Why men go hunting and why it should still be a holiday.

This might get me and a lot of men in trouble, but it just might give some information to a woman into why men are like they are. 

Have you ever wondered why a man goes and sits in a tree for a week in freezing cold weather?  Sometimes it even rains and freezes ice on the man while sitting in a tree.  Now there are men who just have more sophistication (that really means more money to burn) and sit in one of those nice boxes on top of a tower with a heater and windows to block the cold wind.   There are also those with less sophistication (money) who sit in a 55-gallon metal drum sitting on top of a tripod about 15 feet in the air.  Now I will have to tell you that barrel is cold, but it does stop the wind.  The other bad thing is you have to stick your head out of the barrel where it is windy and cold to shoot.  Of course, there is a seat in the barrel so you can at least relax a little but there is NO leg room in there and it is not made for tall or fat folks like ME. 

Now there are men who actually hire/pay someone to take them up into the mountains on horseback where it is cold and windy and miserable by most folk's standards to hunt deer or elk. If you are more sophisticated (more money) moose.  There on that mountain, you have paid more money to be more miserable and more sophisticated.   

Well with all this said let’s examine the why of this sport. 

1. Men are not like women – does that resonate with anyone?   

1. Men dip, chew and scratch and women don’t like any of it normally.

2. Men pass gas (fart), tell off color jokes. 

2. Believe it or not it is fun and refreshing to be outdoors. 

3. I personally would rather take the pictures, but it is a thrill to hunt and kill just like our ancestors did years ago.  Just to make it clear it is not that I don’t want to shoot the animal, but I don’t want to clean it and carry it and I really don’t like to eat it unless you are like Larry Travis or Rich Kanaly or Rich Jefferies who have the meat made into sausage or jerky. 

4. Now there is one reason which is the motivation for this article and that is men need to get away from the women. 

Let me explain why men need to get away from the women.  First, if you stay home, they are going to tell you to do something.  Second, if they don’t tell you to do something, they are going to make you feel guilty for not doing something.  Third, if you don’t feel guilty and they are DOING while you are sitting you should feel guilty and therefore you are guilty.  So, the number 1 reason for sitting in the cold and freezing weather is to get away from the women. 

 So, what do you learn in the Osage? 

1. Men like to relax and not get in trouble for it. 

2. Hunting allows men to do what men do best, sit, spit, tell stories, pass gas etc. 

3. Not 100%, but women don’t hunt. 

Thanks for your time, 

Gary

gary.olson@finaciti.com

 

Are we getting over protective or what?

 Growing up in the Osage, I remember Larry and I would take off to go fishing or hunting and basically Mom would assume we would come home when we were hungry.  Of course, things are different now, but are they really?  

When we went fishing, we would take our fishing seine and catch minnows and crawdads to fish with and sometimes we would go around the barns looking for worms hidden under old boards or around the sewer system.  We also went catching grasshoppers and crickets to fish with.  Now if we were going only after catfish, we would steal some liver from the freezer (actually we did not have to steal it because no one except mom liked cooked liver).  The next step in fishing was taking our bait and head for the creek, Beaver Creek.  Now there were two great places we focused on, and one was pretty close to the house where there was a bend in the creek and thus making a deep hole where there were plenty of fish.  The other place was Soup's fishing hole.  It was named after Soup Wade, but that is another story.  Typically, Larry would take one side of the creek and I would take the other.  I never knew why but Larry would almost always get more fish than me.  It was probably because I had a little more ADHD, and he was patient.  

Now hunting was a little different and it depended on what we were hunting for, quail or squirrel.  Larry typically carried a 410 and I carried a single shot 22.  Again, Larry outperformed me, but I think he liked the fact that I could spot quail and squirrels faster than anyone.  For some reason my dad (Cliff) and I had the ability to see with clarity great distances and we both had a very wide field of vision making it easier to catch things moving and a long way off.

So, what is the point?  We were allowed to be independent and make decisions including consequences for making bad ones.  Luckily, we did not drown or kill anyone, especially each other, but we had lots of fun and adventures.

