Originally Posted by BillyGoatGruff
... He almost crossed the rainbow bridge with a hammer in his head.

Funny what will trigger a fond memory... All of my grand parents passed before I was born. However, my mother used to tell the story of her father working with a mule. The mule got "mule headed" about something. My grand father took the single tree and smacked the mule between the eyes. ... At which point the mule "crossed the rainbow bridge."