Today is my dad’s birthday. There are very few days I don’t feel him around and with me.
He taught me strength, independence, humor, cooking, skills – building, fishing, gardening, cars, sewing…
He grew up farming and working in the steel mill. Around the house he welded, fixed cars, had a huge garden.
Guys would be around and in the garage where he would teach them how to weld and fix cars.
I grew up being a tomboy. With long blonde pigtails I’d be riding my powder blue banana seat bicycle jumping plywood ramps with the boys.
Dad had side businesses cutting trees, splitting wood, and snow removal. My sister and I always with him in the woods or in the truck as he plowed.
Summer weekends we’d always be up early fishing on his boat in the ocean. We had fresh fish all the time.
In the winter he’d take us ice fishing. First thing he’d do was to clear the snow and make a huge space for my sister and I to ice skate. The thermos of hot coffee with cream and sugar is also a fond memory.
He was a talented, smart, funny man who created solutions and gadgets to any problem. I got that from him too.
When I was around 7-9 years old, I got pulled over by the cops for racing a go-cart he built me from scratch.
I was racing the kid down the street who was driving a store-bought go-cart.
I won.
Of course.
He just had a knack for making things work better. ❤️ I got that from him too.
Thanks dad. Love you.