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Prickle Forrest Chronicles

Chrissy Hartmann

January 2025

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🤠 Dear Prickles,

Well butter my biscuit and call me speechless – I’ve got more news than a cattle rustler’s got excuses! Grab your coffee and settle in for this here roundup.

First off, my cookbook, : Heartfelt Grapeseed Oil Recipes with Benefits is now available and is out there on the trail as of today, January 31st, which just happens to be this cowpoke’s birthday. And you all can wrangle yourself a copy faster than a tumbleweed in a tornado. If you’ve already got yours reserved, bless your heart – and if you’re feeling particularly neighborly, a review would be more appreciated than rain in a drought.

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I’d like to extend my most sincere apologies to those who live out of the good old USA, as the cookbook is not available in print. It, however, can be herded into your digital shopping cart internationally from most retailers. I sure wish you all could get it, it’s a mighty beautiful book!

But hold onto your hats, cause that’s just the beginning. I’ve got not one, but two more books on the horizon. One’s an anthology of short stories, written by this here cowboy and the other’s another anthology where our good old friend Luke Tyler from Whiskey will be featured. And if your wondering, he’s cousin to Kaleb, Kash, and Kaden Tyler.

Keep your eyes peeled for the GLFW anthology coming out in late June, which should have Lukes short story in it where he’s met the love of his life, Cora Krebs a vintner on Kellyes Island on Lake Erie, plus it’ll have a whole boot scooting variety of other short stories you won’t want to miss.

Still got a hold of your hat? cause this next bit’s got me more excited than a kid at their first rodeo – I’m getting myself one of them fancy Tandem Mobi insulin pumps! This little beauty works right off an iPhone and is friendlier to us blind folk than a well-trained horse. Yours truly will be learning the ropes in the next couple weeks, and I reckon it’ll be smoother than a prairie sunrise.

Speaking of hitting the trail, I’ll be moseying on down to three book festivals in March and April — Orrville Book Festival March 1st and Akron Book Festival March 8th and Stark Library Book Fest April 12th — with my sights set on two more roundups in October and November — Canal Town Book Fest October 4th and Buckeye Book Fair November 2nd —. The Grub Wrangler will be riding shotgun at every last one of ’em. And here’s where it gets interesting, pardners – anyone who stops by my table and picks up The Grub Wrangler or any other book gets entered into a special prize drawing. And don’t you fret if you can’t make it. I’ll rustle up a signup for those of you here on the e-mail list already. Now, I’m not spilling all the beans just yet, but come November’s newsletter, two lucky buckaroos will be riding off into the sunset with a mighty fine prize. Keep your eyes peeled for more details in February’s dispatch of the Prickle Forrest Chronicles.

And if that’s not enough to make you holler "yeehaw," the Seeing Eye dog guide school’s done reached out about setting up a Juno walk next week. Looks like this cowpoke might be getting a new four-legged partner sooner than expected! At least that’s what we here on the ranch hope. I’ve requested a male shepherd and they’re sometimes harder to get than lassoing your favorite cowboy to do a two-step with you at the local square dance.

Now, since we’re talking all things cowboy, let me tell you something about how us ranch hands have been participating in democracy since the early days. Them original cowboys were about as diverse as the wild frontier itself – Black, Hispanic, Native American, and white folks all working the same trails. And when it came to voting, well, cowboys historically weren’t too partial to either side of the political fence. They tended to vote based on what affected their livelihood most – land rights, cattle prices, and water access. Even today, you’ll find cowboys across these United States voting every which way, proving we’re about as independent as they come. And let’s not forget the inauguration either. These here cowboys like to celebrate a good win so they might cut loose sipping on a whiskey, firing off a few rounds of ammo, and eating a hearty meal before shut eye. If they’re lucky enough to be holding up at the bunk house, they might have an impromptu two-step with the local cowgirls. But for the most part, sunrise comes early for these hard working boys in the saddle and they’re back to work mending fences and tending the herd.

Speaking of the inauguration, how did you celebrate it this year? Did you two-step at any inaugural balls or did you settle in and watch this here author’s Buckeyes win the National College Football Championship? Me? Started with mimosas at 12:02 pm danced a jig or two then settled in on the couch with the cowboys to watch my scarlet and gray win. Woohoo! Woohoo! Did manage to munch on a few of my savory starters that The Grub Wrangler managed to rustle up in-between plays. One such favorites were chipotle hummus with veggies and chicken cranberry salad with pecans on pepper crackers. Woohoo! Woohoo!

Until next time, stay prickly, my friend, 🌵

Now kick off your boots, grab a Whiskey, and settle in for some romance!

Chrissy Hartmann

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