A kid told me the other day they remembered when cassettes were used and of course I laughed since I go all the way back to the Vinyl days which we call record players / records.  Sure it is nostalgic but remember when telephones were party lines and you only had to dial 2 or 3 numbers to call someone.  Now for you young folks a party line is when multiple houses used one telephone line and only one person could talk at a time amongst several houses.  When I was a kid we had the Harris, Shumate, Murphy and our house on one phone line with separate phone numbers for each house.  In fact I remember Paul and Billie Jones (dad of Debbie, Paula and David) did not have a phone and you would have to call them on a two way radio.  I always thought that was amazing considering Paul was the only person in Grainola to have an airplane.  I guess it was because they lived so far out in the country they could not even get a telephone line and poles installed.  Anyway back to the party line, there was courtesy that was implied to be used at all times because you could pick up the telephone at any time and listen in on conversations.  Pretty crazy things have changed for the better.

As nostalgia takes me back it is fun to think of what is new since I was a kid and here is a list:

• color TV 
• cable TV
• Touch tone phones as they were rotary meaning you had to dial every number, very slow
• FM radio, much less electronic media to play something already recorded
• 8 track tape which was for your car which was before cassette tapes which is before CD players
• Cell phones
• social media
• Internet
• computers which is before laptops and remember the first portable computer which weighed about 30 pounds and was as big as  a medium size piece of luggage with a screen about 6 inches squared
• Electric windows in your car
• my first computer I worked on had 8k memory, yes and it was about 10 feet long and it would only read computer cards called decks.  actually before the cards was a paper tape machine which was a pain in the neck because it had to be perfect.
• We could take our guns to school and show them off to our friends and at lunch we could go out and shoot them
• During recess we could take our knives out of our pockets and create contests
• There were winners and losers in everything 
• There was no air conditioner in the schools and we went to school when it was hot or cold
• If you got in trouble in school it was assumed your were guilty and were punished again when you got home
• Parents were respected and always right or at least you never told them they were wrong
• I had one pair of good shoes for church and one for work which most of the time were used for school as well.  Good shoes were for church and funerals and never to be worn outside to work or play
• If there was a hole in your pants or the elbow of your shirt it was patched the same day and you wore it for what seemed forever.
• plastic bags

Well the list goes on and on but what is interesting is I asked my mom what was new before me that was the first for her and here is her list:

• milk bought at the store
• tennis shoes or basketball shoes with rubber soles rather than leathere
• TV
• Cars
• Telephones
• electricity in the house
• indoor toilets vs. an out house and the indoor toilet was a water closet where there was a bucket under a board with a hole in it where you sat to go to the bathroom.
• Indoor water
• HOT water at the sink that was not heated on a gas stove
• electric stoves
• electric dryers
• electric wash machines
• electric irons for ironing clothes
• indoor bathtubs
• Hot baths indoors from a faucet
• instant potatoes and pancakes mixes and cake mixes or just mixes bought in a store
• heat throughout the house vs. a single pot bellied stove to heat the house
• heated bedrooms

and the list goes on and on.

WOW!  So what made the difference?  Freedom and free enterprise, competition to make life better and a work ethic expecting to work hard then get paid, not getting paid then working harder.   Sure there were bad things that happened that had to be worked through and that is where unions and government intervention really did help to make things fair and safe but let us remember that a good thing can sometimes be too good of a thing.  Sure we would all like there to be no stress and an easy  life but I personally like a system that gives incentives to those who work harder and sometimes people just get lucky with being at the right place at the right time.  I just love America and I like the idea that those who take a risk get rewarded also knowing that risk means they lose everything and there is no bail out.  God bless America and thank you to everyone that came up with new ideas and who took a risk and those who went to war to fight for what is right.  I also have to thank God that he provided a sacrifice for my sin.

So what do you learn in the Osage?

• If you allow man to exercise their minds they can solve almost any problem
• People work hard to make things easier so we should think of stress as a blessing
• The easy way out may not be the best way out 
• If you list the disasters of life (tragedies) on one side and list how each effected your life later I bet you there was a lot of good out of each tragedy.  I know that is true for me.

