Nothing in Texas is more iconic than Longhorn cattle.  The Longhorn even has its own folklore. In Native American cultures the Longhorn represents a symbol of good luck and spiritual guidance. While in Spanish culture, the Longhorn represents power, resilience, and strength. For Texans it is simply the basis upon which the State economy was built post-Civil War and to this day the Longhorn remains a treasured Texas icon. Below is a stock image of Longhorns. Not my picture. Yet where did the Longhorn come from? With its long horns it looks nothing like the European cattle breeds. And as a ..read more

Bella off to check a Live Oak tree The magnificent Live Oak trees in the Texas Hill Country are unique and beloved by residents and visitors alike. They vary in several ways from the clustered, closed-canopy, taller Oak trees found in the eastern part of the U.S.A. Just like many other aspects of Texas, our Live Oak Trees really are different. Unusual shapes caused by severe weather, injury, and sun seeking (phototrophism) To start with the form of our Live Oaks is broader and shorter than Oak Trees found elsewhere in the country. The thin, rocky soil of the Texas Hill Country along with f ..read more

   The 175th anniversary of the founding of Fort Martin Scott will be celebrated next month. This anniversary and the relationship between the frontier fort and Fredericksburg will be described in an upcoming issue of our local newspaper. I wrote the following article for the newspaper that describes the horrendous cholera epidemic that befell Fredericksburg and its impact on our struggling community.   The 19th century’s third and worst cholera pandemic, having already killed millions of people world-wide, struck the fledgling town of Fredericksburg and the recently activated F ..read more

Over the years I have expressed moments of great joy at Medicine Spirit Ranch and a few instances of deep sadness. Today, I express the latter. Beau our young Border collie who had such great promise as a herder and with whom we fell in love over his antics, is leaving us. Beau showing off his star form after making a Purina One Commercial You see, Beau began to pick up the bad habit of biting not only our old and virtually blind Bella, but also Trudy and me. Trudy sustained a wound to her hand that required five stitches while I have received too many bites to count. Yesterday he sank his te ..read more

Having a Paint Horse, the typical Indian pony, on Medicine Spirit Ranch seems highly appropriate. Native Americans believed that Paint Horses would protect them from death or injury during a conflict. Paints were deemed to have magical properties especially those with “medicine hat” markings. Meet Fancy– Fancy, our filly Paint horse We bought Fancy, our Paint Horse, from a riding stable where my granddaughter Ramsey had learned to ride. Fancy was a gentle riding horse that Ramsey loved so that when the opportunity arose, we purchased her for our ranch. Fancy like other Paint horses is gentle ..read more

This is the fourth blog piece in a series that features our first Border collie, Bandit, and is taken from an unpublished book titled The Bandit’s Gift. I wrote this manuscript which I suppose could be considered my practice book, shortly after retiring from my Neurology practice in Lubbock and moving to our ranch outside of Fredericksburg, Texas. The title of the book hints at our Bandit dog’s substantial role in bringing about our early retirement. Trudy and I feel indebted to Bandit for his efforts in hastening our move from a frenetic life in the city to the beauty and peacefulness of the ..read more

Thank you for continuing to follow the Bandit story. He proved to be my dog of a lifetime and as subsequent stories will show- changed our lives in meaningful ways. Evening Trips to the Park Neighborhood children frequently shadowed us during our trips to the local park. Neighbors often appeared at windows, observing Bandit’s effortless saunter along the sidewalk, pursued by his increasingly haggard looking owner.  Several, gave sympathetic words of encouragement to me as  might have  been offered to the final straggling runners in the Boston marathon. Ignoring the local leash o ..read more

With Andy and Katie’s departures for college, it dawned on Trudy and me that we were in deep trouble. We immediately missed our college age children who had spent time walking the dog, taking Bandit on car rides, and teaching him tricks. After the kids’ departures, changes in our busy schedules became necessary. Weather permitting on work days Trudy and I would leave Bandit in the fenced backyard. Evidence suggested that Bandit would scamper among the bushes leaving behind broken branches, chase about the patio knocking over furniture, swim in the fountain, topple the water plants, and amuse h ..read more

I have written several blog pieces lately about our new puppy, Beau. Writing about Beau and his antics reminds me of our experiences with our first  Border collie, Bandit. Bandit played such a meaningful role in our lives and had much to do with relocating Trudy and me from a frantic urban existence to the peacefulness and solitude of Medicine Spirit Ranch. If lucky, once in a lifetime your perfect dog comes along. Bandit was that dog for me. Bandit below as a puppy. Beau reminds me of Bandit in so many ways including his looks, enthusiasm, and intelligence. Our initial unexpected encoun ..read more

Not long ago we brought home a bouncing, baby Border Collie. The cute little bounding bundle of fur is now eight months old and weighs over 40 pounds. Although not without prior experience with Border collies, we have relearned lessons about their energy, enthusiasm, intelligence, and mind boggling shenanigans. Several years ago for Christmas I requested morning slippers. Being told by my family that I am difficult to buy for, not surprisingly I received not one pair but two pair of slippers. No problem thought I. A little redundancy is not a bad thing. Apparently our puppy Border collie thoug ..read more