Danny Leahy, on right, with Connie Leonti

Straight home from meeting I led. Check e-mail and surf news sites. To Long's Drugs and drop disc with Beth's employers' interior walls for matching. On to car wash and get Expedition washed. To Beth's p lace of employment and get her car and take it to get washed. Pick up paper at our house and take it back to Beth. I home and fix lunch. eat while watching The Roy Rogers Show on a DVD. Down for nap. Up and feed girls. Open mail - card from Neil Summers and check from Paul Isenhour for book. To computer and work the rest of the afternoon. Call exterminator to come over and set rat traps as my books are now stored in garage. Beth home. Make salads and we eat. She talks to Joel about what's going on at ABC Recovery Center. Danny, who's run the place forever, got fired by his "new" superiors through some pretty dirty tactics. I'm here in office writing here. Beth joins me. Later ~

Beth sorts (fills) my transplant pill boxes

Sleep in day. Beth up and to Hall. I sleep in until 6:00 then get up shower and dress. Breakfast with Sunday paper. Trim beard. check e-mail on computer and send And Action! info to all who have signed my Behind the Scenes guest book. Beth home. Fix us lunch and we eat together, I down for nap. Beth cooks some of her Mexican soup. I up and feed girls. Sit with Beth while she does my pill boxes. I take 42 pills a day to prevent my kidney from failing; as do most transplant patients. I also take antibiotics to keep the Nocardia germ from attacking me again like it did three years ago when I spent 14 days in the hospital and a month in a nursing home getting round the clock IVs of antibiotics. Put Beth's employers' wall photos she took to match after floors are done on a disc for printing at a photo store.

Beth, with her good friend, Dallas

Grocery shopping after meeting; then home and unload and put away. Vacuum tile. Check e-mail and surf for a minute or two. Beth home and we talk and eat lunch together. I down for nap and she mops floors. Up and she's already fed girls. Scan photo of Beth and her friend Dallas for her and send to Dallas. Work at computer. We drive to Taco Bell and get tostadas to go. Home and eat. She showers. TV - nothing good - we end up watching end of old Clint Eastwood movie. Later ~

Crystal & Misty - Our Girls

Straight home after meeting. Check e-mail; then work for a while on And Action publicity. To Pet Smart at 10:00 and get doggie Door insert; to Best Buy and get carrying case for new laptop. Home and put new computer in case and store it. Talk Beth. Some TV - fix lunch and watch some television. Down for nap. Up and feed girls. To college and pick up old - now erased - laptop. See Mark. Home and Eric over to Install doggie-door. Waiting for Beth. Bob Boze Bell is getting better and on way home tomorrow. Beth home and we eat. She shower then we watch recording of "Lost" from last night.
Later ~

Republic Pictures Studio

By college after meeting and drop off CDs for laptop to Mark. Take a short video of Mark. Home and check e-mail. Work with movie maker program editing today's video and Easter day's trip to my Uncle George's house for final pick up of stuff. Talk to Beth. Lunch with Family Affair DVD. Down for nap. Up and feed girls. Check mail, then back to office and work with movie maker editing some more. Bob Boze Bell is getting better - there's a medical update every day on his blog written by his friends. A guy called from Hunting Beach where he's vacationing, A Republic Pictures fan: he wanted to know where Western spots of interest were in LA area. Work in office for a while. Beth home and we eat and talk. She not feel to good - her knee is swollen. She showers and to bed early. I putz around in office. Get book ready to mail tomorrow. Get ready and hit the hay. Later ~

