Is life a goal or an objective or a passion or a journey?

Is life a goal or an objective or a passion or a journey? 

 Looking back to the Osage and where my first business venture took place, selling terrapins (you need to search the blog to know that story) will lead you to the story in this picture. 

 I should mention that every picture tells at least one story and this one tells a lot of stories. (2003 Shouna and Anne Beiler, Auntie Anne's Pretzels) For about 7 years we owned and operated the Auntie Anne's Pretzel stores in Oklahoma (8). The picture is of Shouna (my wife) and Anne Bieler, the founder of Auntie Anne's. It was a fun and trying experience and we learned a lot about business and ourselves. I learned to make a pretzel in mid-air and on a pretzel table. I learned that having 8 stores all over the state plus a full time job in the finance industry can put a little stress on the family and friends. The great thing is we traveled together, worked together expanded our relationships and our journey in life. Our children saw that we knew how to work and what it takes to be successful in business and most importantly in life and marriage. 

 What you don't see in this picture that I can see is a wife dedicated to her husband and his ideas and dreams and hopes. You do see the excitement in the faces of two ladies getting to know each other while on a mission to build a life. This is also a picture of a few of the threads of life that become part of the fabric which becomes in our case 46 years of marriage (December 21, 2021). So what I am saying is this is one picture that tells a piece of the story of our life.

Our journey is not complete but it has its twists and turns everyday and we embrace them in that we know God's plan is not our plan. I choose to believe this is a journey and I have passions of what I like and enjoy doing especially with my wife.

 

 So what do you learn in the Osage?

• Our experiences give our journey and our story color that we embrace, even if it is sometimes trying
• We can focus on the bad times or the good times but it is your/my choice
• If you are perfect then you do not have to forgive me for my faults
• My focus is not on what my feelings are but on the journey that Christ gives me

Thanks for listening,

gary

gary@mylifelegacy.co

or take a look at mylifelegacy.co and see what we are up to

I need your help writing a book

 

I am writing a book on, “1000 ways to save a few bucks”, the title may change but you get the idea.

 If you choose to participate you may be quoted and I might ask you to participate in a video/blog.  Of course you don’t have to.  The only compensation you will get is “thanks for helping” although if you help I will give you a special discount on the book and a discounted membership to My Life Legacy, mylifelegacy.co

 So here you go:

 Tell me at least one way to save money:  i.e. you bought an antenna for your TV and cut off your cable and it saved you $85 per month but the downside was I did lose the ability to record.

 If you are wondering why I am doing this there are a couple of reasons:

• I am retired but now I am spending a lot of time assisting folks who need help with budgeting and financial management.
• In particular I am working with single moms
• And I am a Preferred Dave Ramsey coach and I work with a lot of folks through that connection
• In My Life Legacy we help folks answer the question, “if something happens to you, will your spouse or family know what to do?”  and second, My Life Legacy assists folks in writing their legacy to reflect their life experiences so that it can be shared electronically or in a book for your family.

 So if you have any questions, feel free to ask me.  And above all else tell me how to save a few bucks!  I would really like to get this done quickly so please respond in the next few days or weeks and most of all respond.  Also you might let me know if I have your contact information is correct so that I may update your information.

 Feel free to share this and send your responses to gary@mylifelegacy.co  

Thanks,

Gary

 Gary L. Olson

Legacy Coach 

 

Cell: (405) 410-2918

gary@mylifelegacy.co

website – mylifelegacy.co

Hooligans - Momma told me not to grow up and become a hooligan

Now I don't know about you but when mom told me not to be a hooligan I knew it was something important and I did not even know what a hooligan was. Surely you were like me and you sensed that it was something bad the first time you heard the word. Isn't it funny how you knew you could know something was good or bad depending on mom or dad's tone of voice.  If I heard dad say "shit", I knew it was not the time to ask a question or disturb his thinking.  And back to hooligan, I never have looked it up but I assumed whatever it was had to be as bad as a bank robber or thief or other horrible person.  I wonder if I have ever met one?  

