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