My Good Friend - Bob Hoy

Home after meeting and check e-mail. Then dive into proofing Whiskey Tears. Proof all morning, even when air conditioner guy is here to service the AC for the coming summer. Talk Beth then fix lunch. Eat with TV - A Slender Thread. Call Bob Hoy and advise him it's on - he's in the picture. Down for nap. Up and find 13 boxes of And .... Action! books on front porch. Feed girls, open mail, and call Beth. Afternoon, finish proofing then try converting Word project to .PDF with absolutely no luck. Call Mark at home and he'll help me at the college tomorrow. Beth home and we move boxes into garage. I fix dinner and we eat. She calls Eva about late income tax report on George's return. I open a small box of books and unwrap and return to box; then load two small boxes into Expedition. She showers. Check Bob Boze Bell's web site for update on his condition. He's doing better today and should go home in three or four days - then rest for three weeks. 'Bout time to call it a day, don't you think? later ~

Get Well Soon, Boze

Still in some sharp pain. Home from meeting and check e-mail. Dive into reading and editing and proofing "Whiskey Tears." Stop for lunch, mail, and my usual nap. Up and feed girls. Sign something for escrow and send back - talk brother Bob. Continue proofing. Pick up Beth from Porche place and take her back to work. I home and more reading. Beth home and we eat. Set recorder for her dance show. I read some more. Check some sites and find out Bob Boze Bell suffered a heart attack over the weekend. Send out to all I think know him. Get ready and to bed. Later.~

Table and chairs we had to leave behind

Slept on back because of rib pain. She up early and to Hall. I up 5:30 and shower, dress and have breakfast with paper. She home with her employers' van and we take off for Glendale at 8:30. Took our new GPS guide with us and went a different way than it was programmed for - many recalculating messages, but it got back on track once we hit the part of the 210 it recognized. New part of 210 connects to the 30 now and takes you around the Ontario Airport, Pomona, and Clarmount. Stop to pick up sandwiches and arrive at George's house around 10:30. Move all the stuff we had stored in rear closet into van; plus a couple of boxes of junk that was still in kitchen cabinets. Eat lunch in the empty kitchen. I shot digital video with my Flip camera along the way and back. Home in less than two hours. I try but she ends up unloading stuff into the Ford and the garage. Feed girls, then I down - painfully - for a nap. She runs some stuff to Sue's in La Quinta for her forthcoming garage sale. Takes the van back to her place of employment then home. I up - painfully - and move into kitchen where she's reading. We talk then I set up our left-over lunches and we have Easter Dinner together with the girls at our feet. Both of us into office and I show her video I took on drive. Putz and play on computer. Later ~

Apacheland - Many years ago

Feeling real pain in rib area from fall two days ago. Grocery shopping after meeting: call Byron and talk about his fall and mine. Then to Office Depot to pick up BBQ tickets for Beth. Home and unload groceries and put away; to computer and check e-mail. Vacuum tile in whole house - painfully. Do some proofing on Whiskey Tears. I eat. Beth home from Edie's. Beth starts to mop. Bob and Eva by to sign no termite paper for escrow. They leave; Beth back to mopping; I down for semi-painful nap. Up and she's gone someplace. Work at computer then she comes home. Talk and I back to computer and proof Whiskey Tears some more. Stop to fix dinner and we eat. She showers. We watch recording of "Lost" from last Thursday. Both info office and work; I write here. Later ~

My motel room in Chandler, Arizona last weekend

Stop at Office Depot after meeting to get BBQ game tickets Xeroxed and buy something for Beth. Stop at post office and mail a book. Home and check e-mail. Jesse Mullins from American Cowboy Magazine responded and asked me to mail him a book. Off to Beth's Mail Boxes place and send book flyers to Boy Magers for inclusion in May-June issue of Western Clippings. on way home stop at post office and mail the book to American Cowboy. Home for minute; then to Mimi's and meet Harry Baddely, Tom Snow and Tom Gillman for lunch. Home and call Beth. U[s delivers new laptop, GPS. and Flip video camera - all at same time. Set aside and down for nap. Feeling pains from yesterday's fall that I didn't fell earlier. Up and unwrap laptop and set it up. Beth calls. Download AOL; then take off for Beth's employers' place while it's still downloading. To Bermuda Dunes airport to pick up the tracker and back. I home and AOL is ready. I sign on - first time wireless - great feeling. I've always had trouble hooking up the other laptop I have. Beth home. I open GPS and Flip camera. Shoot a few scenes with Beth and Misty. Fix dinner and we eat. Into office and write here. Putz around some more; Beth showers. Later ~