Thinking back I guess when David or Bob Harris or Eddie Harris or Jay Olsen or I turned over Raymond Dale's outhouse during the Halloween festivities we could have been called hooligans.  Or maybe it was the time that Eddie Harris and I shot up the signs on the McConaghy Ranch and got caught that we could have been hooligans.  Come to think of it there were a lot of times hooligans might have applied.  Maybe when Eddie Harris and I went fishing with dynamite or when we dipped all the tools in the barn in Alice Chalmers orange paint or when we killed Eddie's favorite cat (accidentally of course) or when we buried all of our trucks in the garden to see if we could grow more toy trucks.  Maybe it was when Jon Tanny Olsen and I were seeing how fast you could drive a pickup on ice?  Or was it when we shot all the insulators on the high line wire posts?  Or was it when we were hunting coyotes from the road at night?  Could it have been when Denise Logue's dress got ripped during a volley ball game?  Or Cathy Eaton getting a haircut at the 4-H livestock show in Pawhuska with sheep sheers?

You know for a pretty good boy I sure could have been called a hooligan at times I suppose.  Luckily I made it through.  HUMMMM?  Now what is a hooligan?  I don't think I want to look that up.

So what do you learn in the Osage?

• You only live once, so pack in those good old days
• Hooligans are for city kids, cause us country kids were always good
• Thankfully His grace is sufficient and even a hooligan can get to heaven

Thanks for listening,

gary

what is your story? 

 https://www.facebook.com/mylifelegacyorganizedwrittenandknown

Join us at mylifelegacy.co and write your stories and your legacy for your family

The Leader Ship | Episode 19 | Gary Olson -- This is an interview in Dallas a few weeks back.. Hope you enjoy it

Chris Johnson made me look better than expected. So what do you learn in the Osage? A BUNCH!!!!! Thanks for listening, gary You might take a peak at mylifelegacy.co which is our new offering. And if you are interested we are doing OPEN MIC LIVE on Tuesdays right now on credit scores and why they are important and how to manage them. It is a four week course and we are into our second week. This is for Tuesday, January 2nd, 2021 at 6 P.M. Gary L. Olson is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Topic: My Life Legacy Open Mic Q&A Time: Feb 2, 2021 06:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada) Every week on Tue, until Dec 28, 2021, 48 occurrence(s) Feb 2, 2021 06:00 PM Feb 9, 2021 06:00 PM Feb 16, 2021 06:00 PM More to be announced: Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system. Weekly: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/tZYsde-hrj8tGdbnDBd3Br8eTuUxjSOCMbEh/ics?icsToken=98tyKuGqrzksE9SRtxqFRpwQBYjoM_PziClajadfkjvHB3NxcFvzAvd3KrhMP_v9 Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82126904732?pwd=aFhMRnBvWkNXOG1ES29HOWcvZXFxdz09 Meeting ID: 821 2690 4732 Passcode: 249998 One tap mobile +13462487799,,82126904732#,,,,*249998# US (Houston) +16699009128,,82126904732#,,,,*249998# US (San Jose) Dial by your location +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) +1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose) +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 646 558 8656 US (New York) +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC) Meeting ID: 821 2690 4732 Passcode: 249998 Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kbjCmMKIzi

12 03 2020 Shidler paper first article - this one is on credit scores and how to deal with them

Well, here is an article I wrote for the new Shidler paper and if you do not subscribe please do by contacting Megan Golay <projectshidler@gmail.com> .  She is excited about reviving our community and telling our stories.  These stories will focus on issues that effect many if not all of us.  It is a little different format and they will be mixed in with the format from other stories I write as the Pioneer Man, not to be confused with you know who The Pioneer Woman.  She gets 30 million hits per month and I get 30.  Go figure.  I guess I should start cooking. OK, here is my first.

My life legacy article 12 03 2020

I hope this is as fun for you as it is for me.  I am a Shidler High School graduate from 1971 and yes, I am retired but still kicking after 45 years.  I am excited to see that there is a Shidler Newspaper, and it would be my hope that Shidler and of course Grainola and the surrounding towns would thrive.  Well, as many of you know I have been blogging for years about growing up in the Osage due to my love for the tall grass and what I consider the greatest and prettiest place on God’s earth.  (my blog is thepioneerman.blogspot.com) So since this is my first article I want to give you an idea of what I hope to write about. 

