“Books and booze,” is how one of my coffee buddies answered, when I asked his ideas for the perfect Wyoming-oriented Christmas gifts. 

       He had been giving out bottles of Wyoming Whiskey and Koltiska liqueurs over the past years plus he bought six of my Wyoming’s 7 Greatest Natural Wonders books and a bunch of Chuck Box and Craig Johnson western potboilers.

       It is hard for me to argue with his selections, but this column is my annual attempt to compile a list of wonderful Wyoming-oriented books that will make both the giver and the receiver happy.

       CJ Box of “Joe Pickett” fame has a new book The Highway and Johnson of “Walt Longmire” fame has a new book called The Spirit of Steamboat. Box lives in Cheyenne and Johnson in Ucross.

       You can’t lose by buying a copy of the Roberts Brothers’ Wyoming Almanac, which is now in its seventh edition and 25^th anniversary.

       Rodger McDaniel’s incredible book about Wyoming called Dying for Joe McCarthy’s Sins is a wonderful read and a great present. It was a gift to Wyoming by Rodger for getting this story into print.

       Then again, you can always give to local Christmas charities.

       My wife puts in a plug for the spirit of giving, which she champions here in Lander with the big Christmas Food Basket drive, which she chairs. Over 300 baskets of food and gifts are given to the needy. Money is raised locally and dozens of families donate, many of them feeling this is their best chance to experience “giving is the best gift” at this time of year. Check out local charities in your town for ideal places to help with cash or your energy.

       Some of the best Christmas presents might be gift subscriptions for your friends and loved ones of the newspaper you are reading right now. Most newspapers have special Christmas offers. It is the gift that keeps on giving.

       Shopping in local-owned stores is another fun experience of the Christmas season. Not only do you get to support the local economy but also you can see all your friends when you go shopping. Also, shop the special ad sections in newspapers like this one for special hours for special deals.

       Some companies are pushing “Buying American” this year, which makes a lot of sense. I would go a step further and promote “Shop Wyoming.” This is really fun!

       Vicki Burger at Wind City Books in Casper says big local sellers include Cowboys and East Indians by Nimi McConigley plus she has sold hundreds of copies of Life and Spectrum (her biggest seller) by Casper’s Cliff Meloy illustrated by Zak Pullen.

       Allen Warren, manager of City News, Cheyenne, suggests Haunted in Cheyenne by Jill Pope and Honed by Rich Slater, two local authors. Cheyenne author Stephen Horn’s The Pumpkin Eaters has also been a solid seller this season.

       At Barnes and Noble in Cheyenne I ran across a series of paperback books by Cheyenne resident Joanne Kennedy. I am hoping that I am not offending her when I speculate these books might be described as cowboy-oriented “bodice rippers,” a genre favored by many female readers.

       Robby Smith of Sheridan Stationery says that Where the Rivers Run North by Sam Morton, One Cowboy’s Dream by Cynde Georgen, Tom Ringley’s Wranglin’ Notes as some of the top books from her area.

       Suzanne Young of Jackson helps out her friend at the Jackson Hole Book Traders and says Olaus and Margaret Muries’ book Wapiti Wilderness, the Craighead Brothers book A Naturalist’s Guide and Ted Kerasote’s Merle’s Door and Pukka are all big local sellers plus Tina Welling’s Crybaby Ranch tells a good story infused with ranching/conservation conflicts.

       Here in Lander, I recommend Dave Langerman’s Life in the Wild Versus the Alternative, which has lots of good hints that just might save your life in the Wyoming backcountry.

       Former Pinedale newspaper publisher Ric Samulski has a wonderful book called Trekkerman about hiking the world’s best trails, including some in Wyoming.

       Former long-time Associated Press writer Joe McGowan, born in Sheridan and who covered Wyoming for decades, has had good success with his book From Fidel Castro to Mother Teresa.

       Gene and Jeannie Bryan are big fans of Muffy Mead’s books, the most recent was Its Head Came Off by Accident, A Memoir. She is a sister to Gov. Matt Mead.

       I have read three books by Alexandra Fuller of Jackson and they are fantastic.  The Legend of Colton H. Bryant is a modern (and tragic) story of contemporary Wyoming. Her most recent is Cocktail Hour under the Tree of Forgetfulness, which I have not read yet.

       Happy reading and happy Wyoming book buying!

         Why don’t you just heal up and hair over!”

         That is the theme of a state Humanities Council booklet, which was distributed at an event in Cheyenne attended by more than 600 people from all over Wyoming.

This unusual Wyoming-oriented expression was attributed by Pete Simpson of Cody to author John Perry Barlow of Pinedale. It refers to how a calf is upset when branded by a hot iron but ultimately “heals up and hairs over.”