Bob Hoy from High Chaparral announces WWA Spur Award Winners at last week's Festival of the West

Stop at Office Depot after meeting to have 1,000 flyers for new book Xeroxed. Home and check e-mail. To Beth's place of employment and follow Beth to PS airport to drop off van for her employers. Back, pick up my car and home. Trip and fall when trying to re-attach a piece of aluma-wood to front porch. Package for Beth on porch. Into house and tend to my "minor" injuries - wash blood out of new shirt, etc. Change into shorts and SS shirt. Fix something to eat and watch TV. Beth calls. Down for nap. Up and feed girls. Clean up girls' yard. Back to office and start proofing "Whiskey Tears" novel - one more time. Call Tom Snow. Beth has to go to Alumni Meeting at club tonight and will be late. Work at computer. Melody Groves sends me pics of Bob Hoy announcing the Spur Awards at the Festival last weekend. Send them to Boyd Magers. Beth home and we eat. She washes her hair. I to office and package another book to send out tomorrow. She showers. Later ~

Festival of the West Celebrities
Don Collier; Bobby Hoy; Wild Bill Hickok

Stopped at post office after meeting to mail three more books. Home and check e-mail. Surf Internet looking for Flip digital cameras, then order one. Then get down to creating flyer for book. Western Clippings will get 1,000. Done by 11:00 a.m. - Make some lunch and eat while watching a Roy Rogers Show DVD. Call Beth. Down for nap. Up and feed girls. Open mail. Packages delivered for Beth's employers. I back to computer. E-mail from Johnny Boggs; then send out several submission queries. Talk to Beth. She may be later than usual. Clean up office (but not much). Beth home and we eat. Both into office. She's going to shower then watch recording of "Dancing With the Stars" from last night. After that it's bed time. Later ~

Even more pics from Festival

Stop at college after meeting and give Mark his book. Home and check e-mail. Start addressing envelopes to send complementary and review books to those who are getting them. Stop for lunch while surfing channels. Talk to Beth. Down for nap. Up and feed girls. Open mail. Finish up stuffing envelopes and to post office to mail books. Call a friend about setting up seminars. Beth home and we eat. Watch recording of last week's "Lost." Later ~

MORE Festival of the West Photos

Grocery shopping after meeting; then home to put stuff away. Check e-mail and online news. Work on a flyer for book. Bank for Beth. Home and work at computer. Lunch while watching end of "The Tall T" on the Western Channel. Talk to Beth. Down for nap. Up and feed girls. Check mail and find 25 of my books have arrived. Move them into office and unpack. Open mail for Beth. She home and we eat. She bought me two more shirts. After dinner I do a writers chat as the guest writer. Beth in room with me. Now it's after seven and I'm going to slow down and get ready for bed. Later ~