So, what did we learn in the Osage?

• getting exercise was fun when you had a good purpose, we walked for miles and miles.
• we learned to play and work together, but most of all we learned about each other.
• you learn a lot by doing and living rather than sitting and watching.

thanks for listening,

gary.olson@finaciti.com

Cherry Pie, can anything beat it?

 Miss Beth Shumate made the best cherry pie, and she made it for me so many times I cannot remember.  She was my 3rd, 4th and 5th grade teacher plus a great friend of the family.  In fact, I would say between her and Gladys Snyder (Aunt Gladys) and their kids, they were family.  

I loved it when Sally, Janie, Larry and Debbie would have to go to Ponca City to the orthodontist because I would get to go home with Antie Beth (Miss Shumate).  That was when she would make those cherry pies for me.  There was one downside to all of this.  When her sewer lines and sewer tanks got clogged or full, I was the designated HONEY DIPPER.  That means I was the repair man.  If you are too much of a city person to understand, let me explain.

In small towns and rural America folks did not have city sewer and water.  They had water wells and sewer lines with a tank buried underground in their yards.  It was common for those sewer lines to be made of clay pipes about 4 to 6 feet long connected but packed with led to seal them together.  The problem was/is that over time tree roots would push that lead packing out and fill the lines so there would be no drainage.  The other problem is sometimes the tanks would fill up with s__t and stuff.  That is when the honey dipper got called into action.  Luckily the only two folks I had to do this job for was Miss Shumate and Gladys Snyder.  In fact, the only pay I ever got for either of these two ladies work was cherry pie.  Now Aunt Gladys was never much of a cook, so I did not get any cherry pie from her.  Basically, I think my folks thought we should do this work as an act of kindness.  AT MY EXPENSE!

Actually, I did not mind as they were both great to me.  They both were mentors to me and were mighty big in my life.  I would have to say I got one dig (joke) in for Miss Shumate when she retired.  They had this party at the Grainola Methodist Church, and they asked me to speak.  Miss Shumate never liked my penmanship, and she knew I was terrible at spelling.  I happily shared at her retirement that her cherry pies were a great reward and that you do not have to have good penmanship or be a great speller to be successful.  I got a few good laughs.

So, what do you learn in the Osage?

• Cherry pie can make a man do anything for a woman, including dipping s___
• Teachers and their words can make a difference in the lives of children
• Hard work and dirty work can make a better person and build character for a lifetime

Thanks for listening,

gary.olson@finaciti.com

thepioneerman.blogspot.com

Who were your bullies in life?

 I suppose everyone has a bully in their life even if you were a giant like me.  Now the question is: did they make me a better person or a worse person, secure or insecure?  

It always seemed to me that the big kids and especially those older than me were bullies including my brother, Larry.  Especially when I went to Shidler in the 8th grade there were a lot of folks older who wanted to push me around because I was big for my age.  Luckily a lot of folks caught up with me in size by the time I got into high school.  But one event stands out to me that is outside of this topic.  One of those upper classmen wanted to fight me and kept pushing for a fight during a basketball game.  But my hero was a fellow classmate and a lot smaller guy than me.  It was Ricky Cottle who stopped the person and told the bully to step outside with him and fight.  Well, it did happen, and Rick won the fight.  I was not bothered again by that bully.  I think Rick became the tallest person to me, tall in character.

Back to the point of the story.  I am going to propose to you that being bullied and being intimidated can actually turn out to be a good thing.  I was never one to pick a fight nor did I want to.  But out of those times I learned to persevere and that bullies have a self-image problem bigger than mine.  When I say persevere, I mean that I learned how to win without a physical fight.  In fact, this reminds me of a friend that was extremely short and got bullied a lot.  One of his bullies was being aggressive and my friend told him to pile up his money and stand on it and he would do the same.  He then told the bully let's see who is taller now.  I thought that was hilarious, but it made a point.  Now I am not saying money is everything, but I am saying that you do not measure a man by his self-centered bully pulpit.

