Turning the blog over to Slim Randles today so we can all smile a little and maybe even chuckle at some of the antics of the guys who gather at the Mule Barn Truck Stop on a regular basis. First up is a story about Delbert’s attempt to get Marvin to join the Chamber of Commerce, then the guys share the favorite parts of their various jobs, with Steve providing the kicker.
Read on and enjoy…
Delbert McLain smiled at the sign in Marvin Pincus’s yard as he walked briskly up to the front door and knocked. Marvin had seen him coming and opened it with a big smile and a handshake.
“Delbert! I’ve got to tell you I’ve really been looking forward to seeing what kind of flies we can tie up to improve your love life. You want some coffee?”
“Love life?” Del said. “Oh not today, Marvin, not today. I’m here on chamber business. Yessir.”
Delbert McLain is our Chamber of Commerce. We have all designated him … well … okay, I guess Del kinda designated himself to let the world know we adore progress, our community is the healthiest, safest and most prosperous place to raise children or crops or make widgets.
“Official business, Del?”
“Yes indeed, Marvin. Now that you’re a local businessman, you’ll be needing the services of the chamber to put your love counseling and fly tying service on the map. The world (he waved his arms) is waiting to hear about the (he looked out the front window at the sign) … the Fly Tying Love Center.”
“Does it cost money to join?”
“Fifty bucks a year, Marvin. That’s for a whole year!”
“And what do I get for that?”
“We list you on our chamber business list, and of course there’s the monthly lunch meeting at the Mule Barn.”
“Oh, you pay for lunch at the Mule Barn?”
“Uh … no…”
“I eat there every day now, Del, and the guys tell me how to run my business and live my life, for free.”
On the way back out to his car, Del thought how some businesses just weren’t very progressive minded. Not at all.
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Brought to you by “I Honked My Horse But the Tree Didn’t Hear,” which will be published as soon as I (Slim) locate the bravest publishing company in the world.
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Down at the sale barn Saturday, the think tank had coagulated there with coffees to go to celebrate life. Doc and Dud had their dogs with them, while Bert and Dewey and Steve went stag.
Dud tried to start a conversation, but the loudspeaker soon drove them outside, where they arrayed themselves on dropped tailgates and waited to hear what Dud had in mind.
“I thought about it a lot,” Dud said, “and I wondered what the favorite part of my job was, and wondered if you fellas ever gave that any thought, too.”
They nodded. Yes, by mutual consent a worthy subject.
“With me,” Dud continued, “it wasn’t so much my job as it was my hobby. You know, writing that book. I’m claiming it as the best part of my job, anyway.”
The assembled were still waiting to read “Murder in the Soggy Bottoms,” as it had yet to see print, and was really a work in progress.
Then Bert picked up the conversation thread. “Of course I’m retired now,” he said, “but when I was running the pawn shop, my favorite part of the job happened when a customer found something in there he really needed and ended up paying much less for it than he thought he’d have to.”
Doc laughed “And you made more on it than you thought you would, too,”
Bert grinned and nodded.
“Yep. That was good too. And you, Dewey?”
Our accident-prone pharaoh of fertilizer got a serious look on his face. He finally said, “The best part of the fertilizer business is seeing the difference it makes in the flower gardens around town. Now maybe it’s just my imagination, but I kinda like to take a little credit for a prettier town.”
“You deserve it, Dewey,” Doc said kindly. “Well now … with me it’s a little different. I have doctoring skills, of course, and it’s good when I can help someone, but these days the most satisfying part of my job is to check someone out thoroughly and find there’s absolutely nothing wrong with them. Now that’s special.”
They all looked over at the tall cowboy, Steve.
“Digging postholes,” he said.
“What?” they said.
“You know,” he said, “the favorite part of my job is….”
“Digging postholes?”
“Sure,” he said, grinning.
“It’s the only part of my job where I start at the top end work down.”
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Brought to you by A Cowboy’s Bucket List. Also at Rio Grande Press.
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If you like these essays from Slim, you can find more just like them in his book Home Country, which I highly recommend.
That’s all from me for today folks. I hope you have a wonderful weekend doing some things for fun and relaxation. Whatever your plans, be safe. Be happy.
