Another John Francis Murphy story

Allen DiVall shared a few stories on John Murphy:
By Allen -

I can remember John Francis Murphy back to when I was 6 yrs old.

He was a good friend of my grand dad Frank.  

He locked my grand dad's safe which no one had the combination to.  It remained locked for 20 years.

He would call my grand dad's business and ask to speak to Albert--which was the alligator my grand dad and Barb Rash's father got at the sugar bowl.

My grand dad's 2nd wife was Dr. Dozier's nurse.

He would meet people at his country club and pretend he  was the doctor who had performed surgery on them or pretend he was deaf.

There is a rumour that he once chained up the Grainola post office.  

  

Many years ago, he  stuck his finger into a gas tank and said " That ain't Ethyl".

I think a lot about JFM who had a stroke and is the only person I know other than myself who had a stroke.

Thanks to Allen DiVall for these stories and for validating that I was close to the truth.  John Murphy was and is iconic.  He helps make the Osage and we thank him for it.  If you have not heard my story about John go dig into my story "John Murphy and the pepsilyle".  It has nothing to do with drinking Pepsi.  Some other famous folks from the Shidler area to look up are Jack Hartmann ( a great basketball coach who made the hall of fame),  Louise Brooks (famous silent film star),  Ray Smith (one of the most decorated Marines in America) and of course Lance Howard (Ron Howard's dad)  and many more...

So I feel I always have to end any story with:

What I learned in the Osage?

• Make good memories
• Remember the good ones
• forget the bad and live a great life

Thanks for your time,

gary@thepioneerman.com

New beginnings

first apartment in Dallas 1975- $320 per month furnished

Well today I cannot help but tell you a story about when I got out of college and went to work for EDS.  Right now I am sitting at Forest Lane and Coit at a Starbucks.  In 1975 there were no Starbucks, cell phones, iPads, iPhones, iPods, or Etrade, Ebusiness, ECommerce and there were no CD's, PC's, DVD's and the list goes on.  I went to work for EDS and Ross Perot when it was a small company (compared to today) located on Forest Lane just east of Coit.  I chose EDS not because they offered the most money because they did not.  I did not accept the job because they seemed to like country kids who worked hard and ex-military folks who had discipline even though most of the company was defined by those two traits.  What attracted me was the same thing Don Kelsey said that attracted me to hauling hay.  Don told me I could make 2 cents per bail on all the hay he, Kenny and I could haul in a day.  He did not promise me good weather, 72 degrees at the office or guaranteed benefits or health insurance or even a good time in a safe environment.  He offered to pay me what I was worth if I could do the job.  At EDS they told me they would pay me what I was worth and that if I proved I was worth more than the next person I would get a raise even if it was every month.  In fact they told me a story about a guy I ultimately worked with who got a raise three months in a row.

To say the least I was excited and scared but I knew one thing from growing up in the Osage.  I knew I could out work anyone, anytime and under any condition.  I knew I was not the smartest and in fact I promise at least half of the folks in my class were smarter than me.  The only difference between me and most others is I loved school and I loved to learn.  I say that but it might be that I just preferred being in class verses being home working outside cleaning barns, digging ditches and the hundreds of things there were to do if there was a moment of time to be waisted.  In fact I leaned that time was not to be waisted on mindless things.  I learned there were 86,400 seconds in every day and you could not carry them over or save them up.  Nothing needed to wait for the next day.  At EDS it was a pleasure to see and learn about all the folks and their backgrounds.  But now I want to share with you one of my favorite stories.

From where I am sitting right now is across the street from the old EDS corporate office.  This is where I spent 13 weeks at least 16 hours a day being educated on how to write systems/programs for business.  It is also where I became close friends with a Jewish guy from Queens (New York City), David Goldenberg who is one of the dearest friends I have my entire life.  It is at EDS that I learned loyalty and perseverance valued more than intellect. It was hear I saw a quadriplegic who could type faster with his toes than I could with 10 fingers (another story).  It was at EDS where upon my graduation from the SE class I received a book from Ross (the owner) with a personal note of thanks and my wife received flowers from Ross with a hand written note saying thanks for letting her husband spend the time necessary to be successful at EDS.  The stories go on and on but one of my favorites has also become a book and a movie.

 I worked on the banking contract for the government of Iran before the fall of the Shaw (1980).  Shortly after the Shaw fell and Iran was under new rulers and they had captured two of our employees to hold as hostage to force EDS/Ross to stay and work on Iranian computer systems.  I cannot tell the entire story here but the book is "On Wings of Eagles" and it tells of the loyalty and perseverance of a culture of people that love America and will do anything necessary for its people.  People are more important than  any project or money and Ross showed that over and over.  What he got back was loyalty.  I forgot to mention the theme of the book is that Ross took a group of our employees and went undercover into Iran and staged a massive jail break to get our two employees back.  We never left our people behind.

So what do you learn in the Osage?

• Finish the job - perseverance
• People are important
• Loyalty is earned 
• Be thankful for those who have gone to war for your freedom!

