Things That Can Only Happen In Texas
Pictured at the Larado Railway Station, circa 1958, is my father’s uncles, brothers 15th cousin seven times removed, Little Tex Twitter, with his good buddy from across the border, Teenie Lopez, not to be confused with his older brother, Trini ( If I Had A Hammer) Lopez, a famous pop musician out of Dallas, Texas. Before Tex took him under his armpit, Teenie had been a tire scrubber at the “La Bamba Car Wash And Strip Club” in Nuevo Laredo. Cheech Chong, owner of the business, said that Teenie never missed a day of work but was a “little” late occasionally. Tex, seeing a possible Hollywood connection and possibly a movie or two, convinced Teenie to hit the road with him and his pet Coyote, Wiley. Tex had been on the rodeo circuit for a decade doing rope tricks and wrestling doggies; he had a new act planned for Teenie.
A small saddle was made to fit Wiley, and Teenie would ride the Coyote around the arena wearing a mariachi suit, singing and playing a small guitar. The act lasted only a few weeks when Wiley, doing what Coyotes do best, spotted a Roadrunner darting across the rodeo arena and gave pursuit, which ended in tragedy when Wiley and Teenie, in the heat of the chase, ran into the bullpen and were “hammered flat as a tortilla. “
Tex sent Teenie’s older brother, Trini, the small mariachi hat and what was left of the suit for remembrance’s sake. Trini, in his few moments of grief, penned his first hit tune, ” If I Had A Hammer,” as a tribute to the passing of his little brother. Bet you didn’t know any of this, did you?
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Notes From The Cactus Patch 
So then, am I correct that the hypothesis is that Teenie was the 16th of 16 children, which explains his small stature?
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I believe you have figured it out. Not enough food to go around.
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I didn’t know Teenie was flattened. I thought Wiley the coyote ate him after he forgot to feed him. 😦
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Nancy, that would be the likely outcome, he was about the size of a Coyote snack pack.
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Sometimes I will read a story and wonder if the author was hammered flat as a tortilla.
But not here, of course. I believe every word and will use it in my next trivia contest.
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Thank you, Herb. I was not hammered, but up writing around 2 AM, so there is not much difference.
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😁
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Phil…you have outdone yourself…I needed a laugh and you delievered. This would rank among your best.
“La Bamba Car Wash And Strip Club” + “hammered flat as a tortilla “ + would ride the Coyote around the arena wearing a mariachi suit, singing and playing a small guitar”
Pure Gold Phil…
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Thanks, Max, it was fun to write and I’m happy it made you chuckle a bit.
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You had to of had a good time writing this one. I’m laughing.
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Yep, it’s a good thing when I can crack myself up.
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Steer clear of the Reposado.
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