Most Recent Story: Finding Solace #4 – Not as Originally Designed – posted 12/24/2025 see summary below
A Christmas Journey Remembered – by BluewindFarm
Summary: Current events remind Adam of a special Christmas from the past.
Written for the 2016 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar.
Rating: K 1,190 words
A Dream Fulfilled… – by BluewindFarm
Summary: A story in six voices, which all viewers wished had happened. Within each section there will be a common thread that also ties each character to the others. At the end of each section the character and the word prompt are listed, inspired by Seedling Challenges.
Rating: K 6,705 words
A Far Cry from Peace – by BluewindFarm
Summary: Missing Scenes and What Happened Next for the second season episode… The Gift Told from Adam’s point of view.
5,095 words Rating: T
A Heart-filled Royal Flush – by BluewindFarm
Summary: Is she really the newest working girl in Virginia City?
Written for the Bonanza Brand R-Rated 13th Anniversary Writing Challenge
Rating: R / Mature Audience only. Not extremely explicit, but close enough. (2,775 words)
A Legacy Deferred – by BluewindFarm
Summary: Joe is summoned to the Ponderosa for a matter pertaining to an inheritance. Curiously, the letter and recent events in his life reveal his dissatisfaction, and thrust him on a journey of discovery.
Rating: T 16,980 words
A Matter of Family – by BluewindFarm
Summary: A mistaken identity sends the Cartwrights on a race to save one of their own.
Rating: K 6,820 words
A Misconstrued Statement – by BluewindFarm
Summary: Hoss attempts an explanation to Ben of who is coming down the street, and why.
Rating: K+ 900 words
A Ride in the Sun; Survived – by BluewindFarm
Summary: In the tenth season episode, “A Ride in the Sun” the Cartwrights are scammed by brother/sister con artists, Tobias and April Horn. This story is told from Joe’s POV as he heads into the desert. — My very first story!
Rating: T 9,560 words
A Thawing Heart – by BluewindFarm
Summary: An old cowpoke went riding out one bright and snow-filled day, and found something he didn’t know he was missing.
Written for the 2019 Advent Calendar
Rating: G Word Count: 1,115
All Lies and Jests – by BluewindFarm
Summary: A conversation between brothers returns Ben to a time in the past. Missing scene for The Stranger.
Rating: T Word Count : 4,135
Summary: The days and weeks after one of the worst times on the Ponderosa culminates in a moment between father and son. What should have happened.
Rating: G 625 words
An Offering of Comfort – by BluewindFarm
Summary: Ben sat and waited as one of his sons lies in bed injured… the details… the depths… maybe a revelation or two.
Rating: K 1,000 words
And I’ve Got Mine… — aka Until the Pain’s a Cloud of Dust – by BluewindFarm
Summary: For those who were never satisfied with the brief glimpse of a picture on the desk. What should have happened before Forever.
Rating: K 1,550 words
And Then Along Comes Rupert – by BluewindFarm
Summary: Long-distant cousin Rupert brings greetings and glad tidings to the Ponderosa.
Written for the Ancestry Challenge.
Rating: T 2,225 words
Another Side of The Triangle #1 – by BluewindFarm
Summary: Missing scenes from The Triangle, and what happened next.
Rating: K+ 5,170 words
Another Side of the Triangle #2 – the Epilogue – by BluewindFarm
Summary: A continuation of Another Side of the Triangle — missing scenes and WHN for the episode, The Triangle It is not necessary to have read Another Side of the Triangle in order to understand the epilogue.
Rating: T . 1,220 words
Aunt Dinah aka The Christmas Visitors – by BluewindFarm
Summary: The Cartwrights face a near-tragedy and Christmas visitors.
Written for the 2018 Advent Calendar
Rating: G 2,040 words
Battle of the Ponderosa — aka Springtime Chaos – by BluewindFarm
Summary: A plea for help turns into an urgent ride home, and a situation no one foresaw.
Rating: K 1,615 words
Before A Rose – by BluewindFarm
Summary: Written for The Mother of All Challenges; to write a story featuring one or more of the Cartwrights in any time period prequel, season 1-14, sequel, AU , in which Virginia City is an integral part of the tale. This is my story.
Rating: K 4,030 words
Cartwrights Return or a Story of The Prodigals – by BluewindFarm
Summary: Adam left the Ponderosa more than ten years ago; and now, a letter has arrived announcing his intent to return. This story is his, as well as his family’s.
53,360 words Rating: T – for minor cursing.
