!

And it rained and it RAINED! But of course, who would think there was anything strange about that…..it always rains in the summer-time! Anyway…..I was having so much fun….trying to think of songs about "Rain" ….and every day I would remember another 3 or 4 "rain songs" and send them in….and then we began to get into POEMS about "rain"! And I'm tellin' you…..THAT'S when it began to POUR!!

"Rain, rain go away, come again some other day"!
"Rain , rain go to Spain, Never show your face again!"
"Rain, rain, pour down, But not a drop on our town"!
"Rain on the green grass and rain on the tree, And Rain on the Housetop but not on me!"

And that's just a "drop in the bucket"…….oh dear……there I go again! Just can't seem to stop thinkin' about "rain"…..and as long as I'm thinkin' about rain…..it just keeps on RAINING! What in the world am I going to do???

I know….I know….I KNOW JUST EXACTLY WHAT TO DO……..I'll think about sunshine til the sun shines ( I do believe I see a ray or two already!)…. dry mud puddles….and high blue skies….and big fluffy WHITE clouds…..but Lord…..whatever you do….please

PLEASE don't let me think about Earthquakes!!!!

Sunshine Donna
 

June 2, 2003

Hello Folks!!!!
(Guess I ought to start sayin' "Howdy" now, instead of "Hello" since we're a real ranch and all!!)

Okay!! Howdy Folks…….

Ya'll are getting' lucky! Two newsletters in as many days! Oh well….this one's not a new one……in fact, it was the first account of one of my "adventures" that I ever wrote about! And I sent it out to a few people. Actually, it happened a couple of months ago, and I guess it was what gave me the idea of our "Wildwood Ranch News" that's on the site now - Anyway, everybody's been askin' why it wasn't published in the "News" so I had to try to look it up on an old e-message. I hadn't even saved it for my files!! But, now that I've finally found it, guess it'll just have to get "published" too! So HERE IT IS -

"The Tale of the Spinnin' Work Station" !!!

Well Folks - You're not going to believe this, but I've got to share it with you anyway!!

Today I took my mom back to the doctor for her follow-up exam after her release from the hospital last Sunday. (She had a heart catharization or angioplasty done last Friday). And after the doctor was finished she wanted something to eat and a new book to read - so we just made the "rounds". I had a couple of stops to make as well, one of which was the Office Depot for some scotch tape.

Well, I pulled my little old Ford Ranger into the Fire Lane right in front of the door to Office Depot - I left the motor running - was only going to be just a minute - but noticed 6 or 8 large one-piece, L-shaped work station right there in front of the store with a sign that said "Used display station for sale - $50." And I though "Wow!! This is exactly what I need for MY work area at home! I can put all the computer stuff, the stereo stuff and all the recording stuff all on the same station and it will be Oh so easy to get to!!!

So I hurried inside and paid the man the $50, and asked if they'd load it for me. Between 3 "husky" men AND myself - WE loaded that thing into the bed of my truck! Couldn't put up the tailgate though because of the bolted-on toolbox behind the cab! Now I've been tellin' Johnny for the past two years (that's how long I've had the blasted truck) that I wanted that thing OFF! I didn't LIKE it……didn't WANT it…..didn't USE it…….couldn't get INTO it anyway……..so TAKE IT OFF!!! Well, it was still on the truck today, so the tailgate stayed down!! The unit was so danged heavy though, that none of us (including those "knowledgeable" employees of Office Depot!) thought it would be going ANYWHERE!!!

Well!! I drove real slow all the way through town and about the time I got on Wildwood Road and only about 5 miles from the house …..it began to rain….and rain….and rain! We were going up this very slight grade when I heard a horrible noise and looked in the rear view mirror - Just in time to see that blasted work station slide right off the bed of my truck - hit the pavement - and start spinning round and round on the wet asphalt right toward the car that was directly behind me!!! Now, not only did that thing stay right behind me in my lane…..and not veer into the on-coming lane….But it kept spinning round and round and pickin' up speed ……headin' BACK the way we had just come!!!!

