When I was a six year old boy, in the 1st grade in Pleasant Valley, AZ it was always a great treat when we would hear that Aunt Callie Cravens, Aunt Meda Poage, Uncle Frank Lindley and perhaps others were coming from Texas to visit us. Those three people were Grandpa Lindleys sisters and brother. So naturally they would be put up for the nights at Grandpa and Grandma Lindleys' house. But all of us wanted to get to spend as much time with them as we possibly could. Aunt Callie would always bring us cousins, me, Gene, Eddie and Carol a gift of some sort. One time we boys all received a Buck Rogers gun that shot sparks. I don't remember what Carol got. Anyway the family would all spend even the nights at Grandma and Grandpa's house so we would not miss one minute of the whingding and all the larrupin' good food and hear all the stories they told about the "long ago in Texas." But when bedtime come there was always a feeling of dread because we kids knew we were headed for the foot of the bed.

SLEEPIN' AT THE FOOT OF THE BED

Did ye ever sleep at the foot o' the bed
When the weather wuz whizzin' cold,
When the wind wuz a-whistlin aroun' the house
An' the moon wuz yeller ez gold,
An give yore good warm feathers up
To Aunt Lizzie and Uncle Fred--
Too many kinfolks on a bad, raw night
And you went to the foot o' the bed--
Fer some dern reason the coldest night o' the season
An' you went to the foot o' the bed.

I could allus wait till the old folks et
An' then eat the leavin's with grace,
The teacher could keep me after school,
An' I'd still hold a smile on my face,
I could wear the big boys' wore-out clothes
Er let sister have my sled,
But it allus did git my nanny goat
To have to sleep at the foot o' the bed;
They's not a location topside o' creation
That I hate like the foot o' the bed.

'Twuz fine enough when the kinfolks come--
The kids brought brand -new games,
You could see how fat all the old folks wuz,
An' learn all the babies' names,
Had biscuits an' custard and chicken pie,
An' allus got Sunday fed,
But you knowed dern well when night come on
You wuz headed fer the foot o' the bed;
You couldn't git by it, they wuz no use to try it,
You wuz headed fer the foot o' the bed.

They tell me that some folks don't know whut it is
To have company all over the place,
To rassel fer cover thru a long winter night
With a big foot settin' in your face,
Er with cold toenails a-scratchin' yore back
An' a footboard a-scrubbin' yore head;
I'll tell the wide world you ain't lost a thing
Never sleepin' at the foot o' the bed;
You can live jest as gladly an' die jest as sadly
'N' never sleep at the foot o' the bed.

I've done it, an' I've done it many uv a time
In this land o' brave an' the free,
An' in this all-fired battle uv life
It's done left its mark upon me,
Fer I'm allus a-strugglin' around at the foot
Instead of forgin'ahead,
An' I don't think it's caused by a doggone thing
But sleepin' at the foot o' the bed;
I've lost all my claim on forturne an' fame,
A-sleepin' at the foot o' the bed.


~LUTHER PATRICK

                                                     click on photo to make it larger

"I think that Clay's daddy should post the above invitation in an enlarged format on the wall in his dental office.What better advertisement could a dentist have than this photo: a mouth full of pearly white teeth and a smile that could make any disgruntled and nervous patient relax. Once a patient sees this photo he/she would be looking forward to their next appointment!"

Clay's loving Great Grandpa
(and I don't have an ounce of prejudice!)