Albuquerque-based writer and former mule packer Slim Randles will receive The Rounders Award at a reception October 16 at Governor Susana Martinez’s residence in Santa Fe. Named for the classic novel by Max Evans, The Rounders Award is given by the New Mexico Department of Agriculture to “individuals who have lived, promoted or articulated the Western way of life.”
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| Slim Randles |
Since Slim has been so generous in sharing his columns with us, I thought it only fitting that we celebrate him today. This is quite an honor and so well deserved.
This has nothing to do with celebrating friends, but I laughed out loud when I read the following in Louise Penny‘s first novel Still Life. A witness is explaining his aversion to violence to Inspecter Gamache and says, “I’m not a brave man, I’m afraid, but I can’t tolerate killing. Killing anything. I have spiders in my home with names.”
While I have learned to be more tolerant of spiders since I moved out to the country, I draw the line on naming them. Although our daughter once named a spider that built a home on her porch. Our grandchildren were young at the time, and our daughter used the presence of the spider as a science lesson, letting the kids chronicle the life of the spider as she spent the summer with them, laid eggs, and then went to spider heaven. Yes, that’s what she told the kids. (smile)
Have you ever named a spider or any other bug? Do you run in terror from anything that creeps or crawls or flies too close?
Unfortunately, I’m not tolerant of all bugs. If they are inside, it’s me or them. Usually them. Gardening bugs I’m more tolerant of, since they may help the garden.
Congrats to your friend on his award! That’s nice to be recognized for any literary or genre award.
D.G., I am less tolerant of bugs in my house, especially the spiders. I have been known to leave my office when one runs through and disappears under my desk. LOL
Thanks for stopping by.
I lived in New Mexico for four years and didn’t even know about that award.
I call all spiders ‘Squish.”
LOL L. Diane.
Perhaps folks who are more connected to the cowboy lifestyle and western fiction are more familiar with that award.
I’ve never named a spider or bug, but I don’t mind them outside. Not in my house, though. Spiders don’t bother me too much, but I draw the line at scorpions or snakes.
Thanks for stopping by, Helen. I’m glad you are another one who does not name bugs. That little quirk worked for that character, though. Makes him very memorable.
My husband told a friend once that he couldn’t buy live lobster because he knew before he got the water boiled, I’d have named them and made them family members.
Maybe so but spiders…no.
That is so funny, LD. I have a good friend who is a farmer and when she and her husband raised cattle, Jan named all the calves. I once asked her if that made it hard to take them to market, and she said no. She said she just wanted to show them a lot of love before they left. I would find that extremely hard, but I think farmers have a different approach to the animals. Still, if I raised livestock I would not name them. LOL
Slim just dropped me a note to thank me for posting his news. Then he added, “If I ever named a spider it was along the lines of ‘the late….'”