Sure bullies are not a good thing, but overcoming is what counts.  It does not matter in life how many times you get knocked down, it only matters how many times you get back up.

So what do you learn in the Osage?

• Character is what counts in a person
• Doing the right thing is the right thing
• Persevere, get up one more time than you get knocked down and you will be a winner

Thanks for listening,

gary.olson@finaciti.com

thepioneerman.blogspot.com

Why run a marathon?

 When I was in high school, I really never gave a thought to running a marathon, but I did make some attempt in track while at good old Shidler High School.  

The first strange thing I did in track that made a lasting impression on me and my life was on the way home from a track meet in Newkirk.  I was in the 9th grade, freshman, and I had a lot of friends in the Osage who chewed tobacco (tobacca) including my Uncle Don Lane, mom's brother.  In fact, a lot of school buddies dipped Skoal or Garrett's Sweet Snuff or the old hard chew where you bit it off of a square chunk of tobacco.  Back to the bus ride.  I decided I would give my first and LAST attempt at chewing Red Man.  By the time I got back to Shidler I was throwing up my guts and the other end was not a whole lot better.  After that I never had a desire to partake in having a small amount between tongue and cheek.

As a side note I have to tell you about Uncle Don, who never could be seen without a big wad in the side of his mouth.  He could spit a huge amount all the time.  Anyway, my brother Larry got stung by a bee and Uncle Don had the remedy right there to stop the swelling which was started immediately.  He took that big wad out of his mouth and slapped it on the side of Larry's head behind his ear.  IT WORKED, although I would say it was gross and dripped down the side of his head.

Back to the topic.  Two times I made a great mistake and decided I could compete in running.  Again, at the track meet in Newkirk, Oklahoma, I entered the 640-yard race.  I don't think they ever have that race today.  I did get a bronze medal which was a huge surprise to me and probably everybody else except I don't think there were more than 3 in the race, but if there were, they had to be the slowest people in the area. 

My second running event was another day, and I was in the sophomore year of high school.  It was 12 miles from Shidler to Grainola and I decided I could make that run pretty easily as I was in great shape from basketball.  What I did not know is that running on blacktop with the wrong shoes could give you serious shin splits.  I did make it about 10 or 11 miles, and someone gave me a ride home.  The pain and memory of that has been a great reward.  I have never even considered running like that again.

Now one last running opportunity.  As an adult working downtown Oklahoma City there was a triathlon corporate event that I entered.  It was run a mile, and 100 pushups.  and swim 1/4 mile.  It was no problem with the running, and I never made it to pushups.  You see I was never a good swimmer and I hyperventilated, and 3 girls had to pull me out of the pool.  I could not even stand up and I laid on the side of the pool for a long time, embarrassing!

That is my running history.

So what do you learn in the Osage?

• do a little research to know what you are getting into.
• there is absolutely nothing good comes from tobacco except maybe losing some weight or fixing a bee sting.
• all decisions have consequences, some good and some bad
• the moral of the story is THINK and give some time before making some of those stupid decisions like a tattoo or nose ring that you might regret later.

Thanks for listening,

gary.olson@finaciti.com

 

Who were you idols/heroes?

 I am sure everyone had somebody that they admired and aspired to be like.  Well, I sure did, and there were several which I have already mentioned but today I want to mention a few more that are not so obvious.

Uncle Bill Heath was a reasonably quiet man, but I sure was motivated by him because he was smart but most of all, he seemed to care about me.  He would teach me chess and take me to his office and show me the computers and he talked to me like I was important.  Of course, his wife, Aunt Peggy, was wonderful and she just allowed me to have fun when I was at their house.  She also made cinnamon rolls for me, my favorite food.  We always played games at their house, but Joe and I also got to have peach fights and play in the ditches when there were huge rains, and the ditches were full of water.  In fact, Joe and his sisters are the ones I wanted to share about today.

