2006 Archived News for The Thomas Ranch
December 2006:
The year is ending once again. The "Mad Holiday Shopping Rushes" are at an all time high. Try not to push your way around the store and remember to tip your hat to the ladies this year. This is a great end to a long year. This year we have prayed everyday for the safe return of the Desert Cowboy who those of you who have followed them know that one of them is our very own ‘Trail Boss’.
We were able to spend Christmas with him and his family and it was a great and joyous day for all of us. Thanks to everyone who wrote to them and tried to support them while they were overseas in Iraq. Once again Welcome home Russ and we Love you.
Until next year Cowboys keep your boots in the stirrups.
November 2006:
November is finally here and that means
‘Thanksgiving’ Dinner, it also means that family can get together and relax and enjoy each other’s company.
Thanksgiving this year, once again, was held in Oklahoma and not in Arizona. We will have to change that for next year. I think that next year it should be here in Arizona. We could have it just like all the other years prior to the last couple.
Why is it that
Thanksgiving is here anyways?
This is the time of year that all of us are supposed to give thanks for anything that we want to. For us we give thanks for:
• Having our Ranch another year
• Being able to see our family and friends
• Having no deaths in the family
• Our health
• A good rainy season
• Anything that could have been lucky for us
• A safe return for our Desert Cowboys in December
We hope that all the Cowboys, Cowgirls, and little Cow Poke enjoy your Holiday Season’s this year. This year will be an extra exciting year, which is an understatement.
Take time to check out our Holiday page and links to all of our Holiday special pages:
Cowboy Christmas
Cowboy New Years
Thanksgiving Cowboy Style
We hope that you enjoy each and every one of them.
The Thomas Ranch © November 2006
October 2006:
Another month has come and gone, here we find ourselves looking at the beginning of another Hunting Season.
This has brought up a point that I believe needs to be addressed. I for one LOVE Hunting, I have never tried to hide this fact. I would do it every single day of my life if time and deadlines didn’t get in the way. But some people it seems who do get the time to go hunting think that it is their God-Given-Right to Trespass on others land and to cause Holy Havoc.
Some of the issues that we have with people who come on our Ranch to hunt are:
• Throwing trash on the ground
• Leaving gates open
• Knocking down fence lines
• Not entering our Ranch by specific roads
• Not staying on the roads
• Not picking up their shotgun casings
• Not checking in with anyone on the Ranch
• Getting upset when we tell them to leave an area that we are working our Cattle in
• Stealing private property (generators, pumps, ect)
• Shooting up signs
• Shooting our Cattle (then mutilating them)
• Trying to scare other people who we have given the proper rights to hunt an area off (this is where I come in and remove the people)
• Being very aggressive and rude when approached (this is a sure way to get yourself kicked off our Ranch for life)
• Trying to move to another area of our Ranch once kicked off (I will follow you everywhere and have a photographic memory, I also write down all license plates, times, dates, and any other pertinent information, for Court Appearances)
• Being overly aggressive towards my Dad, Mom, or anyone in my family (now you pissed me off)
• Hunting over our ponds (which are fed from our wells, which pushes our Cattle away from their water)
With all of this said I would just like to warn all of you who do like to go Hunting being courteous and respectful of land owners is the only way that you will be allowed to go Hunting on our Ranch and any other Ranch around Cochise County and pretty much anywhere in the United States anymore. You would be surprised how many people would rather argue with you than try and see the landowner’s side. Well with that said you can e-mail me or if you see me you can stop me and talk about this issue. But just remember courtesy goes along way.
The Thomas Ranch © Oct 2006
September 2006:
This month is extra special, not just because of the rain but because Russ is returning from Iraq for his R&R. He is getting to spend two weeks back home with the family before having to head back over there. One good thing about him leaving to go back over there is that he is almost done with the tour all together, you always have to look at the positive side of things.
On his R&R he was able to do a ton of fishing and meet Sebastian, his new puppy, spend time with all the kids, and not to mention his loving, caring wife. Russ was not coming home to work the Ranch although he did try to make it down here.
The Ranch has been unmoved this month with the exception of the news of Russ coming home and then to turn around and tear us away from him so he can return back to lead his Desert Cowboys back home safe.
July 2006:
This month the Thomas Ranch has one sad note: Buck one of our beloved horses died. So we made a banner dedicated to him and will leave it posted here on these pages for as long as we have this website. It will stay with the July 2006 news page. This was an unfortunate accident and we all loved him. To make up for the sudden losses that we have had, 1 Cat, Patches, 1 Dog, Caesar, and now Buck, Casey decided to go pick up a new puppy and named him Sebastian.
