Jottings From Fifth & G: The gift of friendship

In 1984, our friend Walt decided to take early retirement after working 40 years at the John Deere Company in Waterloo, Iowa. My husband Harold and I had been friends with Walt and his wife Jean since 1958 when we became across-the-street neighbors. And we continued this close relationship through their three moves to other neighborhoods in Waterloo.

Because of our 26-year friendship, we wanted to give Walt a memento to celebrate his retirement but were in a quandary as to what that could be. Harold was a collector and maker of canes and walking sticks and, since Walt had always shown an interest in them, it was decided to present him with a special cane. Harold was a wood crafter, as well as an artist, and I don’t recall if he made the cane or embellished one by wood burning something personal for the occasion.

Walt was still middle-aged and mobile and certainly didn’t need a cane to assist him physically, so we tried to think of how a cane could otherwise be used. This conversation took a turn into extreme silliness and we came up with the following poem:

“Ode to a Cane”

As a memento of nineteen hundred and eighty-four, the year you worked for Deere’s no more,

To you, friend Walt, we present this gift, for owning a cane can give one a lift.

A man with a cane has a ‘touch of class’, causing second glances from those you pass.

Also, the uses are many for a cane. Listed below are a few we shall name:

You can use it for a pointer when giving a talk; it’s a very useful thing to take on a walk.

For if you should be attacked by a mugger, it’s a real handy thing to use on the bugger.

And there are times it can actually save the day, to fend off large dogs and other prey.

It can be quite decorative hanging on a wall, or sitting in a corner, doing nothing at all.

If Jean’s list of ‘honey-dos’ gets too large, the cane can remind her who’s really in charge.

It goes quite well with a top hat and tails; for tripping pushy people, it never fails.

In fact, in a crowd it prevents being mobbed — it’s an excellent deterrent if about to be robbed.

While waiting in lines, it’s a gentle reminder to those ahead who are lagging behind-er.

Having a cane is a definite plus — if you find yourself on a crowded bus.

It also can serve as a helpful tool — to save someone about to drown in a pool.

And should you join a circus or carnival soon, having this cane will be a real boon.

Of course the list could go on forever, but enough is enough of being this ‘clever.’

Hopefully, Walt, you’ll enjoy using this ‘stick’ — from two faithful friends through thin and through thick.”

— Jo Ann & Harold

Well, poets we were not, but the reading of it brought forth a bit of hilarity to the occasion. Our friendship became that of a long-distance type in 1992 when Harold and I moved to Oregon to be close to our daughter and family. A few years later, Jean and Walt moved to Kansas to be near their daughter and family. But we always kept in touch and remembered birthdays and Christmas with cards and letters as well as making a few long-distance trips for personal visits.

Last year in September, Walt died shortly after his 97th birthday, and since then Jean and I have had several phone conversations. One day she told me they had always kept the cane — and actually used it a few times. She also mentioned the poem and how funny it was. I had not saved a copy, so she sent me one. It not only brought back many memories of the good times the four of us had shared, but also the fun Harold and I had in composing the so-called poem and gifting Walt with the cane. It’s also a reminder of the treasured gift that a long-time friendship bestows.