My passion is assisting folks to be prepared and to prepare for those financial and personal obstacles in life.  Each article will cover one financial or personal topic that might help you to save money or be prepared for incapacitation or death of a loved one.  So here goes and as always, I have to remember Mrs. Helen Head and how tough she was on me in high school and how her toughness was precisely what I needed to succeed in life.  Of course, there are many others and over time I hope to acknowledge and give credit to those who were examples for me to live by.

•        Our first Topic:  Credit Scores – did you know that your credit score can cost you a lot if it is not protected.  Your home insurance, life insurance, auto insurance, mortgage interest rate, other loan interest rates and even your job or future job can be effected negatively.  What I am saying is you will pay more if you have a bad credit score and you may not get that job you applied for if your score is not at a certain level.  As Dr. Phil said, “ ..a great predictor of future behavior is your past behavior”.   A credit score is one of the elements that banks and insurance companies use to decide if you are a good or bad risk.  Here are a few things you can do to assist in getting a better score:  (1) Pay all bills on time (2) if you mess up contact the company and ask for them to remove the delinquency (3) challenge any bad credit scores – you can do that by going to the credit bureau used – there are 3 – Experian, Equifax, and Trans Union (4) get one free report per year www.annualcreditreport.com and make sure it is correct as there are lots of errors on credit scores.

There is a lot more you should know but this should get you started.  One warning I would give you is be careful of those companies that want to fix your credit scores.  It is my opinion you should not pay one of them and from what I have seen they are not looking out for your best interest but how they can make money.  I assisted a person they coached on how to negotiate with credit card companies and then to file bankruptcy if necessary and what he really needed was just some outside help from a knowledgeable person. 

Thanks for listening,

Gary (I am a Preferred Ramsey Coach and a retired investment advisor and I do not give investment advice, legal advice or CPA advice)

gary@mylifelegacy.co if you have a question

Since 2000, I've helped my clients break through obstacles that held them back from experiencing their best life. Our time is the only resource we cannot replenish.  Life's too short to be unhappy, unsure, or unfulfilled.  This is why we should make great efforts to live each day on purpose, with clear goals and a path to get there. This is my passion, to provide guidance to you by learning and developing plans and processes to navigate towards your life goals.  Get in touch with me today to see what I can do for you.  

Bob Cotham - what a coach

Everyone has a mentor and a hero and one of mine is Coach Bob Cotham of Shidler High School.  He was short but the broadest shoulders you could ever find.  A person grows up with stories and sometimes those stories are myths, meaning not so true, but here is my memory of Coach Cotham.  

I believe he grew up in the Shidler area and then played college football somewhere and as I recall (note my hesitancy as I have never been able to confirm) he was drafted by the Green Bay Packers.  I know he had a giant scar on his knee from surgery and what I always understood was that the scar was what kept him from playing professional football.  Anyway, we were lucky and blessed to have him in Shidler.  

It was the start of my junior year and I had been hauling hay all summer for Paul Jones, Don Kelsey and the Mullendore Ranch (read the book about the Mullendore murder and yes we all knew E.C.).  In fact if anyone of you know Boog Williams or Kenny Kelsey you can get some good stories from them.  Anyway, back to the story.  It was at the end of the summer and Paul Jones wanted me to keep working until the last minute so he promised to fly me home for football practice (the Mullendore Ranch was near Copan, Ok).  There are a couple of things you should know about that trip.  First, Paul Jones was very ornery and he tried to scare the crap out of me while flying.  Second, it was my first airplane ride.  He made me carry a bucket in case I tossed my cookies up in his plane.  He actually would have deserved it but that is another story.  

Well he flew me home and I went straight to football practice.  I was in the best shape of my life.  The coach had been told that I was a lineman but when he saw me, he immediately moved me to fullback where I worked with Harold (Chuckles) Codding.  Harold had multiple knee surgeries and wore two knee braces and he was still faster than I was.  So I got to play fullback and defensive end for my junior and senior year.  What I loved about Coach was he would make us work exceptionally hard and he would just laugh at us, especially when Steve Chrisco tossed his chunks while running in the hot summer of Oklahoma.  It was funny that I was really not a fast runner but in the beginning of summer practice I was one of the fastest because I showed up in such good shape while most of the other guys needed to get in shape.  The sad thing was after a few weeks they could almost all out run me.  I honestly don't know why he let me play the position except that I would sacrifice my entire body to take out the opposing players for Harold.  I loved counting my bruises.  OK, back to Coach.  

