Sunday, June 27, 2010

SUNDAY RERUN: I REMEMBER DADDY

Hosted by Chari at Happy to Design
I REMEMBER DADDY

I've been thinking about Dad a lot lately, and decided to repost for my very first Sunday Reruns a list I wrote for his eightieth birthday. Dad's been gone two and a half years now, but his memory still makes me smile. (He does still hang around the house. That may sound weird, but I know he's just watching over Mom, just as he promised he would.)



Nov. 3, 1999

We had a surprise party for Dad's eightieth birthday. Since Dad's friends and relatives are scattered all over the world, I sent out a request for messages and stories from anybody who could/would send them, reminisces of Dad. I made mine in the form of a list.

Thinking about Dad, I remember:

Singing in the car
Yodelling in the fields
Watching out my bedroom window until he came up the walk
Poetry read in front of the fire
Stomping down the beach in search of clams
Using a car's hood, upside down, as a sleigh to drag behind the car
Huckleberry picking
Home movies of the Easter bunny
Christmas Eves he slept in the hall
Crossword puzzles at the breakfast table
"Look it up!"
Diving into the surf
Reading, reading, reading
Pickled pigs' feet
Family drives to nowhere in particular
Playing "Hearts" by the front door
Silverware stories
Word play
"Sing a song with this word in it!"
"Think warm thoughts and you won't be cold."
Our own, personal, weather forecasts (Dad was a meteorologist)
Twenty-five cents each time we memorized a Psalm
Agate hunting on the beach
A pumpkin tree
"Actions speak louder than words."
"Do as I say, not as I do!"
"A wise old owl sat in an old oak...."
Whistling
"Come look what I've done on the computer."
"What did your Mom say?" (That was when we were trying to get permission for something, lol.)
Door-to-door everything
Digging potatoes
Huckleberry pancakes with strange, unusual, syrups
Tongue twisters
Laughing
Trying to extricate our hands from Dad's grip, a game I'm sure was a ploy to get a little rest, while we struggled ferociously
Learning to hug
Boxes of colored pencils
A weather balloon for us that filled the backseat of the car
"Can't never did do anything."

6 comments:

Keetha Broyles said...

Anitra, sooooo glad you joined Sunday Favorites - - - I bet you FOUND it through me!!!

I love your repost, and I also LOVE your kitchen utensil folk!!!

PS - - - You will LOVE Chari, she will be around with a nice long comment for EVERYONE of us who participated in what I call Sunday Reruns.

Lori E said...

He sounds like quite a man and ton of fun too.
Seriously? He took the hood off the car to make you a sled? I love that.

Cass @ That Old House said...

What a wonderful idea, to make a list like this. My own Dad is still with us --just celebrated his 90th, so he was born the year after your dad, in 1920, if my math is right!

I think making such lists is a wonderful way of bringing back precious memories and snippets of a life well lived; I'm going to suggest this to my brothers and sister.

Lovely tribute.
Cass

Chari at Happy To Design said...

Hi Anitra...

My friend, WELCOME to Sunday Favorites! It was such a pleasure to have you join in with our little Sunday rerun party! I really enjoyed this post about your Dad...it was definitely worth a revisit! So very sweet and endearing, my friend! I thought about my own father as I was reading through your list of "fond memories"! That list is such sweet evidence of the great relationship that you had with your Dad...so very precious and special! Thank you for sharing this post and your sweet memories with us for Sunday Favorites!

I also wanted to thank you for adding Happy To Design to you list of blog follows! I have also added your delightful blog to my list of follows and look forward to getting to know you, my friend! Sure hope you'll join us for Sunday Favorites again...it would be such a pleasure!!!

Warmest wishes,
Chari @Happy To Design

Splendid Little Stars said...

a warm and lovely tribute! I love your list!

storybeader said...

sounds like a cheery household! What a list! {:-D

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