DO-IT-ALL DAD

I HAVE TOLD YOU OF A FEW OF THE THINGS THAT HAPPENED AFTER MARTIN LOST HIS JOB, BUT I HAVE NOT TOLD YOU OF HIS EFFORTS TO KEEP US AFLOAT. AS USUAL, HE NEVER STOPPED LOOKING FOR SOMETHING TO DO FOR AN INCOME, HE HAS ALWAYS TAKEN SUCH GOOD CARE OF US. I REMEMBERED ON INCIDENT THAT HAS BECOME A STORY OF HUMOR AND REPETITION FOR YEARS PAST. ONE JANUARY MARTIN'S UNCLE ASKED MARTIN TO COME TO HIS HOUSE IN THE COUNTRY TO HELP WITH REMODELING. HE LIVED ABOUT 100 MILES AWAY, AND SO MARTIN WOULD TAKE THE WEEKENDS TO GO AND DO AS MUCH AS HE COULD. ONE VERY COLD DAY, MARTIN AND HIS UNCLE WERE REPAIRING A SECOND STORY WINDOW, WITH MARTIN ON THE TOP OF THE LADDER. THIS PLACE WAS OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, BUT WAS SO LOVELY WITH THE TREES, CREEK AND THE NUMEROUS WOODLAND CREATURES THAT LIVED THERE. SUDDENLY, MARTIN HEARD HIS UNCLE TELL HIM NOT TO MOVE, HE HEARD SOMETHING RATTLING, PROBABLY A RATTLESNAKE, AND IT WAS JUST UNDER THE EDGE OF THE HOUSE AT THE BASE OF THE LADDER. SURE ENOUGH, MARTIN HEARD IT TOO, A FAINT RATTLE. THE RATTLE CONTINUED IN ONGOING SPURTS, JUST LIKE A SNAKE AND MARTIN DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO GET OFF THE LADDER WITHOUT BEING BITTEN IF THE SNAKE WAS READY TO STRIKE. HE EDGED SLOWLY DOWN TO THE HALF-WAY POINT OF THE LADDER, ABOUT 6 FEET UP, AND JUMPED WITH ALL HE HAD, LANDING AND ROLLING IN THE YARD A SHORT DISTANCE AWAY FROM THE HOUSE. HE JUMPED UP AND RAN TO A SAFE DISTANCE ALL THE WHILE KEEPING AN EYE ON THE OPENING UNDER THE HOUSE. HE AND HIS UNCLE GOT A FLASHLIGHT TO PEER UNDER THE HOUSE, AND CREEPING CLOSER TRIED TO SHINE THE LIGHT ON THE SNAKE WITHOUT STARTLING IT. THEY CREPT CLOSER AND CLOSER, HEARING THE RATTLE, BUT NOT SEEING THE SNAKE. FINALLY THEY SHINED THE LIGHT DIRECTLY INTO THE HOLE, AND TO THEIR SURPRISE, SAW NOT A SNAKE BUT-----A SKINNY STARVING DOG, SO COLD HIS TEETH WERE RATTLING AND CHATTERING TOGETHER! THERE HE WAS JUST SHIVERING AND CLICKING HIS POOR OLD TEETH. MARTIN AND HIS UNCLE LOOKED AT EACH OTHER AND JUST SCREAMED WITH LAUGHTER- AND THEN, TOOK THE DOG AND FED HIM. WE HAD HAD A LOT OF FUN AT MARTIN'S EXPENSE TALKING ABOUT THE "DEADLY RATTLESNAKE" EXPERIENCE!
MARTIN HAD A NOSE FOR SNIFFING OUT JOBS THAT NEEDED DOING. IT DIDN'T MATTER WHAT IT WAS, (AS LONG AS IT WAS LEGAL) HE WOULD DO IT. HE PUT UP FENCES, ROOFED HOUSES, FIXED CARS, PAINTED HOUSES, AND, WELL YOU NAME IT AND HE WAS GONE TO DO IT. WE HAD THE MONEY NEEDED TO RUN THE HOUSE, AND MARTIN TOOK GREAT PRIDE IN MAKING SURE THAT HE TOOK CARE OF EVERYTHING. NOW, SINCE WE LIVED IN A COUNTY AREA, WE COULD BURN OUR TRASH AND BEGAN TO DO SO TO SAVE THE MONEY ON TRASH PICK-UP. ONE SPRING DAY, AFTER MOWING AND CLEANING THE YARD, MARTIN DECIDED TO BURN THE CLIPPINGS AND THE HOUSEHOLD TRASH TOGETHER. HE ADDED LIMBS FROM TREES, WOOD FROM PROJECTS, SHINGLES FROM ROOFING, AND ALL KINDS OF STUFF, MAKING A HUGE TRASH PILE FOR BURNING. AFTER NEATLY PILING EVERYTHING, HE TOOK A 5 GALLON GAS CAN AND POURED GAS ON THE PILE. BUT, HE HAD NO MATCHES, SO AFTER POURING ON THE GAS, WENT INTO THE HOUSE TO SEARCH FOR MATCHES. WHILE HE WAS GONE, AARON CAME ALONG, AND SEEING THE TRASH PILE, DECIDED TO POUR GAS ON IT SO DAD COULD BURN IT. HE DOUSED THE PILE WITH MORE GAS, AND WENT INTO THE HOUSE TO FIND DAD AND TELL HIM THE PILE WAS READY. THEY MISSED EACH OTHER AND DAD WENT OUT THE BACK WITH THE MATCHES. THINKING THAT MAYBE HE SHOULD POUR SOME MORE GAS ON THE PILE JUST TO INSURE A GOOD BURN, HE EMPTIED THE GAS CAN ON TOP OF THE PILE, AND STRUCK A MATCH, THROWING