meanwhile back at the ranch it’s September and I’m sharing stories here on the blog about life and the characters that make it grand and interesting or not.

today this one came to mind…

******************

the night I almost killed my father-in-law

sounds serious doesn’t it?!

well, it was!

it was a traditional 4th of July

Cowboy Dan and his brother and his dad and as many of their family members that are able spend

Memorial Day, 4th of July and Labor Day weekends in a wagon or on a horse.  Rain or shine. HOT or not. They ride.

On this particular 4th it had not been hot but Hades HOT!!

That evening after the ride we all joined some friends for a cool down by their pool … As with many of our gatherins’ the hens ended up on one end of the pool -cluckin’ about this and that while the men gathered down by the grill near the deep end of the pool.  Testosterone levels were at an evenin’ high.  The guys one-upping the others when the subject of swimming came up.  Tales of swimmin’ here and there when I heard the question,

“You don’t swim?”

Addressing my father-in-law.

We call him Pop.

If you dont’ know Pop, you’re missin’ out.  I’ve never met another quite like him.  Oh, except for his son. You know? the one I married.  But that’s another story for another day.

Pop is a quiet man for the most part.  Unless he’s on the soccer field or walking the outskirts of a wrestlin’ mat or if there is a news worthy weather event..

He’s a hardworker. Honest. Loyal and he’s always been very good to me.

“Nah, I don’t swim.” was his response.

Now keep in mind..at this point Cowboy Dan and I hadn’t been married very long and sister banker and Cowboy Dan’s brother weren’t married yet. I share that to say this…we were all still very young and immature and mean and not nearly as wise and all grown up as we are now…*wink~ wink.

As best I recall~sister and I were chillin’ side-by-side with out feet in the water when we overheard Pop say

he couldn’t swim.?

#feelingbaffled,  thinking “surely not???”

When we each gave the other that look like

“are you thinkin’ what I’m thinkin’?”

then, like two cool cats we rose from our seat… strolled quietly near where Pop was propped up on the fence …gave each other a quick nod

and just like that….we ambushed Pop! PUSHING HIM IN THE POOL!

and then-

you know that awkward moment when you see your father-in-law sinking to the bottom of the deep end and you hear

(&*^*&%&#^$%^&*()(*&^%$#@!#$%^&*

and your mother-in-law scream

“HE CAN’T SWIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

and you think to yourself  without saying a word because you can’t move because you’re frozen with fear at the thought that you may have just KILLED YOUR FATHER-IN-LAW WHO CAN.NOT. SWIM and the moment you whisper to yourself “nobody panic” when you see FOUR GROWN MEN JUMP IN THE WATER AFTER YOUR FATHER-IN-LAW who is GASPING for air like people do in the movies when they ARE DROWNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

yea, it went something like that

and I couldn’t do or say anything.

well??? !!! what would you have done or said? how does one apologize to their father-in-law for a

prank gone BAD!

thank you JESUS! Pop didn’t drown due to the heroic efforts of the 4 grown men who saved him, one being Cowboy Dan who gave me a look I still have nightmares about…shew!

It’s a scary think to almost drown your father-in-law.  Thankfully he’s forgiving.

A little word for the wise…should you hear someone say, “I don’t swim.”

Take em’ at their word and let em’ be

:OP

unitl tomorrow,

k