THE PERKINS JOURNAL-THURSDAY, MARCH 20, 1997
Gary Minshall-
Continued from page I
wanted to get back to," he fondly recalls.
After coming back, especially in slow times, he's worked as a car-
penter, in an airplane factory, on drilling rigs--whatever it took to
make ends meet but the work best is shoeing horses. It was his
father-in-law who taught him that occupation, he said. "One day
when we were visiting with him, he was shoeing horses, and as I
watched him, I decided I'd like to try that so showed me how,"
Gary remembers. After working at it for awhile, he decided to at-
tend Oklahoma Farriers College in Sperry. Since then he has taught
classes at the Oklahoma Horseshoeing School in Oklahoma City--
but he is self-employed and says, "I am blessed to be able to work
for myself. It's pretty hard work but I like horses and if I had it to
do over again, I would still shoe horsesi"
The farrier-turned poet explains about horse shoes and the how's
and whys of putting them on horses. Horse shoes are made of iron
and come in a couple of diffe 'ent kinds, ready to put on. Some-
times it is pretty hard to get the shoes on the horse, especially when
the horse doesn't want his shoes on, but with determination it can
be done. Minshall began shoeing horses at the Oklahoma City
Stockyards. These horses were ridden by cowboys when they were
putting cattle into pens for the auction. In the olden times, shoeing
ulOrses could be a dangerous occupation. "There was always a pen
1 of young horses, pretty tough bronc horses that needed to be
shod. Usually we would tie the leg up to get the shoe on, but nowa-
days," Gary explains, "we use tranquilizers to keep horses sttll if
needed".
Gary's first try at writing poetry was in conjunction with his oc-
Cupation. "It.was when I was in Texas shoeing horses fora friend
that I wrote my first poem," he said. He was way down in Texas on
a big ranch, living in a cabin quite a ways behind the ranch house
at that time. Had been down there a few days, he said, and was
wanting to go home long before that particular night. The hired
hand who he'd worked with during the day had already finished
his chores and had gone home. Everything was quiet---no televi-
sion, no telephone, no nothing to keep his mind occupied--and he
was lonesome and he was hungry. He would be going home soon,
and as he sat there remembering his home and the wife he'd left
behind,' his thoughts began to come in words that rhyme. Those
words he wrote down--and that is the first poem he ever wrote.
One More Night In Texas
I set here in this Texas camp
Without a friend in sight
Juan is up there don' chores
He's here yet tonight.
I think I'll cook me up a n eal
Of some bologna and some cheese
And drink me some of those Texas
And knock me out some Z's.
beers
And get up bushy tailed tomorrow
With my hammer and my rasp
And shoe them horses left and right
And get their money in my grasp.
And while you sleep and dream your dreams
of thoughts that you may des e,
The answer will fall and surround your soul
up there on the brightest star."
So give this a try, you'll be amazed
of the message that falls below,
So sure in your mind and the love in your
and the peace that's deep in your soul.
heart,
With his poetry, Gary has entered several contests and some have
been published in other publications other than the Journal. "I
have no plans or goals in poetry writing, just whatever God has in
his plans I will do," this poet says, and some of those plans that are
in the future include reading his poetry at the old rodeo stadium in
Guthrie during the 89ers Rodeo and Parade on April 26. Sandy
Boles, the coordinator for the poets' get-together, invited Minshall
and other poets from different states to gather in the first State
Capitol of Oklahoma to entertain guests with their poetry. He was
among poets who entertained during the Tom Mix Festival in the
Logan County city last fall.
Locally, Gary Minshall can beheard reciting his" poetry when he
entertains at the annual Co-Op meeting on Saturday, March 29.
He was invited for this occasion by Tim Fox, manager of the Co-op.
Writing poetry takes a lot of time, but that isn't the end of it when
a poet recites what he has written." According to this particular
poet, it takes two or three days to get a piece memorized and longer
to get just the right inflection on certain words. Gary practices the
poetry reciting just about anywhere--at home, in his car, and at
the Journal. Editor Rick and I were fortunate in hearing him re-
cite some of his poetry recently.