IT ONTO THE TOP OF THE PILE. WHUMMMPPPH! A HUGE FIREBALL BLEW UP IN FRONT OF HIM, KNOCKING HIM BACKWARD- ALL THE WINDOWS IN THE HOUSE RATTLED LIKE CRAZY, THE BIRDS FOR A HALF MILE AROUND TOOK TO THE SKIES, THE NEIGHBORS RAN TO THEIR DOORS TO SEE WHAT HAPPENED, AND FOUND A HUGE FIRE STREAKING TO THE SKY! POOR OLD MARTIN WAS ON HIS BUTT IN THE GRASS MAKING SURE HE WASN'T ON FIRE, AND SOMEONE CALLED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. SOON WE HEARD THE SIRENS SHRIEKING DOWN THE STREET, SEEING THE HUGE COLUMN OF SMOKE OVER THE HOUSE. THE FIREMEN POURED INTO THE BACK YARD ONLY TO FIND A TRASH FIRE. MARTIN GOT A SCOLDING AND A LECTURE ON FIRE SAFETY, AND THE FIRE GOT PUT OUT. WE STAYED IN THE HOUSE, BECAUSE WE KNEW THAT DADDY WAS NOT GOING TO BE IN THE BEST OF MOODS, ESPECIALLY WHEN HE FOUND OUT THAT AARON HAD "HELPED" HIM! ANOTHER JOB WE DID AS A FAMILY WAS TO CLEAN OUT A HOUSE FOR SOMEONE WHO HAD SUDDENLY MOVED. THE OWNER PAID MARTIN WELL AND TOLD HIM, "JUST GET RID OF EVERYTHING". SO, SINCE THIS HOUSE TOO, WAS IN THE COUNTRY, MARTIN BUILT ANOTHER ONE OF HIS FAMOUS "BURN PILES" WITH ALL THE STUFF THAT WOULD BURN, LIKE PAPERS, AND OTHER STUFF. NOW, IN THE OFFICE OF THIS HOUSE, THERE WERE STACKS OF FILE BOXES, ALL FILLED WITH PAPER. IT LOOKED LIKE THE RECORDS OF A BUSINESS, BUT WE DIDN'T CARE, WE WERE BEING PAYED TO GET RID OF IT. SO, MARTIN BUILT THE FIRE AND WE STARTED THROWING BOXES IN IT. BOX AFTER BOX WE BURNED WITHOUT LOOKING AT THE CONTENTS, ONLY KNOWING IT HAD PAPERS INSIDE. I TOOK A SMALLER BOX, ABOUT THE SIZE OF A SHOEBOX, AND THREW IT ON THE FIRE, DIRECTLY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BLAZE- AND WHEN IT LANDED, THE LID CAME OFF TO REVEAL THAT THE BOX WAS FULL OF MONEY! STACKE OF BILLS, FIVES, TENS AND TWENTYS, SPILLED OUT OF THAT BOX INTO THE FLAMES. I SCREAMED AT MARTIN TO LOOK, AND HE ALMOST DOVE INTO THE FIRE TO GET THE MONEY BACK. BUT, IT WAS TOO LATE, THE MONEY WAS BURNING, AND ALL WE COULD DO WAS WATCH FORLORNLY AS WE DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH CASH WAS DESTROYED. NOW, I KNOW THAT I WOULD HAVE TOLD THE OWNER ABOUT THE MONEY IF I HAD NOT BURNED IT ACCIDENTALLY, BUT IT DIDN'T HELP KNOWING THAT IT WAS GONE. WE SURE COULD HAVE USED IT, BUT THEN IT WASN'T OURS, AND WHO KNOWS WHY THE OWNER WAS HIDING IT LIKE THAT IN THE FIRST PLACE. ANYWAY, BOO-HOO, JUST OUR LUCK! ONE JOB MARTIN TOOK OUT IN THE COUNTRY, AND THAT EVENING HE CAME HOME WITH A HUGE WATER TROUGH, THE KIND FOR CATTLE. IT WAS ABOUT 10 FT ACROSS AND 4 FEET DEEP, AND MADE A MARVELOUS SWIMMING POOL FOR MANY YEARS! ANOTHER TIME, HE WAS HELPING A WOMAN MOVE SOME THINGS AND WAS ADMIRING HER ANTIQUE UPRIGHT PIANO. SHE TOLD HIM THAT SHE WOULD LIKE TO SELL IT, BUT IT WOULD TAKE TOO MANY MEN TO MOVE IT AS IT WAS SO HEAVY. HE ASKED HER HOW MUCH SHE WANTED FOR IT, AND SHE TOLD HIM FIFTY DOLLARS. HE TOLD HER HE COULD MOVE IT BY HIMSELF AND SHE SAID NO, HE COULDN'T, IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE FOR ONE MAN TO MOVE IT. HE TOLD HER HE BET HER FIFTY DOLLARS THAT HE COULD, AND SHE TOOK HIM ON. SURE ENOUGH, HE LOADED IT BY HIMSELF AND CAME HOME WITH THAT PIANO IN THE BED OF THE PICKUP TRUCK! WE HAD LOTS OF FUN WITH THAT PIANO, AND THAT IS THE ONE I LEARNED TO PLAY ON. YES, MARTIN HAS NEVER BEEN STILL, AND ALWAYS A GO-GETTER. BECAUSE OF HIS WORK ETHIC, OUR CHILDREN HAVE ALL BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN THEIR LIVES AS WELL. I AM THANKFUL FOR HIM AND SO BLESSED TO BE HIS ETERNAL COMPANION. MORE TOMORROW, LOVE, NANASEE