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Grandma’s secret comes out

By Mary Jane Holt
Contributing Writer

I am soon to be devastated. In part, it will be my own doing. Yet, deceit always comes back to haunt one. Always.

It has been awesome, however, being the deceiver, to date. Misleading those I love has come so easily. Ah, but the truest and purest of loves can be so fraught with ambiguous, cunning, deceptive falsity. And it can be enjoyed right up until the moment of exposure or willful disclosure as in my case.

And it’s all Hank the Cowdog’s fault! I hate to place the blame on him but Hank can take it. I’m sure. He’s used to getting blamed for everything. You see I have gone and ordered a Hank the Cowdog CD as birthday gift for my grandson. No doubt he will share the music with my granddaughter.

And the two of them will soon know that Grandma cannot sing…

I mean: not a lick. I’ve never been able to sing. I’ve known it since childhood. All six siblings get by quite well musically. A couple of them are downright gifted, but they will all tell you in a heart beat that I’m “the one who writes.”

So surely no one would blame me for enjoying the ride with my grandchildren for these 10 full and rewarding years now. And what a ride it has been! I have sung them to sleep and awake. I’ve sang and danced with them. I’ve taught them songs and learned new ones with them. Delightful little tunes the three of us have made up have made me very happy.

“Made up” being the key phrase… but it is all about to end. You see, there are 44 Hank the Cowdog books to date. Author John Ericson has given the world a series of childrens’ books that have entertained my grandchildren and me endlessly! And interspersed among the pages of the wonderful books are songs performed by Hank, his coyote friends, the buzzards and others. So far my grandchildren have heard only my voice read these books to them.

And I, oh yes, I have performed the songs for my grandchildren and I have been blessed to hear them repeat over and over “Sing it again, Grandma, sing it again!”

Such music to my ears, not to mention the heart and soul of me is about to end however. You see, Dylan discovered the tapes and CDs a couple of weeks ago. And he told me about them kinda in the midst of a conversation about his upcoming birthday.

Now what’s a Grandma to do? His hint was discreet and tasteful -- downright well mannered of him the way it came off. Indeed, Hank has taught him much over the years.

And so… I placed the order. Soon the CD will come and I will make the presentation and we will play it for the first time together, and alas… they will know the truth. Hank, official head of ranch security, will, with his own renditions of his original songs prove that Grandma can’t sing.

The CD contains excerpts from ten stories and nine original songs performed like an old-time radio show with sound effects and each character has its own unique voice! I’m told we will hear Hank as he bargains for a priceless corncob, learns about manners from Wallace the Buzzard, runs into Rip and Snort the coyote brothers, taunts a raging rottweiler, gets into trouble with Sally May the rancher’s wife yet again, and more!

These dogs, buzzards, and coyotes who not only talk on this hilarious CD, will also sing to us and bring me down. I am prepared! As I said, nothing lasts forever. And, so, to Hank and John Ericson, I say, thanks for the memories!

For more information go to www.hankthecowdog.com . There you can learn all about Hank as well as author John R. Erickson who reads and performs his creations for people of all ages and backgrounds. Erickson, a fifth generation Texan, has a degree from the University of Texas, and studied two years at Harvard Divinity School. He spent 15 years writing and working at odd jobs, including eight years as a ranch cowboy. After receiving hundreds of rejection slips from New York publishers, he started his own publishing company in his garage and self-published the first ten Hank the Cowdog stories. Today, Hank the Cowdog is a national character and his books and tapes have sold in the millions.

Visit with me at www.maryjaneholt.com.