He was tough as nails and pushed us hard everyday and he loved defense but he had a giant heart as well.  He never hesitated to punish us for the least little thing but you could depend on him to stand up for you.  You had to respect him but he was a great friend to all of us.  Once we went to an OSU football game and he told us where he would be before the game and during the game and that we should stay out of trouble and not go trying to drink beer.  Then he told us again where he would be and that he would not be looking for us.  We knew what that meant and I hope I don't get in trouble for this but we did get a hold of some beer and the fact is I did not like beer, but I enjoyed the mystery and risk of getting in a bar while being under age and drinking a few and then sneaking a few beers into the game.  I am not going to tell on AJ or Rick or Jim or Steve or any of the other guys but we had a good time until Monday rolled around.

ON Monday Coach said he smelled beer on us and decided that we deserved to run a lot to get it out of our systems.  I don't believe for a minute that he smelled beer but he, just like always, laughed and made us work harder than ever.  I think everyone truly loves discipline and structure so that you know what to expect and you have hope of what you might gain.  I personally loved it and loved Coach.

So what do you learn in the Osage?

• What you lack in one area you can make up in another, like speed for sacrificing your body
• Someone that loves you cares enough to discipline you and sometimes they laugh at you
• Now that I think about it, isn't that what Jesus does,  He allows us to go through trials so that we might become more righteous

Well, thanks for listening,

gary

gary@mylifelegacy.co

yes, I do have another email address..... 

Pneumonia and just how smart of a boy are you?

 Well as I recall I was in about the 5th grade and we had one of those spelling tests from Mrs. Beth Shumate in Grainola.  I don't know about you but a couple of things I just dreaded, one was a spelling test on paper and the other was a spelling test where you lined up in front of the class to be humiliated by my lack of spelling acumen.  Debbie Jones who was and still is one year older than me and Joy Frank which is number 6 of the Grainola 5 and sometimes 6 club (you have to go read the older stories to get it) both could spell everything correctly.  It was not a fair fight/contest.    Luckily we did not all get trophies for participation and I should mention that Jimmy Heath could spell everything as well.  But what really hacked me off was when I was asked to spell NEWMONIA or Pneumonia.  Sure I got it wrong and Jimmy got it right.  HOW?  It was not fair.  Who ever heard of having a P at the beginning of a word that has no sound?  The great thing about those spelling contests was learning about humility and how to lose with grace.  I do believe I can honestly say I never won a spelling contest.

Today I heard a friend (a lady) speak that left home when she was 12 because her step-father was an alcoholic and abusive and then she lived in a laundromat for 6 months.  She shared that what she learned was what she did not want in life.   She also shared that her 3 siblings were all drug attics (for those of you who did not catch it, attics is in the ceiling and addicts is the other)  and in and out of jail.  She got her GED and became a nurse for 16 years, had 3 failed marriages, six children and contributes where she is today is because of God's protection and leading in her life.  Her story went on but it was one of the most inspiring stories.  I loved this item she shared:  There is a highway to hell and a stairway to heaven.  Another way to say it is, "you can go to hell in a hurry or take the challenging way and go to heaven".  How about the old poem:  yard by yard is hard and inch by inch is a cinch.

I find a lot of wisdom in all this.  When we make things to easy it is easy to be lazy and apathetic and in fact there becomes a reliance on others to take up the slack.  I guess folks around Shidler and Grainola never gave much thought to relying on the outside to take care of them.  They persevered and depended on themselves.  I am thankful for not getting a trophy.

So, what do you learn in the Osage?