Changes Past – by BluewindFarm
Summary: A what happened next for The Last Viking; an episode written by Anthony Lawrence. A story told from Adam’s point of view as he attempts to reconcile what happened to another time in his life.
Rating: K 3,665 words
Christmas Tradition – by BluewindFarm
Summary: An earlier request and a shopping trip well before the season help expand a Christmas Tradition.
Rating: G Words: 1,575
Note: This story was written for the Bonanza Brand 2020 Advent Calendar, posted in the Forums.
Christmas Visitor (The) – by BluewindFarm
Summary: Home alone on Christmas Eve; a special visitor keeps watch over a young man.
Written for a picture submitted by freyakendra
Rating: G 910 words
Christmas Wishes#1 – Of Winters Past – by BluewindFarm
Summary: Ben and Little Joe enjoy an evening during what might be one of the last winters Joe enjoys snuggling on his Pa’s lap.
Written for the 2017 Advent Calendar
Rating: G 820 words
Christmas Wishes #2 – Our Little Piece of Snow-Covered Heaven – by BluewindFarm
Summary: Ben searches for a missing son, amid memories of a certain winter.
Written for the 2017 Advent Calendar
Rating: G 1450 words
Counting Mistakes – by BluewindFarm
Summary: How many mistakes could he make in one afternoon?
Rating: K 1,415 words
Counting Stars – by BluewindFarm
Summary: Ben asks Hoss to go get Joe, which leads to a brotherly conversation about the one who’s missing. —
1,210 words Rating: K
Crucible (The) – WHN – by BluewindFarm
Summary: This is what happens when a writer responds to multiple challenges. Four variations on the same story.
Rating: T 2,290 words
Dangerous Liaison: The Countess – by BluewindFarm
Summary: The Cartwrights had pulled it off; successfully defended the Ponderosa without firing a single gunshot. Yet, the triumph was overshadowed by a persistent question; was anyone truly a winner or a loser when it came to a bittersweet memory from the past?
Rating: G 595 words
Devil in Disguise (The) – by BluewindFarm
Summary: Learning bits and pieces of the past enforces a difficult lesson regarding thinking before one acts, and the need to hear both sides of a story before reacting. With the family poised to fall apart, can harmony be restored?
Rating: T 16,335 words
Finding Solace #1 – Between the Twelfth of Never and Forever… – by BluewindFarm
Summary: A time of contemplation as a man reflects on what’s happened in the past, and what good could come from any of it. — ‘How am I gonna be an optimist about this?’ —
Rating: K 695 words
Finding Solace #2 – Between Forever and Where No One Stands Alone – BluewindFarm
Summary: A benefactor arranges for the modernization of the Ponderosa.
Rating: G 1,625 words
Written for the 2024 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar
Finding Solace #3 – So This is Christmas – BluewindFarm
Summary: Plans aren’t going exactly as Ben expected, and with family and friends not as close as he wanted, life doesn’t look quite so happy.
Rating: G 2,490 words
Written for the 2024 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar
Finding Solace #4 – Not as Originally Designed – by BluewindFarm
Summary: The past and present merge to tell the story of the Cartwrights and their first winter after the house was built.
Rating: G (1,650 words)
Summary: Gossips sour Ben’s mood when he returns from a business trip; and he only wants to hear an explanation direct from the guilty party.
Rating: T 1,425 words
Forever Changed – by BluewindFarm
Summary: After concluding a business trip to San Francisco, Joe’s life is forever changed.
Rating: T 14,520 words
Hiding in Fear – by BluewindFarm
Summary: An unenviable situation finds the brothers hiding and praying they won’t be found.
715 words Rating: K
I’m Already There… – by BluewindFarm
Summary: For those who believe… After an accident, Little Joe asks one very important question that only one person can answer. Is it any surprise at the response he receives?
Rating: K 2,215 words
If Not for Aura Lee – by BluewindFarm
Summary: What happened after Jean was taken into custody, and Julia’s window went dark.
Rating: T for mild cursing and references to adult themes 11,940 words
It Almost Seems Like Yesterday – by BluewindFarm
Summary: Twenty years etched into the memory of a man who stands at the crossroads of his life. My submission for the 2014 Camp in the Pines.
Rating: K 10,815 words
Summary: Why did Adam really leave the Ponderosa. He claimed it was for Justice.
Rating: Teens, due to western-themed violence. (29,205 Words)
Laura’s Decision – by BluewindFarm
Summary: A Missing Scene reflecting on events from The Pressure Game and The Triangle.
