Before Ozzy Osbourne was even born, there was another Ozzy who was famous… well, at least in my family. “Uncle Ozzy” was really my great-great-uncle and “Grampie Ed”, his brother, was my mom’s grandfather. As young adults, in the 1930’s, Uncle Ozzy drove the school bus, milked the cows, and took care of their mother. Grampie Ed could best be described as a very generous man for he was always willing to let others do all the work.
Grampie Ed was also creative in the field of music. Periodically he’d sing out, “Every Day Will Be Sunday, Bye-N-Bye”. From the title, one might think it was rooted in faith, but to set the record straight… Each Sunday, Uncle Ozzie would put on his Sunday suit and drive to church. As for Ed, the words reflected a time when one refrained from working. “Every Day Will Be Sunday, Bye-N-Bye” was his motto, though I’ve always wondered how a person can look forward to resting from work when they had not worked the other six days of the week.
Grampie Ed considered himself retired. I’m not sure what he retired from, but he announced that he had retired. Perhaps a few years later, when he turned fifty, the answer was discovered, but doubtful. With age, however, Ozzy developed respiratory problems and was no longer able to care for himself, so his niece offered for him to live with her. Well, Grampie Ed loved that… it was his daughter, so he moved in too.
I remember going to their house and there sat “the boys” in rocking chairs. Uncle Ozzy was quiet, but Grampie Ed would periodically “hoop” meaning shout loudly. This of course, always made me jump, but I shouldn’t have felt special for apparently it was an every day occurrence. Religiously, so to say, they’d sit facing each other, rocking back and forth; strategically positioned in order to see through the window behind the other’s chair. All day long they’d alert each other to the traffic and have deep conversations about it. As cars passed the house, one would say, “Here she comes.” And the response was always, “There she goes.” It’s a good thing they lived in a small township. Had there been much traffic, surely they would have been completely worn out, especially Ed.
So, when my pups gaze out the window, I wonder what they’re thinking …
“Here she comes.” or “There she goes.”
