Father's Day

I headed out this afternoon to visit with Dad. It was good to get out for a visit. It had been too long, since the last time I was out for a visit.

I put together a "Daddy Care Package" with all the essentials for a hunting expedition (Cokes, vienna sausages, potted meat, snack crackers, shotgun shells, beef jerky, and the absolute item -- toliet paper!).

We spent part of the time sitting out on the deck enjoying the afternoon. The birds were singing quite beautifully. I tried a couple of times to get photographs of several of the blue birds, but they tended to stay just out of reach. However, I was able to get this one of the resident rabbit that just was at the edge of the woods. He seemingly was just enjoying the warm afternoon sun. That was until he heard a noise from around the front of the house - at which he promptly retreated into the woods.

It seems that the air traffic pattern has changed over the last couple of years, and now Mom & Dad's house is in the flight path. This plane was coming in for a landing at the Richmond Airport. If you look 'really' close you can see the landing gear is already down as it is passing over their house.

I even gave Dean and ring to wish him a Happy Father's Day - I know that there was only one of the kids that would be speaking with him today. We may not get along, but he at least had earned a Happy Father's Day wish.

On the way home, I picked up some steaks and other fixings for dinner. Walter & Patrick were busy at the apartment when I arrived hooking up the various electronic equipment to a set of new speakers. The speakers sound wonderful. They guys did a great job of setting up everything.

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

When God Made Fathers
by Erma Bombeck
When the good Lord was creating fathers, he started with a tall frame. A female angel nearby said, "What kind of a father is that? If you're going to make children so close to the ground, why have you put the father up so high? He won't be able to shoot marbles without kneeling, tuck a child in bed without bending, or even kiss a child without stooping."

God smiled and said, "Yes, but if I make him child size, who would children have to look up to?"

And when God made a father's hands, they were large. The angel shook her head and said, "Large hands can't manage diaper pins, small buttons, rubber bands on pony tails, or even remove splinters caused from baseball bats."

Again God smiled and said, "I know, but they're large enough to hold everything a small boy empties from his pockets, yet small enough to cup a child's face in them."

Then God molded long slim legs and broad shoulders. "Do you realize you just made a father without a lap?" The angel chuckled.

God said, "A mother needs a lap. A father needs strong shoulders to pull a sled, to balance a boy on a bicycle, or to hold a sleepy head on the way home from the circus."

When God was in the middle of creating the biggest feet any one had ever seen, the angel could not contain herself any longer. "That's not fair. Do you honestly think those feet are going to get out of bed early in the morning when the baby cries, or walk through a birthday party without crushing one or two of the guests?"

God again smiled and said, "They will work. You will see. They will support a small child who wants to ride to Banbury Cross or scare mice away from a summer cabin, or display shoes that will be a challenge to fill."

God worked throughout the night, giving the father few words, but a firm authoritative voice, eyes that see everything, but remain calm and tolerant. Finally, almost as an after thought, he added tears. Then he turned to the angel and said, "Now are you satisfied he can love as much as a mother can?"

The angel said nothing more.