On being a gentleman

My dad is of the age that some things are just to be done…like having your shirt tail tucked in your pants…no matter what kind of shirt, and no matter what kind of pants.  I don't guess I ever saw Dad without his shirt tail tucked in, at least not that I can recall.  He had worn starched shirts and jeans for years, even at home.

My niece took this photograph of dad just about two years ago.  Even though he was working, shirt in, jeans starched.

Up until Dad broke his hip in October, he was still dressing every day in starched shirt and jeans, and he would not hear of doing otherwise.  My sister finally talked him into fleece pants (and his western shirt) so he would be more comfortable and it would be easier to dress his wound after he had the hip repair surgery.  This winter, she eased him into fleece tops with those pants because they were warmer for him, and easier than all the snaps.

Rand and I had stopped at the outlet mall in Terrell on the way home to go to the Jockey store.  While they did not have what I wanted, they did have some Tall fleece and flannel pants--something you cannot get in Graham, or frankly, just about anywhere one can shop these days.  Dad is 6'6" so even the longest pants you can find, after a couple of times through the dryer, are about 2-3 inches (or more!) too short for him.  Most manufacturers think "tall" is a 34 inch inseam, and Dad needs a 36--which we could get in Wrangler's (apparently, they understand that cowboys are taller, and have no butt to speak of)--but even with looking all over the Internet, Sis and I could not find anything long enough in fleece.  And then, Jockey came to my rescue--which is kind of funny, if you think about it, since real jockeys have to be very short and very small.

So, Dad has been enjoying his long-enough fleece pants, and I will be sure to stop on my next trip and pick up a few more pair and relegate the "high waters" to one of those times I might need some work pants for mucking out the hay stall.  I have decided that I will be taking an old pair of smooth soled boots with me next time.  Do you have any idea how hard it is to get horse droppings and hay out of the soles of athletic shoes?  You do if you were foolish enough to wear them to the barn.