Thursday, February 19, 2009

Happy Birthday Dad

Today is my dad’s birthday. If he had lived he would be 99 years old today. Dad passed away a number of years ago with colon cancer . Dad’s passing was sad but a release for dad as well a hose who cared for him to the last. In all honesty I have not missed dad just up till the last year or so. I don’t mean that I have not missed dad in a man sense I just have not missed him but now I am beginning to miss him, or I am thinking of him more. I have noticed I am dreaming of dad. I think I have had dreams where dad was some part of my dream five or six times this year where before this year I may dreamed of my dad twice.

I am fortunate in that I had a genuinely good dad: rock solid, dependable, hard working in that I had a genuinely good dad: rock solid, dependable, hard working and spiritual. I think dad was pretty concrete in his thinking—not that he could not be abstract if he wanted to or had to be abstract but he preferred to do and accept things as thy were written. I think dad was able to do this because he came from another time. He was born in 1910. The country was still shaking off the 19th century, The country for the most part was still horse and buggy. You could trade a horse for a car or buy ground for a hundred dollars and build a house, by yourself with your own two hands. You shucked corn and followed the crops putting up hay and milking cows. My dad did all these things. I firmly believe my dad was perfectly honest, my dad was a union man working in the sheet metal trade, heating and air conditioning he loved the fact that people would give him keys to their home and dad would repair the heater or air conditioner then leave with the owner not having to be present. I think the way others perceived my dads honesty was of major importance to my dad.

I asked, my dad, at on time, when I was grown and had left the house and was beginning to become aware how a person sees their life when they have enough years acquired to se what they could have or not have become, what he had wanted to be and he said he had wanted to be a rancher. We had a small farm in South Boise, Idaho for twenty years o so: 17 acres , raised hay, some cows and kids until I twisted. Looking back I can see how my dad loved this farm, milking, making hay, chickens giant garden being rural. I think my dad loved the physical work out the best and being in literal control of a small piece of ground. Happy birthday dad where ever you are—I hope you sitting on some ecclesiastical John Deer cutting hay for all eternity whistling Red River Valley

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