Rating: T 685 words
Lay Her Down – by BluewindFarm
Summary: How does a Cartwright react when The Soiled Dove Society goes on the hunt for a man of steel? Written for the 2017 Bonanza Brand’s 11th Anniversary R-Rated Story Challenge.
This story is sexually explicit, so if that offends a reader, please do not continue to the story.
Rated: MA 2,320 words
Letter (The) – by BluewindFarm
Summary: Hoss has a very important message to impart. A missing scene from The Stillness Within.
Rating K 775 words
Life Isn’t Always Sunshine and Rainbows – by BluewindFarm
Summary: Whether being stubborn as a mule or butting heads like big horn sheep, they do care about each other; and he’d waited long enough
Rating: T (Words: 1,120)
Life’s Lessons – by BluewindFarm
Summary: A companion story for the episode, Second Sight.
Rating: K+ 9,680 words
Summary: Written in Response to the May 2023 – Double Drabble Prompts: “Will he kiss me?” and “Metamorphosis!”
Rating: Teen (Words: 605)
Love Wins Out – by BluewindFarm
Summary: Missing scenes for The Truckee Strip
Rating: K 1,345 words
May the Thunder Roll… – by BluewindFarm
Summary: A story in three parts.
Part One – A Brother: One pleads for rescue.
Part Two – The Other Brother: Is in the same predicament.
Part Three – The Final Brother: It all began.
Rating: K+ 4,840 words
Mayhem, It’s All a Part of the Ponderosa – by BluewindFarm
Summary: From the outside looking in, it’s a little much to take in, especially for what could have been.
Rating: G Words (1440) Written for the 2022 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar
Momma Liked The Roses – by BluewindFarm
Summary: When the pain and the hurt are still fresh, can a memory shine bright?
Rating: K 1,125 words
Much Too Soon… – by BluewindFarm
Summary: News of his father’s death brings a son home.
Rating: K 6,710 words
Never Forgotten – by BluewindFarm
Summary: A most important day in the life of young Little Joe, and he feels neglected.
Rating: K / 2,075 words
One Special Night – by BluewindFarm
Summary: The Cartwrights await a VERY special delivery, leaving one of them to wonder what their future will hold.
Rating: K 1,705 words
Out of Boredom Comes Fishing – by BluewindFarm
Summary: It’s only been a few months since Adam left the Ponderosa; this story finds Hop Sing and Little Joe in the kitchen, talking.
990 words Rating K
Ping’an Ye or Peaceful Night – by BluewindFarm
Summary: Little Joe isn’t the only Cartwright who can confound Dr. Martin.
Rating: G (1,300 words)
Written for the 2022 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar
Rattlesnake – aka After the Gunfight – by BluewindFarm
Summary: A gunfight and the resulting collateral damage. Two versions of the same story.
1,845 words Rating: T
Remember Me, Remember You – by BluewindFarm
Summary: The unimaginable is never easy.
Rating: G (695 words)
Rescuing the Stillness – by BluewindFarm
Summary: WHN for The Stillness Within. Was it really that easy to understand and accept?
Rating: K 905 words
Restoring the Heart of the Ponderosa – Part One – by BluewindFarm
Summary: Circumstances bitter Adam’s homecoming, setting him and his family on a personal quest to restore the heart of the Ponderosa.
46,330 words Rating: T There are references to a subject of a sensitive manner; however, no such acts occur within this story.
Restoring the Heart of the Ponderosa – Part Two – by BluewindFarm
Summary: A continuation of Restoring the Heart of the Ponderosa. The family looks forward to life returning to normal, but find they have a rocky road to travel as nightmares from the past intrude.
Rating: T 55,125 words This story references a subject of a sensitive nature; however, no such actions occur within this story.
Returning Home – by BluewindFarm
Summary: Memories of family and Christmases past are shared between brothers.
Rating: G 2,770 Words
Note: This story was written for the Bonanza Brand 2020 Advent Calendar, originated in the Forums.
Summary: When a man rescues one of Ben Cartwright’s sons not once, but twice; the stranger brings huge implications for the family. Will it bring them together or tear them apart?
61,135 words Rating: Teen+ for mild language, violence, and mild adult situations
Rumor Has It… – by BluewindFarm
Summary: What happens when Adam and Joe have time to kill until the stage arrives? A Chaps & Spurs Challenge inspired story.