The rain showed up late in July this year, but we are not here to complain about it because everything is turning green and our wells are filling back up. We had a Crane come and visit our ponds and ate two of our giant Catfish. Our Bluegill is spawning and things are looking alive again. This is a great time of year for our Ranch.
Al and Alice got to meet Sebastian for the first time and instantly fell in love with him. The new puppy has brought smiles to everyone’s faces. The circle of live has begun again. It never ceases to amaze me year in and year out when things die; new things are born and replace them. You cannot do that with people but with animals it’s a great privilege to have. Our animals are part of our family and just like a member of any family the sorrow that is felt hit us hard but bringing in a new life force is an excellent thing to do.
This July is also the month that we are presenting some new logos for the Ranch. There are a couple of them although that is almost identical we are going to give you the first glance at all of them. America you must decided which one you like the most.
Until next month take care and we will see you back here on these pages.
The Thomas Ranch© July 2006
June 2006 :
Summer is in full effect and we are beginning to, “FEEL THE HEAT” down here around Tombstone, Arizona.
This is the Rodeo time of the year. Preparations for the next two months of Rodeo’s are taking precedence over most other things. July brings in the end of Branding Season and the fun begins.
This is also the time that everyone starts looking at what food plots are being put in and what to plant in their area. Water lines and fences are mended and checked. Salt blocks and mineral blocks are placed in nice out of the way places for the deer and cattle to enjoy. June is defiantly the time of year where there is more to do than just go fishing, although this is another important fact that we can’t leave out.
Once Branding is done our normal excursion will take us in to Bisbee or Tombstone to raid the town, just like it has been over the last 100 years. Only this time it is not our Cowboys who go in to town and get rowdy it is us that do it. Our family is large enough for our own Rodeo Team.
We will give you the story about the finishing of the Branding and which city we decided to invade once we are done. That will be a story all on its own.
Well until next month everyone we have to start prepping for a ton of work ahead of us. Don’t worry we will have our time off soon but not during the prime summer months, way too much to do here on the homestead.
To keep you updated on the Rodeo that we were supposed to attend; The Thomas Ranch was unable to attend this because Al Thomas cracked a rib. If you have never cracked a rib before you wouldn’t know the excruciating pain that comes along with that. It is over a 5 hour drive to get up to the Rodeo and then to have to stand up there in front of people and possibly talk as well was more than he could handle and who can blame him. Maybe next time we will be able to attend but not this year.
Casey has showed back up on the Ranch and it was great to put the family back together no matter how short a visit it is. She was there for Fathers Day and they were able to spend time with Dad.
Well America until next month don’t frown because you never know who is falling in love with your smile.
The Thomas Ranch
MAY 2006:
Well America it is time to move on. Around the world everyone is preparing to celebrate, “National Day of the Cowboy” which is the last Saturday in July. 22 July 2006. The Thomas Ranch will be celebrating and wish to extend our hand out to all of Cochise County as well as around the world to help us celebrate this Second Annual event. As you know we were there in the very beginning becoming one of the very first sponsors of this monumental event.
Don’t worry we will have another 100 years to celebrate this but for you who are just hearing about it for the first time, join the party. There will be Rodeo’s and family events around America.
As far as us we were extended an invitation from the Desert Cowboys to stand in for them at the, “Pine Country Pro Rodeo” in Flagstaff, Arizona; they are Honoring the U.S. Military at this event. We have graciously accepted this invitation. So if you would like you can stop by and see us there at the 25th Annual Flagstaff Rodeo.
We do not have a Desert Cowboys flag that we can wave but one day we will get everything together and have flags, t-shirts, and hats for these guys. We are just waiting for them to return from Iraq, which will truly be a great day. If you are interested in going to the Pine Country Pro Rodeo you can email Communityoutreachmanger@PineCountryRodeo.com and let them know that the Thomas Ranch and the Desert Cowboys have sent you. They will provide you with all the information that you will need for this. You can also look on there website
Pine Country Pro Rodeo.
Well America thanks for still joining us month after month of our rambling down here in South East Arizona.
The Thomas Ranch May 2006 ©
APRIL 2006:
We received a letter from a young man talking about the Thomas Ranch web site and about the Cowboy. So I wanted to share the two correspondences with all of you. I hope you enjoy this months, Cowboy News!
