Growing up on the farm and ranch in the Osage was great but looking back there were a few things that were not fair. In particular we never had a color TV or air conditioner or riding lawn mower and we had a huge lawn. In fact you would have thought a weed eater (gasoline powered) would have been a great thing and in some ways it was and in some ways it was not.
You see until the gas powered weed eater we had the Gary powered Idiot Stick which is a tool that had a blade on both sides so it would cut both ways. You would swing it as hard as you could at weeds and grass and it would cut them down fairly easily. The problem was that you got tired, hot and sweaty doing this around all the barns (see list of barns from a few weeks back) and after a while you could not pick up your arms because they were so tired. But being a farm boy you never stopped and you endured the pain. I suppose today we could say our parents abused us and get some government relief which basically meant the weeds would not get cut on a timely basis and it would take four more people to do the job. Yes, I am saying the government is not only not a help but inhibits productivity and resourcefulness and the entrepreneurship that comes from a person doing a job and finding a faster and better way of doing things. More government NEVER helps productivity or creativeness. Anyway with the advent of a weed eater not only could we do the same job faster but Dad figured we could do more since we had time to spare so now we not only did the barns but the driveway. For you city folks that may sound like a small add but at our house that was ONE MILE from our house to Eddy's house (home of Vea Harris, Janis, David and Bob and Gordon). YES, we weed-eated a mile of driveway but luckily Dad and Mom did not insist we do it weekly but once or twice a summer and maybe three times max. I am not sure if they liked the neatness of the work or if they were creating work to keep us busy and out of trouble or out of their hair.
One side story about weed eating. When Dad was 87 and two days before he went into the hospital for gall bladder surgery he was at my house at daylight for a cup of coffee. That may not sound like a big deal except that he and Mom lived at Perkins and it was an hour to our house in western Edmond (The Pumpkin Patch or Clifford Farms as it was later known) and Dad would drive to Edmond and have breakfast at Around the Corner in downtown Edmond and then be at our house close to daylight ready to do something. Dad use to say, "let's do something even if it is wrong". Anyway this day he said he was going to weed eat the driveway which was about 1/2 mile long and I told him I would get put in jail if they saw an 87 year old man weed eating my driveway. He just stuck his tongue out at me and went to work after drinking his coffee.
Well here is the strange thing relative to the title of this story, Dad and Mom moved to Perkins, Oklahoma when Dad was about 61 years old so he could be a rural mail carrier full time and gain a retirement package. They moved from Grainola and started a new life when Dad was 61 but the funny thing was Mom and Dad decided to purchase a TV and appliance store in Perkins and start selling color TVs and air conditioners and they even purchased a riding lawn mower. We NEVER had any of these things when I was growing up in the Osage. NOT FAIR. Actually I am very proud that at that age they were very willing to start something new and go on a new adventure in life.
My folks made me proud. Oh sure they made mistakes and everything was not easy but that sense of adventure and courage resonates with me. Life is not about how much money we made or how popular we are with friends but it is what you leave behind that lasts for a long time which makes a positive difference. They were pioneers in every aspect and they were free to take chances and free to fail. They did not depend on the government to pay for their mistakes (Detroit bankruptcy, General Motors or AIG) but they depended on their own actions and best efforts to make it work. I am so very thankful for a great example from my parents.
So what do you learn in the Osage?
Thanks for your time,
gary@thepioneerman.com
You see until the gas powered weed eater we had the Gary powered Idiot Stick which is a tool that had a blade on both sides so it would cut both ways. You would swing it as hard as you could at weeds and grass and it would cut them down fairly easily. The problem was that you got tired, hot and sweaty doing this around all the barns (see list of barns from a few weeks back) and after a while you could not pick up your arms because they were so tired. But being a farm boy you never stopped and you endured the pain. I suppose today we could say our parents abused us and get some government relief which basically meant the weeds would not get cut on a timely basis and it would take four more people to do the job. Yes, I am saying the government is not only not a help but inhibits productivity and resourcefulness and the entrepreneurship that comes from a person doing a job and finding a faster and better way of doing things. More government NEVER helps productivity or creativeness. Anyway with the advent of a weed eater not only could we do the same job faster but Dad figured we could do more since we had time to spare so now we not only did the barns but the driveway. For you city folks that may sound like a small add but at our house that was ONE MILE from our house to Eddy's house (home of Vea Harris, Janis, David and Bob and Gordon). YES, we weed-eated a mile of driveway but luckily Dad and Mom did not insist we do it weekly but once or twice a summer and maybe three times max. I am not sure if they liked the neatness of the work or if they were creating work to keep us busy and out of trouble or out of their hair.
One side story about weed eating. When Dad was 87 and two days before he went into the hospital for gall bladder surgery he was at my house at daylight for a cup of coffee. That may not sound like a big deal except that he and Mom lived at Perkins and it was an hour to our house in western Edmond (The Pumpkin Patch or Clifford Farms as it was later known) and Dad would drive to Edmond and have breakfast at Around the Corner in downtown Edmond and then be at our house close to daylight ready to do something. Dad use to say, "let's do something even if it is wrong". Anyway this day he said he was going to weed eat the driveway which was about 1/2 mile long and I told him I would get put in jail if they saw an 87 year old man weed eating my driveway. He just stuck his tongue out at me and went to work after drinking his coffee.
Well here is the strange thing relative to the title of this story, Dad and Mom moved to Perkins, Oklahoma when Dad was about 61 years old so he could be a rural mail carrier full time and gain a retirement package. They moved from Grainola and started a new life when Dad was 61 but the funny thing was Mom and Dad decided to purchase a TV and appliance store in Perkins and start selling color TVs and air conditioners and they even purchased a riding lawn mower. We NEVER had any of these things when I was growing up in the Osage. NOT FAIR. Actually I am very proud that at that age they were very willing to start something new and go on a new adventure in life.
My folks made me proud. Oh sure they made mistakes and everything was not easy but that sense of adventure and courage resonates with me. Life is not about how much money we made or how popular we are with friends but it is what you leave behind that lasts for a long time which makes a positive difference. They were pioneers in every aspect and they were free to take chances and free to fail. They did not depend on the government to pay for their mistakes (Detroit bankruptcy, General Motors or AIG) but they depended on their own actions and best efforts to make it work. I am so very thankful for a great example from my parents.
So what do you learn in the Osage?
- the government does not give you opportunity but you create your own
- you will always feel better about yourself and your country when you work like everything depends on you and you take care of your country, not your country take care of you
- creative entrepreneurship comes from FREEDOM not dependency on government programs or regulations, LET FREEDOM RING
Thanks for your time,
gary@thepioneerman.com
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