A Good Old West Resource

I have spent most of today researching and reading, and that’s not a bad thing on a 100-degree day. It all started with, what was to be, a thorough cleaning of my desk and writing area. Something I have been putting off for quite some time.

One of my first tasks was to decide which books to keep on my desk and which to move back to the family room bookcase. Seems when I move a book to my desk it stays well past its needed time.

Mr. Blevins Fine Dictionary

As often happens I ran across a book, that was a favorite, picked it up and gave up cleaning for reading. The book – Winfred Blevins, Dictionary of the American West. The book, now more than twenty years since its first publication, can make for really nice thumbing through reading. Some of us call that killing time.

Mountain Man Tales

For years I have enjoyed reading westerns that featured Mountain Men. I would guess that everyone who writes about these early day explorers, trappers and traders have read Winfred Blevins, fine tribute to, and history of, the Mountain Men in his wonderful, Give Your Heart to the Hawks.

By that time I had reached a non-cleaning/organizing state of being. I sat back in my office chair, now free of boxes and a ream of paper, and tried to remember some other of my favorite mountain men books.

My Favorites

I believe that I have read all of the William Johnstone and Richard S. Wheeler mountain man novels and enjoyed James Michener's mountain men in his massive novel, Centennial. I still give a try to most new mountain man books I find. Right now I am rereading Mr. Wheeler’s terrific books and the adventures of his character Barnaby Skye.

The Livin’ Was Easy

I have posted a few times on my Wyoming blog, stories of how tough life was for mountain men when the weather turned bad, wonder about hot. Yesterday we took a drive up into the mountains and even though we didn’t reach much over 8,000 feet the temperatures dropped 15 degrees.

As we headed to the high country yesterday

Now with my feet up and my office chair tipped back I can almost see those mountain men of old on a hot summer day. There they are, picking raspberries and currents, fishing and swapping tall tales in the shade of mountain aspen grove. Not bad.

I can usually find a nice cool spot to spend some time on a hot day

Back To Work

Well, it’s time to go back to work, but maybe to the freezer for an Ice Cream sandwich first – then back to work. Maybe!

 

Meanwhile, the gardens are looking fine