Dear Fine Peoples of the Thomas Ranch,
First I would like to compliment you all on the awesome work yall put in yalls website; top quality for sure. As a college student researching the American Icon I came across yalls site and found it to be very informative as a analysis of contemporary pop culture backed with solid historical evidence. I am no fan of contemporary pop culture and hasnt been for a few years now and i sought solace through research on the epitome of heroism and valor, aka the Cowboy, long before this "Cowboy Renaissance" of recent months took hold. Through my research i discovered that the Cowboy was first and foremost a man, a man complete with all the short-comings and failings of any other man, and much more approachable and understandable than many glorified versions moralists of today like to attribute to him. I do infact have strong moral convictions, and I place honesty in all dealings to be near the top of my moral checklist. Which brings a slight uncomfortableness with a few notions expressed in your site. In nearly all my research on the cowboy the cowboy was portrayed as notoriously not affliated with religious dogma of the day; which is not to say that many cowboys weren't spiritual or belived in God, but to attribute conservative sociological institutions to a man who for the most part rejected the contemporary institutions of the day and instead chose a life on the lawless frontier seems in honest inspection to seem hardly beleivable. I do not find that disturbing, I find that comfortable, I find that much more approachable and realistic than a mythic godlike persona devoid of fear, love, and maybe even the doubt that all humans inevitably SHOULD experience to be, after all, what they are, which is in fact only human. Now i understand that in these days we as a nation are more in need of a hero than ever before, and i belive, like you, that that hero is infact the cowboy, but i feel him to be the hero not because of what he stands for today, or what some people say he stands for today, but rather who he really was, a survivior. No one would say that fronteir life was easy, and the Code of the West expounded in your site seems more like a Sunday school worksheet rather than the reality of what all Western academics claim it was, which was for the most part a philosophy of "Live and Let Live" and expressed tolerance and individuality in terms that could not be construed in any way as being murky (Lewis Atherton, The Cattle Kings, pg 56). Atherton goes on to portray the West in terms more analogous to present day California (YIKES!) than my homestate of Louisiana (although Cajuns are very accepting people as well). I am not a liberal, I love country music, and I would infact fight in a war if I felt it just, but I feel we need the Cowboy more than ever as a American King able to unite us all in a single national identity. There are many things about my life I had no control over, if you listen to any country music the emphasis on the relationship between a father and his children is so prevalent you would think we all had wonderful parents. I did not have a father worth a damn, many of us do not, does that make us less worthy or less "cowboy-like"? It's no secret that my interest in the cowboy is rooted in the search for a father figure, and it helped me, it helped me in ways that speaks to any young man, about the difficulty and unfairness in life, couldn't the cowboy also help others not as a new blindingly perfect Baptist myth but rather as a man who experiences and SURVIVES life despite all it' hardships? I am not trying to turn the cowboy into a liberal veggie eating pacifist, but I dont want him turned into a symbol for ideologies he couldn't have possibly adhered to either, I only want the cowboy to be who he really was and is, someone we all as Americans can relate to. Now so far as the rough and tumble and slow-talking aspects of a cowboy for sure those are there, but are those really required? Maybe infact they are, my cowboy friends schooled me well in the rites of fraternity that often required a bloody nose followed by a level of frank genuine honesty rarely experienced by young people of this "plastic" generation. That frank genuine honesty I know to be for some people a double-edged sword, it unites and us while simultaneously destroying many myths we hold dear......just be yourself, to us, no one is THAT un-alike ....that's what the cowboys taught me, but be a cowboy to everyone else,... but I guess you already knew that...
Thanks for your time,
Joshua James
Joshua James,
I am not sure exactly what you are asking for us to answer here. I do believe that God was prevalent in the older society than he is now-a-days. Look at any movie about the old west and you will see church groups in every movie and it was something if you missed a Sunday Mass. Drunkard would even stumble into Church on Sunday. We at the Thomas Ranch are not trying to push God as a whole but we believe that he is prevalent to the old west cowboys and in the modern Cowboy. The lawless frontier you talk about is true. There was a time when it was any man for himself. But as soon as a town went up like Tombstone Arizona the one we are at, the Church was the second thing to go up after the brothel house. This says something.
To quote you, you said, "To attribute conservative sociological institutions to a man who for the most part rejected the contemporary institutions of the day and instead chose a life on the lawless frontier seems in honest inspection to seem hardly believable."
You are assuming that the Cowboy was a wild reckless frontiersman with no fear and who lived for the moment. This sounds more like Generation X then the Cowboy. If you would take some time and study the Wagon-trains, it was families that made this journey, together. The few with no law such as Billy the Kid, and Doc Holiday (who was very well educated) that seemed to stand above everyone else as lawless where far and few 'between. For the most part it was family operations that ran cattle out west and hired on Cowboys who were trying to save up money to bring there families out to them, or younger men who were just trying to find there way in this world.