In human terms, this means that we need to patch ourselves up after fights and work together. Such civility was the theme of the Wyoming Business Alliance forum hosted by Gov. Matt Mead and presided over by Bill Schilling.

         Two legislators offered some of the best civility insights.

Former Democrat Legislator Debbie Hammons, Worland, shared her Goofy George story about a dim cowhand who refused to hit back at the fellow who was pounding him.

         When asked why, George said: “He was already so darned mad. I didn’t want to make him any madder.”

She recalled how angry she was early in her legislative career when a fellow legislator’s spouse said, “If you are a Democrat, you are either evil or stupid.”

       “Doesn’t this person know we don’t say things like that here? This is the contrast between what my expectations were for basic Wyoming manners – the manners I grew up with and during my years on the UW Board of Trustees. This new way of behaving was just beginning during my last term.

      “It’s been my experience that you better be respectful of the folks you live or work with because you never know when you’ll need help. I was unprepared to deal with aggressive rudeness and so I did what someone from Wyoming would do – I made a joke, our way of turning the other cheek. 

      “However, that lack of civility planted a seed of anger in me that will not go away – unless I choose to let it,” she concluded. 

In other words, heal up and hair over.

House Speaker Tom Lubnau of Gillette recounted how a Cheyenne Legislator was bombarded with some of the vilest and threatening emails and letters he had ever seen. Rep. Lynn Hutchings, who is female and African-American, was attacked for being involved in some controversial issues.

Lubnau took to the podium to denounce the lack of civility.

“I said, in reference to the people who wrote these e-mails, that we should remember that those who sit in front of their computers in the middle of the night in their underwear are not necessarily political pundits.

           “Apparently, there are legitimate political pundits who sit in front of their computer in the middle of the night in their underwear and send e-mails.

         “A radio station out west, relying upon a blogger, separated the first part of my comments from the last.  A small group who heard the second half protested.   They posted blogs asking folks to write their opinions of me on their underwear. 

“You have to love a state where people will send me their underwear.  This great 2013 panty protest contains lessons about these times:

          “First, with the internet and its perceived anonymity, civility becomes a casualty. I’ve been told they would find me swinging from a tree if I didn’t support a bill.   My wife was not impressed when a Republican official posted on a social media site where he wished Tom Lubnau and his family would die and go to hell.  

“Second, in an era of electronic communication, people in their underwear sitting in front of computers have access to the masses.   Once, access to thousands of people belonged to just newspapers and television.   Now, with the click of a mouse, a message can be sent to thousands.    Folks can pick and choose their news, from the media or from bloggers.  

          “There are no ethics with bloggers, and so information shared may not be accurate.   We now have a new cottage industry of conflict merchants – folks who share information – often inaccurate – and then ask for donations.”  

What did Lubnau do with the underwear sent to him?

“I had security dispose of them. Not sure I wanted those garments hanging around the Capitol. ”

If you get a chance, locate a copy of the Heal Up, Hair Over brochure by Wyoming Humanities Council. Thanks to their chairmen, Tom Rea, Dave Reetz and Rex Myers, for leadership on this project. The booklet is full of civility wisdom by state and national leaders. Good stuff.

         Just about everybody who was alive in America in the last 40 years can remember a pivotal life event that occurred   on Nov 22, a half century ago.

         Where were you when President John Kennedy was killed?

         My story is somewhat unique and so are many others.

         Clay James of Jackson was in the Marines. His officers armed him and the rest of the soldiers with wooden rifles and sent them to the coastline. They thought the Russians might be invading us. This was in the height of the Cold War. Such an event seems impossible to folks who never experienced those perilous times.

         Casper native Dean McKee was in study hall at Natrona High School with a buddy who soon moved to Oklahoma. Odd, he said, he had no more contact with that man until he ran into him on a hike in the St. Lawrence Basin of the Wind River Mountains several decades later.

         Former House Speaker Fred Parady of Alaska and Lander’s Andy Gramlich had similar experiences.

         Parady was an Army brat living on a base in Seattle and had been taken by his parents to see President Kennedy when he visited their base, shortly before the assassination. 

         Gramlich was a high school senior and attended a parade the day before the Nov. 22 assassination in Tampa, Florida, where JFK and Jackie rode in an open limo to a huge crowd. “Made the next day seem even more eerie, “ Andy, recalls.

         Leslie Blythe of Casper was just 4 and living in Billings. She and her mother went to a drive-in restaurant. She recalls the waitress crying, telling them about the president being shot.

         My story has both coincidence and irony.

         An old friendstopped by back in 1989 – some 24 years ago. He was one of my high school high school classmates from back in the town of Elgin in Northeast Iowa. 

         I had run into him during a 25th high school reunion some years earlier. It was good to see him even though he reminded of an event that gave us both goose bumps as we recalled it.