Joe was an incredible athlete, and he threw the ball so hard that I was scared to catch for him.  He played football and I just wanted to be good like him.  His sister Cathy was so dog-gone smart, and I wanted to be smart like her.  Marie was fun and talented (she was in the band) but most of all she was kind to me as I was by far the youngest nephew on our side of the family.  She even made me think I was good looking and that was a surprise to me as I was so self-conscience.  They seemed to have the perfect life.  They had a color TV and a water cooler in the living area (that is what folks had before air conditioners), and they lived in a big city, Ponca, and they went on vacations every year.  You might say I was even jealous or envious.  Every year I got to spend a week at their house, and it was a delight.

For a kid like me those were important people in my life, and it took me some time to realize that I also had a wonderful life growing up on the farm in Grainola and going to Shidler.  I was privileged to have a country life with open skies and loving parents and a brother and sister and no color TV or water cooler and not even a riding lawn mower even though we had the biggest yard you can imagine.

So what do you learn in the Osage?

• I was blessed and I know they made a difference in my life
• The grass is always greener away from where you stand
• Little things and especially kind words can make a big difference in a person's life
• don't underestimate your influence on others

Thanks for listening and check out my video, hope it works.

https://riverside.fm/dashboard/studios/the-pioneerman/recordings/72050dba-94b8-45ff-bb69-8f266ea63ee8?share-token=36bafca3384e25874571&content-shared=recording

gary.olson@finaciti.com

Dangit or damnit, what is the difference?

 Well, I don't know about you but some things are hard to understand.  When I was growing up there were three words used around my house:  hell, shit and damn, that were acceptable by my folks and just about everyone else.  Another thing about those words is that I used dang-it and dad-gum-it and heck and crap without hesitation.  And as I got older I remember my brother, Larry, coming home from college and he started using those big 3 words plus some new ones.  In fact I remember Janie and Sally and Billy all coming home using some of those words.  Being somewhat judgmental about it, I suggested that their college vocabularies were not impressive.  Of course I was the runt of the family and they paid no mind to me or my opinions.

Now that I have aged, like a good bottle of wine, I have figured out that those words are not a reflection of the real character of the person.  In fact sometimes just for effect I will through in one of those BIG 3 to get a reaction.  Maybe that is why folks wear those tattoos all over their bodies and rings in their noses and eyebrows, just to get a little more attention.  I suppose it is alright to have those things, after-all we put rings in the nose of hogs and we tattooed cattle in the ear to help identify each one.  In fact I was watching the NFL football games and I was amazed how dominate those items were on the players.  With those helmet's on, the long hair hanging out the helmet and the tattoos made it easier to distinguish who was who.  I don't see why they even need numbers on their shirts.

I guess it is ok for everyone to have all those markings on their faces and arms and wherever so we can tell them apart.  But the one good thing is I can undo the BIG 3 from my vocabulary but I cannot undo those tats and piercing without some scars being left behind. I suppose I would also like to think that my children and grandchildren would not be idolizing those folks.  Well, hell fire and damn those tats, they are the shits. (that was a joke for you judgmental folk) I think I might go get a nose ring so it will remind me of those days when we had hogs.

So what do you learn in the Osage?

• your character is more important than your piercing or markings or bad words
• your deeds and how you treat people really says who your are
• you/me may have preferences but if we just strive to be like Christ is more important 
• BUT to know Christ is the most important of all

Thanks for listening,

gary

gary.olson@finaciti.com

Does it pay to hurry?

 I don't know about you but I guess I got it from my dad, Cliff Olson, in that I am always in a hurry.  In fact when I was about 12 years old I was in such a hurry to get out the back door that I stuck my hand right through a glass window.  Basically is cut the left side of my little finger off so much that I could see the bone and of course mom, Opal Olson, gave me a ride to Dr. Cecil Snyder in Winfield, Kansas.  

Now just a side note:  Dr. Snyder was the same doc that delivered me, and dad and mom paid the bill with a side of beef.  It is also worth noting that Doc told mom and dad that I would never grow very much because of my allergies to milk.  Every time I went to the doc he and the nurses would talk about how much I had grown.  In case you have not read in my stories, by the time I was in the second grade I was taller than my teacher.  Even when Doc Snyder passed away his son, Johnny, became our family doctor.

