The Ole Chicken Pen

[antharper]

Prayers from here ! Thanks for sharing

 

[georgia_home]

Amen Peace God bless

 

[Redbow]

Sorry to hear about your Dad Stob may the God of peace and hope be with you all during this difficult time and always.

 

[slow motion]

Sorry to hear about your Dad. I'll pray for comfort and strength as you go through this difficult time. Just wanted to say as you had posted that you are a bit of a loner, you aren't alone. You're among family here and of course the Almighty is always with you. There's a post by our brother @Batjack that was turned into a sticky at the top of the page titled Reach Out. If you need someone to talk with there are plenty of good folks listed. And as others have said that was a great tribute to your father. Take care brother.

 

[NCHillbilly]

Durn, this thread has hit me hard in the feels. Very poignant. And I know it's no consolation, but I've been where you are exactly two too many times in the last few years. It's not an easy thing to go through.

 

[specialk]

Prayers and good thoughts to you brother...

 

[Core Lokt]

Lean on the Lord brother...

I know for myself as I get older I wish I wouldn't have rebuked on things. I pray for your dad and your family. Just lean on the Lord no matter how bad things seem or may be.

God Bless.

 

[Paymaster]

I've always been told, never forget where you came from, but I did. For me, it was the chicken pen. I hated that thing - I hated letting them out, getting them back on roost, feeding them. I just hated it. Not really because I hated the chickens or the eggs that we ate, I just had other things to do.

Yesterday, I brought my dad home from the hospital for home hospice. I had to carry him onto the porch where he sat for about three hours with the dog and I couldn't hold back the tears. I walked the property on and off for hours.

More than 25 years after leaving home, that stupid chicken pen had me a wreck.

View attachment 1287531

That chicken pen once housed two small pigs- another time, a pack of beagles; but mostly it was dad's chicken pen up until about a year ago. Never foget when a friends dad gave him two 'fighting chickens'. They didn't last long.

I continued to just walk around and then noticed this -
View attachment 1287533

This is what is left of where we used to skin deer. It once had a roof and all sorts of other bits and pieces. I think my brother redid it after I left home but I have skinned probably 250 deer right there.

I later visited the final resting spots of 'two best dogs I ever owned'. Max and Bailey. My daughter and I burred and made the cross of the one in the back near 2002. Dad is a dog lover, always had a dog in the back of the truck and Max and Bailey were always by his side. He treated those two dogs better than he ever treated me.

View attachment 1287534

I finished the day with watching the sun set over the pond that I grew up swimming, fishing, frog gigging, jug hooking and just general foolishness in.
View attachment 1287535

I left home at 19 and never went back other than a visit or two here and there but as I type this, I wish I could go back in time.

'Boy, all you got to do in life is work harder than the man to your left and the man to your right'. And that's what I did but I would love to let those stupid chickens out again.
View attachment 1287536

I will be burring him in the coming days/weeks. A good man right there!

Dont forget where you came from!

Prayers added from here.

 

[Stob]

Thank you all for the kind words and prayers. They have meant a lot and I have reread them many times over the last few weeks. Dad passed away Sat night/Sunday morning.

I wont get into the details but if you dont have end of life care plans, get them. No child on this earth should ever have to go through this. Especially if Medicaid/Medicare is involved.

Appreciate yall- many late nights when I thought that I had reached the end of the internet, I came here and read so many threads.

 

[specialk]

Thank you all for the kind words and prayers. They have meant a lot and I have reread them many times over the last few weeks. Dad passed away Sat night/Sunday morning.

I wont get into the details but if you dont have end of life care plans, get them. No child on this earth should ever have to go through this. Especially if Medicaid/Medicare is involved.

Appreciate yall- many late nights when I thought that I had reached the end of the internet, I came here and read so many threads.

So sorry brother, .....you are right....also give stuff away to who you want to have them after you are gone, dont wait.....also if you aint got nothing but a hound dog and some pots and pans write down who gets them....

 

[slow motion]

Thank you all for the kind words and prayers. They have meant a lot and I have reread them many times over the last few weeks. Dad passed away Sat night/Sunday morning.

