April 27, 2020 RHINESTONE COWBOY

The Grocery store. I hated grocery shopping BEFORE the pandemic. NOW I ULTRA HATE IT. Don't know how those doctors and nurses can stand wearing a mask ALL day. I wore one to the grocery store last week and almost passed out from my own carbon dioxide. OKAY--maybe it was just the anxiety over the whole experience. Not only did I suffer from lack of oxygen--I couldn't see a DAMN THING because my glasses kept fogging up. I was banging into everything--going up and down the wrong aisles--I'm surprised I didn't get arrested. And people get really NASTY if you go up the wrong aisle. I actually got into a  LITTLE altercation with some lady because I was GOING in the wrong direction. I am directionally challenged--on a good day. She gave me a VERBAL LASHING that was seriously OUT of proportion for the crime. Thought for a minute I was gonna be hanged in the town square at noon. Which brings me to my review of the Classic Western Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry.
This incredible epic focuses on two famous retired Texas Rangers, Captain Woodrow Call and Captain Augustus "Gus" McCrae.  After spending years taming the West, the two now own the Hat Creek Cattle Company and Emporium in a tiny town in Texas called Lonesome Dove. They have been in Lonesome Dove for about ten years when they receive a visit from an old friend who regales them with tales of  Montana and his travels. Call and Gus then get the itch to go on one last great adventure. They decide to herd cattle from Texas to Montana with their company which includes Pea Eye, Deets, Dish, Newt and many others --to be the first to succeed in starting a cattle ranch in Montana. Along the way they encounter all kinds of danger and meet a host of unforgettable characters including ladies, whores, settlers, Indians, and sheriffs. This beautifully written novel is a story about friendship, ageing, death, and unrequited love on the last frontier. It's a biggy though--almost 900 pages or a 10 miles run that is well worth your time. Getting lost in Lonesome Dove is a great way to get through this pandemic!