I love the smell of sawdust, all forms of nature, and having a good time no matter where I'm at. I can single handedly thank my Dad for all of these things. He taught me everything I know. The man was born full of mischief and wonder,
and he passed those things on to me.
He taught me at an early age about gardening. we were always doing something in the yard when I was a kid, planting things here and there. we'd spend hours and hours at the Botanical gardens, or in the woods where he'd teach me about all of the kinds of trees, learning to recognize each one by the leaves. We'd poke around logs, where all the bugs and critters might hide, or hunt for puff ball mushrooms that he'd poke amazing me by the cloud of pollen that would shoot out. Endless weekends were spent on the Huron river in a canoe. In fact, This is how I learned to steer a canoe, by the years of torment he put me through on those rivers. He would always be in the back steering us extra close to shore because that's where all the interesting stuff would be, snakes, turtles, spiders. He'd steer us straight into cobwebs, where spiders would fall into the boat, or land on my body and I'd flip out. He'd always laugh, while I wanted to kill him.
I lOVED being on those rivers mind you, he taught me all sorts of things, like being able to paddle without making a sound…. but from now on, If I am in a canoe, I'll be the one in the back of the boat doing the steering.
He's always had that kind of silly humor, messing with us to rile us up. He'd wake us up in the morning when we were kids by banging on the door like a gorilla, pulling us out of bed by our feet. It used to make me laugh, my sister, not so much.
He's always been that way, curious and kind of naughty. He told me stories about things he used to do when he was young, one of them involved cutting off the braided tail of a prize winning horse.
I think that kind of mischief comes from an active imagination, and bright mind. My Dad in my opinion is brilliant. He was an eagle scout, and track star. A valedictorian and voracious reader. He went to Yale, and then to the UofM to work on a PHd in Linguistics. The man speaks Chinese fluently. Ever the Scholar, he reads books about the constellations, and does complicated math problems and equations just for fun.
I did not inherit that math part at all. nope, not one bit.
I did however inherit a love of other kinds of Learning……reading his Auduban books about birds, visiting museums and learning new words. I also learned to make things with my hands. He taught me how to use power tools, and as a Man raising a daughter, I think that's pretty cool. You gotta love a dad that gives his daughter a table saw for her birthday. just my kind of guy.
we'd spend hours in his shop when I was a kid, He was a custom cabinet builder for years, installing some of the most beautiful kitchens you've ever seen. Working with exotic woods, and crafting things with fine details.
I learned about dove tails, and mitre joints when I was young. In fact, when I was little I had a bird that died. I was so upset and sad. my dad made me this tiny little coffin out of wood with a fancy sliding lid and an engraved top. I know that sounds kind of morbid, but it was so special. the fact that he'd take that kind of time, and put that kind of detail into something that was going to be buried in the yard meant a lot.
There is so much more I have to say about him, but the words escape me, go figure, A linguist's daughter being wordless.
So on that note, I thank my dad today on fathers Day for all of the wonderful things he's given me over the years, A love of
dogs, digging in the dirt, a sense of humor, and enjoying a cold beer.
Simple things, but things that made me who I am today. I am so proud to be your daughter, I love you more than you know Dad.
Happy Fathers day to you!
XOXOXO
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