• The best things come from overcoming
• Winners never quit and quitters never win
• God promises us only one thing in life, problems or should I say a stairway with the knowledge that we get to chose a highway to hell or a stairway to heaven

Thanks for listening,

gary

gary@mylifelegacy.co

Madelon Hart Fisher letter on Carter Nine

 

I am always delighted to receive letters like the one from Madelon Hart Fisher who grew up in the Osage.  In fact I am going to ask anyone who reads my blog to please write me a letter including pictures that you are willing for me to include in my blog or book.  And Yes, I am planning on another book but this one is going to be your stories.  I would ask that you write as many stories as you like knowing that they may not get published or saved for later and that you are not going to get any compensation other than knowing you shared your story and it might get published on the blog or in a book.  I know all of you have great stories and I want to hear them, so please write:

send to 

    Gary Olson 

    12501 Dutch Forest Place

    Edmond, OK 73013

I know many of you personally and it would be an honor for me to have you participate.  Here are just a few things you might consider but the list is endless:

    what I remember about my grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, teachers, coaches, etc....

    who was the biggest impact on my life and why

    what unusual thing happened as an adult or child or while in college (all must be reasonably PG)

    what were my greatest fears and why

    what was it like being in the military and why I served 

    what was your biggest mistake in life, or biggest success or both

    what wisdom would you want to share

    the list goes on and on but you get the picture

Now back to Carter Nine and Madelon:  (you could write about your home town and what you remember about it just like Madelon and don't forget to tell a little about where you are now and just your life story.)  One more thing:  try to make each story one or two pages and feel free to give multiple stories and if you have to, make it long).

Carter Nine:

So what do you learn in the Osage?

• things change
• little things mean a lot and memories are what make relationships
• invest in others and they will invest in you

thanks for listening,

gary

gary@thepioneerman.com

you are welcome to send your story email to gary@mylifelegacy.co

Dick and June Johnson - Dee and the Twins and little sis (Jan) (and I can't remember the names but there is an older son? and Marvin?)

There are cornerstones of a building and there are cornerstones of a community and the Johnsons are certainly one of those.  I stopped by not too long ago (BEFORE COVID) and Mrs. Johnson came out and we talked for a long time about the kids and what everyone was doing.  Mr. Johnson was on his tractor mowing.  Now I know they are in their 90's and still gardening and keeping the place in shape.  I wish everyone had the pride they do.  That is probably what keeps them going, staying active.  But what was most amazing is their minds were clear as a bell ringing in your ear.  They still live in the house cattycorner from the old Dale's Feed Seed and Grain Storage commonly known as the grocery store, not to be confused with the grain elevator operations further south by the railroad tracks.   The same store we traded eggs for groceries at and the one with the outhouse we turned over every Halloween.

I suppose we all lose track of old friends and neighbors but my memory of the Johnsons is anchored in Dee and the Twins and Marvin.  Why?  Well let me tell you why.  I think everyone in the family were extraordinarily smart and especially those twins and I hear Jan was too.  But what stands out is that I was at their house one time and the boys (Dee and the twins) were eating white bread with the old fashioned mustard spread all over it and made into a two sliced sandwich!  You gotta be kidding me!  Yea!  Who would have thought of that?  Something seemed really wrong with that.  But once you tried it, it was not so bad especially when you are young and growing and hungry.  

The other thing I remember is how they always knew all the answers no matter the topic.  I bet none of them ever missed a question on a test.  I never knew but I bet they had perfect scores on the ACT and SAT tests.  

It is funny but I really never knew what Mr. Johnson did for a living other than farming and I really don't remember them having any farm land although Dee stuck around and bought some land including our old homestead on Beaver Creek and farmed and raised cattle.  

Well, what I have to say about the Johnsons is that they were very kind hearted folks and easy to talk to and always willing to share a little bread and mustard.  People were important to them.

So, what do you learn in the Osage?

• don't get grossed out about something you have not tried, like mustard sandwiches
• hard work and good folks go together
• Pride in keeping things looking good is good pride and the Johnsons should be proud

Thanks for listening,

gary

gary@mylifelegacy.co

Olaf Olson and what I found

 