Thur. thru Sun. - March 13-14-15-16

Thursday the 13th
Took off at 4:40 for Phoenix. Sun rise an hour later as I neared Blythe. Arizona, as usual, is beautiful. Arrived in Chandler and at Festival a little after nine. Joined by James Jenkins from Florida, who'd been in AZ since Monday. Entered the Festival before ten and bid James goodby. Joined Rod Timanus, Ben Clevenger and Larry Seigal setting up books. Gates opened at ten. Major Mitchell and his brother, Jerry, arrived. Lee Baldwin joined us shortly after that. Lunched on one of Rod's Tamales. Walked down to the celebrity tent with Rod; introduced him and said hi to Bobby Hoy, Don Collier and Ginnie, their manager. Also said Hi to Gregg Palmer, Ed Faulkner and Buck Taylor. My friend who works for Bucky and her sister were also there. Back to WWA tent and shoot the shit. Ice cream at four with Larry - Giant double scoops. To hotel at 5:00 - check in and clean up. Call James and he by to pick me up and we have a bite at del Taco. Hotel and call Beth (we had talked several times during the day). Set up computer and check 40 e-mails. Bed and sleep.
Friday the 14th
Windy and hot. Up and check e-mail - eat in room and TV News. Off to Rawhide and meet James again. He's off to begin his day and I join Rod, Larry, Major, Jerry, and Ben (with his wife) to open the booth. Realize I forgot my pill box and drive back to hotel and bring it back - lucked out and was blessed to find a parking space in first row again. Melody Groves arrives with Johnny Boggs showing up shortly after. Byron Quesinberry show up. Walk down to celebrity tent with Byron and said hi to our celebrity friends - also meet a friend of Byron's. Eat a BBQ sandwich, then over to see Bob Charnes and The Arizona Gunfighters. Back to WAA tent where Dusty Richards had shown up. Nice talk with all. Ice cream by myself and drove back to hotel at 5:00. Cleaned up; then James picked me up, and we then picked up Byron and had a great chicken fried steak dinner at Chili's. Dropped Byron off then I was dropped at my hotel. Talk Beth; checked e-mail, then bed.
Saturday the 15th
Cooler with wind. Up, call Beth. Breakfast at hotel. TV. Off to Rawhide. Meet Rod, James, and Rod's photographer friend outside the gate and we all enter together before crowd. Take some pics of Rod in his Indian Scout outfit with his friend. Sit around and BS. Dusty is gone. I don't go to celebrity tent because of my sunburn. Lunch in nearby snack shop with Major and James. Nice talks with all. Miles Swarthout shows up and we talk. I helped melody to get Bob Hoy to announce the Spur Award winners from the main stage in the celebrity tent. Take some pics. Ice cream with Miles. Lincoln Lagerson stops by our tent with Bruce Boxleitner. Miles and I talk about future of Westerns with Lincoln's company. Five o'clock rolled around pretty damned quick so I bid all farewell and headed off for hotel. Byron followed me - he'd checked out of his hotel and would head back to San Diego after dinner. We cleaned up in my room. James picked up us and we out to nice Mexican restaurant for dinner - the last supper. Back to hotel; call Beth, check e-mail then bed.
Sunday the 16th
Some rain on way back. Up at 4:15 - call Beth. Pack up and check out. Start for home. A little rain, not much. Stop for pee in Blythe and arrive home 9:45. Dogs go crazy; big kiss from Beth, then unload and unpack. Sit and talk. Check computer. Respond to some e-mails. make some lunch for us and we eat. I down for nap.
Up and Beth is feeding girls. She's done my pills. Computer and putz around and write here. Beth to run emloyer's dog. She home and we eat. Maybe a TV recording before bed. Later ~

On my way to Arizona in Early A.M.

Stop and shop for tomorrow's trip goodies on way home; also pick up a couple things for Beth. Home and check e-mail. Work all morning linking website to book purchase page; plus send out notice to many friends of book's availability. Call Paul Isnehower in NC. He's been sick. Lunch. Watch a little TV - switch around. Down for nap. Up and feed girls. Escrow papers delivered. Bob and Eva over and we sign Escrow and George's tax forms. They leave. Help Beth and her surveillance guy set camera on line. Beth home. We eat. She work in office while I pack for Festival of the West. Be at usual time. Later ~

Published book - And .... Action! today. Finally!!!