Both cars behind me "evaded" the spinning work station very nicely - and they both have GREAT horns!!! I ignored them completely as they passed me……and although I refused to look "directly" at them…..out of the "corner" of my eye, seems like I saw clinched fists waving in the air!!! Who knows, maybe they were celebrating the fact that they WOULDN'T have to file a claim on my insurance to take my house…..my property……my royalties…..my husband…..and my daughter……and anything OVER $600 that I ever would make in the future!!!

At any rate, I finally "manhandled" that thing off to the side of the road, nearly in the ditch…..and you know something? Not only was it still in one piece….there simply was not a scratch on it!!! I could not believe it!! I just stood there in the rain trying to figure out what to do, when Mom came trottin' down the road toward me, wavin' her pocketbook in the air! "Mom! Get back in the truck!!" No good!! She yelled "I just flagged down your cousin Wayne Allen! He's backing up!! SEE!!" And sure enough, Wayne stopped to help, and somehow, he and I got that thing back into the truck…….nearly killed us both!!! But I got it home and waited for Johnny to get a few of his buddies to help get it in the house.

But then…..Janet came home from work - and Folks!!! It was AWFUL!! She and Pam dug in, and took my dining room apart!! Took the middle leafs out of my table…..can only seat 4 now! The old computer station, my desk, the shelves, the stereo stand….EVERYTHING was moved out to make room for the new unit! Then she said…. "Back your truck up to the door!" OK, now remember folks, I had already lifted that thing twice in the previous 2 hours and my back was really hurting….but there was nothing I could do! Those 2 gals were bound and determined to get that thing into my house and set it up…….TODAY!! AND THEY DID!!! (And we're all three ……half DEAD!!)

Mom has told everyone in the community about our "escapade"…..and has laughed until she's sick (along with everyone else!) Maybe this should have happened before the angioplasty…..and maybe we could have saved Medicare a bundle!!! She just giggles every time I look at her…..I think Wayne is on his way to the Emergency Room……and I probably will stop by Peninsula Mental Health Facility on my way to the Orthopedic doctor in the morning!!

But See Folks! My Luck is Holding! What if I hadn't needed to pick up some scotch tape? None of this would have happened……and I would have never had such a great adventure! As Jon Scott said…. "Donna, this stuff only happens in a Laurel and Hardy movie!" Not so, Jon! Just stay a while in Wildwood! Lots of things happen HERE that don't happen ANYWHERE else in the World!!!

Well…..you folks take care. And don't go ANYWHERE with your tailgate open……or……without a good length of ROPE!


Donna
(now right here, I usually type: -for- "Sisters of the Silver Sage"…..
but the girls said I'm on my own on THIS one!!)

June 1, 2003

Hello again, Folks,

Welcome to The Wildwood Ranch! Just thought I'd let all you good folks know that we are now a working Cat-tle Ranch! And I'm afraid it may just be more "work-in it" than we thought! We're runnin' about 28 head now, to my way of countin', and I'm here to tell you folks, it is sure enough is keepin' us busy (when we're not on stage, of course!) The feedin' alone is costin' us a fortune!! But that's the way of it when you're running a cat-tle ranch!

The "Head Honcho" of this here bunch of critters is one mean dude we call "Luverly", because he's anything BUT loverly! He's Big - He's Mean - He's dangerous - and he is indeed the "King"! Every "lass" within his eyesight is downright enamored of His Majesty! And all these pretty ladies have proved it repeatedly this Spring by having little Princes and Princesses who look just like him! White with black and gray markings.

Now Luverly runs his domain with an iron will, and any young whippersnapper who dares to trespass on his territory is in for a terrible surprise! Luverly does not tolerate invasions or excursions into HIS realm. Not only does he START the battle….He also FINISHES it! The most horrible sounds echoing across the land! Roars of challenge…….screams of rage…….and finally whimpers of defeat and submission! I'm telling you, it'll set you right straight up in the bed in the middle of the night when one of those battles commence!! It's almost as bad as one of the "Romances"! Sometimes I even have to go out the back door and shoot a load of buckshot straight up into the air to get 'em to hush up and let me get back to sleep! Not that it really does any good. Seems like the only one who can handle Luverly is Miss Lilly Langtree! She's our best cat-tle dog!