My grandfather Olaf came to America in 1887 at the ripe old age of 16!  yep, 16.... What I did not know is that he was 94 years old when he passed in 1964 when I was 12 years old and he was married in 1903 to Mary Katherine Fustrum at Dwight, Kansas then to Anoka, Minnesota in 1905 where he had a dairy and grew sweet potatoes.  My Dad was born in Anoka and here is the most unusual thing ever:  dad's birth certificate and his legal name his entire life was "the 6th son of Olaf and Mary Olson".  Dad found out his real legal name when he was 84 years old.  Dad went to school during the winter on a sleigh pulled by a horse with sleigh bells from Sweden.  We still have those bells today or I should say, my nephew Richard Crow has them in his office (Ground Zero Storm Shelters)  in Perry, Oklahoma.  When he did not ride the sleigh in winter he skied to school on skis he and Uncle Olie (Rollien) made by hand.  They boiled the wood in water and shaped the wood into skis.  One pair of those skis is located in Minnesota with my cousin David.  Another strange thing I learned was when there was a giant party at Don Conner's house with a giant bond fire and everyone came from all around to ICE SKATE!  For the first time I learned that my dad had a pair of strap on ice skates and could skate.  Don had a large lake behind his house where we had the party.  I think my dad was about 16 when they moved to Wamego, Kansas where he ultimately graduated high school.

Grandad moved to America because his father told him if he stayed in Sweden he would raise potatoes and become an alcoholic because taxes were too high and you would never be able to get ahead.  America was the land of opportunity.  Grandpa didn't know anyone here and none of his relatives were here but as he made some money he paid for the trans-Atlantic voyage of most of his brothers and sisters.  Now I don't know about you but I cannot imagine letting one of my kids leave me for ever at the age of 16, no matter what the circumstances were.  That is correct, grandad never saw his father or mother again.  Two sisters moved to the Seattle area and the only brother I knew moved to Kansas near Cedar Vale and lived with the Johnson family who were relatives.  He was an expert stone mason.  Actually I think there were two brothers but just not sure.

Grandad was my buddy and I tried to spend every Saturday with him.  We would sit by his pot bellied stove and play checkers and eat cinnamon rolls and drink Nehi pop (strawberry and grape).  Of course Granddad would drink coffee which he drank from a saucer and he smoked a pipe which I loved the smell of.  I loved the way he would smoke his pipe and blow his mustache when he released the smoke.  Sweet memories.

Well, thanks for listening and What do you learn in the Osage?

• Family is more important than any money
• Time given to a child pays back for a life time
• Cinnamon rolls are still my favorite food group

Thanks for listening,

gary

gary@thepioneerman.com

Another Most Embarrassing Moment

 

Another most embarrassing moment or two:

 

When I was working for EDS/Ross Perot in Chicago from 1975 to 1980 we had a contract with Central National Bank which was just west of Northern Trust in downtown Chicago.  Northern Trust was on the northeast corner and we were on the northwest corner and the L-train was between us.  In fact, my office was at eye level with the train which I remember being on the 3^rd floor of the CNB building and very noisy.  Conveniently enough there was a Burger King on the bottom floor, so I ate there often.  We were about one block east of First National Bank of Chicago and a couple of blocks from Continental Bank which failed due to Penn Square Bank in Oklahoma in 1982 (July 5^th as I recall).  We were in the shadow of the Sears Building a few blocks south and one west and I walked by it every day from the train station.  We originally lived in Palatine in the suburbs and later Elk Grove Village.  OK, you get the idea.

There were four of us who moved from Dallas to be on this team:  Janet Green who was from back east and Eileen Kanoff from New York City, David Goldenberg from New York and of course myself.  The two girls ASSUMED that since I was from the Oklahoma I must be a chauvinist and a bigot which could be no further from the truth.  In fact they thought we still had wild Indians and virtually no roads and were basically like the Beverly Hillbillies.  Well, I could not resist the opportunity to fulfill their assumptions!  Every time they would walk by my cubical and I was talking to Shouna on the phone I would say something like this, “Now Shouna, I want those floors cleaned before I get home.”  They would through stuff at me and literally think it was true.  Shouna was on the other end laughing and saying I bet Janet or Eileen was walking by.  Once Janet got mad at me for opening the door for her.  I expressed to her that I would stand there all day if necessary and she finally gave in but of course she had to give me a lesson on how she could open her own doors.  After some period of time they finally figured out I was not what they thought although they did call me cowboy and ornery rather than Gary.  They were entertainment for me and visa versa.

Now to the embarrassing part:  Janet just went crazy laughing as I came out of the restroom with toilet paper hanging out the back of my slacks.  What she never knew was that I was playing her once again. 

