WHEN O’BRIAN SACKED HIS SADDLE I saw Three Fingers Bob at the post office and got caught up on what’s happening to all the old timers in the area. Bob was born a mile or two down the road about 85 years ago. He keeps me up on the latest news of the older set. […]
Archive | Podcast Blogs
Horse Saddle Perfection by Stephen Bly with Audio Podcast
FINDING A WELL-FITTED HORSE SADDLE During the cold winter months of north-central Idaho, my horse saddle spent most of its time on a stand in my Winchester office. I built a strong stand and cinched it down because most guests who came in to talk to me liked to climb up on it. It made […]
Stray Sheep & Cabin Fever by Stephen Bly with Audio Podcast
STRAY SHEEP NEED A FLOCK Enrique Borba spent most of his life running flocks of sheep and plenty of stray sheep too in the mountains around Winnemucca, Nevada. He lived a lonely life, to say the least. The rolling, treeless mountains and sage scattered valleys might make a good place for sheep, stray or otherwise. […]
My Savvy Buddy by Stephen Bly with Audio Podcast
HOW MANY SAVVY EXPERTS DO YOU KNOW? I was writing a scene in one of my novels and I had a question about shotguns. I wanted a lady in my story to pick up an old, first series Model 12 shotgun. But I wasn’t sure if modern shells would work in that model. That’s when […]
Santa Fe Trail Rewards with Audio Podcast
Down the Santa Fe Trail The Santa Fe Trail consisted of eight hundred miles of barren land, sandy deserts, and high mountain passes. Travelers had to battle hunger, thirst, and occasional raids by Comanches. Once you reached your destination, a whitewashed city at the foot of the Sangre De Cristo Mountains, you were never sure […]
Lots of Sand Needed with Stephen Bly Audio Podcast
Enough Sand For A Beach Front I was hanging out in the back of the Grain Growers Supply, watching as they put some studded snow tires on the back of my old rig. Suddenly, the siren went off. Willy dumped the tire tools and ran for his pickup. He’s a courageous emergency medical technician and […]
Beware Salting Scam with Stephen Bly Audio Podcast
Old West Mine Salting Scams With hundreds of thousands of folks coming West during the Gold Rush century, a passel of con men and bunko artists also moved out. They tried to relieve the unlearned of their pokes and purses. Most schemes had something to do with mines and mining stock. Many a man paid good […]
Like a Desert Sage Hen
Sage Hen Wilderness Living One time I drove down into the Arizona Strip country. As I headed down a 150-mile round trip on a narrow dirt and boulder road, it dawned on me this would be a lousy place to have trouble with my pickup truck. I hadn’t seen another rig for about 50 miles. […]
Getting Your Salt Licks by Stephen Bly with Audio Podcast
BUFFALOES AND THEIR SALT LICKS I packed a 25-pound salt block through a couple feet of snow out to the horse corral. Animals need their salt, too. In fact, in the old days, the great buffalo herds were wise enough to know when their bodies needed extra salt. Those huge old shaggies knew exactly what patches […]
A Word About Cowboys and Saints with Audio Podcast
OLD WEST COWBOY SAINTS Thousands of heads of cattle roaming through unfenced ranges in the Old West presented a powerful temptation. To some, the scene looked as profitable as bags of money lying around in the street. Besides, the actual cattle owners were often eastern bankers or foreign investors who surely wouldn’t miss a couple […]
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