We want to go Home!
Dec 8, 2020 21:04:31 #
During the middle and late 1930’s, my parents had two nephews, Selby and Orsey Johnson, two teenage boys come and stay with them on the farm at Bulcher. I do not know if I had been born yet, or not. I suppose it was a partial payback for when Dad and Mom first got married, they went and lived with the Johnson’s, Dad’s older sister, until they were able to get on their feet and have a household of their own. This was during some hard times called the depression.
Well, when the Johnson boys were teenagers, they would come and spend part of the summer with Dad and Mom. Now Dad was a big practical joker and storyteller, so the boys never knew what would happen next.
As one example, Dad would brag on how much they could eat at each meal. So, he would weigh them on a cotton scales before the meal, then again after, and brag on how much they had gained. All this in good fun. Selby later related to me about eating a piece of chocolate pie that Mom had baked. Dad would say, quarter moon after the first bite, half moon, second bite, three quarters moon, third bite, and full moon after it was all gone, of course the boys played along and enjoyed all his joking.
One day, Dad was sitting on the front porch sharpening his pocket knife. I don’t ever remember him having a pocket knife that wasn’t sharp, almost enough to shave hair off one’s arm. Well, in the chatter with both boys, Dad said, “Do you mind if I cut that dog’s tail off?” There was a pet pooch there with them. Now the boys quite used to Dad’s joking and jesting, and thinking he was kidding, said “Sure, go ahead.” So, Dad reaches over and with a quick snip, cuts the dog’s tail off leaving about a two-inch nub. Now he had intended to bob the dog’s tail all along but had not told the boys of his plans. Both boys began to cry, ran back into the house and asked Mom if they could go home! They were quite upset at giving permission to cut the pooch’s tail off and Dad going ahead and doing it.
Well, with World War II breaking out, both Selby and Orsey went into the U.S. Army. Selby became a sergeant in the Red Ball Express, and Orsey was in the Infantry. While Orsey was fighting all the way until the battle in the Argonne Forrest when the German army made a counter attack and he was severely wounded. He recovered after spending several months in a French hospital. When both got back home, they decided that they had to come and see us at Bulcher.
So, they loaded up wives and kids and came to see us, arriving about 11:00 or 12:00 at night, and we stayed up all night with them telling stories, singing songs, and rehashing all the “dirty tricks” dad had played on them as boys. No one got any sleep except their small children. Along about 4:00 or 5:00 A.M. in the morning, Mom began cooking breakfast for the crowd. It was a fun and precious time, because of the tragedy that was to shortly come.
Not a month later, Orsey was working on a drilling rig somewhere around Wichita Falls, and the driller pulled the derrick in and Orsey was working up in the derrick as derrick man and was killed in the accident. After all the war and fighting he had seen, the get killed in a rig accident was a strange twist of fate. You must enjoy your loved ones while you can because there’s nothing guaranteed. Just Sayin…RJS
Well, when the Johnson boys were teenagers, they would come and spend part of the summer with Dad and Mom. Now Dad was a big practical joker and storyteller, so the boys never knew what would happen next.
As one example, Dad would brag on how much they could eat at each meal. So, he would weigh them on a cotton scales before the meal, then again after, and brag on how much they had gained. All this in good fun. Selby later related to me about eating a piece of chocolate pie that Mom had baked. Dad would say, quarter moon after the first bite, half moon, second bite, three quarters moon, third bite, and full moon after it was all gone, of course the boys played along and enjoyed all his joking.
One day, Dad was sitting on the front porch sharpening his pocket knife. I don’t ever remember him having a pocket knife that wasn’t sharp, almost enough to shave hair off one’s arm. Well, in the chatter with both boys, Dad said, “Do you mind if I cut that dog’s tail off?” There was a pet pooch there with them. Now the boys quite used to Dad’s joking and jesting, and thinking he was kidding, said “Sure, go ahead.” So, Dad reaches over and with a quick snip, cuts the dog’s tail off leaving about a two-inch nub. Now he had intended to bob the dog’s tail all along but had not told the boys of his plans. Both boys began to cry, ran back into the house and asked Mom if they could go home! They were quite upset at giving permission to cut the pooch’s tail off and Dad going ahead and doing it.
Well, with World War II breaking out, both Selby and Orsey went into the U.S. Army. Selby became a sergeant in the Red Ball Express, and Orsey was in the Infantry. While Orsey was fighting all the way until the battle in the Argonne Forrest when the German army made a counter attack and he was severely wounded. He recovered after spending several months in a French hospital. When both got back home, they decided that they had to come and see us at Bulcher.
So, they loaded up wives and kids and came to see us, arriving about 11:00 or 12:00 at night, and we stayed up all night with them telling stories, singing songs, and rehashing all the “dirty tricks” dad had played on them as boys. No one got any sleep except their small children. Along about 4:00 or 5:00 A.M. in the morning, Mom began cooking breakfast for the crowd. It was a fun and precious time, because of the tragedy that was to shortly come.
Not a month later, Orsey was working on a drilling rig somewhere around Wichita Falls, and the driller pulled the derrick in and Orsey was working up in the derrick as derrick man and was killed in the accident. After all the war and fighting he had seen, the get killed in a rig accident was a strange twist of fate. You must enjoy your loved ones while you can because there’s nothing guaranteed. Just Sayin…RJS
Dec 8, 2020 21:13:09 #
stuco
Loc: Northern Utah - Salt Lake City
Great story, as always Robert. Great message as well. Life and family are precious, and should always be treasured and appreciated.
Dec 8, 2020 22:23:52 #
stuco wrote:
Great story, as always Robert. Great message as well. Life and family are precious, and should always be treasured and appreciated.
👍👍👍
Dec 8, 2020 22:52:26 #
Able Man
Loc: North Coast (Cleveland, Ohio)
Well, Mr Samples; you "caused me to" pull out the King James, THAT time. I hadda go look for "Proverbs Ch. 27 @ verse 1= "Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth."
Dec 9, 2020 04:49:11 #
Good reason not to go to bed mad at your spouse or any one for that matter.
The Lord can call us home at the blink of an eye.
The Lord can call us home at the blink of an eye.
Dec 9, 2020 10:00:01 #
Able Man
Loc: North Coast (Cleveland, Ohio)
plumbob wrote:
Good reason not to go to bed mad at your spouse or any one for that matter.
The Lord can call us home at the blink of an eye.
The Lord can call us home at the blink of an eye.
Yeah, someone years ago, pointed out to me, that all you have to do, is "tack" the letter "D" on the front end of the word "anger"; & you see the truth of the matter!
Dec 9, 2020 18:54:23 #
Able Man wrote:
Yeah, someone years ago, pointed out to me, that all you have to do, is "tack" the letter "D" on the front end of the word "anger"; & you see the truth of the matter!
I was told that a long time ago. I always try to keep it under control for that reason.
Dec 9, 2020 18:58:24 #
Able Man
Loc: North Coast (Cleveland, Ohio)
Huntm22 wrote:
I was told that a long time ago. I always try to keep it under control for that reason.
Truly, H22; it CAN become difficult, sometimes. ... Another fella had told me that: "It's better to be pissed off, than PISSED ON!"
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