Now my next embarrassing moment and it was for real:  Bob and Nancy Scott invited Shouna and I over for dinner.  They were pretty uptown folks and Bob was my boss, kind of, on the team that developed the demand deposit system for CNB and in fact for all of EDS at the time.  We had banking customers all over the US and in fact Iran as well.  I worked on the Iran deal while in Dallas and of course you can read the book on that event.  “On Wings of Eagles” by Ken Follett.  While eating with Bob and Nancy we were having our salad and it included some of those little round red tomatoes.  Now I don’t know about you but when I was a kid we never had those kind of tomatoes.  I was trying to figure out how I was going to eat it and finally I figured I would just put in my mouth and bite it.   WRONG!!  It did not work!  That thing exploded and went everywhere.  Whew!  You get the picture, don’t you?

One story about Bob or two.  While he was in Dallas one time and I was still in Chicago the banking system crashed in the middle of the night.  Actually, that part happened often but this time Bob had me drive downtown in the middle of the night to fix the problem.  Basically, we had a Canadian check come through the system and it crashed the system.  We had a utility called IAMASUPERZAP (I am a super zap) that we were told if we ever got caught using it, I would be fired.  Bob told me to use it.  Now Bob was much older and probably one of the smartest system engineers in the US.  I told him NO.  He yelled and cursed me until I relented.  I fixed the problem and the banking system worked like a charm.  I was sure I would be fired but instead I think I became famous because folks from all over the US would call me to fix certain types of problems using IAMASUPERZAP.  I got so good at it that I could solve problems in my sleep.  Just ask Shouna.  Fun times.

 

Next time I will tell you about WAAPDASUT (waap da sut).

So what do you learn in the Osage?

• ·       Slice your cherry tomatoes before you put it in your mouth
• ·       The most fun you can have is: at someone else’s expense (don’t try it)
• ·       When you get cussed out, it is time to re-evaluate what you are doing.
• Thanks for listening,

Gary

gary@thepioneerman.com

He was tougher than nails and had the biggest heart

 

Clifford Olson, Dad and of course when I was young I called him Daddy.  It always amazed me how he could solve a problem and typically it was during the night.  He would take a problem and go to bed and in the mornings he would wake up and he would have the answer.  The real problem is he would wake up like a storm meaning he would be so focused on fixing what was broken or doing whatever was on his mind.  He was also funny in that he never got mad a me or any other person but he could use choice words at an object or situation (that means he could cuss a blue streak).  Let me give you a few ideas of what I am talking about when I say he was so tough as nails but had a big heart.

One time we were out cutting firewood as our house was mostly warmed by the fireplace and we burnt a lot of wood every year.  The tree fell the wrong direction and a limb flipped up and hit him in the ribs.  He could hardly breath so we took him to the house where he told mom to wrap him in those tan colored ace bandages.  He told her to pull them tight.  If you have ever had a broken rib you know that it feels better to have a tight wrap  around your chest.  It just makes it where you can breath a little easier.  I personally have experienced broken ribs and a punctured lung and it is not fun.  Well, after dad got wrapped up he turned to Larry and me and said Let's to back to work cutting wood.  We did and I would say he moved a little slower but we kept cutting wood.

On another occasion we were working on some farm equipment and he cut his hand.  the cut was almost a slice in that the back of his hand about two inches wide and an inch wide the skin was peeled back where you could see the tendons and muscle in his hand.  I took him to the house and he told Shouna (my wife) to pour hydrogen peroxide on it.  He just gritted his false teeth and told her to keep pouring.  Then we said we need to go to the doctor and get it sewn up.  He said just put that old skin back on and tape it down.  We did and he said, "let's go do something, even if it is wrong".  

Then there was the time before I was even born but I know the story.  He got his teeth kicked out by a mule.  Or I should say he got his mouth crushed by that mule.  The story is that it was a disaster and he had to go to Tulsa for a dental surgeon to repair everything.  He stayed with the relatives at Oologah after the surgery.  They removed all of his teeth and his mouth was infected so they had to scrape the top of his mouth and put new skin on the roof of his mouth.  He told me that the only pain killer he got was some whiskey before and after the surgery.  He said he paid one of my relatives a $1 to keep him supplied with ice that he could use to keep the swelling down and the pain at a minimum.  