Thanks for listening,

gary@thepioneerman.com

The preacher came by the other day

The preacher came to call the other day.  He said  at my age I should be thinking about the hereafter.  I told him "oh, I do all the time.  No matter where I am, in the barn, upstairs or in the garage -- I ask myself, "Now, what am I here after?".

Do you ever get down-in-the-mouth about yourself?  Thinking, "what is going on?",  "Am I getting Alzheimer's?",  "Why can't I remember?".

Well here is my answer.  My brain is a certain size, kind of like a table top.  Once it is full and you add something to it, something has to go.  There is only so much room.  I can get down-in-the-mouth if I choose but why waste time.  Like my dad use to say, "let's do something even if it is wrong". Let's get up and go somewhere and do something before we get caught in the squat.  I heard Zig Ziggler say  that and it stuck.  It is kind of like a biscuit that is getting ready to rise but gets caught in the squat.  I hope that makes sense to you.  What I am saying is if you don't keep moving you will get like a frozen motor and it won't turn over anymore.  Another way to say it is, like a house that sits empty.  Have you ever watched an old house rot away after it goes empty?  Why do you think that happens?  It happens because no one cares anymore.  It is not loved.

Not because I think you are stupid but because I think it is hard to put in practice that we all need to keep moving and keep caring for others so we don't focus on our own aches and pains.  If we do we will rot like the empty unloved house.  We will freeze up like the unused engine.  We will get caught in the squat always getting ready to do something but procrastinating why we cannot get going.

So with all that said, did you write down your goals for 2015?  Don't worry you are like 98% of the people.  The question is: Is that what your goal is?

In 2015 my goals are:

• Grow my investment advisory business ( I would tell you more but I don't want to cross the regulatory body rules)
• Share Christ with three people (it seems embarrassing that it is such a small number)
• Sell our house and buy land for Wings (www.wingsok.org) while starting to build a new house for us
• Be the best father and husband that God wants me to be
• Not hesitate to do the right thing

Well I did it.  I told you my goals.  Now I challenge you to write yours down and I would love you to share them with me.

What do you learn in the Osage?

• Inaction is an action
• disbelief is belief
• No goals are goals
• Do something even if it is wrong!

Thanks for your time,

gary@thepioneerman.com

I asked mom a question

I asked mom, "How are you doing?" and here is what she said, keep in mind she is 86 years old.

I have become a little older since I saw you last, and a few changes have come into my life since then.  Frankly, I have become quite a frivolous ol gal.  I am seeing five gentlemen every day.  As soon as I wake up , Will Power helps me get out of bed.  Then I go to see John.  Then Charlie Horse comes along, and when he is here he takes a lot of my time and attention.  When he leaves Arthur Ritis shows up and stays the rest of the day.  He doesn't like to stay in one place very long, so he takes me from joint to joint,.  After such a busy day  I'm really tired and glad to go to bed with Ben Gay.  What a life!

You must know that I found this in a pile of old papers and have no idea where it came from but it sure seems like the truth as I get older.

But now let me tell you about Dr. and Mrs. Williams and what they did after they retired at 84 years old.  They retired from over 40 years on the mission field working and living in huts with dirt floors not realizing the financial potential of those first two letters with a period following them, Dr.  They gave all they could give and gave some more until they were 84.  Not so fast!  At 84 they went on a mission trip to Mexico with us so they could serve the poor folks of Mexico.  I guess they could be accused of being greedy rich Americans who don't pay enough taxes to help the poor, tongue in cheek.  They served every day all day treating the sick for about a week.  We all came home blessed and ready to get back to work.  Dr. and Mrs. Williams took off for northern Iraq to help the Kurds.  YES, at 84 plus.  It has been several years now and I find myself thinking about what am I going to do with my life when I retire.  Shouna and I pray that we will be like Dr. and Mrs. Williams and continue to give of ourselves for the sake of Christ.  I look at these folks and am in amazement how they continued until the very end of their lives to give for the sake of Christ.  I never heard them speak of the five men mentioned in the story above.  I never saw them complain of their circumstances or what they could or could not have had.  Cool folks.

So what did I see in the Osage?  I also saw Larry and Dorothy Olsen (yes cousins who spelled it differently) that gave of themselves as well but also shared with me through their actions that by good works I could not earn a place in heaven but only by trusting in Christ personally.  Yes the Williams also had this gift and they shared it with the world.  I am so blessed and thankful for these good and faithful servants.