History about the old west was written to make money on 5¢ book sales. It would not be too awful interesting at the time to read about Mr. and Mrs. Smith baking apple pie would it? Now there were the Bandits of the time and era, just as there are gangs in our City streets. Think about that for a moment. The same thing could have been said about the “Cowboys” of Cochise County back in 1880. You could consider them a gang of the time. The wild shootouts and bar brawls would be interesting reading material, but the drawn out books that were written such as Little House on the Prairie show life as a child in the country. This is how life was.
I am not a real big religious man myself but with my research I have found that the Cowboys did go to church and to try to push Anarchy thru the Cowboy would be insane at the very least. The Cowboy is an American Icon not a Modern Day Bandit. Values and Commitment and Standing by your word this is what the American Cowboy means to me.
“I did not have a father worth a damn, many of us do not, and does that make us less worthy or less "cowboy-like?”
No it sure doesn’t as a matter a fact with the deaths to dear old Dad as young as they were back in the Wild West it would make you even more like a Cowboy. It doesn’t take a father figure to teach you how to become a Cowboy, it takes yourself to know that you will stand up for what is right and defend the lone soul who you know will loose against undefeatable odds. It is that quality of the Cowboy that draws me to the lifestyle. If you can stand between a Bully and his or there Prey then yes you are a True Cowboy. Also you said it yourself, “…but rather as a man who experiences and SURVIVES life despite all it' hardships? “ A Cowboy can adapt to any situation, the Cowboy Way, and come out on top or at least be proud of what he did in any situation. That is the True Cowboy today.
“I am not trying to turn the cowboy into a liberal veggie eating pacifist,” Thank you because there are enough of them in this country that I could just puke.
If you have any set of questions you would like answered please take the time to email me. Also remember these are just my philosophies and they are subject to debate and scrutiny. Thank you for your kind words about the web site and I look forward to more of your questions.
Sincerely,
Russell J. Anderson.
MARCH 2006:
Each month seems to blend into one another anymore. Does time still stand still? Anywhere? I am hoping so. Our Ranch, “The Thomas Ranch” has been around for over 100 years and we are now taking a leading role in what the future of the Cowboy is going and what they may be like. We have already joined forces with www.NationalDayoftheCowboy.com and www.CowboyCrew.com that have both taken the lead and started pushing how good and valuable the Cowboy is today. With groups such as the Desert Cowboys and many other groups that have formed with the last six months it’s amazing. Where we right a long time ago when we said America needed an Icon, an American Hero? I do believe we were and I believe that everyone is looking at the Cowboy to stand up and be heard. I believe that it is our duty to do so. I also believe it is every Cowboys duty to stand up, especially those who are already famous and have some media attention. The plight of the Illegal Aliens has been a war that has raged here in Cochise County for as long as we have owned our Ranch. If famous singer or actor would like to see what this whole fight is over I encourage you to come by and knock on our door and we will show you what we are talking about. I will personally sit on top of one of our Mountaintops and show you how many Illegal are crossing our Ranch, not to mention the whole of Arizona. This subject is taboo in many households right now but not in this one. We have been discussing this for years and finally it breaks out in the news. But what we don’t see are more famous people on our side standing up saying hey they broke the law just entering this country now send them home. It is as simple as that, Illegal. I have stated several times to Wake Up America and now it is a Now or Never situation. Stand up and be heard or you will be silenced forever. If you believe you are too rich or too famous to care you better think again. When all of these people become U.S. citizens then they all have the right to vote. They have already tried to change the speech in America to Spanish on more than one occasion by putting it to a vote. Luckily we were all on our toes and it got voted down. But with all the Illegal now joining forces where is our figure standing tall and saying enough is enough? Where is our Cowboy who will be the face of the future?
February 2006:
Border Issue.
Once again I have to tell you this is just my opinion and not that of this website or The Thomas Ranch as a whole.
When will the whole of America open their eyes? When will everyone realize that we are not as safe as we think we are? When will all of America stop bowing down to these self-riotous groups who are so sue happy that it's ridiculous?
America your Border is wide open here in Cochise County. This is the main crossing point for a majority of all Illegal Immigrants. Oops did I say Illegal Immigrants; I was told I now have to say Unregistered Workers. Sorry about that. They do come over and work and send hundreds of millions back across the border daily. American dollars, gone forever. Talk about outsourcing.
Immigration
Immigration is not what it used to be. In the 19th Century people who landed for example on Ellis Island had one way tickets and were coming to America for a new life, a new start. The lands behind them were a fading memory. Now with cheap airline tickets, phones and the Internet the ties are held stronger to the distant lands that they just left. "Today's Immigrants assimilate a lot slower or not at all." Llewellyn King.
