My Ol’ Daddy always said ....
My Ol’ Daddy always said, “If you’re gonna make coffee, make it right!” And then he would make sure that you had the recipe down pat. He’d say, “Use a lotta coffee an’ be dang short on the water.”
Then he’d finish up. “If you chunk a horse shoe in there an’ it sinks, you need more coffee!”
Today’s coffee prices might have changed his recipe, but he did love his coffee. My Dad passed away in 1993, but his influence lives on.
Sunday, June 18, 2023, is Father’s Day, a day that we celebrate the contribution fathers an’ father figures make to the lives of their children. Its origins may lie in a memorial service held for a large group of men, many of them fathers, who were killed in a mining accident in Monongah, West Virginia, in 1907.
The first time Father’s Day was held in June was in 1910. Father’s Day was officially recognized as a holiday and the third Sunday in June was designated as a time to celebrate this holiday. I hope that you honor your Father on this day because Father’s Day is a time set aside to honor fathers and paternal influence.
Officially, its start was back in the early 1900s but was slow to catch on. Some of our fathers are no longer among the living, however, we can still honor their memory. Father’s Day has the claim of being the busiest day of the year for collect calls.
Gifts include a variety of items such as neckties, hats, socks, pipes and tobacco, golf clubs and other sporting goods, usually paid for with the father’s own money. Dads are filled with advice – some of it good, some of it, well, a little off the wall, but all of it memorable.
Sayings like, “when I was your age…” , and, “I had to walk to school, barefoot in the snow, uphill both ways,” and, “you’re going out lookin’ like that?”, and “there’s nothing a little duct tape an’ balin’ wire can’t fix,” and finally, “as long as you live under my roof, you will follow my rules” and that old classic, “this is going to hurt me more than it hurts you”…yeah, right! I found a quote that says a lot about a father…”A Man’s children and his garden both reflect the amount of weeding done during the growing season.” Now it’s a fact, my Dad did a lot of weeding, but Erath County had fertile soil and lots of weed seeds!
Dad was passionate about politics. He was a “yeller dog democrat” but politics were different in his day. I sure miss him, but I am glad he doesn’t have to deal with today’s world, especially the political part. I often think about Dad an’ what he would have to say about the way America has changed.
He loved politics and always had something to say about any subject, sometimes being the devil’s advocate and arguing either side. His ability to determine the right track for those varied subjects was legendary and I often used his wisdom as I met and dealt with people. Many times
I would make a point by saying, “My Ol’ Daddy always said…” Often, I would be asked about what my Ol’ Daddy would have to say about a subject and that gave me a place to start. And speaking of start, my Ol’ Daddy always said, “If you would be a self-starter, I wouldn’t have to be such an old crank!” ( I am sure that one sailed over the heads of you young whippersnappers!)I wrote this poem as a tribute to Dad.
MY OL’ DADDY ALWAYS SAID
The ranch is calm ‘til end of night,
when daybreaks soon to come.
Then all will wake from dreamy sleep,
to sound of kettles drum.
Then my Ol’ Daddy always said,
“Boys, day lights a-burnin!”
We kick the covers an’ hit the floor
…our legs jest a churnin’.
There’s chores to do, ‘tho morn is cold,
an’ soon we get ‘em done.
By then the coffee pot is hot
an’ chow is soon begun.
Side meat, biscuits an’ beans, coffee
…you fight to get yore share.
‘Cuz this day will be long an’ tuff
an’ grub will shore be rare.
An’ then my Ol’ Daddy up an’ said,
“Ahwright, lets hit the trail!.”
So ever’ man jack grabs a hoss
an’ through the dark we sail.
At daylight we are on the ridge,
shore ready fer our chance.
Then my Ol’ Daddy always said,
“Boys, time to start the dance!”
As one we shout and urge our pony
to dash into the brush.
There’s critters there that plan to stay,
but soon they’ll have to flush.
Then we descend upon their lair
with shout an’ wave of hat.
They’ll turn an’ run ‘cuz now they’re spooked
an’ runnin’ to the flat.
Then my Ol’ Daddy up an said,
“Boys, hold ‘em in a group!.”
We bunched ‘em up an’ moved ‘em down
that trail with shout an’ whoop.
Then my Ol’ Daddy pointed out
some hands to come with him.
Said he, “we’re going back up there
to get them on the rim!”
‘Cuz some had stuck in thicker brush,
an’ would be hard to find.
So we scattered out an’ rode in
With ketchin’ on our mind.
We planned to drag ‘em outta there
an’ head ‘em down the trail.
We caught a few, but some would stay
that scattered like the quail.
Then my Ol’ Daddy up an’ said,
“Them wormy hides can go!”
We took our catch an’ headed down
to workin’ pens below.
To coffee pot an’ chuck at last.
We did not say a word,
but piled right in an’ made a hand,
complanin’ jest warn’t heard.
With bellies full and coffee hot,
we lolled around the fire.
Slim picked a tune, made coyotes yelp
…a regular outlaw choir.
Stories got told, an’ then a yawn
that spread to everyone.
Then my ol’ Daddy up an’ said,
“Hit the sack, day is done.”
We crawled between them blankets
an’ soon were settled in.
To sleep the sleep of innocence,
a weary bunch of men.
The ranch is calm ‘til end of night,
when daybreaks soon to come.
Then all will wake from dreamy sleep
to sound of kettles drum.
Then my Ol’ Daddy always said,
“Boys, day lights a-burnin!”
We kick the covers an’ hit the floor
…our legs jest a churnin’!
Ol’ Jim Cathey
Tell your Dad that you love him when you can.
God bless each of you and God Bless America!
Happy Father’s Day to all.