by James Schaffranek | Jun 1, 2015 | Commentary on Society, Goal Setting, Guns, Life Advice
Back in 1885, Tinker Cantwaite became overly fond of a Big Fifty. He figured if he had one he could hunt anything he wanted. The man was short on patience and mouthy about having his own Big Fifty—a common nickname for the .50 caliber Sharps rifle—one of the West’s...
by James Schaffranek | May 25, 2015 | Commentary on Society, Horses, Law
To a first-time reader, Angus looks as a character hard to pin down. Not enough about him comes out in the early pages of Ten Shoes Up. So it’s hard to say whether he’s seeking reconciliation or company. He could be for the law, “agin” it, looking for it,...
by James Schaffranek | May 18, 2015 | Commentary on Society
Angus knew something about gates—he pretty much hated ‘em. If you’re horseback and come on a gate, it means somebody fenced you out. Can’t be a good thing, at least not in the 1880s when Angus was riding high ridgelines on the New Mexico—Colorado border. But corrals...
by James Schaffranek | May 11, 2015 | Communicating, Stress
Millions of people today use “Take Care” to say goodbye, so long, hope everything’s fine, and other salutations at the end of a chat, letter, email, or last hug. It’s a cliché, but it’s OK because it’s short for lots of things. It could be a warning, a fond farewell,...
by James Schaffranek | May 4, 2015 | Letting Go
Back in the day, say 1880, when you roped something that was not of a mind to stop, you had to dally your rope around the saddle horn or lose your seat, and the steer you’d intended on branding. Could be different now, especially when it ain’t a steer you’re roped but...
by James Schaffranek | Apr 27, 2015 | Guns, Law
A recent New York Times column, provocatively entitled “When a Gun Is Not a Gun,” offers legitimate science to prove that lawmen, at least some of them literally perceive things that aren’t there. That research project sought answers to a modern conundrum. In a U.S....
by James Schaffranek | Apr 20, 2015 | Communicating, Law, Life Advice
Back in Angus time, before New Mexico was a state and after lawyers showed up in Colorado, there were cowboys that talked and others that just did the job. Sometimes they fit the movie version in the 1950s—strong silent types. Angus was never garrulous. Even though he...
by Gary L Stuart | Apr 13, 2015 | Due Process, Law
When Angus pinned his first Deputy United States Marshal badge on in 1881, he had no presumptions. None about his own life and hardly any about how other people saw the world. He didn’t know the law presumed innocence, or that guilt had to be proved beyond any...
by Gary L Stuart | Apr 10, 2015 | Religion
As you all know, Angus, my main character in Ten Shoes Up, died in the early 20th Century. But he lives on in a funny way. He talked mostly to his horse. I know it’s strange, but I can still hear him. Suppose that’s because I talk to horses too. Then they whinny to...
by James Schaffranek | Apr 6, 2015 | Horses, Life Advice, Parenting
When Angus was just twelve or thirteen, he hired on for spring roundup on a spread running a small herd of mangy cows in the Espanola Valley south of Chama, New Mexico Territory. It was either that or the one-room school his Mom taught. He liked numbers and reading,...