May 14th, 2009

More than 40 schools have visited this website in the last 14 days. I had always hoped that the books about women of the Old West would be attractive reading for junior high and high school students. The students who have used the material in class have reported that they like the books. One of the best things about writing on the subject matter I do is being able to participate in lectures at schools. I get to go out in costume and share stories about some of the most heroic women that ever lived. I couldn’t have been a pioneer. I like frequent showers and am vehemently opposed to using the out-of-doors as a restroom. The closest I ever came to that was an outhouse rural Missouri. I used to stay nights with my Aunt Bessie and she didn’t have an indoor restroom – just an outhouse and every summer is was filled with bees. Oh, the mysteries of nature. As I recall, the outhouse had side-by-side seating. Never understood that either. It’s not really a participatory event. No pioneer would waste time thinking about such things. Pioneers wore a lot of wool year round. I couldn’t do that either. I base most of what I wear on what doesn’t itch. I wouldn’t want to eat like pioneer did. I like fast food drive-thru. I’m waiting for a fast food drive-thru pizza place. As far as I know there are none on the horizon. I’m working on it though. With God’s help and my enormous weakness for pizza I’ll make it happen. I may not be a pioneer, but I do have that pioneering spirit.