Watch out for flying hooves

So there I was Boss, about to be trampled by the thundering hooves (or is it hoofs?) on Saturday night. There were Aaron, Aladdin, Buck, Clarissa, Drum, Khalydyn, Little Beaver, Rhythm, Rio and Sierra charging past me, and close enough to kick dirt in this ol' would-be cowboy's face.
Yes, indeedy-do, but as I always said, the open range is my life, to paraphrase Ol' Jim Taylor.
In case you are wondering if I've flipped out, I have for something called, 'The I.O.U. Land,' now playing (except Monday night) at Caravan Farm Theatre, out near Armstrong, until August 21.
In the program, it reads it's part fairytale, horse opera, part honkytonk comedy and based on Wagner's Ring Cycle.
"Okay, who's this Wagner guy? Wasn't he once married to Natalie Wood?" I had to ask.
"No, no, it's pronounced Vaaagnar. Richard Vaaaagner," The Opera Lady replied, looking down her long nose.
"So what's this Ring stuff?" I butted in.
"Well, you dummy, let me tell you it's comprised of four operas -- Das Reingold, Die Walkure, Siegfried, and Gotterdammerung that tell one long and exceptionally intricate story, which was based on Scandinavian and German sagas. Act One of the I.O.U. Land is based on Die Walkure, and Act Two is based on Siegfried."
Since I'm not about to tell you the entire plot, let me tell you that the Estelle Shook-directed 'I.O.U. Land' is a must-see for mid-summer watching.
In the cast are Kerriann Cardinal (Wynona Wolf), Ryan Cunningham (Billy Wolf/Billy Junior), Darren Hynes (Victor Snow/Big Mack), Michelle Latimer (Anna Bonita Snow/Chickadee), Donald Morin (Sam Wolf/Vagabond) and Courtenay Stevens (Junkyard Jimmy).

MOONLIGHTING ATHLETES: Since music is my life, here are some hits and misses: Shaquille O'Neal from the Miami Heat has put out five rap albums. It's a best bet, he'll be remembered for his basketball skills. Wayman Tisdale, the NBA power forward, who toiled on the courts for a dozen years, rates as a hit in the R&B and jazz field. Mike Reid, the one-time Cincinnati Bengals lineman, is another hit. Iin fact he earned a Grammy for writing 'Stranger in My House,' which Ronnie Milsap turned into a monster hit back in 1983. And what about pitcher Bronson Arroyo in the musical field? Well, BA, better stick to keeping my Boston Red Sox in the American League hunt.
ARSENIC AND THE KING: You might have read this elsewhere, but the madness of England's King George III might have been caused by arsenic. According to a Lancet medical research paper, Ol' George had five very public bouts of madness that caused his death -- blind, deaf and insane in January 1820. He ruled for nearly 60 years and now a team of scientists from Britain and Australia have found high concentrations of arsenic in his hair and it came from the antimony-based medicine he was given, sometimes by force.
HAIR TODAY, GONE TOMORROW: Once this Ol' Man had plenty of locks, but somehow my hair vanished and there's a small, shiny bald spot underneath the baseball cap. However, bald men in German have a serious problem. It seems that they can't get any government help in paying for the hair "rug." In a news story, a German court threw out a legal challenge by a bald 46-year-old man for a $530 toupee and added the state was not discriminating against men even though health insurance covers the cost of wigs for women. The court ruled, "In contrast to women, the involuntary loss of hair among men is common and accepted as nothing out of the ordinary."
FABULOUS FLOP (From Uncle John's Bathroom Reader): Studebaker Dictator -- Not exactly "the heartbeat of America" when it was introduced in 1934. According to one auto industry analyst, "after Hitler and Mussolini came to power, a name like Dictator was downright un-American." Yet, incredibly, the nation's #5 automaker stuck with it for three years.
SIDNEY'S THE NAME, HOCKEY IS HIS NAME: With the Pittsburgh Penguins about to hail Sidney Crosby as the second coming of Mario Lemieux, perhaps, you'd like to know about The Kid: Born August 7, 1987 to Troy and Trina Crosby; one sister, Taylor; the family currently resides in Cole Harbour, N.S. At age 2 1/2 he would play in the basement of their home, which his father had painted white and added red and blue lines. At age 3, Sidney started skating on ice. At age 7 he gave his first newspaper interview and was already on the radar of the sports press. At age 14 he was featured on the CBC's show Hockey Day in Canada. By skipping ahead, Wayne Gretzky told the Arizona Republic, in answer to a question if a player may some day break some of his records: "Yes, Sidney Crosby. He's the best player I've seen since Mario (Lemieux)." And what's more Ol' Sidney has arrived on the Net. He's at www.crosby87.com/ ... Check it out.
FINALLY: The Dodgers' original name was the Bridegrooms. Reason: Lots of newlyweds on the team.