November 14th, 2009

I’ve been working on Chapter 4 of the Elizabeth Custer book. It’s a great story, but it’s slow going because there’s so much material to go over. I’m anxious to review the material in Garryowen, Montana that belonged to Elizabeth. I suspect everything I’ve written so far will need to be amended or added to. She was brave to go with him into the field. She lived in the same tents, ate the same food, suffered the same troubles the 7th Cavalry was exposed to. George called her his “best soldier.” She simply refused to be without her husband and was willing to put up with anything to be by his side. In addition to lining up speaking engagements for the new year and contacting all the independent bookstores from Independence west, I’ve been working on the annual Christmas in Bethlehem program. This is year six and this year’s program promises to be bigger than the last. Visit www.nccib.org for more details. The program is free to the public. I promise that no one will be disappointed. Still no word on the complete funding for Thunder Over the Prairie. Walter Hill is still set to direct, but the funding to make the picture has to come from a variety of sources. Howard Kazanjian is working diligently on that front, but it’s slow going. There will be at least four new western released next year – a real plus for that genre. My parents are going to the prison today to see my brother. I don’t think they are fully prepared for what they are going to see. I hurt for my them, especially my mother. She won’t know until today the extent of Rick’s injuries and how rapidly his health is declining. It will be a shock. It’s like a wave of pain that washes over all of us who know and love him. The only way to deal with the pain is to dive into the oncoming wave.