I was born in Wichita, Kansas.  The third generation in the family's now 5 generation business.  Anything you can do to a truck from salvage to selling new parts to manufacturing farm or oil field equipment was our business.  My mother was from the famous Nebraska Sand Hill cattle country where her family was deep in the history of this country.  My growing up years were spend around the family business, the cattle country of my mother and the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota where mom's sister taught in an Indian Government school.  After a brief stint in the company I opted to become a teacher and go to the land of my mother.  There I married a cowboy and we became ranchers.  Thus the story 'THE COWBOY AND THE TEACHER.'  We moved from the Sand Hills to the Rosebud Reservation.  It was there I accepted my first writing assignment.  I became known as 'THE SAND HILLS SCHRIVNER' in the monthly supplment THE OUTLOOK MAGAZINE  to our local Valentine Newspaper.  My columns were all about the humorous goings on of our family life in the ranching business.  Like a trip to the grocery store with 4 small children likened to a Chess Game.  Or trying to rationalize to our 7 year old when she was asked to do a chore and came back "YOU NEVER DO ANYTHING FOR ME."  Or the disappointment of our youngest when she discovered the fighting cock, I took a whole roll of film of, turned out to be just a WEED.  And the artistic antics of the boys as they painted the walls of the shop building with the grease guns.  I did not print their father's reaction.  From there I wrote similar articles for THE FENCE POST magazine in Colorado.  Now I have a column called BITS AND PIECES, same theme, in the PRAIRIE CONNECTION in Harper, Kansas.

My Reservation years produced many poems and musical lyrics found in my enclosed collection.  Thanks to this wonderful internet friend   poetrysoup.com   I am now able to share my memories with you.  In between the column years I wrote 2 novels.  Book one is the story of a teacher and a cowboy in the early years of the Sand Hills called THESE HILLS OF SAND.  Book two is the continuation of their story called THE ROMANCE.  I call them SEMI HYSTERICAL NOVELS OF THE SAND HILLS.  I also have two short subject books BITS AND PIECES OF MY MIND and  MORE BITS AND PIECES mostly drawn from our family experiences as stated above.  For instance, one day one of the grand daughters said something cute.  I shot across the room to jot it down.  Her sister quickly came back with "You better keep your mouth shut, she's gone for her pencil."  Maybe one day they will be published.

Now it is your turn.  Welcome to my heart, soul and mind.............Cile  PS  my name is pronounded SEAL.  Which is another story, thanks to our oldest grandson.

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Dear Friends,  it is with a breaking heart I must let you know my Cowboy passed away July 7, 2005.  He will now be able to join the great Cattle Drive in the heavens.