Plantin' Another One...
Well... Just got through plantin' another friend in the ground. I must be a good farmer.
Rex was a helluva guy. He was quite a bit older than I was, fact is, he's just a year younger than my mom, but he was an easy guy to like, and I did.
I first really knew of him when I was back in grade school and he started driving a school bus. He wasn't on our route, but man... everyone wanted Rex to be their driver. Funny, hard of hearing, and he let anything short of homicide slide. Yeah... he was Otto the bus driver 20 years before the Simpsons hit the airwaves. All the kids loved him.
Eventually, I aged and got to ride with Rex on the athletic trips. Oh yeah... he was the standard bus driver for all athletic events. The reason? Well... he knew his way around an engine and ripped the governor off of his bus and turned a few screws up too. That bus got up and moved and we'd make "good time" getting to and from the games. It was an awesome time of life. But Rex cut a few other corners, like not coming to a complete stop at some railroad tracks and opening the door, and somebody ratted him out. That was the end of Rex as a bus driver.
As you can tell... Rex was a free spirit. Harley rider, smoker in his early days, and he knew what the golden elixir tasted like. So after his sudden departure at the bus depot, he went to work for a paving company.
By this time, he was damn near deaf, so they put him on the crusher. Nobody else could stand it because of the noise, but he got along just fine.
I was talking with another friend one day and he asked what Rex was doing now. I told him that I thought he was still working at the paving company. "Oh no," he said, "He lost that job." "How come?" I replied. My buddy looks at me an says, "They found a little blood in his drug system."
I could tell you stories about Rex for days, for every time I was around him it was always a laugh riot. As some of you may know, I'm usually a jovial fellow, and so was he, at least around me. He'd make me bust up, and I'd do my best to return the favor. Good times.
Rex gave me one last full throttle experience today too. I've never been to a funeral where they played rock music in the background until today. From the Blues Brother's opening before the prayer, to That Old Time Rock and Roll as they rolled him out, with a little If You're Gonna Go to Heaven, You've got to Raise and Little Hell in between...
So in closing... I could palaver about this or that... I could come up with some quote from some deep thinker or philosopher... yeah. I could do that, but the picture on the back of the funeral program probably said it best.
****************************
Today's mystery lyric: (Remember the rules folks, no online searching of the lyrics, if you don't know it, you don't have the answer!) In honor of Rex, I'll pull one out of the ol' high school memory section.
Well it's 40 below,
and I don't give a f*ck
got a heater in my truck
and I'm off to the rodeo!
Answer to last lyric: Knockin' at Your Back Door by Deep Purple. Way to go Doc!
Rex was a helluva guy. He was quite a bit older than I was, fact is, he's just a year younger than my mom, but he was an easy guy to like, and I did.
I first really knew of him when I was back in grade school and he started driving a school bus. He wasn't on our route, but man... everyone wanted Rex to be their driver. Funny, hard of hearing, and he let anything short of homicide slide. Yeah... he was Otto the bus driver 20 years before the Simpsons hit the airwaves. All the kids loved him.
Eventually, I aged and got to ride with Rex on the athletic trips. Oh yeah... he was the standard bus driver for all athletic events. The reason? Well... he knew his way around an engine and ripped the governor off of his bus and turned a few screws up too. That bus got up and moved and we'd make "good time" getting to and from the games. It was an awesome time of life. But Rex cut a few other corners, like not coming to a complete stop at some railroad tracks and opening the door, and somebody ratted him out. That was the end of Rex as a bus driver.
As you can tell... Rex was a free spirit. Harley rider, smoker in his early days, and he knew what the golden elixir tasted like. So after his sudden departure at the bus depot, he went to work for a paving company.
By this time, he was damn near deaf, so they put him on the crusher. Nobody else could stand it because of the noise, but he got along just fine.
