More from Cali

My dad is a born and bred Utahn, and a cowboy. So, it goes without saying that he loved his farm dogs. He loves heelers. So, when we moved to Cali we got a Queensland Blue Heeler. We named her Jesse...and Jesse 2.



This is how it all went down. We drove to Utah for a mid-summer visit. It must have been aroun '84. We always had fun in Goshen because nearly all the cousins lived there and they had horses and trucks you could drive around the field, and hay to stack, and Grandma Mary had a family room the size of Jason's ugly new (old) Cadi that we held talent shows in. We brought Jessie with us.



Grandpa Henry and Grandma Virgie lived in the house across the driveway from Grandma Mary's House in what my mom affectionately calls "the compound" (3 homes within 40 feet of eachother sharing the farm). Grandpa Henry was in the haze of alzheimer's. We'd catch him peeing on the tires of the cars (we thought it was so cool), and my Uncle Brent would lock and re-lock and re-purchase locks for the cellar Grandpa Henry was always tyring to get in to get coal and such. He would tell us the greatest stories of his time playing baseball (was it semi-pro?), and all sorts of stuff that happened many moons ago, but he couldn't remember anything recent.



My parents elsewhere, my awesome, eclectic Aunt Kathy (Dad's Aunt), was sitting with me at Grandma Mary's when Grandpa Henry came in with Jessie's collar. I thought irritatingly, she had gotten away from it and now we'd have to search for her. Luckily, my fears were put to rest when Grandpa Henry asked, "Does this belong to anyone here? I just hit the dog." He said it like he was talking to the neighbors and honestly, after growing up on a farm, maybe that's how you'd say it to your grandkids too. Grandpa Henry made roadkill of our dog and what good did it do to be mad at a sweet old man with alzheimer's? So we moved on to Jessie 2. She had 3 puppies in the backyard dog run and my dad cropped their tales with our butcher knife. Another reason you are so cool if you grow up on a farm.