Life With Stanley, Chapter 2

[Stanley]

You have heard more than once that Stanley was a humble man, and it's true. I think we had been married at least 30 years before he ever told me this Coast Guard story: Stan was an Engineman on one ocean-going vessel and was loaned to another for a special project. When all was said and done, the two commanding officers waged a battle over who got to have Stanley aboard. Out of that little war arose a letter of commendation that went into his permanent record, which began with, "I do not believe in letters of commendation...". It was here noted that Engineman Schmidt had gone above and beyond the call of duty on this project, and showed the true engineering spirit. He was all of 21 years old at the time and had no formal training whatsoever. Oh, yes, I am keeping that letter in my own permanent file.

Our first house was cold! My mother made me a big old flannel nightgown which was quite warm, but was it ever ugly! As I slipped it over my head one night, Stan's head popped up inside that gown with me, silly grin intact and with a "Hi!" I laughed so hard that we lost our balance and flopped on the bed, which promptly collapsed beneath us. Oh, Stanley....

He had an old pair of slippers that were close to losing the soles. I thought if I sent them through the washer, they would finally give up and I could get him to wear a new pair. So, as he ran water in the tub for a bath one day, I suggested that he let me wash those slippers. He side-stepped into the tub, slippers and all. "These slippers?" he asked, all innocent. Uh, yeah, those would be the ones...

Believe me, whatever the project, Stanley had the right tools for the job, so when a big old tool delivery truck pulled up on the driveway one day, I thought, oh, boy, what has the man ordered this time? Seems Stan's buddy who runs his own repair shop had sent the truck over. The communications had gone out and the driver was frantic to get back on the road. (This is BCP, you know, Before Cell Phones). At the time, Stan was making his own trail cameras and of course, had gotten quite good at soldering tiny little connections. The truck was up and running in no time at all. That driver tried to pay him, but Stan waved him off with a, "Hey, drive safe man!" His payment came in the form of knowing he had done the right thing.

One day, I heard the lawn tractor buzzing around in the back yard but really didn't pay much attention to what was going on. As I sat at the dining room table, movement caught my eye. First I see 10-year-old Liz's head move across the window, then Stan's. Huh? As I stood up, here is the sight that greeted me: Liz driving the lawn tractor around the yard, pulling a boat behind her. Hannah was "napping" on the deck and Stanley? Sitting in the boat in a lawn chair, ball cap in place, legs crossed, having himself a cold pop and taking in the scenery. I can't say for certain, but I suspect he wanted kids so he would have accomplices in his mischief...

Another night, Stan decided to have a nice long soak in the tub. As I sat in the living room reading, I suddenly head a commotion from the bathroom, gobbling and all sorts of weird noises. He was playing a tape of turkey calls. I waltzed into the bathroom and in my most melodramatic voice, announced that he could warn a girl before he got any new pets. "Okay," he said, of course with that silly grin I miss so much.

Early one morning, I heard an argument going on in the kitchen. It took me a minute to realize it was my husband, arguing with himself in two distinct voices. Then I heard a very, very deep, "Okay." Glad he worked that one out...

Speaking of turkey hunting, he brought home one of those pop-up turkey blinds that promised it could be put up and taken down in a matter of seconds. Uh huh....so you know what I'm going to say here, right? He practiced the procedure in the living room. There it sat, waiting for the next practice session. He thought that the camo blended nicely with the rest of the decor, so who could object? As I walked past one day, a hand reached out and pinched me! Another day, I did a double-take; there was his face, filling one of the shooting windows. Stanley? "Just doing a little scouting," he said. I sincerely hope he didn't find any of those turkeys that had been raising such a ruckus in the bathroom...

Life with Stanley. Oh, do I miss life with Stanley.

[Dewey]

Great stories. These made my day.

[Grasshopper]

Thank you for sharing these stories.

[Bobo]

Those are priceless! Thank you!

[ScottSpitzley]

Awesome! Pop up blind in the house I’m also guilty of

x2

Thanks for sharing!

[matt1336]

Awesome stories! Thanks for sharing.

[dan]

[Loppy]

Those were great! Thanks for sharing! What a funny guy!

[Jonny]

Awesome stories

[oldrank]

I'm gonna have to borrow the boat idea.

[E72]

[NYBackcountry]

Very grateful that you keep posting.

[jporcello]

[WV Bowhunter]

[tim]

Kinda nice to still have this direct link to Stanley. Great stories for sure