         He reminded me of one of the most chilling events as he recalled a day in American History class on Nov. 22, 1963.

          As an assignment, I had written a paper comparing President Kennedy with President Abraham Lincoln. There were an incredible series of similarities that I rattled on about to the rest of the class on that fateful day.

         When I was finished, our classmate, Bonnie, said: “And so, now it is time for Kennedy to die.”

         As we left class, the announcement came over the public address system that, indeed, our president had been shot that morning. Perhaps he had been killed as we were talking about it.   What an eerie coincidence. Indeed, I remember where I was when hearing about President Kennedy getting shot. 

         And I`ve never met any American who was alive at that time in 1963 who can`t pinpoint where they were and what they were doing at that exact time when they found out about it.

         My 50-year journalism career was just starting back in those days. I often wonder if that shock that Kennedy’s death brought to the country was not a small part of the stimulus that caused me to embark on writing and reporting career.

         As a 17-year old high school senior, I had taken that American History assignment and wrote a column in the local newspaper based on it. My column dealt with the following an amazing coincidences regarding Presidents Kennedy and Lincoln:

         Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846. Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946. Lincoln was elected president in 1860. Kennedy was elected president in 1960.

         The names Lincoln and Kennedy each contain seven letters. Lincoln`s secretary was named Kennedy. Kennedy`s secretary was named Lincoln.

          Both presidents were shot on a Friday. Both were shot in the head. Both were assassinated by southerners and succeeded by southerners. Both successors were named Johnson. Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Lincoln, was born in 1808. Lyndon Johnson, who succeeded Kennedy, was born in 1908.

          John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated Lincoln, was born in 1838. Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated Kennedy, was born in 1939. Both assassins were known by their three names. Both names comprise fifteen letters. Booth ran from the theater and was caught in a warehouse. Oswald ran from a warehouse and was caught in a theater.

         Booth and Oswald were both assassinated before their trials.

         Having breakfast with Liz Cheney recently and listening to her at our Rotary Club got me thinking about this unprecedented Republican U. S. Senate primary race going on in Wyoming.

         Cheney and three-term senior Sen. Mike Enzi have raised over two million dollars and the primary election is not until August 2014. Amazing.

         This race got me thinking about a movie.

         Watching the Coen Brothers motion picture, Oh Brother, Where Art Thou, brings to mind some great lines in connection with the race between Cheney and Enzi.

         I love one scene especially. Actor George Clooney’s character escapes prison and tracks down his wife (actress Holly Hunter) and their seven daughters.

         Holly has decided to divorce George and marry an accountant.

She proclaims her new beau is “bona fide,” much to George’s chagrin. This means her fiancée is a not a pretender, but a substantial person.

         When told this, Clooney starts yelling. He caps off his diatribe proclaiming, “But I am the Pater Familias!” This means he is the father of the family and the patriarch of this brood.

         How does this relate to Wyoming?

         Liz Cheney’s connections to her former home state of Virginia might cause Wyoming voters to wonder if she is “bona fide” when it comes to serving the citizens of our state.

         As for “Pater Familias,” it is easy to visualize Sen. Enzi as the patriarch of our state’s Congressional delegation. His grandfatherly demeanor offers comfort as he legitimately plays that role to the 580,000 Wyomingites.

         But I digress.

         On this recent Wednesday, I was having breakfast in Lander with my kid brother Ron from Cheyenne. We were joined by the Fox News All-Stars coffee group at the Best Western. Then Liz Cheney and her entourage, which included Amy Womack of Cheyenne and Lois Herbst of Shoshoni, joined us.

         Liz was pleasant and talkative. Her Suburban was covered with snow from her drive over Togwotee Pass from Jackson early on this November morning.

         When talk came to Obamacare, she related how she just found out her 13-year old daughter was diagnosed with type I diabetes. There was no evidence of diabetes in her family. The daughter is a great barrel racer, Liz proudly recounted.

         Dave Langerman brought up the concept for ID cards when people vote, which she supports. “Sort of like when getting a fishing license?” she quipped.

         The 47-year old mother of five talked with Sheriff Skip Hornecker about her dad’s experience in Lander at the One Shot Antelope Hunt. Skip guided former Vice President Dick Cheney a month ago.

         Our get-together was occurring the day after key national elections were held. In her former home state of Virginia, ex-Democratic National Chairman Terry McAuliffe barely won election in the governor’s race.

“Off the record, he’s a scumbag,” Liz said, and recalled charges that McAuliffe had been implicated in money laundering between unions and the Democrat National Party.

         She is enjoying her statewide campaign and said, “People in Wyoming really treasure their vote. They ask great questions.”

