Rusty Bucket Ranch Blog

Back at the Rusty Bucket Ranch, the “bikeys” were getting to be a problem.  There were a lot more of them that summer, as word had gotten around about the ‘shortcut’ to the state park and beaches of West Marin.  “They’re like all varmints,” Otter drawled while sharpening his knife. …

July 4th weekend was just beginning, and the four amigos were thrilled that they had tickets to Day on the Green #5, featuring The Outlaws, Santana, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Peter Frampton.  That would be the first big rock concert any of them had ever been to, but now they had…

During this carnal atmosphere, Otter and Rabbit were still living on their raised teepee at the other end of the property.  Julie remained independent, living off and on with her boyfriend Ron in Fairfax.  Jerry was ensconced in Marge’s bedroom, the couch still accommodated the diminutive Pippin, but Darby had…

There were many attractions for Marty to share with Mike after getting him settled in the Rusty Bucket Ranch.  He told him about the swimming hole and they went there directly – he had to see it right away.  Marty forewarned him about encountering naked people at the Inkwells, and…

The party was already in full gear when they arrived.  Godzilla by Blue Oyster Cult was playing loud and strong, the grills were all fired up, and so were the men on the deck.  Jerry and Pippin were arguing about the best way to stack the charcoal.  Jerry had become…

Springtime in high school should be a time for blossoming love, but it’s also time for baseball.  This was a big dilemma for Marty, who wasn’t sure which one he should pursue, and was disappointed that the Frosh-Soph baseball team didn’t have any cheerleaders.  He really loved baseball, but it…

“He’s a pilgrim and a preacher, and a problem when he’s stoned.He’s a walking contradiction, partly truth and partly fiction,Taking every wrong direction on his lonely way back home.” — Kris Kristofferson Academically, Marty was doing quite well at school, but his teachers couldn’t figure him out.  They saw a…

All too soon, the rains of autumn washed away the ebullience of summer in the redwoods.  The first brisk storm cleaned the dust off the boughs, and all the needles glistened in the air like jade-colored rice.  The thirsty ground absorbed the water greedily, and the accumulated layers of wet…

After his recent debacle of ineffective wooing, Marty desperately needed something to boost his morale, and more importantly, his approval rating at school.  Everybody was always talking about parties, so why not throw a big one?  They had a huge yard, and the weather was still dry before the winter…

Fortunately, Marty had a perfect outlet for his anger: the football field.  In his first game back from his knee injury he played some cornerback to cover for Mike, who was nursing a sore shoulder.  His job was to hurl himself at a pulling guard who was twice as big…

With school, football, and transportation challenges taking up most of Marty’s waking hours, he wasn’t spending much of his time at the ol’ Rusty Bucket Ranch.  Having a life away from home was good, but also had its drawbacks.  One day, he noticed Krishna wasn’t around when he put out…

There were several football practices scheduled before the school year began, and Marty always found a way to get over the hill one way or another.  One time, he rode his bike the entire eight miles, and that was a big mistake.  It had no gears to make the hills…

Marge came to drive Marty and Susie home from summer camp in her smelly Toyota pickup, which was beginning to look rather beat up from life in the boonies.  While the other kids were getting into in big, shiny cars, the two deprived urchins slinked inside a dirty toy truck…

The morning after the wildfire, the odor of burnt grass lay on top of the little Western town the way tarpaper covers a shack.  The campers were somber and subdued, and the occasional girl who giggled or boy who yelled were hushed by the smoky residue in the air.  The…

The next morning Marty looked for Lisa at the flag raising ceremony, and she smiled and waved while her cohorts whispered in each other’s ears and pointed, flashing their eyes in his direction.  In the chuck wagon for breakfast she saved a seat for him, but he didn’t want to…

When Marty returned to the Rusty Bucket Ranch from his ersatz backpacking excursion, everyone was talking about the Teton Dam collapse up in Idaho.  It was an earthen dam that broke, much like Peter’s Dam up at Kent Lake, which always loomed (in a suddenly more threatening way) less than…