To 6:00 am meeting to be there for Susan's first birthday. Do some clean up work on patio, then to our meeting at 7:00 am. Home from meeting and check e-mail. Putz around then off to Sam's Club to shop for Hall. Home and e-mail from Tulisha giving me permission to use photo of Alamo Village. Immediately go online and give permission to publish book. Whoopie! Beth calls and I drive over to her place of employment; then we take van to airport as her employers' are flying in today. I home and fix lunch - eat while watching Western Union on the Western Channel. Feed girls early. Down for nap. Up and spend time online ordering books for myself. Screw up and have to do it a second time, but all worked out. Beth home. We eat and talk. She to shower and I work at computer. Later~

Waiting on OK for this photo

Beth leave early from meeting. After meeting I by college to show Mark the sample "proof" copy of "And .... Action!" Home and wait for Pic OK e-mail (which never seems to come if I'm waiting). Talk Beth. Off to Eisenhower for appointment with Dr. Stone, my nephrologist. I'm OK. Feeling as good as I can. Home and eat while watching "In Old Sacramento" on Western Channel. Been treating cold symptoms with Zicam and Zinc tablets for the last few days - works pretty good. Down for nap. Up and feed girls. Go through mail. Back to office and computer. To Von's to pick up ice cream I forgot on Saturday. Home and office. Try call photographer in Texas - no answer. Waiting for Beth. Beth home and we have dinner. She off to Indio to register for H&I jail visits. I stay here and check up on things I wasn't able to find out today. Later ~

Beth's brother, Bruce, with Misty

Sleep in day. Beth up and off to Hall. I up 6:30, shower and dress. Breakfast and paper. Vacuum and mop tile. Beth home. She dusts. I read (proof) some more. She over to run her employers' dog. She back and her brother, Bruce, and his wife, Judy, here. We to lunch at Ruby's. Home and we talk a while. Bruce and Misty get along great. They leave. I down for nap. Up when Beth comes in and says she's late fore Womens' Banquet. She changes and I run her to local hotel. Home and finish proofing book. Computer. Pick up Beth and home. She showers and we to bed. Later ~

Richard Harris and Charlton Heston in Major Dundee

After meeting wait and give something to a friend of Beth's for Beth; as she had to leave early and go to work this morning Then I'm off to grocery shopping. Home and unload and put away. Check e-mail. Sit down at dining-room table and read (proof) sample book. Snack while I read. Stop and check e-mail. Have lunch while watching end of Major Dundee on TMC. Beth home from work. We talk for a while. I down for nap; and she off to hair appointment. Up and feed girls. Work at computer. Beth home and we to office, Show her a video I got from Tom Snow (girls singing National Anthem). Work side-by-side. Watch recording of Lost. Change clocks; then bed. Later ~

Speaking in Thousand Oaks

Exchange cars with Beth. Home after meeting without having to stop anywhere. Check e-mail and do a couple of other things before I take girls to the groomer. Droop them and return. Start proofing the new book sample. Talk Beth; talk brother Bob. We filled out something wrong on the escrow papers which needs to be corrected. Fix a sandwich and watch some of "The Scalphunters" on the Western channel, followed by the opening of "The Tall T" - Pick up girls and bring them home. Down for nap. Up and feed girls. i guy from the Indian Wells Rotary calls - Darlene Cassella suggested me to him as a speaker. We set date for me to speak on June 2nd. Work at computer. Beth calls and we talk. Waiting for Beth and continue proofing. ~

The Proof Edition of my Book Arrived Today! and will be available soon

Talk to mark in Hall parking lot on cell. Stop at Office Depot again on way home to pick up supplies for Beth. Home and check e-mail. Work at computer all morning; then off to Indio at 11:10 to meet for minute with Joel at the Leather Store, then on to meet the Round Table for our usual first Thursday lunch at Chinese Place. Home after lunch and find package at front door. it's the proof of my book "And ... Action!" Call Beth; then go through book for photos. Feed girls. Down for nap. Up and call Beth. Check more of book. Waiting for Beth Call Mark with book news. He won't get to see it until Monday. Beth home and we eat. She likes look of book, especially the In Memory of George Rutter page. Both of us to office. She to take shower. Later ~