Jacques Billeaud said, "Arizona has long been one of the busiest gateways for Illegal Immigrates trying to sneak into the country and some lawmakers believe its time to dispatch state police squads to catch Illegals who slip past border agents." If a person is trained to be a Police Officer, why can he not arrest Illegal Aliens? Do they have more rights than American Citizens? Apparently. "If the federal government isn't going to do the job and Arizona is footing billions of dollars a year for Illegal Aliens, it makes sense for the state to get involved," said Ira Mehlman spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform. Most of us in Arizona agree this will not fix our problem but it will persuade a mass of Illegals from crossing the border.
Terrorists
Now lets talk about Terrorists. How easy is it for a typical Illegal Mexican to cross the Border? Very Easy. Now how easy is it to fly to Mexico from another third world country? Easy. How hard would it be to walk across the border here in Cochise County? Super Easy. These bleeding heart liberals are talking about providing maps to Illegal's as well as water points. What? Why not just have a taxi at the border and let them get driven wherever they want to go?
Stand Up
America is starting to stand up to Uncle Sam himself. We will not be held down and watch our lands get taken over by the mass of Illegal Immigrants crossing. The Hispanic population is in an uproar over us wanting to close the border completely. Well good. I hope that you finally learn just like they did in California that once you become the Majority than you loose your Minority status.
The Minute Men a group of American Citizens made quite a stirrup in our little town not too long ago. They came in and documented how many Illegal were actually crossing the border. The Minute Men are now in Washington and pushing to close our border to the south, with the exception of people with valid passports. "No more Illegal's should be a cry heard across the Globe at this point."
Another 9-11, yes it will happen but why are we making it so easy for them. We let them in our country and know about the plan, but we wait and try to catch all the key players together. Good thinking morons.
American Revolution? Yes once again I feel as if that is inevitable unless America as a whole stops bending over backwards trying to please every single country in the world. We are a Super Power. We need to start acting like a Super Power.
War
First start by taking away every Iraqis weapon until we are out of the country and then there country can give it back to them. Lets see, if America where to be invaded do you really think any country will let us keep our weapons? They are using them on our forces every day. It has been written on the wall, "This is the slowest suicide mission ever." You have to stop and think about that!
Politically Correct vs. Soldiers Lives
Politically Correct vs. Loosing America
Political Correctness Sucks
January 2006:
Usually in January we would talk about serious subjects such as being separated from family, war, life, death and how troubled it makes everyone. This year is different. This year, we are going to talk about a subject that has made us mad, laugh, and just shake our heads at times.
About a week ago, I was driving home from Sierra Vista one evening just before dark. I saw a couple of pickup trucks sitting off the road, on our Ranch, with about a dozen people all out of their vehicles standing around. This is not an unusual site in our area. We run people off the Ranch all the time if they do not have a purpose there or have not checked in with us. Usually it's the younger crowd looking for a place to party away from the city. With us being in the middle of no-where, it is an inviting spot. I have rolled up on full-blown bonfires with about 50 half intoxicated people before (on our land mind you…). Some people just can't get over the fact that this is private property, and most want to argue with you. Now don't forget sometimes it's so hard to see out there with no moon and can get quite dangerous for them and us at times, but it is my job to run the Ranch at night just looking for people who are not supposed to be there.
Anyhow, back to the story. I pulled up next to the trucks and rolled down my window. I asked the first person (a young 18-21 year old) if I could help them. He replied, "No, not really, we are just looking at the Cows to find one that we can try to tip when they fall asleep."
Good Grief Charlie Brown, these kids have lost their minds!
Urban Legend; "Sneak out into a pasture at night, creep up on a slumbering cow and try to push it over. The legend is that the cow is so deeply asleep and standing with locked knees, that it is easy to topple." One of the favorite forms of recreation in rural communities is sneaking up on sleeping cows and pushing them over, also known as "Cow Tipping" Is this Fact or Fiction?
The answer is Fiction!
Let me say cows weigh several hundred pounds and have relatively short legs, giving them a low center of gravity. Not to mention the cows sleep in groups and sneaking up on them would be hard. They can respond very quickly. There is one fact that everyone seems to overlook when it comes to this. Cows do not sleep standing up.
I had a long talk with the whole group of them. They did not get a chance to even try to tip a cow but I think that they now know it would be almost impossible to accomplish the task that they were dead set on attempting.
This whole subject about Cow Tipping is
stupid but humorous.
