A to Z Blogging: O is for Ornery

 Across the internet I am known as Ornery's Wife.  Today's A to Z Challenge post explores the infamous Ornery himself.  It's a long post, but hopefully you will enjoy getting to know this character.

Ornery in his skunk hat--a Christmas gift reminiscent of how he got his nickname.

His given name is David which is what his mother still calls him. Most people call him Dave or Ornery Dave, but to me he has always been "Babe" or "Lover" except, of course in my blog posts. He seems to be quite attached to the moniker Ornery, as he does all within his power to live up to it daily. He has a vanity license plate that reads ONERY because I had a blonde moment at the tag agency and forgot how to spell it. Fortunately you can get by with that on a license plate!

He was born 54 years ago in a small town in the Oklahoma Panhandle. He was the first born of three, but he was an only child until he was almost 8 when a sister was added to the family. His brother is 16 years younger.

Ornery in his farm-style work clothes getting ready to trim some trees.

He was raised on a wheat farm/cattle ranch, and learned to drive a pick-up at about five years of age, so his folks could feed cattle and move irrigation pipe. He drove tractors from about the age of 8, when his mom relinquished her seat due to carrying his sister.

He still loves to drive trucks... here he is with his first Toyota Tundra.  Now he has a red one.

He was a fairly average student, receiving comments in the early years such as "Inclined to Mischief" and the like. His favorite classes were math and science.

In an effort to build a bridge in a troubled relationship, his dad offered to join Ornery in taking flying lessons. Together they studied regulations and rules, shared instructors and air time, and eventually had their shirts ripped from their backs after their solo flights.

Checking out an airplane on the ramp at a local airport

Due to his interest in Math and Science, it is not surprising that he chose Computer Science as his major in college. He was a better student in college, especially after we got married, when he began making straight A's. He completed his BS at Oral Roberts University, and a Masters Degree in Computer Science 20 years later at Oklahoma State University. 

On the last day of work at MCI/WorldCom, some of his co-workers gave him a little orneriness back by moving the walls and closing off his cubicle.  Here he is looking into his cube from the former doorway.

He has had a variety of jobs in the computing field, one of which was with a company that did R & D work for the government, specifically aeronautical and weather related projects. The job was ideal for him with his pilot background and his love for science.  About five or six years ago, he ended up at Flight Safety, International programming instructor station modules for flight simulators. Hopefully he will stay there until he retires--many of the engineers have been there over 25 years!

Making stew in his Dutch oven--a skill he learned as a Scout Leader

Ornery enjoys outdoor pursuits almost as much as I dislike them. While Ryan was in Boy Scouts, Dave discovered the heretofore undiscovered pleasures of camping, back packing, bicycling and kayaking. He and Ryan enjoyed a 50 mile wilderness trek at Philmont Scout Ranch, taking a 50 mile bike ride for Ryan to earn the cycling merit badge, and a five day canoe trip down the Arkansas River with the local Venture Crew they were involved with. After Ryan left to join the Air Force, he gave it up for lack of a hiking buddy.

Hiking with Ryan at Lake Weddington

Ornery likes to travel, but prefers to have his wife with him when he goes. I am not a big travel fan, but I am trying to enjoy it more for his benefit. His current job gives him chances to travel about 4 times a year, on the company's dime, which is just enough to keep his wanderlust satisfied.

Ft. Walton Beach on one of our many trips there for his job.  One year we were there 16 weeks--not all at the same time, but throughout the course of the year.

Ornery is a family man. He has always been on the sidelines cheering or out in the middle of our kids' pursuits. He is a good listener, and a wise leader. He is an intelligent conversationalist, but is often just quiet when he has nothing important to say. He also knows when to inject a bit of comic relief into our day. He really does have a mischievous bent, but he is never mean or degrading. He is generous with his time whenever any of us want it, and will cease whatever activity he is doing to accommodate us.

Proud new papa in August of 1980. I think this was the last year of his mustache.

Holding his first grandchild

Ornery is a godly man.  His heart is soft toward the Lord and willing to obey whether his mind understands or not. He lives out the verse that says men should love their wives as Christ loved the church and gave His life for it. He understands that submission on my part does not mean he lords over me and squashes who I am, but instead that I am free to use my gifts and talents, leaning on him for direction. He understands that being a Christian does not mean we have it all together, but that we are forgiven and forgiving of those whose lives are a mess. His heart is tender toward the hurting and the lost. He's the kind of guy you'd love to have for a friend. He's MY best friend!

He is camera shy, and I had asked him for a photo and he ran away...

How Ornery got his name:

When I looked up the word ornery, I thought, "That is not his personality at all." He is SO not mean or cantankerous! He is, however, quite mischievous, not in a mean way, but more as a means to entertain.

He first acquired the moniker in the early 80's. We had been married a couple of years and found ourselves living in a cheap old rent house in a run down neighborhood in a not-so-stellar part of town. There was an ancient black cat who wandered through from time to time scrounging for food that the neighbors called "ol' One Eye"--a reflection of an on-going eye infection that kept one eye perpetually closed. 

One evening, Ornery found the cat jumping out of a dumpster and decided to bring him in and feed him some tuna, thus we became cat owners. We bathed (exciting!) the cat and took him to the vet to get his eye fixed up, then gave him daily vittles so he no longer had to forage for his sustenance. He was extremely laid back, and very affectionate. 

About nine months later, Ornery lost his job due to a downturn in the oil industry. He filed for unemployment, went on job interviews and had LOTS of time at home. We had some white shoe polish leftover from those baby shoes they used to always insist you spend a fortune on when your kids were little so they would learn to walk correctly. (Do they still do that? I am so out of the loop!) Ol' One Eye must have been his typical cat-self and been sleeping in the middle of Ornery's papers on the desk, so Ornery decided that since he was such a "stinker" he'd help him out with his image.

The double white stripe down his back was quite authentic looking.

When my sister caught wind of this abomination, she dubbed him Ornery and it has stuck ever since. 


As a side note, today marks my "Blogoversary."  Five years ago I wrote my first post, and have written thousands of posts since then.  Blogging has sure opened up my life and introduced me to many new friends.  Thanks for reading my long post today!