Minshall gives credit to Atha at "Special Touch" on the south edge
of Tryon for getting his poems typed on her computer so they will
be presentable for taking to The Journal for publication. Atha is a
poet, too, Minshall says, so she knows how they should be done--
and he is considering having them made into a book of poetry.
Getting back to Minshall's occupation of shoeing horses, he says
that over the years he has bettered his business and now shoes top-
notch cutting horses, some of the best in the world. He has shod
horses for the late Pat Patterson of Tecumseh, vho Gary considers
to have been "a legend in his own time" in riding cutting horses
Not only was he a World Champion cutting horse rider, Minshali
says he was a "fine man." "I worked for him for 20 years and learned
a lot from him about riding horses and shoeing them. I considered
him a truthful man and good to work for," Minshall says. "I always
felt good about working for him, even though some thought he was
difficult to work for." The farrier from Tryon was gifted with a
buckle made of gold that Patterson had received in the NCHA Top
10 Competition. Both of Patterson's children, son Kenny and daugh-
ter Debbie, are World Champs in cutting horse competitions.
Here is a poem he wrote about that buckle given to him by his
friend of many years, Pat Patterson:
The Buckle
I remember the day a few years back
A shoein' horses for a man that was old--
He came to the barn with a blue velvet sack
And inside was a buckle of gold.
And head that truck out of here It had rubies and silver a shinin' real bright
(Oklahoma's where I'm from) And a cuttin' horse turnin' a cow.
And to my friend left waiting there, To my eyes it seemed a most beautiful sight
My dear sweet Sugar Plum. And all I could say was "Wow!"
(Now that may not sound "romancin'" to some, but I bet to Sandra
that says it all.) He said you shod for me for quite a long while
Minshall says he doesn't really know how he came to ..be a poet. And,I th you for a good
He'd hated reading poetry and he never liked to study Enghsh when He gave me that buckle and with a big smile
he was in high school--and no one was more surprised that he could said, ! won that on Peppy Lee San.
write poetry than his Tryon High School English teacher, Ruby
Schriener. "She wondered where my ability to write poetry came I think of that man every day, I swear,
And there 'tween my boots and my hat
Is that buckle that I so proudly wear
A treasure from my friend, Mr. Pat.
from since she knew I didn't like the subject she" taught," he said.
Another teacher at Tryon was H.I. Jones who taught both Ameri-
can and English Literature.
"I know this is a God-given talent," Gary quickly says---and he
puts that talent to work writing poetry for his children, Stepham'e
and Austin, and other family members. Stephanie and Troy Taylor
and the Minshalls' grandson Brett live in Yukon where she has a
car detailing business and he works for Titan Oilwell Cementing
Company. Austin is attending Southeastern State CoUege at Durant
and plans to be a teacher and coach. Their daughter, Jenny, died at
age 11. She was a victim of cerebral palsy since infancy.
Pistol Pete Eaton was a hero of Minshall and recently after he'd
read an article about the old cowboy in The Perkins Journal, the
one telling about his induction into the National Cowboy Hall of
Fame---he decided to write a poem. He'd take the Journal and a
notebook with him as he went to his work and when he thought of
special words, he'd jot them down--sometimes when driving down
the highway. "I wrote that poem over a two or three day span," he
said, "and then one evening when I came home, Sandra asked if it
was finished. After giving it a little thought," he said, "I took the
papers to the table where I put the verses in order and then I said,
yes, I believe it is finished." That poem has been published in the
J ,urna .
Later he borrowed from Elizabeth Wise the book on the life of
her father, and he wrote another poem dedicated to Jenny. He'd
always wanted to do that but words just wouldn't come---so this
poem came about after learning that Frank Eaton's first sweet-
heart, who was named Jenny, had died at a young age. Eaton had
mentioned in the book dealing with his life that Indian lore toId
about the Indian Spirit and the star they pray to in Heaven. This
is the poem written about the Minshalls' little daughter, Jenny.
nayLs_$tar
The Great Wah-ken-tucka, the Indian Spirit
that lives up there in the sky,
To white man it's God, there's no difference,
you see it's the very same guy.
