Spring is co

One year we had about 13 inches of snow and everyone was trapped except the mailman, my dad.  It always amazed me how Dad would always manage to get out to carry the mail in Grainola.  That year or day was next to impossible but Dad got out the old Alice Chalmers tractor.  It was a WD model as I recall with narrow front tires vs. spread front tires.  He took that tractor and cut a path to Vea Harris's house so he could get the pickup out and carry the mail.  Now you might be wondering why I say "carry the mail" vs. deliver the mail.  Truth is I don't know why except that Dad always said "carry the mail".  Anyway Cac Harrington who ran the road grader and Dad would coordinate clearing the roads and they worked as long as it took.   The funny thing is Cac and Dad went way beyond what was reasonable but they would check on everyone to make sure they were OK and if they needed something Dad and/or Cac would get it for them and deliver.

Dad had a sense of pride about everything he did and he wanted it done right and on time.  I think Cac was the same way about his roads.  You see almost 100% of the roads besides highway 18 to Shidler were made of gravel.  You should probably know that Cac and Sylvia were Harvey Harrington's parents.  Harvey became the barber in Tonkawa and passed away several years ago. Harvey was most noted for playing catcher on the baseball team and a pretty good one at that.


It is no wonder that during Christmas time an awful lot of those mailboxes were loaded with goodies for Dad.  It was really fun for us kids and I am sure Mom as well because we received lots of presents from neighbors because Dad was such a humble servant willing to deliver to the door if someone needed it.  He did not leave a notice at the door telling you to come to the post office.  In fact he would look for you in the barn or field to make sure a registered letter was delivered timely.

Thinking back about all this reminds me of Mom and Debbie as well.  They were and are two of the most servant folks I ever knew.  Debbie would clean an elderly persons house or fix food for them what seemed like every week.  Mom was one of those folks you could depend on to be at the hospital to stay all night with someone sick or dying even when they were not close friends.  I have to admit I never was quit the servant as any of these.   They are great examples but I just never followed in their footsteps.  OK, maybe a little.

Debbie is the consumat servant as she is always making candy or cookies or fixing something for somebody.  She makes and decorates cakes for weddings to parties for any occasion and overall she is just a giver.  Of course if she reads this she is going to get aggrivated as she does not like to get the attention which she justly deserves.  She is the best sister I have, go figure.

Oh well, what do you learn in the Osage?

• serving is a greater reward than being served, try it and you will like it
• doing things right for the right reason is reason enough
• You can say you love someone but when you take action like doing the dishes or planning the details of a date are worth far more than words.  I tried it and it works.

Thanks for listening,

gary@thepioneerman.com