DADDY'S BOY

Today is Father's Day, 2008, so I am naturally cogitating a bit about my Dad.

My Dad was my all-time best friend and strongest supporter. I would give anything to have him available again to hear his country wisdom, jokes, and views about the world at large.

To commemorate his life, I think I will simply list a few things about him:


He could do one-armed chins/pullups all day long.

He could sit backwards on the handlebars of a bicycle and ride better than most folks otherwise.

He could put a standard transmission in reverse, spin the tires, and then put the transmission in low gear and spin the tires forward without scratching the gears or causing the engine to miss a beat.

He could cook superb pinto beans and cornbread.

He could never finish telling jokes he thought were hilarious because of his own laughter and tears running down his cheeks.

He sang bits of country western songs, but never got the words right.

He spoke the absolute truth and reality about any situation in plain language regardless of who was present.

If he loved you, he would give you anything he owned and fist fight to defend you.

He loved Lou's dachshund, Abby, but wouldn't admit it to anyone.

Meticulous in his appearance, he shaved every day of his adult life.

He gave every person he ever met a nickname and only called them by his chosen name.

He could quickly and easily remove a tire from a rim and replace it with another tire (you can't really appreciate this one unless you have tried it).

He could perform near miracles with small engine repair.

He would routinely walk up to chained "vicious" dogs and pet them like they were lambs.

He would "knock-down, drag out" fight any man on earth, but loved and catered to every child he encountered.

Although he was in every way the toughest man I have ever known, he honored his Mother by calling himself, "a Mama's boy".


In short, Dad was special to all who had the privilege to know him.

I love you Dad and want you to know that your "Daddy's boy" misses you with all his heart.