My Cowboy

Cowboys like smoky old pool rooms and clear mountain mornings
Little warm puppies and children and girls of the night
Them that don't know him won't like him and them that do
Sometimes won't know how to take him

He ain't wrong, he's just different but his pride won't let him
Do things to make you think he's right

 This was a song I always loved and my dad would sing often. When Josh came along and was old enough, he wanted a pair of cowboy boots and a hat. He'd wear a shirt and pants--with suspenders, that had a horse and cute cowboy on them. He'd watch John Wayne movies with his dad and knew when Willie Nelson came on the radio. People would see him with the hat on, smile and say, "Howdy Pilgrim."

Then Star Wars came to light in Josh's life and the cowboy stuff was over. But we still had cowboy influence in our lives. Brandon.

Brandon loved cars and trucks. Anything with motors really and he loved fixing or rather taking apart things to find out how it worked. Again, Willie Nelson and old country songs were some of what he grew up on. I am just an old rock and roll junkie and love the old cowboy songs too. (My music taste ranges from these genres to loving classical just as much. Puccini does so much for my spirit.)

I think Brandon always wanted to drive truck. I believe that desire came from, his dad,  John's respect for truck drivers. And so something started inside him that now, when I think of Brandon, I think of that song. I don't know about the girls of the night, but he likes girls. They make him smile and blush and he has a fabulous smile and beautiful blue eyes.

The first 6 months of his life, he seemed to always be sick. His ears would hurt and he'd cry and it was raining always it seemed cause of the winter. So, it seemed that he reminded me of the line "Blue eyes crying in the rain." I would hum that over and over while walking the floor until he fell asleep. Then I'd either put him in his crib or hold him all night because he was so sick and having a hard time breathing, that I was afraid he'd stop breathing.

When my niece and nephew--Tara and Brandon would stay the night, Big Brandon as we called him would spend time with Josh or help me cook and ask lots of questions. Tara would mother Little Brandon. She always asked if she could give him a bottle if he woke in the night. She heard him on the first whimper and took care of him. She was only 7 or 8. Little Brandon formed a fond attachment to Tara. Anyway, this is a walk down memory lane and I couldn't help but put this in. I have pictures and will edit them in later, they just have to be scanned.

Anyway, Brandon loves children, puppies, playing pool, and clear mountain mornings. And some have a hard time understanding things about him mostly because he doesn't talk about it all. A teacher once told me she thought Brandon might be autistic and I think maybe he could be too. It's just everyone knew little about it and the differing functioning degrees. Brandon doesn't have the same reasoning capabilities and like other people he learns differently. It's just finding the way to teach him. All the little accomplishments in life were big things to me because they came with such a struggle. Brandon was proud of each accomplishment including the time he and Tyler filled the gas tank with water.

Brandon never let us help him ride a bike, but he wanted to learn, so he'd go use his brother's bike when he thought we weren't looking. The moment he noticed me, he'd stop. He learned though. When he lost his first 2 teeth because they were at the same time, he was mad and threw one across the room. When he learned that if you put the teeth under your pillow the tooth fairy would leave money, then it was okay and he'd let us know that he lost it.

When he was around 8 or 9, he modified his bike by replacing the front tire with a tire from his scooter. Kids thought it looked cool and he rode that around all summer. At least until he decided he wanted to ride his scooter too.

Brandon takes time to think about things. It took a few months, but at about 5 he learned how to start my standard transmission car. He wanted to know how to start it and I told him I pushed a button as I turned on the key. I just didn't tell him I pushed it with my foot. He kept his eyes on both my hands for the longest time and then one day, he knew it was a foot pedal. He also knew the difference between the gas and brake pedal, so it's that third one. Never again did I leave the keys in the car for a minute.

He had more time to out think me than I could find time to out think him. I just had to learn to head  him off at the pass.

Brandon to this day does well working alone or depending on the job with a friend and he does love dogs, so hopefully one day, he'll have a place where he can have a few. He loves animals almost as much as Josh and Marin do, but trucks are his first love and I'm sure always will be. Old Chevy trucks especially.

I can see him with a cup of coffee--black--faded levi's, scuffed boots, and a dog sitting on the tail gate of his old Chevy pickup in the early morning. Just taking a few moments before he has to get to work. I didn't heed the words of the song. it couldn't be helped. His grandpa raised horses in Minnesota and loved them like they were his best friend. And it comes from my grandpa too. So, Brandon will never be a doctor or a lawyer or such.