The Great Gene Autry

Stop one more time at Office Depot after meeting - this time to buy a phone for the Hall and some Kleenex for us. Home and check e-mail. Not there for more than a half an hour when I take off for palm Springs and my bi-annual visit to Dr. Sommero. I check out fine. Home by freeway and stop at KOHL'S for shoes which they are out of, so i buy two new shirts and a pair of dark glasses. Home and call Eva. Fix lunch and eat while watching a piece of a Gene Autry Republic musical western. Down for nap at 1:00. Up and feed girls. Call Bob and they by - we fill out and sign most pages of our escrow papers - then we drive to Pavilion's shopping center and do some notarizing at Post office box place. They drop me at home. Work at computer for short time. Beth home and we eat. She washes her hair after dinner; and I here to office. Later ~

Randolph Scott - One of the Good Guys

Straight home after meeting and check e-mail and "hi" to girls. To Luci Curci for blood draw at 9:45 - out of there at 10:55 (pays to have an appointment, which I did). Home and get e-mail from producer; then fill out release and send release by fax; the script as a .pdf e-mail. (TBH!) Bob and Eva by to pick up a death certificate for George's niece and other some info. I make some lunch and watch a little Hangman's Knot, with Randolph Scott. Beth calls - she's left her appointment book at doctor's office. Down for nap. Up and feed girls. Open mail. Off to Eisenhower and pick up Beth's book. Take some film to Long's Drug Store and drop it off for Beth. Home and work at computer. Waiting for Beth. She home. We eat and talk. Both to office and work on seperate projects. Later ~

Festival of the West coming up in a week

Stop by Office Depot on way home to have a couple of things sealed in plastic; plus I bought some paper. Home and unload. Check e-mail; then over to Beth's place of employment and accompany her to the Bermuda Dunes Airport to pick up the car we dropped off yesterday as her employers have changed their plans. Stop at bank on way home for check cashing and deposits. Home and put paper away in cupboard in garage. To office. Beth calls and wants me to speak to someone at Citi Bank about acquiring an EIN number for Maad Dog daze account. I'll do that after nap. Fix lunch and eat while watching Hallelujah Trail on the Western Channel. Call Beth, then down for nap. Up and feed girls. Open mail. Call guy at Citi Bank and he walks me though the steps finding the form I need online. Fill out form and get EIN for Beth (an hour later). Doing some more work on The Suicide Boys while I'm waiting for Beth. Beth finally home and we eat. Both to office and work. I'm trying to enlarge my website. Later ~

James Jenkins with Bobby Diamond

Sleep in day. Beth up and to Hall. I up at 5:45 - shower and dress. No paper, so read Cowboys & Indians with breakfast. Beth home, then we off to her place of employment and take car to drop off at airport for her employers. On to ABC Recovery Center for monthly alumni breakfast, Sit with Bill White, Sunny - his wife, and Joel Peters. Joel gives me a sculpture of two cowboys camping. Drive home. Beth works in office while I down for nap. Up and feed girls. Beth off to Maad Dog Daze meeting and I read through what I've written on The Suicide Boys - one of my unfinished novels. Talk to James Jenkins in Florida. Send some e-mails. Waiting for Beth. Beth home and we eat. After dinner both of us to office for a while. Later ~

Annual Greek Festival

It's Saturday, so: Grocery shopping after meeting; then home and put it all away. Beth is at Edie's this morning then she will play catch up at her regular place of employment. I to office and check e-mail. Vacuum all tile then mop it. Lunch while I read the paper. Open the mail. Down for nap. Up and feed girls. Spend rest of the afternoon at computer figuring out what project I should dive in to now that And ... Action! (behind the scenes) is nearly done. Beth calls, and when she gets home, we take off for the annual Greek Festival held at the Greek Church in Palm Desert. Great Greek food; big crowd; and a lotta' music and dancing. We home and both to office to catch up on things. Watch recording of last "Lost." Later ~