Thanks for your time,

gary@thepioneerman.com

Old dogs can't learn new tricks

Well there is an old saying that “old dogs can’t learn new tricks”.  I am living proof that this is just not true.  Joe Bowie had challenged me over the years to further my education and pass the CFP exam (Certified Financial Planner).   It was about 2 months ago through lots of time and prayer I passed the exam.  It was a journey that started over a year ago with three classes a week at 3 hours per class.  Then it was studying on average over 2 hours a day and all told it was more than 75 tests (I should emphasize over 75 TESTS) ranging from 1 hour to the last one was 10 hours.  I feel extremely blessed as there was only a 57% pass rate.

With all of that said, life is a journey and it is a choice to how you invest in it.  I am not speaking about money although that is important but I am speaking about how we chose to invest our time and our words, 86,400 seconds everyday.  Use it or lose it.  Invest it helping others, spending time with your family and church, or spend it thinking and doing the wrong things.  

This year I will turn 60 and the way I see it I should have about 25 years to invest in my family, friends, and you.  So today is a great new day and I am looking toward His greater purpose.

This is a story I wrote for our newsletter at work and I thought I would share it with you.  If you would like to get our  newsletter send me your physical address and we will add you to our mailing list at Retirement Investment Advisors.

So what do you learn in the Osage?

• You are only done if you think you are done
• You are never to old to start
• Even when you doubt, if you persevere you can overcome

Thanks for your time,

gary@thepioneerman.com

I was branded in the Osage

a cattle chute

Now I will have to tell you I was pretty use to branding cattle and even clipping hogs ears to identify them as belonging to to us.  Our brand for cattle was a half circle open A which means half a circle over the top of an A without the little crossbar in the middle.  In fact I have one of our old branding irons at my house where we keep it by the fireplace.  I don't think folks ever notice it but on occasion I like to look at it.  In fact as young boys it was fun to heat one up and then brand about any board you could find.  Most of all we branded the cattle so you could identify who they belonged to.  You could say metaphorically I was branded in the Osage because I grew up there but unlike most I was branded physically.

Here is how it happened and the permanent damage it caused me.  I was working at Art Jacque's house and they had one of those fancy electric branding irons.  Our branding irons were the kind you set in a fire pit and got it hot enough to mark the cattle.  When we got fancy we had a propane tank with a torch to heat up the irons.  But the Jacques had technology and they had an electric iron.  That is actually pretty cool (not in the cold sense) as it would stay hot and you would not have to have a half dozen irons in the fire getting hot.  Now that I think about it I imagine this is where we get the saying, ".. there are too many irons in the fire".  The good side of an electric branding iron is you can put it about anywhere as long as it is plugged in and it will stay/get hot.  The bad side is if you forget where it's at.  I did!  Someone hung it on the cattle chute and I was getting calves into the shut and accidentally landed my right hand on that iron.  Dad-gum-it it was hot.  It took the hide right off my hand between my thumb and forefinger.  It was oozing with water and not bleeding a bit.  Of course I ran to the house where Mrs. Jacques bandaged it up.  She was and is a great lady.  Then we went back to work, no excuses.  By the way there was no permanent damage and you can hardly see the scars unless you are looking for them.

So now you have to ask yourself what good can come of something like this?  For one you always remember to watch out for the branding iron especially when it is electric.  Second you always have a story to tell and I can prove I belong to the Jacques family.  Do you suppose Dave and AJ got branded too?  If so we could be a band of branded brothers!

Well what do you learn in the Osage?

• Pay attention to the details - like where the branding iron is hung
• Have a little empathy for the cattle
• A good story always has a little pain in it but you get over it if you decide to
• A little lemon can make lemonade - kinda like a little pain can make a good story to tell your kids
• When you do something stupid it is not someone else's fault and you don't need a lawyer

If you have a good lawyer joke I really do enjoy them so share, please.   I don't hate lawyers but everyone could use one for an anchor for their boat.  

Thanks for your time,

gary@thepioneerman.com

The Grainola District Fair

There is really something special when everyone from a small town gets together, kinda like the annual Shidler High School Reunions.  As a young boy I just remember excitement in the air as the fair was approaching.  Everyone and I do mean everyone was involved in the festivities.  The ladies Home Demonstration Club (about every mom in the district) organized and orchestrated the  event.  It was a cross between a church social and a farm convention and the state fair.

It always started early on Saturday morning with everyone bringing in canned goods (mostly the ladies) plus samples of crops mostly by the men and boys.  Then there was the food for the biggest pot-luck you have every seen.  All year long there were very few times you would see a large gathering but the Grainola District Fair offered an opportunity for everyone, young and old to gather for a day of fun and celebration.  All the Kelly family would be in one spot and I think they always entered more contests than any other family.  The Custer family was not far behind as they seemed to be a cornerstone family of the community.  Lebby, Leon and all the rest would take off work and that was very seldom.  This was one of the few days Carl McConaghy pulled out of the fields to take a break.  The Jones, Weavers, Jacksons, Logues, Castlemen, Eatons, Coopers, Franks, Snyders, Fulsoms, Shumates, Heaths, Johnsons, Jones, Olsens, Harris families, and the list goes on but I bet I could name them all, would all show up for a little fun and food.  The food was magnificent as the women put on a show you could not believe.   Mrs. Hobbs made her famous pies and fried chicken and every woman made her best for the day.  It was all layed out on long tables made of saw horses and 1 by 12s laid on top.  I am not sure but I bet the table was over 100 feet long.  I do remember that mom would never eat the potato salads as she got food poison once and that ended her love for potato salad.

