My Dad, Trail Boss

I took this picture of my parents 1 1/2 years ago when we went up to visit Lacey.  It was such a fun day.  Mom & Dad had come out to my house to help get bunk beds set up for Jenae & Aubree.  We didn't have the bolts we needed to finish the bunk bed project.  They were wanting to run up to Lacey's to see her for her birthday & we stopped in O'Neill to pick up the rest of the supplies we needed to finish the bunk bed project.  I would not have rode along if they would not have been planning to come back to my house to finish their project & I would not have gotten this cool picture of my parents.  Funny how things all work out the way they are supposed to!

I feel like these past 10 days have just been a blur.  I still have so much hurt in my heart & I miss my Dad so much.  I know my emotions are raw yet & in time they will heal, but for now it just hurts.  I don't hurt for Dad, I know where he is & I am at peace with knowing that. I also know God is in control of everything in our lives, good & bad, and I am choosing to live in Faith & know this is part of the almighty plan.  Knowing all this does not make missing Dad hurt any less, but helps me get through the day. 

The love & support that has been pouring into our family is helping us get through this difficult time.  So many have went out of there way to lend a helping hand, or offer kind words about my Dad all of which I am so grateful.
Writing about my Dad does help with the grieving process.

Here is what I read at my Dad's funeral.  It was therapeutic for me to write this.  I made me laugh & cry all at the same time. 

Head ‘em up….Move ‘em out

          “Only one thing certain about a trail drive is the uncertainty.  The expected never seems to happen.  The surprise is always popping up, most of the time bringin’ trouble.  When it hits there’s no countin’ on somebody else to handle it.  That’s my job, mine alone.  I’m Gil Favor, trail boss.”

          My dad enjoyed watching westerns on TV and Rawhide was his all-time favorite.  This past year I was sitting with Dad while watching Rawhide and my dad told me from little on Gil Favor was his favorite character and how watching Gil on Rawhide helped shape him into the person he turned out to be.  I too enjoy Rawhide and really did notice a lot of similarities between Gil Favor and my dad when I stopped to think about it.  Dad was the trail boss of our family and I would like to share a few similarities between Gil Favor and my dad.

          First off, Gil knew the value in having a good, reliable ramrod: someone who was trustworthy and shared his same values and work ethic.  Well, my dad found himself one heck of a ramrod when he married my mom 38 years ago.  Mom and Dad were really two peas in a pod.  They did almost everything together and they worked so hard to keep the family going in the right direction.  Dad and Mom had the marriage most people only dream about.  They did not agree on everything, but much like Gil and Rowdy they would come to an agreement by both giving a little and doing what was in the best interest of the family.

          To be a good trail boss you need to be able to lead and take charge.  Giving good directions is a must.  Dad was the most detailed person I know and if he delegated a task to you he gave very direct orders on what he wanted done.  He wanted things done the right way—that was the only way for Gil and Dad.  They both knew while taking a short-cut might appear faster, taking the time to do it right was the most efficient way to handle any situation.  I can still hear my dad saying, “If you are going to do something, do it right.”  It didn’t matter if it was a school paper, a wood-working project or training a colt, it was important to do
it the right way.

          Being able to solve problems along the way was critical for a good trail boss.  If they ran into a situation that would jeopardize the well-being of he herd or his men, he needed to be able to handle the pressure and think through the situation and come up with a solution to fix the problem.  Dad could handle the pressure when things got tough.  he was able to think clearly in times of trouble and take care of what needed to be done.

           A few years ago when my daughter Aubree was on a life-flight from O’Neill to Children’s Hospital in Omaha, the helicopter did not allow parents to ride on the flight so Kyle and I made the 3 ½ hour trip by car.  Dad called ahead to my Aunt Vicki who was a nurse at Children’s Hospital to let her know what was going on. Then Mom and Dad left Newman Grove when the life-flight left O’Neill, and they got to the hospital right when the helicopter did.  Vicki was able to pull some strings to get them to be able to be with Aubree until Kyle and I could get there. 

          This experience was probably one of the scariest time in my whole life, but my dad was a rock.- strong and solid the whole time.

          Dad had an answer for everything.  If I ever asked Dad a question, he would never reply with an “I’m not sure” or “Do whatever you think”.  It may not always be the answer others liked, but none-the-less it was the answer.

          A good trail boss knows the value of a dollar and is very careful to conserve resources so the herd wouldn’t run out of money before the cattle reached market.  Driving cattle across dry, dusty land was hard work- as is farming.  When you work hard for your money you must be practical with it.  Dad did not need the fanciest equipment, but it was good enough to get the job done right!

          A trail boss must be a great horseman and know the value in owning good horses.  My dad was a wealth of knowledge in the horse world.  He read articles and watched horse training shows on RFD on a daily basis.  He wanted what was best for his animals and never quit trying to learn new techniques in working with horses.  Dad took better care of his animals than himself- nothing but the very best quality hay and feed money can buy.  He bought good horses for us to use.  They had good solid minds with lots of potential to be what we wanted them to be.  Then he provided us with the tools and helped us all along the way to make them into great horses.

          Gil and my dad were fair and honest.  Another saying Dad said was “treat others the way you want to be treated” and Dad really did live that way.

          Dad and Gil Favor both knew in life you must expect the unexpected and be prepared for whatever comes your way.  He could think ahead and have solutions for potential problems.  He was known in our family for putting together fist-aid kits for hauling horses.  They included Banamine,  gauze, vet wrap, and syringes- all put together in an orderly fashion.

          Safety of your men on a cattle drive is a must.  The trail-boss never left a man behind in times of trouble. Dad was the same way with his friends and family.  We all knew we could count on him for anything, and I really do mean anything. If Dan Forre was your friend, you knew he would be there for you.  He watched out for the well-being of the family.  I am pretty sure he would still check the air in my tires when I would come to their place for a visit!

          The appearance of the crew was also the responsibility of the trail boss.  It was important for the drovers to reflect well on the entire outfit.  Any one who knew my dad would know how important a clean appearance was to him.  I do not recall ever seeing my dad in dirty, wrinkled clothes.  His barn and shop were almost sparkling.  The windshields on every vehicle and tractor were cleaned regularly and he noticed if I came tooling in the yard with a dirty windshield.

          Now it has come time for out trail-boss to move on, just like Gil did, and it is the ramrod’s turn to take the reins.  Our ramrod has 38 years of training and I know she is ready for her new job in our family.  Dad did his part and has left her with a great crew to work with.  Our crew has grown from a family of 6 to a family of 21.  He has left a legacy in his 12 grand kids that thought the world of their
 Grandpa Dan.

          I look forward to the day when we will all be together again.  Until that day we will keep them little doggies movin' on.

Head ‘em up…Move ‘em out