So what do you learn in the Osage?

• Givers gain
• Good works alone does not lead to Christ
• Giving is a great gift

Thanks for your time,

gary@thepioneerman.com

Old Folks are worth a fortune

I can't tell you where this came from but only that I like it.

Old Folks are worth a Fortune:

Old folks are worth a fortune, with silver in their hair, gold in their teeth, stones in their kidneys, lead in their feet, and gas in their stomachs.

Now if you add all this up based on an average person's size each old person is worth several thousand dollars.  Now I know we all want to measure a man's worth by his net worth or in other words his or her assets, but that is just not the case.

About two weeks ago a friend (Kevin McAfee) had a stroke and until that day I bet he did just like I do and that is add up my assets and subtract my liabilities to find out a net worth.  But today I know for a fact he counts his assets like this:

1. Do I know for certain if I were to die today I would go to heaven? YES
2. I have a wife who is willing to take care of me when I cannot take care of myself. YES
3. How many friends have called or tried to call or texted or mailed me just to know how I was doing? LOTS
4. I can still communicate with my mouth, think with my brain, eat by myself but I cannot get up on my feet or much less walk and I cannot hardly get to the bathroom and on the toilet by myself.  I cannot get dressed by myself.  

The list of questions and answers go on and on.  How do you count your balance sheet?

The one thing I do know for certain is that God does not do this or any disaster of life or other disease to hurt us.  It just happens as a part of this world.  What I also know is He uses all the little things and big things that go good and bad in our lives to bring us to be more like Him.  In another way of saying it I learned from David Howell of Edmond, Look for the Fruit Hidden in Adversity.  All things work together for those who love the Lord.  I cannot explain it but as we say in the Osage, Shit Happens.  I guess I am not as eloquent as my friends.

I am as guilty as anyone in wanting to be financially successful with lots of friends and lots of assets and experiences.  But the one thing I have learned is that OLD FOLKS are worth a fortune.

So what do you learn in the Osage?

• Everyone has a chance to succeed at something but it depends on what each of us chooses to do with our chances
• Success is measured not by others but by the realization I did my best with what God gave me
• In the end I will not have to worry will Christ know who I am because when He sees me I know He will recognize me by my faith.

Thanks for your time,

gary@thepioneerman.com

4-H

This week I have been scanning old articles and pictures that mom collected over the years.  A couple of things I have to point out are: 1) they are almost entirely of Larry because he is the first child and 2) scanning does not mean looking over like the old days but means taking a picture and storing on magnetic media which also is a new term since my childhood.  Anyway, what I found was that my brother was a lot more accomplished or recognized as a leader when he was in high school.  He was president of the 4-H club, the Junior Hereford Association and many other clubs and organizations as he moved on up to college at OSU.  It included recognition as a smart guy by being on different honor rolls in college, the college judging team, Block and Bridle Club and some fraternal organization for being smart.  Me?, I was just a kid trying to do my best and trying to do everything that was available.  I am not saying I never wanted to be class president or most popular or president of the different clubs because I did.

In fact when I went to Shidler the only thing I had going for myself was I was BIG for my age.  I suffered from not knowing where or how I fit in the crowd.  Living in Grainola and having only 5 in my class did not exactly make me a social animal.  I guess you could say I was the guy who watched everyone and just wanted to fit in.  But what helped me out were those teachers who saw a glimpse of ability and praised me for it.  Coach Gilbreth was the first coach to ever tell me he wanted me on his team.  Coach Brewer made me feel successful when I would run into those tackling dummies and drive them for several yards.  Pablo Alverado complimented me for being good at Algebra and of course Gladys Snyder (Aunt Gladys) encouraged me when she would say that she had seniors who could not do the problems I was solving.  Mrs. Himbury was friendly to a giant kid with a child's mind and gave me some value.  Helen Head told me I was very well dressed and handsome which brightened my day and encouraged me to always look my best.  Even the girls in my class surprised me by telling me another girl liked me when I could not even spell girl.  I was just naive and excited to be there with lots of kids and lots of teachers and coaches.  The guys like Steve Chrisco, AJ, PeeWee, Joe, Ricky, Jim Whitt and many more welcomed me to the school and to the sports teams. Believe it or not David Howell was one of my new favorites in that I loved his humor and Larry York who was always there to cover your backside.  Everywhere I turned I was encouraged to do my best and look my best.

