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Spring 2008
What’s New with the Diamond,
Well here we go agin’, writing a cyber smoke signal of what’s been happening on the old Rhymin’ Diamond Ranch. It’s been a bit of a tough go with a six week stay in the Victoria General Hospital (which I have to say has incredible staff. The Nurses and Doctors were amazing). Anywho, I’ve developed a tremor in my hands, fairly bad, for example if I hold a coffee one handed I end up painting the walls. It turns out the tremor is permanent and the drug I need to affect it slows your heart and mine is already too slow. A normal human being’s heart is around 72, mine is about 44. I told them to run a pretty girl in front of me and we’ll raise them beats a bit…but they wouldn’t go for it. So they are trying to control it with a drug cocktail, with minimal success. The second situation they were looking at was my headaches and neck pain. Well it turns out the two are unrelated. My theory of not putting out my arms out (for fear of breakin’ one) when I’m throw’d of horses was not the greatest plan. I’ve developed severe ostio-arthritis in my neck and am keeping the Advil company in business. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not lamenting merely setting the record straight on why I was in the hospital, as there was a fair amount of rumors out there.
Onto good things, this year’s “Them Dang Cowboys Show” (the fifth annual) was a huge success. Raising money for two wonderful causes, first, the Domain Legion #208 (we are it’s only fundraiser) and secondly the Militaries Family Fund. Lord knows they need help now with our troops in a war zone. On the show for the Anniversary was, Big Ray Martin, Chris and Sharkey Schauer of Sundre, Alberta and the hilarious antics of Ol’ Ugly of Nanton, Alberta. All of them put on an incredible show on both nights. Chris and Sharkey Schauer headed up the Cowboy Church Service and did a job the Lord himself would have been proud of. Of course the Diamond and Cody were the co-hosts for the festivities and everything worked the way it was supposed to. Cody was amazing on stage and blew everyone away with her talent.
One amazing moment from the Them Dang Cowboys Show was
when Dr. Ken Johnson of Central Veterinary Services (and the biggest supporter
of the shows) bid on the custom hand made commemorative buckle made by
Jim Hyde of Sask. He ended up getting it for $560.00. He then turned around
and presented it to the ‘Ol’ Rhymin’ Diamond’
for everything I have done over the past five years. WOW!!!! All the boys
were cryin’ on stage…it looked like a Brokeback convention.
Speaking of the Vets we have had our share of horse cuts this year. Knock
on wood that’s the end of it…I’m sick of dressing horse
wounds.
The Cowboy Cartooning has taken off and I am selling prints
and such like crazy at shows all over, which gives me a huge smile. Leanin’
Tree cards has also accepted a couple of new ones from me, so I’m
busy painting to make their deadline.
Cody as usual makes me very proud. She is a young woman now, not Daddy’s
little girl. But she has hit her stride. A Head’s Honour roll student
who plays ringette (Started two years ago) takes singin’ lessons
and now has taken up skiing, with two trips to Castle Mountain under her
belt. An Olympic Bronze Medalist from Sweden says she is doing incredible.
She also has her Dad plugged into the Facebook deal, so if you’re
on it come and visit me @ Diamond Doug Keith. Or on the group Cowboy Poetry
and Cowboy Toons are keeping the West Wild.
It’s better to give than to receive…especially kittens!
Diamond Doug Keith
What’s New, Winter/Spring “07
Well where do you start on what amounts to a life update. Actually I plan on livin’ forever…so far so good! Seriously though the old Rhymin’ Diamond has been pretty busy again since the last update. My first Leanin’ Tree card came out (first of many I hope), it’s an encouragement card sayin’ “Sometimes it’s even hard to get a leg up” with a short cowboy trying to mount a tall horse. You can look at the image in my Cowboytoons section of this site.
Speaking of Leaning Tree Cards, once again I met them down in Vegas for the NFR. As a proud and slightly warped member of CCI (Cowboy Cartoonists International) myself and the group were all invited to an incredible evening celebrating 25 years of cowboy cartooning by the Legend Boots Reynolds and the mule loving wonder known as Ms. Bonnie Shields at the Hard Rock Hotel. Thank you to everyone from top to bottom at Leanin’ Tree for a night to remember.
CCI is looking at having a cowboy cartooning show with a cowboy feature performance by Ben Crane and yours truly this summer in Boulder Colorado their home. I can’t wait…better get my dang passport. I have taken on the Children’s Wish Foundation as my cause to get behind. They put a smile on a child’s face when there ain’t much to smile about, a daunting task. Besides performing at their fundraisers, we built the float for the Grey Cup parade at the Rhymin’ Diamond Ranch and…WE HAVE MADE “THEM DANG COWBOYS” SHOW IN DOMAIN TWO NIGHTS!!!!! The first night’s net proceeds go to the CWF. The shows will be on Mar 23rd and 24th and feature some of the best cowboy talent in Canada. The one and only Don Wudel and the amazing music of Kamloop’s Butch Falk, myself & Cody form the lineup. It will be great time for a great cause.
As far as Cody is concerned, she is becoming a young lady…dang.