Miss Lilly is sure a go-getter! She doesn't have any idea that she's a lot smaller than Luverly - and Luverly doesn't have a clue either! He'll just stand there lookin' at her, with his head lowered and ready for battle! You can almost see the electricity in the air between them! Miss Lilly circles Luverly cautiously at first, getting' closer with every turn - then snarlin' and snappin', Miss Lilly lets loose and you ain't NEVER seen nothin' run like Luverly runs then! Nope! Luverly don't like Miss Lilly AT ALL! And Miss Lilly does seem to pick on Luverly - sort of. She don't chase the "ladies" much - maybe because they ignore her totally, unless of course, she gets too close to one of their little ones! Then they stand their ground and dare Miss Lilly to get within strikin' distance! But Miss Lilly knows her limitations and doesn't get too close! It's just poor Luverly that receives the brunt of her malice! She just don't like him one little bit!

Now I guess ya'll might be wonderin' why in the world we decided to become a workin' cat-tle ranch, with a cat-tle dog and 28 critters to take care of? Well actually, we didn't have much of a choice! They just came here and well - we just couldn't let 'em go hungry! And they're so wild that we can't catch 'em to tame 'em - and actually Luverly, although he's the meanest, is also the most tame. At least he'll come up to us and let us pet him. He'll rub up against us and want some more pettin'! Loves to have his ears scratched! He just purrs up a storm when we do that! And then he'll just wrap himself around your ankles and ask for more!

What was that? How can a bull do that? A bull? A Bull!! You don't think I'd get that close to a BULL do you? I'm not CRAZY! Luverly? No - He's not a bull - He's a CAT! Yes a CAT!! A cattle ranch? Wherever in the world did you get that idea? No - I didn't say "Cattle Ranch"……I said "Cat-tel Ranch"! You know - Cats! Stray cats! They came here from everywhere 'cause they know they'll get fed here! Miss Lilly Langtree? She's a toy Chihuahua who torments Luverly daily! Our Cat-tle dog! Tall Tales? Me???? Of all things - I can't believe you'd think such a thing!! Huhpf! If we weren't such good friends, I do believe I could get a bit miffed over that remark!

Good Day to You!
Donna (the Cat-tle Rancher)

May 26, 2003

Good Mornin' to all of you! I'm tellin' you it has been one more busy weekend! Saturday mornin' bright and early, we headed down to middle Tennessee to the sleepy little townlet of Bell Buckle to participate in a Tribute to Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. I'll tell you all about that in just a minute, but first let me introduce you to Bell Buckle.

Now first of all, this is a very old community! The huge Victorian homes with rocking chair-laden verandas line the sidewalks, like a picture out of Saturday Evening Post and Norman Rockwell! Time is slow there. Old men sit on a bench in front of the café on the "mall" (five stores on one side of the main street!). Genteel ladies fan themselves as they visit with the lady on the neighboring porch. Two or three little boys chase each other down the street and through the yards. Their laughter wafts gently on the soft breeze. The steady tap, tap, tap of a hammer indicates that someone is taking advantage of the beautiful day to make some repairs. It's not a frantic tap-tappin' so the repairs are not heavy-duty ones! On the soft air, you can just catch the scent of someone's late lunch! Mm-m-m-m-m!

And right into the middle of all this lovely serenity, enters... "Sisters of the Silver Sage"! And that's when Bell Buckle becomes ENERGETIC!!!

When we pulled up behind the Bell Buckle Café, we were greeted by our friend Rick "MavRic" Hines of I.S.O.P. a great Sons of the Pioneer-type trio! He and his two compadres, Smitty the Kid and Billy Bob Shane have some of the closest harmony I have ever heard. I just can't tell if I like their SOP sound better than their "Marty Robbins" sound! I'm tellin' you, it's amazin'! Then Fred Goodwin, the gentleman who was puttin' on this affair came out to give us all a big hug and welcome! He introduced us to a whole lot of folks (I think I got all their cards, but I'll be blasted if I can remember all their names!) and gave us the "line-up" and when we were to perform. Until 2pm we were on our own and we sure did need a place to change into our costumes, sooooooo we decided to give Casey Jones and his wife Lois a call. Casey and Lois have been family friends for years and years. In fact, Casey grew up with Daddy and was his best childhood friend! They invited us to use their home as a temporary "dressing room", and Casey even drove down to meet us and lead us to their house! We really enjoyed visiting with them but before we knew it, 2:00pm was upon us and we hurried back down to the Bell Buckle Café!

