TheBanyanTree: Two Days; Two Funerals

[Teague, Julie Anna]

Great story, Dale. 

> On Sep 4, 2021, at 9:30 PM, dale.m.parish--- via TheBanyanTree <thebanyantree at lists.remsset.com> wrote:
> 
> Two Days; Two Funerals
> 
> 
> 
> FRIDAY, at Bobby's graveside service, after almost everyone had told a story
> 
> about the old cowboy, his horses, his grandkids, and his roping, Joe asked
> if
> 
> anyone else had something to say.  
> 
> 
> 
> I asked, "What's the significance of the roadrunner on the stone," referring
> 
> to the carved roadrunner on the headstone between Bobby's name and date of
> 
> birth and the name and date of birth of his wife, who preceded him some
> years.
> 
> 
> 
> Joe snickered.  "You know about twelve-ons and twelve-offs.  For the rest of
> 
> you, Mama worked them at the hospital, where they'd work a few days, a day
> 
> off, then a few nights, and a few nights off, then towards the end of the
> 
> month, they'd have eight days and nights off.  Bobby got his shift at the
> 
> plant to coincide with Mama's so they'd both have eight days off together.
> 
> They bought a Toyota Landcruiser, a cook stove, and two six foot six
> sleeping
> 
> bags that would zip together, and put in an ice chest and a sack of
> firewood.
> 
> When they had both finished their last night shift before their eight days
> 
> off, they'd meet at 05:30 when they got off, drive up to the lake and cook
> 
> breakfast over a fire and watch the sun come up.  Then, they'd do the dishes
> 
> and load up in the Toyota and head out.  Carlsbad, Colorado, the panhandle,
> 
> Arkansas, Florida, didn't matter-- they'd be gone the whole eight days
> 
> somewhere, running the roads and sleeping in the back of the Toyota.  When I
> 
> got mine, I had to buy an air mattress, but not them.  That's why the road
> 
> runner on their stone."
> 
> 
> 
> Joe looked at Cindy for a minute, and then said, "I'm going to tell another
> 
> story about Bobby.  You don't ride a stud horse in a trail ride.  You just
> 
> don't.  But Bobby's Morgan horse stud, he let YOU ride in the Dogwood
> 
> Festival Parade.  Nobody else but you and Bobby ever rode that horse-- he
> 
> trusted you with that horse, but nobody else.  Ever."  
> 
> 
> 
> I knew the horse-- Bobby had worked for us as ranch manager when I was a
> kid.
> 
> When we'd had trouble with PWRs-- Piney Wood Rooters-- wild hogs tearing up
> 
> the pastures, Bobby had brought that stud and his hog dogs down for a hog
> 
> hunt.  My horse would never allow anyone to shoot off him-- if you got on
> him
> 
> with a pistol or a rifle, when he heard the first click of a gun being
> cocked,
> 
> he started crow hopping, and if you did fire a shot, you were in for a
> rodeo.
> 
> Not Bobby's horse.  He had an long hex barrel 32-20 pump that I'd seen Bobby
> 
> stick the barrel right over that stud's head and shoot a hog, and that stud
> 
> never quivered-- was still for a second shot.  Enviable.
> 
> 
> 
> SATURDAY
> 
> I don't know much about Episcopalians, and my hearing is such that I don't
> 
> understand much of what is said when the priests are all wearing masks, but
> I
> 
> stood up and sat down with the rest of them.  After the service, there
> seemed
> 
> to be a division to the exit-- many were escorted out down front, but it
> 
> seemed that was the younger contingent-- those of us younger than 80 were
> 
> going out front, and the older congregation members were going out the back.
> 
> I looked at Cindy with a quizzical look, and we decided that we'd go out
> 
> front.  Turns out we were going outside to some kind of outdoor vestibule
> 
> where the immediate family gathered, and the rest of us stood out in the
> 
> church yard under the live oaks for shade.  I couldn't hear what was being
> 
> said by the priests, but then a guy pulled out his guitar case and the
> priests
> 
> exited the enclosure and a lady pulled out some sheet music and encouraged
> 
> everyone to get in the shade and gather round.  Seems the deceased had a
> sense
> 
> of humor, and had requested these offspring to lead the mourners in singing
> 
> three specific songs.  I was surprised when I heard the first chords to "It
> 
> Wasn't God Who Made Honkey Tonk Angels," but when the vocalist leading us
> 
> broke into those words, I had to sing along.  Through all the verses.  The
> 
> next one was "Drop Kick Me Jesus, Through The Goal Posts Of Life," followed
> by
> 
> "Rock Of Ages." 
> 
> 
> 
> Then we all went upstairs to the fellowship hall for punch and cookies,
> where
> 
> two Airmen performed the flag ceremony, reverently unfolding and presenting
> 
> the colors, then just as reverently refolding the flag and presenting it to
> 
> the oldest son.  Brings tears to my eyes every time.  My oldest son had that
> 
> duty for the last six months of his enlistment, attending veteran's funerals
> 
> in a two hours drive radius from Fort Polk.  I had PNOKers duty when I was
> on
> 
> active duty-- Primary Next Of Kin notification.  I'd get a call at 05:00 in
> 
> the morning advising me to head out to the plant and get my orders to locate
> a
> 
> survivor, which would often have to be tracked down with help of the sheriff
> 
> or other law enforcement, to deliver the short spiel, "Maam, the Secretary
> of
> 
> Defense regrets to inform you of the death of your husband/son/grandson,
> 
> etc...." and then inform the survivor that a Survival Assistance Officer
> would
> 
> be contacting them for arrangements.  During the Viet Nam War, those came
> too
> 
> often.  
> 
> 
> 
> But these were the first two funerals we've been to recently that weren't
> 
> COVID victims.  Both had led a long and fruitful life.  The kind I'd rather
> go
> 
> to.  Week before last was the brother of a friend who had refused to get
> 
> vaccinated and died of COVID at 48.  Sad.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> --
> 
> Dale M. Parish                                   For All Of Mankind'S
> Supposed Accomplishments,
> 
> 628 Parish RD                                    Our Continued Existence Is
> Dependent Upon 20
> 
> Orange TX 77632-0264                    Centimeters Of Topsoil And The Fact
> That It Rains.
> 
> <mailto:Dale.M.Parish at gmail.com> Dale.M.Parish at gmail.com
> --Toilet Stall Wall
> 
> 409-790-2352
> 
> 
> 
> 
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