The shot gun’s by the door. She does however still amaze me. She
is on the Head’s Honor Roll at school with a 90% average or better
all the while playing ringette, taking singing lessons and acting in a
large play production. Proud isn’t a strong enough word to describe
how I feel about her.
My cowboy poetry ‘n such keeps rolling along like the tumbling tumbleweeds
(sorry it just came out). With lots of shows and lots of great folks.
I can’t wait to see all my friends at the summer gatherings and
meet new ones down the road.
Well that’s a piece of what’s been going on…and I didn’t even get into the record number of horse wrecks I’ve been having. Well you know it’s the cowboy way to laugh if someone has a wreck, unless they die, then you have to wait a year, then you can laugh. If've heard a lot of laughter this year.
Adios Ameba
Diamond Doug
What’s New- Spring/Summer 06
Well the ol’ Rhymin’ Diamond is back in Cyberspace after a way too long absence, so sit back this is goin’ to be a long one. I apologize to the folks who came regularly to this site looking for info and updates and there weren’t any. The lovely Shannon Empson of the Hedgeville Stock Farm in Nesbitt Manitoba has now taken over the reins and is getting us back on track. She is going to try and regularly update the site, so come by often. Thank you Shannon. More on my new web mistress in a little bit (seriously, that’s what they’re called).
As many of you might have guessed it is still a little breezy in Domain Manitoba, hotbed of romance and intrigue. In fact white caps on the fabled Red River almost splashed the roof of the ranch after the fifth largest flood in recorded history happened this past spring. Most of the valley was prepared and the combination of the weather cooperating and a lot of praying most everyone was ok. We were ready to move the horses out in a hurry, we also had built a boat for the pig and the goats and cats were going to have to learn to swim. Cody caught me giving them all lessons before the flood; she is just now starting to talk to me again.
Cody is doing fantastic in everything she does. Once again earning a spot on the Honor Roll at her school to which she attained by good old hard work. She also won a national award this year for her poetry… beaming Dad…she was the recipient of the Poetry Institute of Canada’s young writers annual anthology verse of the year 2006 award. Cody was also picked out of countless applicants to attend the prestigious University of Prince Edward Island Atlantic Veterinary College in the summer of 2006; PEI is somewhere East of Domain…we think.
Cody also stole the show at the Third Annual Them Dang Cowboys Are At It Agin’ concert in downtown West Domain. She recited the classic Robert Service poem “The Cremation of Sam MaGee” and then one of her own. The subject being she and Dad trying to catch the Outlaw Belle Star an 8-week-old miniature pot bellied pig. (Those little beggars are faster than they look) The over sold amazingly appreciative audience loved it. Speaking of the crowd, folks came from all over to hear Cody, her Dad, Ol’ Ugly of Nanton Alberta, Buckin’ Burt Wytinck of Cypress Hills Manitoba and the amazing talent of Stewart MacDougall of Edmonton Alberta. Next year there is talk of two nights, as the demand was so great. Buy your tickets early.
As far as my continuous addiction to cosmetic surgery goes, I was able to sneak in one operation on my hand this last year. The surgeon keeps you awake during this procedure and he informed me he gets a lot of practice sewing different digits and what not back on thieves and convicts. Apparently it takes a lot practice to scale fences…you should see me jump one while being chased by an angry cow. Anyway he did a great job though. However I think I screwed it up again two weeks later by trying to smash ice away from the barn door. Next year a lift and tuck…you guess on what.
Cowboy Poetry is still going fantastic. The Pincher Creek Gathering placed me on their Saturday night feature show celebrating One Hundred years of the town of Pincher Creek. They also asked me to illustrate the poster. Folks are calling from as far away as Indianapolis to book shows so we must be doing something right. BJ Smith and myself were interviewed at length for Valerie Pringles travel show, Valerie has left the building, and it has run on the travel network but we are told it will be aired on the CTV national network soon. Charlene and the fine folks at the Children’s Wish Foundation invited me to do a show and enjoy the trail ride with them this year. Raising money for an incredible cause and having fun at the same time…Thanks and Way to go Char!
There is too much else to go into on the cowboy poetry front so I’m goin’ to switch to cowboy cartooning. I was incredibly honoured to be accepted into the CCI, Cowboy Cartoonists International in December. Members include: Boots Renolds of Western Horseman magazine, Mike Scoval of Leanin’ Tree cards fame, Ben Crane, Nate Owens and Ash Cooper just to name a few. The induction came at the celebrity suite of the Hard Rock Hotel during the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. From this prestigious affiliation I have now started cartooning for Leanin’ Tree. Oh by the way, it was on the way down to Vegas that I met up with Shannon and Al, they had been to one of my shows and struck up a conversation. We ended up have a ton of fun in Vegas and now Shannon is doing my web site. You know…people come into your life at the right time for the right reason, I’m sure happy these two fine friends wandered into mine.
I hope everyone reading this novella is wonderful and I hope to see you all down the trail.
Don’t squat with yer spurs on,
Diamond Doug
For booking information you can e-mail
Diamond Doug or call:
1-204-736-3412
or mail :
Diamond Doug Keith
Rhymin' Diamond Ranch
Domain, Manitoba, R0G 0M0