Now let me tell you a bit about the Bell Buckle Café! The little restaurant is famous throughout the land (and not just this North American Land, either….Europe is well aware of the exquisite cuisine presented at this establishment!) Their menu is delightful! The Fried Biscuits with Apple Butter are excellent (the real word is: HEAVEN). And have you ever had a pork chop that tasted like steak? I'm here to tell you, the best I've ever had! The décor is "tastefully" (a little play on words there!) rustic, with a hodge-podge of musical instruments on the walls, interspersed with photographs of all the celebrities that have played on their stage. And folks, let me tell you! Anyone who IS ANYONE has played at the Bell Buckle Café! The radio broadcast was from 1:00pm until 3:00pm and featured Roy Rogers' oldest daughter, Cheryl! We were delighted and honored to meet her again. She actually remembered us from the Western Music Association Festival in Las Vegas last November! I.S.O.P. did a full set (pure melodic ecstasy!) and we did a couple of our original songs. Fred wanted us to save our full set for the evening performance at 6:00pm. So then, we were on our own again until the 6:00pm show! (That's when we discovered the menu!)

But that's also the time that we could talk to some of our friends that had come down to hear us perform. Ron Kirby, (the Rembrandt of the Grand Piano!) our dear talented friend from our childhood years, who now lives near Lebanon, drove down to visit with us. We hardly get to see him more than once or twice a year! I still treasure our "jams" on the piano and organ in the church sanctuary! And some other dear friends, Woody and Carla Woodruff from the Centerville area also drove down to meet us. Woody is a Cowboy Poet Extraordinaire and is in the process of recording a collection of some of his original material. I just can't wait to get a copy of the final product!

Boy! Did the time fly! Between the "picture-taking" sessions on the patio, the wonderful conversations with our friends and the even MORE wonderful jammin' out back with MavRic and I.S.O.P. we were on the proverbial "Cloud Nine"! And THEN………. It was time for OUR show! Even though we were not quite up to par vocally (Rhonda was sick with the "bug" that I was recuperatin' from and that Janet was just comin' down with!) we gave them a great 45 minute performance! And I think WE enjoyed it TWICE as much as the audience did! At any rate, I think, judging by the width of the smiles on all the faces, that every person there had a wonderful time! But all too soon, it was time to head back to East Tennessee and the Wildwood Ranch! We did stop back by Casey and Lois' for a while to jam with his grandson, Jason, who is one heck-of-a-fiddler! Seems that Daddy taught the young man how to play the fiddle when he was just a kid, and all of us girls could recognize the pattern of some of the "runs" that Jason played. Yep! Definitely a "Smoky Pattern"!

Well, we finally made it to I-40 East and on in to Maryville, arriving at the ranch about 2:30 am, feet draggin' and eyes droopin', but with hearts just spillin' over with joy and a whole lot of memories of a wonderful community from another time, a restaurant that satisfies the "hunger of the soul" and friendships that will never fade!

"Good Night, Folks!"
Donna, Rhonda and Janet

May 20, 2003

Me oh My...just scrolled back and read my first entry about our trip to Nashville...and realized that I spelled some names wrong! And I even left a couple of names off...Whatever is getting’ wrong with me...must be the coffee! Better go back to my old brand!

Well anyway...please let this serve as a retraction...apology...correction...or whatever they call it in the journalistic world...Andy Reiss is correct Sorry Andy and Ginny...I really did know your last name didn’t have a "k" in it! Miss Ginny Mac! And there were a couple of nice fellers that I forgot to even mention...Jeff Taylor on the accordion...and Barry Bales fillin’ in on the bass...He’s usually to be seen with Alison Krauss and Union Station...and was filling in for Dennis Couch that night. Didn’t miss a lick either!! Then on the drums there was Rick Vanaugh!

