My get up and go has gone up and went

It may not be a perfect quote but Janie Shumate performed a skit at the Osage county talent show and I honestly thought it was the most memorable skit ever.  Even more than the "Long tall Texan" skit which I was the front half of the horse and we were funny.  Does anyone remember that song, "A Long Tall Texas"?  Anyway, I will never forget that, but of course I have forgotten some of the details.  But here is the point, I am now 65 years young and most of my closest friends are just ahead or just behind and we find ourselves talking about how the world keeps moving and we seem to be slowing down.  Basically "My get up and go has gone up and slowed down".  Or,  has things just gotten faster and more demanding?  What changed?

Now we talk about who died, what hurts, what parents are doing or ailing from and where they should be living, when should I start taking social security and how I get the best deal on Medicare supplement policies (call Linda at my office if you need help, I love my policies), what kind of toys we want (like lake houses or retirement homes in Arizona or fishing boats), how much time we can spend with grandchildren (a wonderful blessing), how the new electronics work (iphone or android and especially our Alexa from Amazon), and food.

Now I have to admit I am not a foodie but Larry Travis makes the best Gumbo I ever tasted.  Larry is a foodie and I might as well mention Greg Jehlik and Jim Wicker are foodies as well.  For a small fee I will get that recipe for you but don't tell Larry I made money on his recipe.  Shari Cook makes a great corn bread and now Shouna makes it as well.  You have never tasted scallops until Greg Jehlik cooks them up for you.  I guess from all this you see why I have to cut back on food.  Speaking of weight gain, I don't know what happened because when I left high school I was full grown and weighed 205 pounds.  I know that is right because Coach Cotham put that in the football program and he would not tell a lie.  But today, well a few months ago, I was up to 270.  Now I am down to 250, Praise the Lord.

If you have not tried it, do what I did and lose 20 pounds.  My knees and hips don't hurt hardly ever and I feel 100% better and I get more done and have to sleep less.  Why did it take me so many years to figure out losing 20 pounds would make such a difference?  My pants even fit better, who would have guessed?

Well, I better get, I hear the garage door coming up and that means Shouna is home and I better get to work.

So what do you learn in the Osage?

• Your get up and go does not have to get up and be gone as soon as you think
• Focus on living and not on dying, lose some weight and feel better
• If you want to live a long life, don't speak evil, especially about other folks

Thanks for listening,

gary@thepioneerman.com

a Great example - Dale and Naomi Davis

Lately the flu that has gone around and ultimately took the life of my father in law, Dale Davis.  It was not quite that simple as he had the flu, double pneumonia, congestive heart failure and some kidney problems plus he was 90 years old.

As you know I always have a side story to interject.  Pneumonia was a mystery to me when Mrs. Shumate asked us to spell it on a test and I never forgot that Jim Heath and Joy Frank (number six of the Grainola Grubers) both spelled it correctly.  How was I to know that there was a silent 'P' on the dad-gummed word!  Who ever came up with that stupid idea?  Oh well, some things you just can't fix.  Back to Dale.

Dale was a great patriarch and had 48 family members (folks) and I think if i took the time it was a total of 50 with the two new ones in the family.  They were in the ICU and his grandson Daryl Davis brought in the guitars and Naomi (his wife) had crawled in the bed and took a nap until the music started.  Yes, in the ICU and the doctor said it was a first and it was also his ticket out of ICU.  It was a turning point and we all thought he would be home to El Reno soon, but that never happened.  He did go home but it was to his heavenly home.

He grew up a farm boy outside of Stuart, Oklahoma where music was a constant and TV was not.  But what was amazing is that from the very first time I met him until he passed he played any stringed instrument by ear and he taught every child and grandchild the love of music.  I would say he leaned toward old time county, like Bob Wills and many others, plus old time gospel.  I can honestly say not one time did I go to his house was there not guitars and piano and mandolin music played either in the garage before they moved or the living room in the new house.  Music was more important than football on Sunday afternoon or Monday night.  By the way  in case you do not know it, Stuart is close to Ashland where Naomi grew up which is on the way to Kiowa which is known for its high school graduate, Reba McEntire and yes Dale did play music with Reba when she was a little girl.  Reba would come up to the local meeting place in Kiowa and sing with all those who gathered.  I should also mention that Shouna (my wife) had a granddad (Naomi's dad) who played the fiddle until he was 103 and that ended only because he passed away.  He was also one of the Kiowa musicians.  For such a small town it sure had a lot of talent.

As a tribute to Dale and Naomi, I have to say the most wonderful thing about them is everyone in their family, that is old enough to know about Jesus, has heard the testimony of  NOT Dale and Naomi's words but their actions.  They served and served until they could serve no more and then served even more.  What a testimony!

Thanks for being a great father in law and mother in law (outlaws as I called them).

So what do you learn in the Osage?

• Life is not about the words you speak but about how you live your life
• The biggest lie I ever heard was, "sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me".
• Quiet and deliberate behavior speaks louder than any words 

Thanks for listening,

gary@thepioneerman.com

Art and Mrs. Jacques a legacy worth remembering

I was not lucky enough to know Mr and Mrs Jacques until I started school in Shidler (1966), the big town nearby.  My first recollection of meeting Mrs. Jacques when AJ and Dave had a few of us over.  She fixed Indian fry bread with honey and butter and cinnamon.  I thought I had died and gone to heaven.  She could cook but most of all she was an exceptional hostess and made us all feel at home.  Now just thinking back about that, How did Dave and AJ not get huge from eating such great deserts.  You could say they took their food and just grew tall rather than out like me. 

Art always seemed to be a smart and gentle person who just would laugh at the things we would say and do.  He always seemed a little quiet and contemplative.  I suppose that is a nice way to say he was a thinker.  I don't remember seeing him or hearing him do or say an unkind act or word.   Another thing I always admired about Art and I guess I should give credit to Mrs. Jacques for it was that is he always was well dressed.  In particular I liked his white pressed western shirts and his felt hat.  I would say beaver hat but some folks might get offended by that.  Wordsmithing has become way to difficult these days.  For you folks who don't know it western felt hats were made from beaver and you could get different quality hats based on the quality of the hide.  Isn't that a slapper?  If you don't get it call me up and I will explain or you could just study beavers and find out that they would slap their flat tales on the water to warn their family of danger.  Now you know more than you ever wanted.

Now I do have to tell of one event at the Jacques ranch which I will never forget.  We were working cattle by the house and they had something I had never seen and quite frankly did not pay enough attention to until it was too late.  They had an ELECTRIC branding iron which they hung on the fence of the stock pens or shut as we called it.  Anyway I was making sure the cattle were moving in the shut when I accidentally slapped the electric branding iron with my hand.  It felt real good, after a couple of weeks.  It took the hide right off my hand and I was branded.  I guess that made me part of the family.  Anyway that hand started oozing droplets of water right fast.  I don't remember what Mrs. Jacques put on it other than cold water but I was feeling it for a few more days.  Today when I look at that hand it is hard to notice but there are a few small scars left.  Kind of like the scar on Jon Tanny Olsen's hand from when I stuck a pencil  in his hand when we were in about the 4th grade.  That is another story.

Oh well, time to close.
What do you learn in the Osage?

• Accidents can be learning opportunities
• Scars are so you don't forget
•  Wisdom is when you take those two together and warn the next generation to be careful

Thanks for listening,

We miss you Mr. Jacques,

gary@thepioneerman.com