Our Indian friends they tell of a prayer
that they pray to a star in Heaven,
Just ask the star the wish that you want
and to you it will be given.
When a loved one dies they live on
the one that outshines them all,
Ask the spirit to fill your heart
and a message of love will fall.
a star,
As I lay on the ground and look up above
and gaze at the stars up there,
Lo and behold, the brightest stag
is my sweet little JennY so fair.
I ask the Great Spirit to grant me my thought
and to make a will that is right,
For all we know is what is behind us
and what's in our present sight.
And Wah-ken-tucka, the Indian Spirit,
said to my soul below,
"The present is yours, the fiature is mine
and it's only for me to know.
Iql put down the curtain in front of your eyes
for the future you cannot see,'
And with all your mind and all your heart
paint a picture like you want it to be.
Always liking to be around horses, Gary rode bucking horses and
bulls in rodeos around the country, and won a bull riding contest at
the Perkins rodeo once.
Always liking to see different faces at different places, and now
that h e has been in the horseshoeing business for many years,
about 30 in all, Minshall says he shoes horses for several ranches
around this part of the country and a few in Texas--including 12
years for Marilyn Franz who lives between Perkins and Ripley.
Minshall explains that horses need to be shod every six weeks and
the hooves need to be trimmed before the horses can be reshod. He
also shoes horses for friends whose horses are family" pets.
But lest the reader thinks that life for Gary MinsH'all is all work
and poetry writing, he would be quick to tell you that being with
his family is one of his favorite things to do--and his favorite hQbby
is--golfl He likes to play at the Cimarron Trails Golf Course where
some of his special friends also play. Among those are Tim Fox,
Mac McCutchen, David Lara, and others from this area. "I even
wrote a poem about golf and say it to them when they are beating
me too bad," the poet-golfer says.
Gary, it was a pleasure visiting with you and I did certainly enjoy
hearing your recite your poetry. Thank you!
Senior Citizens News
By Kathleen Johnson
May the road rise up to meet you
May the wind always be at your back
May the sun shine warm upon your face
The rain fall soft upon your fields
And until we meet again
May God hold you in the hollow of His hand.
(An Irish Blessing)
****
Tis time for the wearnin' of the greenb'gorra. Plantin' taters and
the like.
Plant in the fruitful signs of Scorpio, Pices, Tauras, or Cancer
(lion, feet, neck or breast). (Don't plant potatoes in the feet). Plow,
till, cultivate in Aries. Never plant anything in the barren signs
(trim, deaden, destroy). Always set plants out in a water or earth
sign.
Take taters--on the dark ofth' moon or th' old ofth' moon (th' last
quarter); they make less vines; and on the light of th' moon they
make more vine and less tater. Don't plant in th' flowers--a plant
blooms itself to death; blooms fall off-don't make cucumbers, to-
matoes, squash or stuff like that. I don't know why it is, but it's
sure thataway, for my daddy tried it.
ak@**
If you keep doing what you've always done, you'll keep getting
what you've always gotten.
***$ ,
Talking to a nice lady on the phone. She has a case of midwinter
rot--and a terminal cold she's had since September. Do you ever
get depressed? Well, do you? I get so depressed it would take a
ladder to get out of--"yep!" but not for long. Drive over to First
and Kirk and listen to the Cimarron Valley Music Makers--thatll
get you out of whatever you're in. Uplifted, exalted, excited, af-
fixmed and overwhelmed by musicians and wonderful, wonderfi.d
song and music. They'll Whig ya! Zing, bang yal Ting-a-ling ya!
MAN Alive!
