Happy Father's Day

Here's a card I stitched up for my Dad in honor of Father's Day. It's entitled "New Car" but it looks like a classic model to me. My Dad likes old cars so I thought this card was fitting.


What can I say about my Dad? My earliest memory is my Dad on a riding lawn mower and pulling a little wagon behind with my brother and I. We were mostly likely thinking it was the greatest thing in the world. We couldn’t have been more than 2 or 3 years old. You can tell when my Dad is in an especially good mood... he has a silly, quirky sense of humor that comes out.

My Dad is a blue collar guy. He was and still is very handy. For many, many years he had a second job repairing small engines – mostly lawnmowers. He once took a metal tricycle, cut it up and turned it into a Big Wheel for my brothers. (Anyone remember what a Big Wheel was?) He also refinished furniture and made things out of wood. A beautiful cedar-lined chest he made… from a photograph I found in a catalog… sits prominently in my living room. Another nice piece – a small shelving unit – hangs on my bedroom wall. He made it when I was in my early teens. I have moved it from place to place with me for over 25 years. It matches my current bedroom set perfectly.

My Dad taught us how to learn to do things for ourselves. Do you know how many times I asked him how to spell this word, or that word? The response I got every single time was: “Go look it up in the dictionary.” Guess what? I am a very good speller and to this day, I *still* look up words in the dictionary. I have a dictionary at work and several at home. He also taught me things about cars… like how to change a tire. I thank my Dad for making me learn how, while he “supervised”. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to change a tire! He also taught me how to change the oil in a car. That skill came in handy last weekend! Thanks to my Dad, I’ve done other basic repairs such as hose and thermostat replacements.
Weekend camping trips – “real camping” in the woods, not a campground – with my Dad (and Mom, too) gave us a love of nature. There was no Playstation, TV, or portable DVD players in the woods! Actually, we didn’t even have Atari back then. We learned to fish and explore the area. We learned to observe and appreciate the things in nature. We learned to create our own fun. Of course, he didn’t like it too much when he was fishing and we made a lot of noise. LOL – Where’s the fish for supper, Dad?

Thanks Dad, for all you’ve done. Happy Fathers Day!