Cowboys etc.

"One day I was speeding along at the typewriter, and my daughter - who was a child at the time - asked me, "Daddy, why are you writing so fast?" And I replied, "Because I want to see how the story turns out!" Louis L'Amour

I don't know whether my father enjoyed reading Louis L'Amour, but I know he had several Zane Grey books in his HOME library. Those Zane Grey books were in the book shelf that was nearest the TV -- the big one that now sits in my sister's back hallway (at least I think it's still there, it may have been moved). He often encouraged me to read them. I never did. And to this day I haven't read a Zane Grey novel. After I finish all 313 Louis L'Amour books, I'll start on Zane Grey.

Anyway, I thought, wow, that's how I feel when I'm typing something. I want to see how it ends. I just keep plugging away, typing at 100 words per minute (used to be 120) and like to see what ensues.

I don't write stories, but I do relate events that have become family stories. So, I'm always glad when I finish a topic.

Now, back to cowboys. My dad loved cowboy movies or TV shows. We watched Hopalong Cassidy (named a dog after Hopalong); The Lone Ranger; Bonanza; Gunsmoke; Wagon Train; Roy Rogers. Sounds like a lot of TV, but as I recall, cowboys shows were popular in the 50s and early 60s, before sit-coms became the main genre on TV. At least it wasn't sports.

I'm so glad my dad wasn't a sports nut. Oh, he enjoyed watching the Wimbleton Tennis match once a year, and he watched the US Open. But he would much rather watch a cowboy anything than watch a boring baseball game. Sorry to my brother Mark who can't relate to anyone not enjoying watching a slow, boring baseball game on TV.

So this was another bonding thing I had with my dad because I, too, love watching cowboy movies or shows. Thanks, dad.