I can't imagine anyone sitting around in
heap feeling sorry for themselves. So
Winter and rain and bills and taxes? Says I to!
down, up and have a hip! hip! hooray time
Lorraine Smith, Chet Smith, Jimmie T
Cole, Bill Boyd, all of Perkins; Bill Worthy, Agra;
and Jo Martin, Alvy Stevens, Jim Music, all c
Felton, Drumright; Willie Mouser,
Ival Hesser, Howard Anderson, Allen Cain,
Crescent; Jim Childers, Glencoe. Harold
the Irish Ballad, "Oh Danny Boy," beautifully.
of the talented musicians that come so far to
Hostesses and host Esther Ham, Ynona and
decked out in St. Patrick Regalia. Ynona,
R.L., a green derby and a frilly green
special flair of Irish with their fashions.
and 19 musicians delicious sandwiches, cup
of green goodies. Others adding
Mattie Thompson, Geraldine and Wayne Allen,
Bonnie Blumer. Thanks!
If you give a pig and a child every
good pig and a bad child.
****
Enjoyed Margaret's interview with
ily last week.
thing
Eli2
Our condolences to the Gene Hardy, AA.
and Gertrude Kinder families.
****
Current Events ::
Moaday Night Music--7 to 9 p.m.
Wednesdays--Center opens 1 to 4 p
Potluck--every 2nd and 4th
Friday. March 21--Triad Eyecare Clinic
Birthday Luncheon, board electi_
Thursday. March 27--Mystery Dinner, 5 p.m.
Tu¢sdav. April 8th Bus trip to Zoo
and Cowboy Hall of Fame
(Please send the $15 per person fee for
to:
Senior Citizens, P.O. Box 606, Perkins,
Happy Birthday: Justin Wayne Johnson
Walter Davis, Goob Sharp, David Westfall,
"Henley, Helen Sue Brown. We wish you manY,:
:t: -'k $ q-"
Justin J., Alissa J., Deanie Johnson,
Happy skiing--'Keystone."
Hi! Dora M. I don't remember havin
Have you written your alumni letter?
about you, Goldie B. See you there.
Saturday Night Revelers--still reveling,
a great time. Edith Cretsinger, Joanne BottS,.
ret Suggs, Olga Tomlinson, Pete and Viola
Jewell and Buck McCorkle. Elsie Grant, GuY,
ers, Jeanette Owen, Walt Davis, Jessie
James Martin.
Had sad news about friends,P oy
home and belongings to fire.
Monday for music--total $352.50. The Senior
to this. We hope and pray for the best for yoU.
Well, what do you think? I think it's time to:
this is our grandson's birthday, 17th, will call
Happy Birthday.
Till we meet again, dear friends, I wish
By Priscilla Hancock,
CRH Marketing Manager
One of the strongest weapons in the fight
'number one killer continues to be knowledge'
Tuesday, April 1, Cushing
ing the "No Foolin" National Heart Attack
Participants not only get vital information
risks of heart disease, but also receive
take steps to reduce those risks.
The heart attack risk study screening fee
finger-stick blood test to measure
betes test). Screenings now include
information on HDL or "good" cholesterol
HDL and total cholesterol. These factors
be an additional indicator of heart attack
evaluated in the screening are weight,
pressure. The screening is open to all adultS,
"We continue to offer these
response from our citizens is always
Cushing Hospital Administrator. "It's
people want to take control of their own
they can do to protect themselves and staY
lifestyle habits such as diet and exercise, it
heart attack risk factors. And, any
can have a significant impact on long
"T Chile all individual results are
on the number of people screened and
trends," Cackler explained. "We have bee
number of people do return to the
months to monitor their progress, by the
improvement in many categories, including
numbers, reducing high blood pressure,
sugar and a decrease in smoking for these z
In addition to Cushing Regional
by Hillcrest Exercise and Lifestyle Prograf
Hillcrest HealthCar.e.
The $10 screening fee includes testing
sulks. At least two hours of fasting is
Appointments are available between 10 aJ
For more information or an appointment,
toll free, 1-800-516-8444.
Happy Birthday to Beaulah
Beaulah Henderson, a former
birthday on Thursday, March 13. She is
114 at Westhaven Nursing Home in
receiving cards and calls from her many
occasion.
