Lola's Salon

Oh my gosh, P&L, you come up with the BEST ideas. Where are some steer horns. Lola is bound to have some--she always has whatever is needed.

LW, it's so good to see you. We were getting a little worried, but not too much since you were with the wizardwildwestmobile. Wow, it's great that everyone is here! Tomorrow, we're going shopping for hebba--he needs to fit in a little better just in case Bugsy decides to come to these parts. Piffka took care of him in Vegas, but you never know with these little hoods.

Oh piffka, why don't you use your clicker to get Pearl here. That big girl would be a perfect match for Scorpion! After that, please roll me one. P&L is playing the piano again and I'm ready to PARTEE! Should I make my Alice B. Toklas brownies?

Over by the piano, Jes and Lola are joined by Trevor and LW. They start to dance, a slow, bluesy kind of dreamy dance.

Yikes!! What is that? Diane leaps up as a black footed ferret happily climbs onto her shoulder. Wow, another talking animal. This is quite a place. The ferret whispers that Cobalt is on her way. Diane tells him to hurry back to Cobalt and tell her that they will meet her at the saloon, or at the western shop where they will be shopping for hebba, or at Rosie's Repeat Rellenos. If we're at the restaurant, tell her to look for a neon sign in the window that looks like a blazing saddle. The ferret hurries off excitedly with all the news for Cobalt.

hebba's resemblance to dumya is purely coincidental. I kept telling Cobalt to stay away from those cowboy hat and boots that looks too much like dumyas..... but, no, she won't listen to an old geezer like me. What does an Asian know anything about cowboy outfits? c.i.

Hat's are ok. It's the belt buckles that the ladies in TX question. As in, "Is your beltbuckle bigger than your head?" when talking to a prospective blind-date on the phone.

Oh heavens, c.i., like it or not, we are taking you along with hebba to shop for some western clothes tomorrow. Yessiree, a Stetson, jeans and cowboy boots are called for. BTW, Dannon's right about the belt buckles. Besides, they might interfere with the tool belts!

And now it is time for me to admit that I am a little long in the tooth for all this partying. It's off to bed for me.

Night all, sweet dreams.

As the gang makes their plans for tomorrow's shopping spree, Lola over hears an argument going on in the kitchen of the Saloon. Loud voices, getting louder. Is that Withers? Fifi? Jeffers? Prudy? Wassau? Sal? Prissy? Oh no, it's an all out brawl, the salon folks on one side and the cafe crowd on the other...........

"Come now, no need to fight. There's room for all of you." says Lola. "Wassau, my friend, would you please show Scorpion out back to the stables where his friend Pearl is waiting? Scorpion understands Pearl's language. And no wonder, she whispers in his ear, turning him into a mighty steed.

Good night all. Until tomorrow and our shopping trip. I hope Cobalt makes it soon.

Hands in pockets, shoulders stooped, oversized black boots scuffing the wet skywalk, Bradley Smoothoffen was just about as unhappy as a goth Europunk walking down the sidewalks of Las Vegas could be. He was so depressed that even the sound of his piercings clanging against each other was oddly unsatisfying. He enters the saloon.

Piffka's eyes pop open.

She is lying down but she is not alone. Someone is sleeping heavily in the same room. "Where am I?" That odd, deep breathing is comforting, but...

"... oh, wait a minute. Flagstaff for Pete's sake. We're here in this old saloon. And waiting for Cobalt." Musing... waiting for Cobalt waiting for Godot.... waiting for Cobalt... waiting for Godot...

She wraps a sheet around herself and creeps from the room. By this time several bodies lying on beds about the room can be seen. It's so great to be the first one up.

There is, miraculously, a deep copper tub filled with steaming water in an alcove down the hall. She hops in for a morning ablution and out and into jeans. Oh boy. It's today!

Downstairs she finds that she's not the first one up. Coffee is there on the table and there's a note. It is signed with a big round hoofprint. There's nothing else, but she'd know that foot anywhere.

Diane must have clicked Pearl here after I went to sleep.

Piffka steps out the back stairs. Awwkkk, it is cold! A two inch crust of powdery, silver white snow lies dry and white on everything. The stars are more brilliant than anywhere up north, even though a cold moon competes with them near the horizon. The horses have heard her and she whistles a little. Pearl gives her snort and an deep voice says, "Easy there, missus, use your words."

Nothing like some good ol' hay... Pearl even gets a little bit of alfalfa on top and was clearly heard to say, "Bitch, give me more."

Piffka wanders on down the road. A black lab has appeared out of nowhere and seems anxious to please.

"Did you hear that, boss?" Scorpion asked. Knowing about danon's hearing loss from the war.
"Yeah, that Pearl is something else isn't she?" danon replied. He had gotten up early and went down to the stalls to curry Scorpion and give him his favorite - a scratch behind the ears.
"Hey! She ain't all that bad, boss." Scorpion said with a wink.
danon went out to the road and saw that lady going into the place with the big neon saddle sign. He followed out of curiosity.