OK, back to the finger.  As it turned out they had to do something I had never heard of, they grafted skin off my arm and put it on my finger.  Today you can see where they took the skin more than the scar on my finger.  Pretty good job I would say.

Along the same line of hurry, I remember dad wanted me to take the hay rake to him using the Ford tractor.  Being in a hurry, I assumed he was across the creek cutting hay and needed it right away.  Bad mistake!  After about an hour of fighting with getting the rake across the creek and through the trees and narrow road, dad was pretty frustrated with where was I.  Of course I was frustrated because he was not where I thought he was.  In fact he was about 100 yards from the house where I started.  Luckily dad was pretty good at laughing at my mistake.

All this to say that my ADHD got in the way of getting things done too many times.

So what do you learn in the Osage?

• sometimes it is cheaper/less expensive to SLOW DOWN
• be thankful for a dad who can laugh at your mistakes.
• Stop, listen, ask questions and then execute.  
• Slow down, aim first then fire.

Thanks for listening,

gary

gary.olson@finaciti.com

Box cars, what can you do with one?

 I remember watching the Midland Valley Railroad cars and counting them every time they would go by. Several of the folks around Shidler and Grainola had box cars (railroad cars) to store cattle cake (that means cattle feed) in them, but one story that is amazing but true I want to share.

I am blessed to have the best mother-in-law you could ever ask for, Naomi Davis, and she LIVED in a box car in North Texas around what use to be called Georgetown which is now under water in Lake Texhoma.  I don't think her kids, including my wife, knew that until the last year.  She was from a large family, 9 children, and before all of those kids were born her folks and at least 4 children lived in a box car.  Now I don't know about you but that sounds pretty rough.  Think about it, no bathroom in doors, no running water, no electricity and who knows what else.  No nice cushy beds?  No air conditioner and no heater?  During the summer they would sleep outside to beat the heat and at night they would sit under the trees and talk, play cards, dominos, and checkers and eat.  She watched the stars a lot and her grandparents lived down the road about 1/2 mile and they lived in a box car.  But you know what?  She enjoyed life and school and loved her family and they all worked hard and respected each other.  Did I mention she walked to school 1.5 miles each way?  She was a serious student and that might be because she wanted to get ahead in life.  Perhaps if we let folks struggle a little, they might work harder to get ahead.  Don't know, just thinking.

My mom, Opal Olson lived on the hill 1.5 miles from school in Grainola with a large family (8 children), but they did live in a house.  But still, no running water, no toilet, no electricity and no air conditioner or heater but they were happy, and they all prospered.

So, what do you learn in the Osage?

• Not everyone gets a trophy, and they turned out very well, both families
• No TV, cell phone or even a phone or a video game and they were all well-adjusted.
• Hard work and a hard life allow you to grow up to be good citizens.
• Question:  what is wrong with having a little adversity in your life?
• I feel blessed!

Well, thanks for listening,

gary

gary.olson@finaciti.com

thepioneerman.blogspot.com if you want to read more stories.

Who needs bird dog when you have a little brother?

 Larry, Dr. Larry Olson and my brother, loved to hunt and fish.  In fact, I would say we hunted at least once a week during quail season, and we hunted those giant red squirrels when we were not hunting quail.

Larry was always a great shot, and he used a 410 shotgun and then a 20-gauge bolt action as he got older.  I always had a pump 12-guage and Larry could shoot faster and get more birds every time.  Frustrating!  Now part of the reason he got more is probably the fact I was his birddog.  I was always the one crawling down the creek jumping the covey while he was on the ridge.  Now that I think about it, when he came home from South Carolina and we went fishing every time, he would guide the boat and he was always in front with the best position.  He also caught more fish, every time.  Something about jumping the covey of quail was great fun for me.  I truly enjoyed listening for the rustling of leaves and grass as the quail would try to run rather than fly.  It was also interesting to me that when you would stop, they would stop running and then if you walked really slow you could get close and then they would fly.  If you have never experienced it, it is hard to explain the thrill of hearing them pound their wings to get started then as they got going, and they were exceptionally fast, they would stop flapping their wings and just float between the trees and brush.  Incredible!  Another facet was you could hear them chirping, bobwhite-bobwhite.  It was as if they were talking like a human.  It was so clear and distinct.  