1,030 words Rating: K+
Summary: Joe should have remembered his older brother’s advice, when he learns a lesson on how easy it is for women to be his downfall.
Rating: K 950 words
Setting the Course – by BluewindFarm
Summary: At the end of “A House Divided”, have you ever wondered why Adam wasn’t farther along to join the cause before Little Joe caught up with him? Adam had emotionally left the night before Ben‘s encounter with Frederick Kyle and Joe in town. Me… I don’t think it had anything to do with Adam’s response to Joe during the closing scene, “That lake really gets under your skin.”
800 words Rating: K+
Silent Night – by BluewindFarm
Summary: After an unusually hectic day, there is only one wish requested on Christmas Eve.
Rating: K 2,600 words
Sterling and Bright – by BluewindFarm
Summary: It might be white outside, but inside? Being a day like no other, was an understatement; and long after the sun had set Ben Cartwright was almost ready to declare that all three of his sons would be receiving lumps of coal in their Christmas stockings.
Rating: G Words: 2,350
Written for the Bonanza Brand 2023 Advent Calendar
Sunup at Dawn – by BluewindFarm
Summary: A WHN for Five Sundowns to Sunup / WHL for Death at Dawn story.
Rating: K 2,185 words
Tears of Growing Up #1 – by BluewindFarm
Summary: An accident while breaking horses sets Joe and the family on a downward spiral as unfounded fears over rule common sense. And when tragedy again strikes upon the Ponderosa…will the family ever be whole?
40,470 words Rating: K+
Tears of Growing Up #2 – First Ride – by BluewindFarm
Summary: A follow up story for Tears of Growing Up. Two years have passed since Ben and Joe stood outside the corrals watching the taming of wild horses by Adam and their wranglers. Now, it’s finally Joe’s turn.
Rating: K+ 2,305 words
Tears of Growing Up #3 – Learning to Trust, One Last Time – by BluewindFarm
Summary: It’s never easy seeing your youngest taking another step towards manhood.
Rating: G 715 words
Telegram (The) – by BluewindFarm
Summary: Ben Cartwright receives an incomplete telegram. What is the message and who is it about?
2,695 words Rating: K
There’s Wisdom, and Then There’s… – by BluewindFarm
Summary: He thinks he knows all it takes to be a cowboy; leaving Ben to wonder.
Rating: K 1,070 words
Throwing a Houlihan – by bluewindfarm
Summary: Chalk one more up to Little Joe and ‘cowboy-isms’.
Rating: G (1,470 words)
Summary: Missing scenes, The Trap. A man’s belief that his wife is having an affair sets events into motion that ultimately drive Joe to challenge a lawman to a gunfight; the only way he can see to prove his innocence, of the affair and of two murders.
Rated: K+ 1,440 words
Twas the Night Before Christmas – by BluewindFarm
Summary: Christmas wishes do come true for the brothers.
Rating: K 690 words
Tying One On – by BluewindFarm
Summary: Three Cartwrights look out the window in disbelief of the scene below.
Rating: K+ 840 words
Vision (The) #1 – by BluewindFarm
Summary: Ben’s wife reflects on the past and contemplates a vision of what is soon to come. What happened later for Marie, My Love.
Rating: MA Mature adult theme 1,060 words
Vision (The) #2 – the epilogue – by BluewindFarm
Summary: Her dream is a reality and now they wait for the most important delivery..
Rating: T 3,590 words
What are These We Call Dreams – by BluewindFarm
Summary: Nightmares or metaphors, it all depends on the interpretation.
Rated: K Word Count: 1540
What We Didn’t Choose – by BluewindFarm
Summary: Exploring what makes you who you are? The first sentence was the May 1, 2016 Pine Cone prompt to use. The original submission has been expanded so the story would meet the minimum word requirements for the Library.
Rating: K 635 words
When Hope and Fate Collide – by BluewindFarm
Summary: Everything was progressing smoothly, right up until it went so wrong. The brothers and their men drive their largest herd ever to Sacramento, California.
Rating: T 32,520 words
Yesterday #1 – Yesterday a Jealous Man, aka Today’s Lonely Fool – by BluewindFarm
Summary: The aftermath from She Walks in Beauty.
Rating: K+ 1,550 words
Yesterday #2 – How Can You Mend a Broke Heart – by BluewindFarm
Summary: To some, the holidays aren’t always merry, nor bright.
Rating: G Words: 950
Written for the Bonanza Brand 2023 Advent Calendar