Back to 4-H.  It seemed like we were out of school all the time for special events like judging contests and Spring Livestock Shows and then contests of all kinds.  I know my brother and sister were outstanding 4-Hers and everyone had an expectation for me to follow in their footsteps.  I wanted to but Larry and Debbie were hard acts to follow.  They were both in the 4-H Hall of Fame and 4-Her of the year and traveled on many trips they earned through giving speeches and showing livestock to keeping records.  Debbie could cook and sew like no other and Larry was the most well studied cattle person for his age.  I remember Dr. Totaschek (miss-spelled) at OSU saying Larry knew more than the professors about blood lines and genetics.  I guess that is why he became Dr. Olson from studying genetics in cattle.  Well this is note complaining but I did not win the awards my two siblings did but I enjoyed 4-H.  One of my proudest moments was when Larry and I won the Grand and Reserve Grand Champion at the livestock show in Pawhuska.  I suppose you know Larry was the Grand Champion and I was second.  The Pawhuska paper had a story about us saying "the Olson brothers are not a rock group but ....".

Another great time was going to contests to earn a trip to the 4-H roundup which was right after school was out at OSU and thousands of kids came to Stillwater to compete in all kinds of events for the state championship in each event.  It was there I was in the multiple contests:  tractor driving, speech contests, judging contest and my favorite was the contest to get a girl to hang out with you.  So here goes my favorite about that issue.  Being 6 feet 2 inches tall in the 8th grade was sometimes a really good thing especially if you looked older like I did.  This really good looking senior was introduced to me and we went bowling and out for a date during the 4-H Roundup.  My brother and his buddies were there and saw me with this girl.  They were not so lucky and this is probably the only time I out performed my brother.  Their mouths dropped as they knew she was 18 and I was 14 or 15 but she did not.  Later that evening I told her and she dropped me like a hot rock.  She was nice about it but embarrassed.  Me?, I had never been out with a girl and was pretty proud of myself.

4-H was also where I learned to play poker and where I got in serious trouble for cutting Cathy Eaton's hair with some sheep sheers.  Now I had an excuse!  She had pushed me.  I got roasted over that one.  It was during this time that I saw Harold Codding eat a piece of pie in one bite, yes one bite.  He had a bet with his mom that for each bite of desert they had to put a dollar in the jar.  I guess they were trying to control their weight.  Now I don't know about you but Harold Codding and his mom never had over 1 oz. of fat on their bodies in their lives.  In fact Harold (Chuckles was his nickname) had muscles in his ears, still does.  I think Harold even had muscles in his teeth.  He could run faster with two braces on his legs than I could with none.  4-H was also where I learned to stand up in front of folks and give a speech.  Strange enough, even today I still get extremely nervous when speaking to a crowd.  It just makes me sweat.  About that poker remark:  I think I played more poker while in 4-H than in my entire life as of today.  I was pretty good until I had some little kid from Fairfax who cleaned me out one day during the Spring Livestock show.

Well I better go but I have to say one thing.  Those Grainola Five and sometimes six if Joy came were and are great friends and memories forever.  Jim Heath taught me to laugh and love reading, Jon Tanny Olsen taught me how to compete, Hugh Allen Jones taught me how to be tough, and Denise Logue taught me to be humble and kind to everyone.  And lastly I only had a handful of teachers but they were great:  Aunt Geneva Snyder who died after just a couple of months in the first grade, Mrs. Casselman who just loved us and was patient, Mrs. Shumate who made great cherry pie and taught me for 3 years, Mr. Lewis Morris who taught me to love learning.  You got it: Mrs. Casselman taught 1st and 2nd, Mrs. Shumate taught 3rd, 4th and 5th, Mr. Morris taught 6th 7th and 8th although i went to Shidler for the 8th grade.

So what do you learn in the Osage?

• Literally everything
• A persons self esteem is a hidden and fragile and important element of life
• Big people are fragile so love'em 
• The little things in life mean the most

Thanks for your time,

gary@thepioneerman.com

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