AND THEN THERE WAS ONE

I would like to take a moment to apologise to my followers and occasional readers. Over the last few weeks I have been distracted from this blog and other activities.

Starting around a year ago my best friend had a bout with the bottle that brought his world to crumble around him. I drove over a two hundred miles a day to be with him during his rehab. A few months back he caved. And thirty days has passed since I last saw him. We never went a day without seeing or at least speaking. Now, we never will again.
Damon -- I'm mad as hell at you, but you will always know - I love you.


Another  friend, passed from this world Friday morning. Bill Arnett, aka - poacher. Poacher was a true character of the old world. Toughest man I've ever known. He once hit a deer on his motorcycle, crawled a half mile home on a gravel road and sewed his busted head back together. We found his bike the next day, then found him. God, he was lucky just to survive the wreck. He never went to the Doc for "attention" -- as he would say. Well lack of that "attention" caught up to him. And caught up with a vengeance. Three wks ago, he was bit by some sort of spider on his foot. It swelled to the point he wanted a wheel chair. A friend that he called, was bringing it to him. Less than 12 hours later, the friend, knocked and yelled, called and then busted in Poacher's door. In his bed he lie. A single gun shot to the head. I guess the pain was to much. Or maybe the infection had made him mad. He had lost three toes and the skin had split multiple times. Should get the results back from Dallas today.
Poacher -- I will always remember your warm smile and that hint of gentle craziness in your eye.


And finally,  a friend who I met at a bar some yrs. back. He looked like a Kibbler elf with a Thyroid condition. He simply reached out and said "Hi, I'm KD". Well - he was told he has only days left. After complaining to the Docs at the VA for yrs., he finally told them to stick it. He awoke one night in so much pain, his wife drove him to the hospital. The doc there told him "his choice of life style - the beer, 2 packs a day and other "spirits" could be what his pain was about". KD, not being one to take speeches lightly, quit squeezing the doc's head and demanded a MIR. Moments later a complete staff of Docs walked in. He got the news. Nothing left but pain management. At his living wake, he said something that will live within me forever, " Wherever you are , reach out and talk to the guy next to you, we all need that. To be talked with. You'll never know what a few kind words and laughs will do for someone. After all, that is how we met."
KD -- I love you and will miss you most of all. I am honored you spoke to me that day so many years back.

This song goes out to you three.