More about Dad

I mentioned earlier that Dad was wounded in the second world war. He took shrapnel in a parachute jump over France. Dad was a sargent and S has his Purple Heart. He may have told his sons stories about his service when they were older, but all I knew was what Mom told me. That wasn't much, because he didn't say much for years. I remember his bad dreams, they went on till after I started school. We grew up knowing he had a hole in his shoulder and one in his foot. The hole in his shoulder left a scar and a good part of the shoulder bone was missing. There was a smaller scar on the top of his foot. I found some army photos once and asked Mom about a young man who looked like a boy standing beside my Father with a group in uniform. Mom took the picture and told me not to ask Dad about it. She said the young man was only 16 and had lied about his age when he enlisted. He had died when he threw himself over Dad and that was why Dad's wounds were "top and bottom and not his mid section" The young mans last name was Cook and that was all Mom would tell me. I never did ask Dad. Dad received a small partial disability check every month for his wounds. Mom always worried that the partial bone in his shoulder would be broken and leave him more disabled.

Which is why he never told her about the Rodeo. Bulldogging and roping. At the Hopley Farms in Iowa he helped break horses, (which Mom did know and hated) and he had a dapple gray mare he called Smokey. Mom told me she had a fond memory of Dad on the horse and singing, "On Top of Old Smokey" at the top of his lungs when he rode off for the day of work. (She said he couldn't sing) Years later he told us kids that he and the boss's son would take their horses with them on the cattle car out west to sell the stock. (Or buy new) Then they would Rodeo before returning to Iowa. One of Dads favorite stories was about practicing with W, (the boss's son) on the farm. They were out roping when a train went by and Dad bet W that he couldn't rope the caboose. Without thinking, just taking on the bet, W threw and caught the corner post of the gate across the back of the caboose. Then, when the rope almost pulled him off his horse, he realized there wasn't any way to get his rope back. Dad would get to laughing so hard, when he remembered how angry W was at Dad for making him lose a brand new rope. Dad wasn't a braggert, but he was proud when he told us he had a time on the record books for his calf-roping before the fire forced him to leave Iowa.

This next story doesn't really fit here, or anywhere else, but I have to tell it.
On the first day of haying, Dad would have severe "charlie horse" cramps in his legs from balancing on the hay wagons he was loading. Some years it would be so bad he would pass out from the pain. Then he would fall and the muscles would draw up his legs. I remember the first year that happened. We had been eating supper when he jumped up, took a few steps and went down. Mom called for us to help. She stretched him out on his back and had one kid sit on his chest and the other two sat on his legs to keep them stretched out. We were young enough to think this was some kind of new game. Dad was confused, and a bit annoyed, when he came around to find us sitting on him and laughing. The next year it happened again and we were there quickly, knowing just what to do and understanding it better. I've seen my Father in a lot of pain, but this was different once we knew it was temporary and kinda funny and only happened early each hay season. One year our parents were playing cards with the neighbors, though it wasn't the first day, Dad had one of his charlie horses. He suddenly jumped up from the table, surprising the neighbors, and took a step and passed out. My brothers and I had been in the next room when he hit the floor. By now this was old stuff to us, and we stretched him out and sat on him. Mom noticed the looks on our neighbors faces and started laughing. Dad came around, told us he was ok now and we went back to the other room. Dad sat back down at the card table and tried to act like nothing had happened. Mom was in hysterics and Dad finally had to laugh too. The game didn't continue till an explanation had been given to the guests. They must have found a remedy for his muscle cramps, because I don't remember this happening anymore when I was older.