We hardly ever hunted with bird dogs like Larry Travis or Cam Lanier or Dr. Merrifield (from Ponca) but we had loads of fun.  One time we were over at the gambrel barn across the road from Don Conner's house and I heard a tremendous noise in the grass.  I promise it was the largest covey of quail I had ever seen.  I believe it was close to 200 quail.  Being a kid, it was probably closer to 50 or 100 but it was exciting.  I bet Larry and I hunted that group for over an hour with NO dogs.

What may surprise most folks is when I first remember hunting, I was about 7 and it was for squirrels.  Larry and I both used 22 rifles back then.  Mine was a bolt action single shot and Larry had one that carried about 10 shells maybe 16.  He and Billy Snyder (my first cousin) had fancy rifles.  The hardest part of that was cleaning the squirrel.  But mom could fry it and make gravy that was the best eating you can imagine.

Well, I better go, but what do you learn in the Osage?

• Bird dogs are for fancy hunters.
• Country life is the best life. 
• You cannot avoid the fact that only God could create something so great as the outdoors.

Thanks for listening,

Gary

gary.olson@finaciti.com

or finaciti.com

Don Conner and it just can't happen today

 When you grow up in the largest school district in the state of Oklahoma there are some interesting facts you have to understand.

• When it is the largest does not mean it has the number of human beings.  As I have said in the past, I had 5 sometimes 6 in my first 7 years of school and we never had pre-school or kindergarten or even a day care center.
• The bus ride to school can take 30 minutes to get to Grainola even though it is only 4 miles from home to school.  And if you are going to Shidler for the last 5 grades (56 in that class) the bus ride is about 1 hour 15 minutes and we only lived 14 miles from the school.
• The bus driver, Don Conner, smoked a cigar every morning and evening ON THE BUS.  Actually, it smelled pretty good, but he always kept the window partially open.  Now I have to tell you that Bob Scott drove the bus a few of those years for Grainola and Lizzi (his wife) was the cook for the school.  Bob was also the janitor and kept the coal burning heaters going.
• Another thing about Don, and I am not sure what all is true, is he was an excellent shooter and competed nationally in skeet and clay.  My understanding is that he shot 498 out of 500 and still placed second nationally.  At least it is a good story.  Don and his wife and two kids, Ida and Joe, lived about 1 mile west as the crow flies from our house and they had about a 10-acre pond behind the house and a very cool porch / house and a great big barn.  One time the barn got hit by lightning or at least it exploded into flames from fermented hay and everyone around Grainola ran over there to save the house.  Joe went on to own the Fairfax Chief (newspaper).

Ok, back to Don and family.  I never knew if Don worked but he had some land which was leased to the Coopers and some of it was leased to mom and dad.  His wife did a lot of writing, particularly about the Osage Indians.  Joe and Ida were much older but Joe, who passed away in 2023, was my brother's age and became an Eagle Scout.  My mom was always proud of Joe as he was in the Boy Scout club that my mother led.  Don was always a little cranky at us kids on the bus but for some reason I liked him pretty good until one day he got mad at our dog for chasing the bus.  That always bothered me but he kept Bob and David Harris from picking on me so that made him pretty cool.

Well, what do you learn in the Osage?

• Smoking a cigar on the school bus was not going to kill us.
• Thinking Don was such a famous person gave me something to look up to.
• Sometimes not knowing the entire truth about someone is not all bad.
• We all need folks to look up to, that sets a good standard.  It might even make you want to smoke a cigar.

Thanks for listening,

Gary

gary.olson@finaciti.com

finaciti.com

Why can't you take a turkey to church?

 They use fowl language.  Get it?  Fowl not foul.

