please excuse the typing errors \
My Granparents raised me and I miss em everyday. They were truly strong,decent,salt of the earth people. Granpaw went blind with diabetes 3 yrs.before he died, Like me he got great pleasure from the natural beauty of nature,Changing of the seasons, a pretty crop or garden, puppies or calves.
There was a brief period in my life when I strayed from the teaching of Papaw and broke my vow to him. However in the end it was his memory and my sense of obligation to him and all that our family stoofd for that brought me back, like the prodigal son, I was welcomed with open arms and the fatted calf was killed.
The last time we talked he told me, Mike, you know right from wrong,theres not a doubt in my mind that you do. If I knew you would do it, I could leave this world with piece of mind.Son ,will you do right? I will I managed to croak, my eyes were brimming and my throat had a huge lump in it
I was on a boat goin upriver when I got the news of his passing.
I got back home that night. Next day I went to JC Johnsons for a haircut, He and granpaw were friends and he cut my hair when I was little. He refused payment for the haircut and spoke highly of Grandaddy.
He was buried the next day in the Coy Methodist Cemetary, In Masons apron with Masonic rites,It was a bitter cold Febuary day,from atop that hill you could see for a long ways. Man born of woman is of few days and filled with trouble.
Be relentless in pursuing your goals but enjoy the rewards in moderation. ( Thats one I didnt heed for a long time.)
I asked him once how he could stand being blind,had to be miserable. He said at first it was,but a person can get used to anything. He said its really better,cause now I see things in my mind the way they used to be or how I want em to be.
It dont matter how cheap somthin is,if ya dont need it,it aint a good deal. If you have bills pay em. If you cant pay when its due,go to the one you owe in advance,look em in the eye and tell em you are gonna be late,dont hide from em and dont lie. If two friends are arguing,try to stay out of it. If a man and his wife is fightin,damn shore stay out of it.
If it snows in late march or early april and covers the corn that just come up,Dont replant,take a bushhog and cut it off even with the ground,itll make better than ever. If ya see the chickens dustin or cows layin down in the mornin,its gonna rain that afternoon.Smoke goin strait up from a chimney or campfire means clear weather,Low smoke means moistures in the air and prcipitation is comin.
Granpaw would set on the porch in his rocker and spit snuff on some of the flowers and it would drip down on ol Traylor the black n tan hound. Gramaw fussed about him spittin on her flowers, His blindness hasnt afected his aim,He drenches my flowers and the dog as thuroughly as ever. The flowers flourished and traylor didnt seem to notice.
Hed always dipped Garret snuff, The stout kind that come in them brown bottles with the cork in the top.After he lost his vision, I offered to open a bottle for him one day, Nawp, This openin the bottle is one of the sweet parts of this addiction, Theys an art to it hed say, opening the ancient case pocket knife that he also used for trimmin his big thick fingernails.
He insisted on continuing to feed a pen full of Walker and Bluetick hounds of my uncles. Said it was, HIS, Job, He had counted paces and amd could navigate pretty well,Go in the shed,take the lid off a 55 gal.drum,get a 5 gal.bucket of feed. Go bout 40
yrds.to the pen,open it go in and feed em, You could hear him sayinina gruff voice,Get back!!!!!! Git down from hnew,git offa me dawg,youuuu gluttonous devils.