I wont get into the details but if you dont have end of life care plans, get them. No child on this earth should ever have to go through this. Especially if Medicaid/Medicare is involved.

Appreciate yall- many late nights when I thought that I had reached the end of the internet, I came here and read so many threads.

Please allow me to offer my condolences. I'll keep praying for strength and comfort for you and your family.

 

[jdgator]

It is so good of you to be with him right now. All we can ever want is to be with our children loved ones in the end.

 

[WOODIE13]

Sorry for your loss brother

 

[Cool Hand Luke]

That is rough but you did what you had to do. So sorry for your loss.

 

[Railroader]

I would say I'm sorry @Stob, but I'm really not...

Sounds to me like you have all done well in a bad situation, and your Dad went out in style, with the one finger salute!

He was obviously loved, respected, and helped to the best of your ability as his time came.

This is in fact, probably the best thread ever posted here, and we can all only hope to go out of this world with folks that cared as much about us as you did your Dad.

He's certainly proud...

 

[Stob]

Thanks again for all the well wishes and prayers.

My uncle Greg from WV was with me, and this is how it ended.

So I called the hospice nurse, she came, took the meds, filled out the paperwork and left. Then the funeral home picked him up. But there was no sleeping for me.

Haven eaten little to nothing for weeks on end, I told my sister, uncle and his girlfriend to get in the car; dad loved breakfast so let's go to Waffle House. This was about 230am. Now my uncle Greg nor his girlfriend eat out very often. Like NEVER. So I asked, 'have you ever been to a waffle house' to the reply of 'we have seen them'. I am now smiling knowing that my dad was smiling down.

Now I guess that my sister and I have probably been in a WH many times at 330am in our youth so we know what we are walking into. One thing was different this time as the local college was now a major university and the place was crawling with drunk college kids. My uncle Greg thought he had died and went to heaven where a circus and a strip club came together and they just happened to cook bacon too! But that is not where I end the story, it ends with something that had my sister and I dying yet so petty. How do you teach someone to order WF hashbrowns if they aint 'Waffle House' people but really are? 15 min conversation.

'Smothered, covered, capped and peppered'

My sister and I laughed so hard that we cried. We will spread his ashes in Sothern WV in June.

 

[WOODIE13]

Thanks again for all the well wishes and prayers.

My uncle Greg from WV was with me, and this is how it ended.

So I called the hospice nurse, she came, took the meds, filled out the paperwork and left. Then the funeral home picked him up. But there was no sleeping for me.

Haven eaten little to nothing for weeks on end, I told my sister, uncle and his girlfriend to get in the car; dad loved breakfast so let's go to Waffle House. This was about 230am. Now my uncle Greg nor his girlfriend eat out very often. Like NEVER. So I asked, 'have you ever been to a waffle house' to the reply of 'we have seen them'. I am now smiling knowing that my dad was smiling down.

Now I guess that my sister and I have probably been in a WH many times at 330am in our youth so we know what we are walking into. One thing was different this time as the local college was now a major university and the place was crawling with drunk college kids. My uncle Greg thought he had died and went to heaven where a circus and a strip club came together and they just happened to cook bacon too! But that is not where I end the story, it ends with something that had my sister and I dying yet so petty. How do you teach someone to order WF hashbrowns if they aint 'Waffle House' people but really are? 15 min conversation.

'Smothered, covered, capped and peppered'

My sister and I laughed so hard that we cried. We will spread his ashes in Sothern WV in June.

Awesome.

Need a boat, let me know.

 

[FriedCatfish]

God bless you sir.

 

[Core Lokt]

Thank you all for the kind words and prayers. They have meant a lot and I have reread them many times over the last few weeks. Dad passed away Sat night/Sunday morning.

I wont get into the details but if you dont have end of life care plans, get them. No child on this earth should ever have to go through this. Especially if Medicaid/Medicare is involved.

Appreciate yall- many late nights when I thought that I had reached the end of the internet, I came here and read so many threads.

Hang in there brother. Pray, cry, laugh and pray some more. You are in my prayers.

 

[Shotgun1]

Stob thanks for your original post.My situation was not like yours but your post brought out similar thoughts and feelings. Thanks to you and all who contributed. God bless you.