Pssst, Wassau, today is piffka's birthday!! Let's plan a party for later. I'll be back to help as soon as possible.

It's been an odd sort of a morning back at the Saloon. Piffka doesn't really approve of piercings, while Bradley (whom she quickly nicknames BS) thinks she's too annoying for words. Feeling impish, she decides to torment him and questions him at length about anything and everything.

He, however, loves the attention and warms to her.

The black lab, Barry, has found a big golden cat. They've been sleeping peacefully next to the velvet couch, but not before a big to-do was made about water for the dog. There's a puddle near the dish and there's a little melted snow near the door. Wassau has put a rug down to catch it.

jes tosses Bradley a Marilyn Manson CD, The Beautiful People. Bradley smiles for a moment, enchanted at this unexpected gift. He then remembers to be a goth punk and that he's not allowed to smile, so he squints and sneers a bit and tries to resemble Billy Idol, circa 1981.

Joint whinnying sounds come from the direction of the stalls and jes wonders if horses smoke after, you know ....

"Flammable straw." whispers blatham into jes's ear. jes nods, yes, of course, straw is too flammable for cigs. Maybe then they just share some grass.

No, not that kind; it's also too flammable.

Godot???? Does Godot want me to pick him up somewheres around oTumcumcari? There's a nice Southwestern Mercantile there for shoppin' for the dude's duds. Don't know how big the belt buckles are though. http://www.tucumcarinm.com/ I will be passing through there about 7pm on Thursday, so let me know if Godot would find this a convenient pick-up site. Let the ferret know - he's on his way, swiftly-footed back to Lola's. Tucumcari

Cobalt laughs to herself: she knows she only suggested Tucumcari because it is so much fun to say! And, she sighs, wondering and wondering what is up with this mysterious Bradley. She also thinks she will be on the lookout for a tall...... dark..........handsome........er.......

"rock" to pick up along the way. Rocks - hey, they are just so.... stable, ya know? Cobalt is looking for some nice rocks. There may be gold in them thar hills, but good rock may be hard to find.

(Aaaaaak! Cobalt shakes herself out of her strangely meandering thoughts and says, got to get going with more packing! No more fantasizing till after the next load is squared away. She sighs again, wishing she could pulluppa chair and pat the resident cats in the joint.)

While playing the piano, Peace&Love feels cobalt's vibes..... PaL realizes that cobalt must be thinking of the group here in the saloon in Flagstaff Arizona. PaL hopes that cobalt has a safe journey and will be in Arizona soon.

In honor of the shopping for cowboy style clothing, PaL plays a tune called "Ragtime Cowboy Joe".

(here's a link to listen to a sample of "Ragtime Cowboy Joe")

http://www.joanncastle.com/tracks/r.html

Oh no, I think most of you missed my last post about piffka's birthday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

!!!!!!!! PIFFKA !!!!!!!!


Wassau, I know I promised to help you with the party, but I was tied up for most of the day. Let's get busy!! (And you are so handsome in your new cowboy clothes.) I'll do most of the dirty work so you don't get your new outfit splattered with chocolate frosting.

BTW, do you remember the girl on the sidewalk who said,
"Feelin' lucky cowboy?" Well I hear she has been asking about Bradley. Where did he go?

Piffka, crawling back from the third foray towards Tucumcari on the local internet cafe, realizes it is hopeless to get a good connection. She stops by the stalls on the way back. Pearl Girl seems to be floating above a cloudbank of straw and she's swaying in time to some music playing on the barn radio. She's lined up casually with a handsome buckskin.

And she is singing! "Rootin' tootin' cowboy, Hummhum doodle dee doo-oo Dah." She stops, then lightly flicks Scorpion with her tail and broadly winks.

Piffka tiptoes quietly out.

OH Happy Birthday, Piffka! Sorry I almost missed it. I've been buuuuuuuuuuusssssssy today. But I love the new found cowboy's new clothes and I'm thinkin...........what do cowgirls wear?

Piffkas birthday yesterday?Heck,I shouldn´t have spent so much time in front of the mirror admiring my new cowboy kit and practicing my "Howdies".
A belated HAPPY BIRTHDAY dear Piffka.

Danon had followed the crowd to the western clothing store and watched interestingly as the girls dressed the guys. He, he, He thought to himself, I don't need no stinkin cowboy clothes, I am already set up with the real thing. Cleaned up by now of course so the salty smell of horse didn't become too overpowering. And, with the rowels on his spurs tied down still from the recent rodeo bullriding event in Agua Prieta. No jingle-jangle when he walked the board sidewalks - like that BS guy - Wow, danon had never met anyone with so much stuff piercing every appendage of his body. Oh well, to each his own.
Danon continued following the crowd - flipping trick knots in his piggin string as he went.

HAPPY B'DAY PIFFKA!!

As he followed quietly, Danon thought to himself, these gals sure are purdy, but they obviously need to get into the spirit of the old West and get some classy outfits themselves. There's a nice ladies store down the street that would do fine. Right next to the Frederick's of the Old West store.