I was talking with another friend one day and he asked what Rex was doing now. I told him that I thought he was still working at the paving company. "Oh no," he said, "He lost that job." "How come?" I replied. My buddy looks at me an says, "They found a little blood in his drug system."
I could tell you stories about Rex for days, for every time I was around him it was always a laugh riot. As some of you may know, I'm usually a jovial fellow, and so was he, at least around me. He'd make me bust up, and I'd do my best to return the favor. Good times.
Rex gave me one last full throttle experience today too. I've never been to a funeral where they played rock music in the background until today. From the Blues Brother's opening before the prayer, to That Old Time Rock and Roll as they rolled him out, with a little If You're Gonna Go to Heaven, You've got to Raise and Little Hell in between...
So in closing... I could palaver about this or that... I could come up with some quote from some deep thinker or philosopher... yeah. I could do that, but the picture on the back of the funeral program probably said it best.
****************************
Today's mystery lyric: (Remember the rules folks, no online searching of the lyrics, if you don't know it, you don't have the answer!) In honor of Rex, I'll pull one out of the ol' high school memory section.
Well it's 40 below,
and I don't give a f*ck
got a heater in my truck
and I'm off to the rodeo!
Answer to last lyric: Knockin' at Your Back Door by Deep Purple. Way to go Doc!
posted by LL at 2:52 PM
14 Comments:
Sorry for your loss LL. xx
Love the photo - it really says a lot. I am sorry that you've had to say goodbye to another friend.
My thoughts go out to you and his family and friends too.
JennyLu - thanks darlin', but as you can tell, I'm not too shook up over his death. He had throat cancer and so it wasn't unexpected. I'll still miss him though.
fermi - Yeah. That photo is worth a thousand words, isn't it. Of all the photos I've seen on funeral programs, that was quite possibly the best.
BC - thanks for that too, but as I told JennyLu, I'm not sad. He was too fun of a guy for me to be sad.
You have good memories and thats important of those that played a part in your life.
This world could use a few more Rexes; sadly, we seem to be losing the ones we have. Condolences to you and all those who knew him.
I think I love you. Does that make me bad?
Dude, I was at a support group with my guy who has prostate cancer last night. (We are breaking up again.) He has a little lying problem.
I asked the 76 year old moderator to marry me. The man burst into laughter. Then he pulled me aside and told me how to save the schmo I was with.
The things we do for you fuckers.
I can hear the mystery lyric song in my head, but don't know the title. Gah!
Sorry you lost another friend. Everyone dies, but some do go sooner than you'd like them to.
BC - Yup. Lots of good memories.
Doc - I dunno... One Rex was more than enough for some.
Charm - Does that make you bad? No... but it might make you a cougar. Although if you're asking a 76 year old to marry you, then you need to decide whether you're going to be a cougar or another Anna-Nicole. :ewink:
Tiff - Somehow I knew that if anyone knew that song it would be you. I'd also wager you can sing it too!
Mr. Schprock - Janis? I thought she was hung up on Bobby McGee...
Beautifully written. I had a Rex in my life too. I have great stories but, unlike you, I never thought of honoring them.
That picture reminds me of Richard Lewis. The behavior does too.
Sounds like Rex had a great ride while here.
I had to look up palaver'. That's not a word we use in these parts, but now I'm thinking I should lose 'Drivel" and replace it with 'Palaver'. Only problem is that others who may not know what 'palaver' means means may think it's someone's name and 'Debbie Does Palaver' would just be wrong.
Thank you, ;) email me when u get a chance.. I miss our convos.
Cherm - write 'em up!
KTM - Richard Lewis? Nahhh... Rex was far more neurotic than that...
Tiffy - Are you askin' or tellin'?
Deb - You want to co-opt palaver now? What's next? Posting a link to an 80's rock video??? ;P It wouldn't have the same alliterating effect that your triple D's do. Perhaps you could add it to your banner. "Palavering from the coast of ME etc."
Danigirl - you really must be feeling blue if you miss conversations with me. :kotc:
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