         We talked about how the New York Times says Wyoming voters have more influence than anyone in America. In Wyoming, we have one U. S. Senator for every 290,000 people. In California, for example, it is one U. S. Senator for every 18 million people.

         Cheney is an articulate speaker but did nothing to convince me that she could replace someone of the caliber of Enzi. History may very well judge Enzi as the best U. S. Senator in Wyoming’s history.

         Cheney did share some funny experiences at the State Fair parade in Douglas. She recalled when she was 12 she got lost on the parade route while helping her dad campaign.

         In 2013, at the same parade, she had her three youngest kids helping throw out candy from her convertible.

         She sat her kids down before the parade and asked them if they remembered what they were supposed to do?

         One child said to not throw the candy too hard or at people’s faces.

         The second one said to throw the candy to the side and behind so nobody got run over.

         Her first grade son, Richard, was then asked if he could remember what he should not do.

         “Yes,” he proudly told her. “Don’t fart.”

         Oh yeah, I left the morning discussion early as I had another appointment. That noon when I greeted Liz at Rotary, she approached me and said, “Did you forget something this morning? I had to pay for your breakfast.”

         The boys down at the coffee shop were in a grumpy mood earlier on this day. They had just endured their fourth heavy wet snowstorm. And it was just Oct. 28!

         As I write this, I am looking out my window at my poor trees, once again, leaning over almost to the ground. Their leaves covered with frozen snow and many more limbs broken.

         Our coffee bunch, also known as The Fox News All-Stars, can be surly. You will hear people complain about just about everything. Lately the complaints have been focused on the weather.

         Curmudgeon-in-Chief Ben Freedman comes in every morning and says: “It’s 84 in Tucson.” On this particular morning, it had been 27. 

         Sergeant-at-arms Tony McRae is not pleased when someone compliments the morning “alpenglow.” Not sure why, but I think it has something to do with the chilly weather that accompanies such a sight against our wonderful Wind River Mountains. Alpenglow is that beautiful orange reflection of the morning sun against the snow-covered hills and mountains.

         Dave Kellogg and Tom Cox live out of town in areas where they get wind. Not uncommon to hear Dave say, “man, it was really blowing last night.” However, back in town, where the weather is calm, it just stays cold.

         Because Lander gets so little wind, we often endure “inversions,” where the cold weather hangs low in the valley. Pilot Andy Gramlich always comments it is 50 degrees warmer just 500 feet above town.

         Retired banker Charlie Krebs is the announcer for the high school football games and reported how his feet went out from under him as he was descending the slippery steps on the aluminum bleachers during a recent game. In a snowstorm.

         Garve Chapman cheerily reported a neighbor cleaned off his driveway. “If I spend enough time here at coffee, I will never have to get my snow blower out this year,” he said.

         Former mayor and legislator Del McOmie spent his career with the highway department so he regales us with tales of snowplowing heroics occurring on nearby mountain passes like Togwotee Pass, South Pass and Beaver Rim.

California transplant Dave Langerman, when not hunting or fishing, will give us an update on the weather in the mountains or lakes. Lately his weather reports contain the words “inconsistent.”

         John Brown lives in the country up toward South Pass and often has harrowing tales about road conditions. He alsoworks in Rock Springs and is often wondering about South Pass, which can be legendary for lousy weather.

         Long-time trails expert Jim Smail fills us in all summer long with tales of how nutty campers were failing to put out their campfires. This time of year, he tells us there is not as much snow “on top” as down here in the valley. Darn.

         We like it the other way around. It is supposed to snow on top and be nice in our valleys. Not this fall.

         When we are not growling about the weather, we complain about the roads. We don’t like them when they are in need of repair but we really get ornery while we endure construction delays.   

         Most recently, I was recounting a 20-minute delay in the middle of the night at the base of Beaver Rim between Lander and Jeffrey City. There we sat without anyone in sight with a red light holding us up. “Should we go?” I asked my wife Nancy. She did not think so.

         Luckily, we did not. The pilot car finally showed up and there was lots of construction underway. Delbert advised us weather was causing delays and those contractors were desperately trying to get the job done “before winter.”

         “Before winter?” Garve snorted with chuckles all around.

         You see, that is the problem here. 

         Actually our Lander Valley winters can be fairly mild; it is the shoulder seasons that have most recently been crazy.

         Lander had four major snowstorms last April. Four. 

         And now here in September and October, we have had four more major snowstorms. Four!

         At this rate, we could endure winter weather for seven months.

         Makes for a group of grumpy old men sitting around the table at the Best Western each morning in Lander. And probably in similar coffee shops in Cheyenne, Laramie, Rawlins, Evanston, Rock Springs, Kemmerer, Thermopolis, Worland, Riverton, Buffalo, Sheridan, and other fine cities and towns all across Wyoming.