In days of yore, before there was the computer, books and the written word, an account of history or a family's heritage was preserved through word of mouth, passed down from generation to generation.

As I'm writing this, it's 10 years since my dad passed away. I think of him every day. First comes the twinge of sorrow that he's gone, followed immediately by a smile, because I have nothing but good memories of my dad.Dad was a great storyteller. Some may have even called him something else, that began with "bull" ... if you catch my drift.From his stories, I think it would be safe to say, as a boy, he did not wear a halo. When he would regale us with some of the stunts he pulled, I'd wonder how he managed to make it into adulthood. After one such story, I asked him what his mom and dad did to him, imagining him being spanked and then grounded."Nah. Mom would yell at me and Pop would shake his head and say, 'Boys will be boys.'"So in honor of my dad, Robert "Big Bob" Smith, I'm going to tell you about one of his boyish escapades, one that I hope is passed down through my family's telling and retelling of our beloved patriarch.Dad loved visiting his grandparents' farm and hanging out with his cousins.There was a billy goat on the farm that was the orneriest old billy goat that ever lived, according to Dad. He couldn't look at you without lowering his head like he was going to ram you.So one day as the boys were messing around, the old billy goat looked up and saw them. He lowered his head and started for them.They let him chase them a couple of times, each heading off in three different directions. He'd get so mad, he'd stop, shake his head, try to figure out which one of them he was going to go after before they'd take off again.Finally all three of them headed for the barn.The goat chased them. They ran through an open side door and quickly pulled it closed behind them.BAM!The old goat rammed the door!The boys thought that was as funny as all get out. So Dad opened the door, looked out, and saw the goat was heading back to the grass under the shade tree.Dad couldn't resist and called out to it. Well, the old goat turned around, lowered his stubborn old head and started running for them.Just as he got there, they closed the door.BAM!The three of them laughed.They opened the door and the goat was only a few feet back, staring at the door.One of the boys stuck a foot out the door jam and yelled, "You can't get me, You can't get me!"Sure enough, the goat lowered his head and charged.The boy waited until the last possible moment and then slammed the door.BAM!The boys thought it was the funniest thing ever.They peeked out the door. The old goat was backing up, looking meaner and uglier than ever.They opened the door wide and the goat charged again.BAM!They gave it a few seconds, opened the door and the goat charged again.BAM!"That is one stupid old goat," they said and laughed at its antics.Dad opened the door. The goat was about 20 feet back."Here, goat. Come and get me," he sang out to him.Sure enough, down went his head.The other two boys were standing close behind him to watch.When the goat was almost there, Dad pulled the door.It wouldn't close.He pulled and pulled.The goat was plowing toward them at an alarming speed and he couldn't get the door to close.Whoooomp!The old billy goat's head hit him in the stomach so hard he thought he was going to lose lunch. The force knocked the other two boys back on their keisters, all three landing in a painful heap.They were no longer laughing. The goat looked ready to give them another whack when their pappy poked his head around the door.Apparently, their pappy saw what was going on, decided to help that old billy goat teach a few boys a lesson and held the door so Dad couldn't close it.Their pappy thought that since the boys had nothing better to do than tantalize an old billy goat, they should pull some weeds out of the vegetable garden.Like Dad, his stories always made me smile. This was one I wrote down to preserve. Regrettably, there were so many I didn't. Unless we're like our forefathers who tell a story over and over again to commit it to memory, writing them down or video recording them as they tell their stories ensures these priceless gems won't fade away. It's a wonderful way to keep them alive in our hearts, long after their gone, so they'll never be forgotten.