Dad
This is my brother Billy, my dad, and me.The weekend was good. We left Saturday evening and drove to Burnet to see my brother-in-law Steven's new place. He and his family moved there from San Angelo due to a job transfer. They got a sweet place -- a 3200 sq ft home on about 10 acres of land out in the country. Very nice and very spacious. I think they will settle in and be quite happy there -- but they end up being happy just about everywhere they go. Some folks are just wired that way, and it seems they are the type. It was good to see them.
We got up early Sunday and went into Kingsland to my dad's house. It was not a big celebration or anything like that -- just us visiting. My brother came over with his family around lunch time and he fired up the grill and made burgers and hot dogs for everyone. The kids ran around and played outside and inside while the rest of us sat around the kitchen table and discussed world peace, the current state of our nation, what's wrong with kids these days and listened to my dad tell the same stories he always tells --- the same ones that always make us laugh no matter how many times we hear them.
There's the badger catching story..... the Billy falling in the tank stories..... the time Dad tried to buff a car with an orbital sander story......the donkey in the dark story.......the golf cart story......the Grandpa and Uncle David stories....... the Dad and Uncle Ricky stories....... the list goes on and on. To try and tell them here would be a disservice -- you have to hear him tell them to get the full effect.
I guess the other thing you should know about my Dad is that he is a disabled Vietnam Veteran. He is classified as "terminally ill" -- but he's been told that for over 10 years now. He says we are all "terminally ill" in some way or another. I suppose he's right. Anyway, he has numerous health problems. He shakes uncontrollably and blinks his eyes a lot when he's talking. He has trouble with short term memory. His digestive system is completely screwed up, he has high blood pressure and Lord knows what else. He hides a lot of it from us kids because he doesn't think it is our place to worry over him.
He did eat an entire hamburger and a bunch of nacho cheese doritos while we were there, so I took that as a sign he was having a good day.
Oh and he is the Commander of the local VFW post -- which he gripes about but you know he just loves it. :o)
That's my dad.
posted by Tamfish @ 10:06 AM
Comments: 6
