Farm Music » Farm Music

Mother’s Day – My Mom

Ripley — Sun, 10 May 2009 18:07:03 +0000

My mom died back in ’87. Saying “I miss her” doesn’t really do justice to the reality of it. Charlene’s mom is gone as well. We just wish so many times that they were here to share and take part in our lives-especially with the kids. Didn’t turn out that way for us. God knows best. Father Knows Best. I looked through a few old pictures. Here’s one I quite liked of Mom holding my little brother Bobby. Cool cars too.

The picture was taken at my Uncle Elmer’s house – originally the Schanzenbach homestead which adjoined the original Ripley homestead. The Schanzenbachs were my dad’s mother’s side of the family. All of that (just about mile away from our place, as the crow flies) is now owned by the infamous (and I don’t use that word lightly) Berrys.

Check out my cousins, Jack and Gene, standing closest to Mom. You’d think they’d been PhotoShop’d – but no, they were that long, lean, and lanky. The landscape was as bleak as the life itself, but we didn’t know it.

Mom Holding My Brother Bobby

4 tick day

Ripley — Fri, 08 May 2009 17:17:03 +0000

Elvis made it out to the farm yesterday to talk about a website for the radio show. He also brought along his new video camera to shoot some stuff for the Farm Music site. So, I did some chainsawing, log tossing, and woods walking. You know… making movies. Pretty fun. After he headed back to Tulsa, I started finding the little buggers. First, on my finger. Then one on my leg. My waist – just under the good old Hane’s elastic band (they seem to like it there). And then, at 4:00 AM, the 4th one, well… as I put it to Elvis in an email:

Just found a fourth tick. Scrotum (technically speaking). Where the sun don’t shine (in a manner of speaking). That’s gonna itch (experience speaking).

To quote David Letterman: “For God’s sake, Paul… Be sure to check yourself for ticks.”

UNCLES

Ripley — Fri, 08 May 2009 10:26:09 +0000

My Uncle Elmer was a magic man for me. He didn’t play music (except for the radio), but he was certainly a force to be reckoned with. He’s been gone a long time now. ◊◊ I had an uncle big as life – he called me “Captain” ◊◊ He believed he played a part in God’s plan ◊◊ Drove a Hudson Hornet car and a John Deere Tractor ◊◊ Safe in the sweaty palm of God’s hand. ◊◊ My Great Uncle George’s proposal to Aunt Bessie was: “Will you bake my biscuits?” My Uncle Joe was a great baseball pitcher. My dad said when they were kids on the farm, Uncle Joe would practice by putting a bucket on the other side of a tree where he couldn’t see it, and throw curve balls around the tree into the bucket. Here’s to Uncles.