I MISS YOU DAD

*** On March 18th 19 years ago ,my Dad passed away. I still miss him.

When Kris Kristofferson sang " He's a walking contradiction partly truth & partly fiction " ,he was talking about Daddy. Dad was a contradiction.

Start with his nickname Big Moose . That really didn't fit someone who stood 5'11" & weighed 145 . Moose was very strong in some ways & very weak in others .

Another contradiction was the lifestyle he lived . Most men in the community went to a job,punched the clock , & worked a day for a determined amount of pay.

Not Big Moose . Daddy was an entrepreneur or maybe he was into manure. Just some of the things the Moose dabbled in : chinchilla ranching, beekeeping, Quarter Horses, meatpacking, service station, battery shop , trucking business, produce sales & a junkyard.

Most of all Big Moose was a free market trader . He would wander all around the area buying & selling where ever he went .

Dad had a Gypsy style in that he traveled where ever he pleased & when ever . No schedule , no time clock , & no Boss. Dad sat on the veranda smoking & drinking coffee until he decided where & if he wanted to go . If the fish were biting then he went fishing . Quiting time was when Moose decided to come home .

Dad was the IRS worst enemy . He dealt only in cash. When he was dying he wanted to go over his finances with me . He wanted to tell me how much I should get for his stuff . I asked how could someone who had no real job accumulate this much stuff & money . Moose said " It's not hard when you don't pay any taxes."

Here is an example of a Moose deal . I came home one day & there were street lights stacked everywhere .
I said "what's with all these lights"
Dad said " City was replacing their streetlights so I bought the old ones "
I asked " What on earth for "
Dad said "son ,people in the country need these for nightlights .
Within 2 weeks the streetlights were gone & Moose had more than doubled his money .

One time dad bought some pigs for 250 dollars & paid the man 10 dollars to feed them till he sent for them . The next day Daddy sold the pigs for 400 dollars & told the buyer where to pick them up . Just another day in the adventures of Big Moose.

At our house Mama took care of the worry & Daddy took care of the dreams . I said I don't want to be like Dad . I want a real job & a salary .

After 32 years of answering the school bell I realized how smart Moose was .

I MISS YOU DAD!!!!!!