If you ever wanted to get your fill of deviled eggs and fried chicken this was the day.  After lunch folks would lay around under the big shade trees (elms) and play games.  The old men would play horse shoes and when they were done with their tournaments the young folks would take over.  There were sack races and just running races and bicycle races and turtle races, yes turtle races.

Let me explain:  sack races could  be done either in single or doubles.  If it were single you would take old gunny sacks (feed sacks made of burlap) put both feet in and then jump as fast as you can to beat everyone else in a race to the finish line.  If you were doing doubles each person put one leg in the sack so effectively you were running like you had three legs, kinda like Siamese twins connected by legs.  Typically several falls were in order during  the race but whoever got up and recovered the fastest won.  Hum? What did that teach me in the Osage?  If you get up fast you can still win!

Now for turtle races:  This was my speciality!  I had a lot of advantages here as my dad was the local Rural Mail Carrier on top of being a farmer/rancher.  Dad would collect turtles (terrapins) everyday for about a week.  Now I don't mean to assume you are stupid but what I am implying is that while dad delivered the mail and drove many miles everyday he would have a lot of opportunity to see turtles crossing the road and would stop and pick them up for me.  Anyway, I would take all of them to the fair where I would take nail polish (typically red) and paint their back with numbers or a name so you could tell them apart.  Then I set up a retail operation to sell turtles to the racers.  It was always very profitable and of course if I won any races that was cream on the top.  Do I need to explain?  Cream on the Top comes from when you milk your cows and let the milk sit and ultimately separate the cream will gather on top and that is what you made butter and home made ice cream and cottage cheese out of and if you were really good you could make cheese.  At our house we never made cheese, at least that I remember.  Anyway once you had your turtle everyone (based on age of the owners of the turtles) would put their turtles in a box (without a bottom) and when everyone was ready the officials would lift the box and the turtles would take off in all directions.  The first turtle to cross the line (it was a circle) would be the winner.  Generally there were always a first, second and third awards.    This was actually one of my favorite times and events growing up.  The other day I was emailing Sue McConaghy and she reminded me that every Fourth of July there were turtle races and fireworks and a gathering still being done in Grainola each year.  I plan on going next year, how about you?

These stories can go on and on so I will stop for today.

What do you learn in the Osage?

• How free enterprise works - everyone needs a turtle for the race
• A little work creates luck - the only luck I ever had was a function of work not a handout
• Some folks are entrepreneurs and some folks are like me - fullamanure (if you don't get it call me)
• The greatest folks in the world are those you spend time with - go figure

Thanks for your time,

gary@thepioneerman.com

A little after the fact explain'n what canned goods means:  items put in jars for storage to eat in the winter.  There were peaches, corn, beats, green beans, tomatoes, cherries, boysen berries, okra and the list goes on and on.  Looking back it is interesting to know that there were not a lot of things mixed together like there is today.  For example today you see salsas and all kinds of vegetables and fruits that are seasoned but back then it was pretty basic.  Another difference is everyone had a pressure cooker to help preserve the items in those jars.  Almost everyone would remember how the entire house was heated up by all the activity and of course everyone in the family was involved in the process.  As for the crops there were alfalfa and prairie hay and maize plus wheat and corn on the cob (dried) and corn off the cobb (dried).

Home again Home again

Amazing that 100 degree days and the garden is still looking good

• Well it is nice to be home.  We have been gone on vacation to South Dakota where we enjoyed seeing a lot of prairies which were great but not as great as the Osage.  However they did have a few mountains in those Black Hills which were pretty spectacular and in particular Custer State Park where the Needle Rocks are and right close by was Mount Rushmore which was pretty cool.  Well the best part is we were going to Gunnison, Colorado and decided at the last minute to go more north and away from the fires.  Good choice.  

The weather broke and every day it was below 80 after the first day which was close to 88.  We camped three days and stayed in hotels 3 days.  Now for my favorite story of the week.

Preston, out 24 year old who has down syndrome, went with us backpacking to the top of the needles which is what you see in the picture above.  After about 40 to 100 yards he stopped and said, "it's too hard, it's too hard".  Being a resourceful dad I explained that at the top we would have lunch.  He turned around and led us to the top.  Now if none of you recognize this tactic it is one we used to get cattle in the pins.  Just load up some hay or feed in the pickup and the cows will follow, kinda like a carrot on a stick or a rabbit on a pole.

Short story but what do you learn in the Osage?

• Home is where the heart is and mine is in the Osage
• If you dangle a carrot on a stick (lunch at the top) you can get a cow to follow
• Pursuing a goal, striving to the top or keep going when the going gets tough is a character trait that is taught at home and not by the government (yes that is political)

Thanks for your time,

gary@thepioneerman.com