We all know some turkeys in our life and in fact at some point I suppose I have been one of those turkeys.  In fact, I can remember a few times when I stuck my size 13 foot in my mouth and wished to this day, I could take it back.  In fact, I grew up with a poem that is about the biggest lie ever told:

    Sticks and stones 

    will break my bones

    but words will never hurt me.

A couple of lessons on this one.  First, I have always been able to get over a hurt foot or arm or a physical ailment, but those words can stick with a person for a lifetime, good and bad.

As I have mentioned before, Aunt Gladys Snyder, dropped a few words on me that changed my trajectory in life.  Aunt Gladys made me think I was smart (that was lucky since I am not as smart as she thought).  Jack Gilbreth, my first football coach, gave just a few words of encouragement that helped me overcome my insecurity about my size.  I was always way too big for my age until about the 9th grade when a few folks caught up and even surpassed me like.  Mrs. Head (of Head Country fame and high school English teach fame) made a point how nice I dressed, and it made me think twice about how I looked each day.  David Goldenberg made the comment while working at EDS/Ross Perot's old company that I was a fast thinker.  it just made me feel good about myself (that is called a blessing).

But second, what about those discouraging remarks by someone?  Don't those hurt?  Don't they last?  Sure do!  I don't even like to give them the time of day.  Bitterness and resentment, in my mind, can kill a person.  At least it can make it where you/me just does not want to be around them.

So what do you learn in the Osage?

• Words can hurt, be careful, thoughtful and caring
• A few kind words can make a person not have to get a nose ring (do I need to explain?)
• Give a lift up in life, not a lift out (give someone an encouraging word every day of your life and you will be more encouraged than you can ever dream)

Thanks for listening,

gary.olson@FINACITI.COM

A little Dab will do you

 Now most of you older folks remember what "a little dab will do you" comes from but the younger folks have no idea.  Well, here it is: When my brother, Larry, was ill, I stayed with him for about 3 months until he passed.  During that time I realized that he still used Brylcream on his hair.  So just to remind myself each day I now use Brylcream.  It actually works really well on my hair and scalp, so it was a good thing.   The point in telling you about this is I have always wanted to keep in touch with my past, both good and bad.  Of course, Larry was a good thing to always remember.  We had a lot of great times:  quail hunting on Beaver Creek to fishing in the local ponds and creeks to showing cattle, sheep and hogs in 4-H, to traveling to cattle sales to judging contest.  He was always a challenge to me in that he was a perfectionist.  Honestly, I think he even used Brylcream on our show cattle to make their hair shine.  Larry would spend hours combing and primping the hair on the show cattle.  

So, what is most important about "a little dab will do you".  It reminds me every day how I was blessed to have a good brother.  He never had a nose ring, a tattoo, or long hair.  He never drank that I know of, and he did not darken the doors of church as an adult, but he did use a few foul words.  In fact, all of his Clemson friends/Edisto Beef Cattle Research were entertained when Larry would get mad at cattle or technology because he could lay a streak of words that are unpublishable.  Funny thing was that he never got mad at folks, but cattle and objects could get him riled.  

Now I do need to clarify one thing about his church history as if that were the important part.  A friend of Larry's, Kevin Yon, came visiting at the hospital when Larry was sick.  I shared with Kevin my concern for Larry's belief and trust in Jesus Christ.  Kevin did me a great favor.  First off, he said he was embarrassed that in all the years of their friendship (35 years, approximately) they had never discussed Larry's relationship with Christ.  Second, Kevin stood up and said, "I am going to take care of that right now".  He came back and shared with me that Larry for sure knew Christ as his personal savior.  

Well, now back to Brylcream and a little dab will do you.  I can't explain the pain of losing my brother or the hole it left, but I can be thankful in all things but not necessarily thankful for all things.  You might have to think about that last sentence to get the real meaning.

So, what do you learn in the Osage?

• Memories are important and a little dab will help you remember the good
• A good friend is hard to find but easy to remember.
• Try every day to remember your history, the good and the bad and be thankful for ALL of it.

Thanks for listening,

gary.olson@finaciti.com