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Thursday 19 February 2015

Scheer tenacity

American writer Ron Scheer knows how to string words together, with a vengeance. He’s also gifted with good observation and a sense of humour, which is bound to help, since he is in a constant battle with cancer, aided in the fight by his wonderful wife.

Just over a year ago he came out of surgery that removed most of a malignant tumour from his brain. Since then he has intermittently written about his experiences, as well as providing illuminating book and film reviews on his blog, Buddies in the Saddle. His prime interest may be westerns in all guises, but his inquisitive brain ranges way beyond that wild frontier.
 
 
Here are some snippets:

“My memories of that time are marked by the sound of cactus wrens outside my bedroom, chattering away each morning as I welcomed the new day, sometimes after an endless night of dreadful dreams and sleeplessness…. And I marveled at the flowering plants sent by a family friend. Here we were alive together.”

“…I will give consideration to the insights of others. Here metaphors come in handy, as do wordless experiences like stepping outside at night under a desert sky to be awestruck by the display of moon and stars. Or to listen to music that convinces me it embodies the living playful spirit of the Universe—the music of the spheres.”

I wrote about Ron in two blogs last year and have been remiss in not writing more.  You can find them here:
 


Or better still, go to his blog. Some of his more recent observations about his ability – or even inability – to combat problems caused by the big ‘c’ and the medication can be seen here:
 


We writers strive to convey some of the ‘human condition’ in our fiction. Here, Ron gives us truly moving examples of it in beautiful prose. A heartfelt ‘thank you’, Ron. Keep writing!
 
 

2 comments:

Neil A. Waring said...

He has a wonderful way with words, his book on western novels is terrific. His insight on cancer is both uplifting and sad. One of my favorite blogs.

Nik Morton said...

I agree, Neil, his blog is indeed uplifting and at the same time poignant.