THE HORSE RACE OF BLOGGING 
Followers of Bumbastories may have noticed the blog’s evolution, nay its devolution, not only quality but also in frequency. Bumba, if you remember, and even if you don’t remember, broke out of the blogging starting gate at an ambitious and quite laudable “Every Day Another Story” clip. 
After the first turn, however, his gallop eased into a “well, almost every day another story” sort of canter. And then, somewhere in the backstretch, Bumba slowed to a weekly Bumbastories Magazine shuffle. 
Then the weekly magazine lapsed into monthly. It looked like Bumba was out grazing somewhere. 
However…er…. before we get off track altogether….with no further apologies, here’s this month’s Mid-Week (Huh?) Bumbastories Magazine, which we hope will be a horse of a different color (And no horsin’ around!). THE BUMBASTORIES MID-WEEK MAGAZINE First a little tribute to Buck Owens of Bakersfield, California. 
Click below to hear Act Naturally, which Ringo Starr and his little group recorded famously a while back (Ringo’s group recorded a goodly number of things famously). But the original of course was written and sung by Buck Owens and the Buckaroos. Buck wrote and performed a prodigious list of great country songs. Bumba and Maybank played this one last nite. Please sing along if you know it.
***************************** EVERY DROP COUNTS Los Angeles got some very welcome rain (yesterday). 
The drought situation is not appreciably changed, though. The reluctance of government officials, our representatives, to enact conservation measures, including price hikes for water is pitiful. The politicians are paid well by the agriculture conglomerates, but they are also afraid that the people, the voters, might be displeased by price hikes and inconveniences. I believe they under-estimate the public. People can understand that it hasn’t rained, that we have to conserve, that prices for vegetables will go up. To paraphrase Drew Barrymore, “We ain’t stupid, you know”. Many good citizens are already conserving water. Way to go. However, even the most conservative libertarians must concede that the drought and issues like climate change and protection of the environment requires a response that only government can orchestrate and implement. **************************** ABOUT WRITING I write but I don’t know why. I carry pen and paper most times. I write when I can. It keeps me busy. (An older man on a park bench Writing about writing) It’s a bit of a habit, the writing. I suppose it makes me feel I’m not idling away my time. But I am, of course. So who am I talking to? Who will read this? Not many. I suppose I’d be happy if just a handful of readers – say a dozen or two dozen, OK, make it three dozen people out there – someplace in space and time actually read my books. I write to charm. To amuse. To tell a good story, which, in turn, tells something deeper and more eternal. Which I figure is worth sharing. To achieve that kind of artfulness is not impossible. I figure it’s a good thing to keep trying to hit that level of art and amusement – and to hit it every now and then. Oh yeah, and keep playin that country music!
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An Occasional Story or Magazine 