Showing results by author "John R. Erickson" in All Categories

Someone has been stealing feed out of the feed shed, and Hank knows that it's his job to do whatever he can do to help nab the culprit. So when Slim sets a live-animal trap in the shed, Hank takes it upon himself to check it in the middle of the night. Unfortunately, the trap is a little trickier than Hank anticipated, and in the process of his investigation Hank manages to get himself...well...trapped.

Happy the Lab is back on the ranch, and it looks like he’s up to his usual good-natured, bumbling ways! And, it just so happens that he has wandered onto Hank’s ranch on a particularly exciting day: rain has finally come to their drought-stricken land, and - what’s even more exciting - radio reports claim that there’s a mountain lion on the prowl in their area! As the day unfolds, it appears that the mountain lion report was bogus, which is a good thing, since Hank already has his paws full surviving a bout of food-poisoning and a treacherous investigation of the machine shed.

Sometimes I take an opportunity to say good-bye to the cattle and wish them a safe journey. "Well, good-bye, you morons. It was nice having you here at the ranch, but it'll be even nicer having you gone. You ate all our grass and taking care of you was a pain in the neck. Good-bye, good riddance, and don't ever come back."

Hank makes a foolish bet with his archenemy, Pete the Barncat, that he can catch the Lumberpile Bunny. He loses the wager, his job, his pride, and even his gunny sack bed under the gas tanks. Hank begins to plot revenge. He must dispose of the cat. That sounds simple. But without Pete, Hank discovers scrap time has lost all its joy and meaning.

Who lived in Texas over a thousand years ago? In Porch Talk, John Erickson and his archaeologist friend Doug Boyd investigate this question while explaining the art and science of archaeology for middle listeners. On the Perryton ranch, John and his friends unearthed a ghost town that dated back to around 1300 CE. For more than twenty years, they worked together on this and other prehistoric sites, sharing a fascination for the ancient people who occupied the area. How did these people work, play, and survive?

Hank and Drover have just hitched an accidental ride into town in the back of Slim's pickup, and boy, are they excited! But the excitement turns to drama when Drover mysteriously disappears! Can Hank track down his faithful sidekick before it's time for Slim to head back to the ranch? Or is he off on a wild goose chase?

The drought on Hank’s ranch has finally ended, and it’s a beautiful spring day. In fact, it’s the kind of day in which the head of ranch security really wouldn’t expect to find himself protecting the ranch from bloodthirsty mosquitoes, doing toad duty, or, most especially of all, standing between his cowboy friends and a sick and angry cow. However, that’s exactly what happens when Miss Viola asks Slim and Hank to help Woodrow haul a cow to the veterinarian. And, what begins as a simple job soon turns into a circus when the cow proves to be a little more clever than anyone anticipated.

Tis the season for chaos. It's the night before Christmas, and Hank the Cowdog, head of ranch security, is looking forward to a long winter's nap when duty calls him to accompany Slim into town for a last-minute shopping spree. Along the way, Hank and the gang are struck not only by the meaning of Christmas but also by a 25-pound buzzard who crashes through their windshield.

When Sally May and Loper head out of town for a wedding, Hank the Cowdog, Head of Ranch Security, knows it's up to him to keep things under control. After subjecting strawberry ice cream to rigorous product testing, test-driving a mysterious spaceship, and thwarting a sneak attack from a couch monster, Hank faces the fight of his life.

Talk about a rude awakening! Things go from bad to worse when Hank and Drover wake up in the wee hours of the morning to a full-fledged invasion of the ranch. It's the coyotes, and they're set on making a take-out dinner out of the resident cat, Pete. But, when Hank does Pete a favor and prepares to join him in what promises to be the next great Battle of the Alamo, things take an even more unexpected turn. The coyotes catch sight of Drover and decide to kidnap him instead!

The head of ranch security and his first lieutenant, Drover, are finishing up an exhausting morning of patrols when a mysterious caravan of trucks rumbles past headquarters. Going in for a closer look, Hank the Cowdog apprehends a large red box bearing a mysterious label: "WARNING! MONKEY! DO NOT OPEN THIS BOX!"

Ka-boom! Awakened by an attack from an invisible enemy, Hank the Cowdog knows that there's only one thing for him to do - get inside the house and make sure that his family is safe. But when he arrives, Hank learns that the house is in the path of a swirling killer tornado!

The ranch is in the grip of a sweltering summer heat wave, and to make matters worse, Bruiser the Rottweiler is on the loose. First Bruiser attacks a defenseless fawn, then he threatens to come after Hank the Cowdog, the Head of Ranch Security!

On a blustery day in late fall, Hank sneaks into the back of Slim's pickup and finds himself at a neighboring rancher's fall branding...the very neighbor, in fact, who owns the gorgeous Miss Scamper the Beagle! Unfortunately, Miss Scamper has always been a little hard to figure out, and he can't decide if she's crazy about him...or just plain crazy. And, as the day unfolds, it even begins to look like she's angling to land him in a heap of trouble with her pit bull boyfriend, Steel!

Loper and Sally May have left Slim to manage the ranch while they go off to visit the relatives for the holidays. But, just when it begins to look like another boring bachelor Christmas with Slim, a storm blows in and the electric fence seperating a herd of steer from the highway shorts out. Now, it's up to Slim, Viola, and the ranch's security division to jump into action! Things take a surprising twist when Slim comes down with a burning fever in the middle of the operation, but nobody, and especially not Miss Viola could have been ready for the even bigger surprise that transpires on the way to the hospital!

Digging up Trouble...Hank the Cowdog is on the case in his 50th mystery, and it's an extra long, laugh-out-loud adventure! When Hank gets invited, that is, invites himself on an archaeological dig, all he can think about is impressing the head scientist's beautiful lady dog. But Hank's heart isn't the only thing that's about to get stolen!

From rags to riches...When Pete the Barncat offers to trade good, juicy steak scraps for a couple of old corncobs, Hank the Cowdog smells a rat. Why would Pete want to trade - unless the cobs are worth a fortune? So, armed with his Incredible PricelessCorncobs, Hank sets out to plan his Early Retirement. But retirement and the life of luxury don't come as easily as Hank expects. It seems as though everyone is after his treasure - even his faithful sidekick, Drover!

When Hank is attacked by a Headless Cowboy, he knows it's going to be a tough day defending the ranch! But when Slim discovers Sally May's watermelon patch has been raided by raccoons, things get serious. Slim, Drover, and Hank are entrusted with the job of a nighttime stakeout to catch the raccoons in the act. Will Hank save the day? Or will busted watermelons prove Hank is a bust as the Head of Ranch Security?

When a funny turn of events brings a parrot to the ranch, Hank is not worried. After all, what harm can one copycat bird do? So he decides to go about his business. The only problem is, Loper and Sally May don't seem to appreciate his heeding their requests to bark louder and dig up the flowers. What's really going on here? Hank's not sure, but he's determined to find out! Picknickers sing "Because Thy Loving Kindness," and Drover sings a little number called "There Once Was a Doggie".

How do you spell trouble? R-A-M-B-O. After a brilliant use of the Syruptishus Loaderation maneuver, Hank the Cowdog wins himself a free ride into town. But when the ticket turns out to be one-way, the trouble begins for the head of ranch security.

It seems that Hank's beloved sister and her children are the target of malicious threats from the neighborhood bully, a Great Dane named Rambo.