There! Now I think I’ve got it all right! If I don’t...I’m sure one of you "critics" out there will be sure to let me know right away!!

See you folks later...and hope you have...Many Happy Trails!

Donna

May 19, 2003

All of us want to thank ALL OF YOU...for the wonderful prayers and positive thoughts that you have sent our way regarding our Alyce. She is in very high spirits...doesn't even look sick! She has begun the radiation and chemotherapy treatments the doctors say are so very effective with her type of cancer...and I do believe with the power of all our continuing prayers, we can help her beat this terrible disease!

Again...thank you so much!

"The Sisters"

May 1, 2003

Well Folks...

Everybody's been askin' for News about what's goin' on with the "Sisters of the Silver Sage"...especially since we're not at Deadbeat Pete's anymore...so we got together with our "Miracle-Makin' Webmaster"...Lee Wilkinson...and decided to add a little place on the site so that anyone who's interested can just wander around the "Wildwood Ranch" and "keep an eye" on us Sisters and all our Shenanigans!

Sooooo...for our very first entry in the Wildwood Ranch Newsletter...I'll tell you about our trip to Nashville early this week! Actually we went down to Nashville especially to hear Hoot Hester and his great Western Swing Band, The Timejumpers. They're right there at The Station Inn on 12th Avenue...every Monday night...so if you're ever in Nashville on a Monday...be sure to catch their performance! You'll not regret it...and if you can't make it to see them in person...drop by their website at:
www.thetimejumpers.com

Well, back to my story...We were down there with Miss Devon Dawson of the Texas Trailhands, her husband Chuck and Miss Ginny Mack. They'd never seen The Timejumpers in action...but did they get a show? You bet! The Timejumpers were HOT! In fact...I don't think they could have made a mistake if they'd WANTED to! Hoot and Kenny Sears on their fiddles were incredible...Carolyn Martin's rich vocals were on the mark...and of course Johnny Cox and Andy Reese were their usual awesome selves...All the other guys were great too! And the newest Timejumper...Ranger Doug Green, of the Riders in the Sky was there too...His "Along the Navajo Trail" just can't be beat!

There were lots of other nice people we ran into there as well...Joe Spivey, who played on OUR album, was there with his wife Darlene, and his father...He got up on stage and played the fiddle tune, Maiden's Prayer, with Kenny Sears... Beautiful!! Then Fred Goodwin and Gene Davenport came in to hear the music...and Rick "MavRic" Hines of I.S.O.P. (a great western trio) was there too....Everybody just had a great toe-tappin' time!

Hoot invited Miss Devon and Ginny Mack to do a couple of numbers each on stage...and they are definitely a "dynamic duo"...each a perfect "foil" for the other...great entertainers, both! Then Hoot called us up on the stage...we did one of my brand new swing songs... "Blue Side of Texas"...we got a wonderful response from the audience, and Hoot and The Jumpers really took off on the song and ran with it...sounded real good!

Sure do wish we could have stayed down there longer...and enjoyed more of that great western swing...but had to come on back to the ranch...lots of things to do here at the bunkhouse! We'll go back another day ...and when we do...we'll tell you folks all about it...right here on this page! So check in often...Knowin' the "Sisters" there'll always be something interesting goin' on...and we'll have all kinds of good news here a-waitin' for the next time you mosey on down! God Bless...and hope you have...

Many Happy Trails...
"Sisters of the Silver Sage"
 

April 25, 2003

Eddie O'Strange writes from Town & Country Radio in New Zealand

"It's close to being a perfect album. It's comfortable, original, familiar, relaxed, attention-grabbing, all at the same time! The calculated range of song-styles could have ended up a mix of pastiche and cliché but they're too lovingly and knowledgably written to fall into that trap. And the magic created by family members singing together just can't be manufactured! I was hooked from "go to whoa". These are troubled times but I get this silly grin on my dial every time I play it......and I play it often!

Cheers,
Eddie