Oh, there are more stories and I always wished I was that tough.  And now his heart.  I remember a time that he assisted a family that needed their clothes washer repaired.  He found the parts and made multiple trips to fix the machine and then mom purchased Christmas gifts for their three girls and they waived any charges.  

The stories go on and I don't believe that a person goes to heaven by doing good or works but Mom and Dad were poster children for good neighbors and good people.  Their hearts were always serving others.  They did believe in Christ just so you don't get the wrong idea.

Well, what do you Learn in the Osage?

• character of a man or woman shows
• You don't judge a person by their color or their tattoos (well maybe) 
• You do judge a person by their work ethic and their honesty
• But you don't judge a book by its cover

Thanks for listening,

gary

gary@thepioneerman.com

If the shoe fits, wear it

 

I know that none of you would ever do this and especially those who are ultra conservative like me.  I went to work for Ross Perot at EDS right out of college (read the book On Wings of Eagles) and we wore dark suits and white shirts, not to be white on white either, dark socks (solid colors only) and tie shoes (almost always wing-tipped) , not slip on, and your hair had to be cut well above the ear and no sideburns and no facial hair.  I also forgot, the shirts had to be long sleeve.  If you got up from your desk, you had to put on your coat even if you were going to the restroom.  It was pretty formal and business like but if you think about the reason behind it, it did make sense.  The philosophy was that you wanted to be over dressed and never under dressed so that your clients/customers knew you were professional.  Don't offend the customer.

I remember this one guy, Lanny Andrews, who was working on a contract with MGM in California and the airline lost his luggage.  I forgot to mention also that if you were traveling you were required to wear a suit then as well.  In fact, Lanny wore a light colored suit that was somewhere between tan and white, not a suit that was allowed in the office.  

In fact one time I asked if a suit I wore at my college graduation at SWOSU (Weatherford, OK) would work and they said, ware it one day.  I did, they laughed their heads off and sent me home and it was a very expensive suite!  Mom and dad bought me two suits for graduation knowing where I was going to work.  They were from JC Penny's (french for jac peni) and one was blue (dark blue) and one was brown.  Funny thing was they both had two pair of pants and vests that were reversible.  In fact the reverse side of the vest matched the extra pair of pants (small plaid).  I think both suits would never absorb water and in fact were like a ducks back, they shed.  I bet those suits were made of an oil based product with virtually no wool or cotton in them.  On Sundays I wore the suit with the reverse vest and extra pants.  Those suits could not wrinkle if they had to.  You never needed a raincoat.

Back to Lanny, he had no choice but to go to that meeting with his almost white suit on and it made him an icon in the EDS circles.  It also made it mandatory to never travel in a suit not acceptable to the dress code.  We all got a good laugh out of it but Lanny got chewed out.  He was lucky in that he was a valuable employee with a good track record, else he would have been gone.

Well, finally, here is my shoe story.  I was always early to work and generally always up before Shouna and it was almost always dark outside when I was getting ready for work.  Once while working in Dallas at the old Forest Lane office I was at work very early.  The challenge is when you have two pair of tie shoes, black and brown, they look alike in the dark.  Sure enough I wore one black and one brown but no one really noticed but when one person did, they all knew.  They thought it was pretty funny and I did not get sent home but I was given a hard time for months.  I think those shoes were made of indestructible naugahide.  Does anyone remember when naugahide came out?  I don't know if that is how we spelled it but you would have thought it was the most indestructible material ever made and would take over America.  The joke was they had to kill a lot of baby naugas.  Those shoes were so slick you never had to polish them.  For a while everything new seemed to be made of naugahide, like car seats and furniture and everyone was proud of it, kind of like leisure suits, but that is another story.

Well, what do you learn in the Osage?

• Nauga's are like snipes, you just cannot hardly find them except at night when you are wanting to tease the girls
• What at one time seemed like tall cotton (like polyester suits) is just a passing thing so don't get your underwear in a wad or your pride hung a little high cause it will get knocked down a notch or two
• If the focus is on you and not Christ your self esteem is gonna get smacked when you realize how silly you looked in those naugahide shoes or polyester suits
• Live life for the better days not for the past

Thanks for listening,

gary 

gary@thepioneerman.com

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