unlike the Evinrudes, that some folks still revere.
No matter what the hue, we’ll mix it up fer you,
and those Markle colors always will be true.
We’ll store y’er grain, pump y’er gas,
and pull you through the Underpass.
Get a fishin’ rod, head out for the lake,
buy a motorboat, leave ‘em in y’er wake.
Hear the latest rumor, at the hardware store,
from all the old-timers, sittin’ by the door.
Farmers and ranchers, worried ‘bout the rains,
times can sure get hard, here upon the plains.
Railroad men are talkin’ about their latest trips,
maybe get a thermos to pack inside their grips.
Carpenters and masons workin’ at the base,
everything they need is found inside this place.
Freyberger watches TV, in the afternoon,
I gotta’ say that Yogi, is a pretty good cartoon.
Tag is toutin’ hammers, Rockets are the best,
padded handle makes ‘em better than the rest.
Jim Kruzich sometimes needs relief,
because he is Glasgow’s Fire Chief.
Runnin’ down the hall, to the siren’s call,
hope he doesn’t fall, or crash into the wall.
Vivian in the office, makes it all run smooth,
never has a caller whose trouble she can’t sooth.
Tommy on his crutches, pushes paper through,
accounts are all in order, never to redo.
C. D. sells the big stuff, a baler or a truck,
and if you lack enough, he’ll drop the price a buck.
And at the loading docks, Arnie hauls it all,
tougher than an ox, as wide as he is tall.
Workin’ with the Markle boys, Barry and Tommy,
never are they treated, differently from me.
O.E., he was the boss, and he kept it all on track,
never was he cross, he had a business knack.
Each mornin’ I’d be found a-sweepin’ out the store,
‘til the day I saw an old gent sweepin’ up my floor.
“Pardon me Sir, but this here is my job,
They hired me to sweep, they hired me to swab.”
“Son I know it’s true, and I’ll give this broom to you,
Just let me sweep the back, after you are through.”
Turned out he was T.H., the founder of the firm,
and this I can confirm, he never made me squirm.
Told stories ‘bout the past, exploits unsurpassed,
the outlaws and the settlers, the West that couldn’t last.
That job was my first, it taught me quite a lot,
the world I’ve traversed, as fortune I have sought.
No matter what I did, I always had a plan,
no longer a kid, but still a Markle Man.
LDT Nov 19, ‘21
I worked for Markles Hardware from 1959-60. One day I had a customer who needed a large drill bit. The one I showed him was too big for his chuck. Tag Markle sent me to the shop to have the end turned down on a lathe. As I handed it to my happy customer, Tag said, “No charge for the work.” That is what “We service what we sell” means!
Captain Eulan “Buck” Covey was my Dad’s cousin. He flew a B-26 Marauder bomber in the European Theater during World War II. He completed over 50 missions earning the Air Medal with several oak leaf clusters. He stayed in the Air Force after the war, transferring to jet fighters. Buck was killed in the crash of his F-80A Shooting Star in September, 1950.
Nothing could be worser, than drivin’ in a Mercer,
Get a faster horse Sir, the Bearcat is a courser.
Don’t be goin’ nuts, gotta’ drive a Stutz,
No ifs, and’s or buts, if you got the guts.
Seventy miles an hour, feelin’ all that power,
Don’t be lookin’ dour, make the others cower.
Pull the fenders off, liquid courage quaff,
Boater hat to doff, messin’ up y’er coif.
Win a race or two, Bearcat gets you through,
Give this car its due, the legend it is true.
No better car there was, givin’ me no pause,
It marvels and it awes, I need one just because.
LDT Nov 7, ‘21
1914 Stutz Bearcat Indy Racer
The Stutz Bearcat was arguably both America’s first sports car and its first muscle car. The original Stutz Bearcat was produced from 1912-17. It featured a massive 390 cubic inch four-cylinder engine. The engine had an innovative T-head design with two camshafts and 4 valves per cylinder. The 60 horsepower Wisconsin engine gave the Bearcat a top speed of 81 MPH. Bearcats won numerous races in the Teens.
The Bearcat’s main competition was the Mercer Raceabout. Drivers taunted each other with slogans like, “Nothing could be worser than driving a Mercer” and “You must be nuts to drive a Stutz.”
Leave that urban struggle, give the Earth a snuggle.
no schedule to juggle, no worries to trouble.
Head on down the trail, spookin’ up some quail,
find your Holy Grail, forget about your mail.
Sleepin’ ‘neath the stars, no buses, no cars,
yours’s, mine and ours, no civilizin’ scars.
The coolest mountain air, only costs a prayer,
Alpine smell so fair, city life is square,
Gather ‘round the fire, dreams will inspire,
The wind is our choir, all that we require.
The beauty and the peace, the blessings never cease,
the pressure to release, the joy to increase.
Someday when I die, just let my ashes fly,
at a place way up high, beneath the azure sky.
LDT Oct 31, ‘21
Hannigan Meadow sits high in Eastern Arizona’s White Mountains. At 9000 feet, it is cool in Summer and cold in Winter. It is a Mecca for hikers, hunters and campers and a place to lay back and enjoy nature’s bounty. The nearest town is Alpine, 22 miles to the North.
Outlaws, Outrages and Outright Lies 