Old Friends

I got a phone call this morning and my caller ID said Texas! Well that got me wondering. Is some one from Dumas calling to bitch about the Mike Williams song I sang with Chuck Schmuck? Could it be a hippie from Kerrville? No, it was my good friend John Jerke who lived in the Kaufman House one summer in the early 70's with me, now residing in Dallas and who I worked for on his farm outside of La Salle, Colorado in 1975 - 79. (Take the county road off highway 85 at the Peckham grain elevator, go 6 miles east and there you are!) I came from a 'Leave it to Beaver' suburban Denver background and met John in college at UNC in Greeley. He was raised on the farm but that wasn't his future. Through a set of circumstances we ended up back on his parents farm for a few years after college because neither one of us could find jobs in our "field" so we wound up in another field...one

of the potato, corn and sugar beet variety. I look back on my 'farming days' with fondness and a great deal of respect for those who still toil in the fields in their air conditioned, computerized tractors. We had an old Ford, a Massey Ferguson and a Case. They had no cabs or covers, but we worked the fields in our 'cut-offs and had great tans by April to try and impress the college girls at the Plantation bar in Evans.(they thought we'd been in Florida). We learned a little bit about welding because stuff broke down all the time and I think we spent more time fixing things then we did harvesting.

The picture here is Geri Lou(my sister), Morgan Whaley(my singing partner from those days) and Jerry(Beau) Nelson and his wife taken in the beer garden at Squeakey Bob's sometime in the 70's. They all came up in the conversation today so I thought I'd picture them here.

I don't have a picture of John or the days on the farm but the memories of those days are perfectly clear in my mind. It was wonderful to visit with him today and laugh and talk of days gone by. Sometimes, one can get a little bummed about getting older, but when you have the chance to visit with an old friend, you remember those 'good old days' and that there is nothing more dear and special than a friend! I believe a true friend is one that no matter how long it has been since you've seen them; there are never regrets for not staying in better touch, it's just great to see each other, shake hands, have a good hug and laugh and reminisce about the 'good old days'!!

Good to see ya John...stay in touch.