Father’s Day numero uno.
I had a great Father’s Day. I got a tie and the very first Peanuts movie ever made i.e. the 1969 classic A Boy Named Charlie Brown. I really can’t wait till Fred and I watch it together. I also love the idea of getting a new tie every year. I know it’s kinda corny and I only wear them to church, but to me nothing says Father like a necktie. I also received the gift of rest!! This may have been the greatest gift of all. Lucy was sick last week and we weren’t sure it was going to work out, but by Friday things were golden. While Lucy cared for the baby, I read my book (Dean Koontz’s Life Expectancy. Yes I finally finished the Da Vince Code. What a big let down that was). I played with the baby, watched a scary movie with Lucy, caught most of the golf game, and had nothing but peanut butter cookie dough ice cream for at least 3 meals. Ah what I life I have lead the past few days. I am sooooo sad to see it go. And this brings me to my next topic…
Calling Mary Poppins.
Man!! Three days of neglect and the house was a wreck. We are very organized people and even have a list of what needs to be done on what day. I’m green, Lucy is pink and whenever something gets done we mark it off on the day we did it. Admittedly pink always beats green, but this weekend nothing got scratched off. Looks like we are going to have to rebuild. Sometimes I feel like one of those circus acts where the guy is spinning 6 plates and has to keep running up and down the line so one of them doesn’t fall and break…too much time spent on one plate and your left sweeping up a bunch of glass. Which brings me too…
All My Rowdy Friends Have Settled Down.
We go to a very large church and one of the advantages of this is the number of friends you get to share your life with. Everywhere you go you bump into this person or that couple. Seldom do we eat at a restaurant where we don’t end up sitting with somebody we just ran into. Anyway there are about 20 of us that used to get together every Thursday night to talk about God and life and whatever else was on our minds. For many it became the highlight of the week, that extra boost to get over a mid-week bump in the road.
I’m not sure when it happened but we quit having these awhile back and I desperately miss it. Sure I still see the same friends, but there is nothing like having everyone in the same place. For years Lucy and I wished we had a church family and finally we found the perfect home. The thing is just like that family of four I used to be apart of…people start moving away, life interferes, and suddenly you look up and what was once a loving family has turned into strangers passing each other in the church auditorium. I know we all still care about each other but I miss the closeness. It used to be like we lived in Mayberry and now we might as well be in New York City. Speaking of Mayberry….
Them Rascals Flat Out Put the Baby to Sleep.
What can I say? The kid loves country music. While Lucy is still recovering from the break in her foot, I’m making the daycare run twice a day. Anytime he gets fussy, I put in the cd Melt and he calms down almost instantly. While we were out this weekend I showed this little trick to Lucy and sure enough, by the time the song Mayberry came on he was dreaming of ice-cold cherry…coke nana nana nana nananananana
I listen to a bunch of different styles of music, from Brad Paisley to Cold Play to Linkin Park. So I guess it’s no big deal that he has focused on this style. Part of me just wish he could latch on to something with a little less depressing. We both sing to him everyday. One of my fondest memories is being with my dad and listening to Queen. A few hears back, I bought a copy of Sports by Huey Lewis and the News cause it was the first cassette my dad ever gave me. It’s funny what we remember about our parents, as we get older. And now back to Father’s Day….
Oh Father Where Are’t Thou?
Lately I have become very disappointed with my gender. As we were cruising for possible Father’s Day gifts I was shocked by the lack of attention this holiday receives from the retail industry. Mother’s Day is an appointment holiday. We are warned about it right after Valentine’s Day. “Don’t forget your mother this year. It’s only a few weeks away” “Doesn’t Mom deserve something special this year?” Father’s day is the exact opposite. One place we went had a single display of golf balls and car wash supplies…how generic!! They may as well call it Arbor Day and forget is even exists. Then I found out the reason behind this lack focus on the father.
We are a dying species. Did you know that there are 66 million fathers in the U.S, but only 26 million are part of a marriage? That’s only 39%!!!! No wonder the stores aren’t dedicating 3 isles to nothing but dad’s…we have put the burden of childcare squarely on the shoulders of mom and don’t deserve the attention. We live in a world where the average father has turned into a jobless, adulterating, shifty, abusive, lazy, bum or if they do work they are so preoccupied that they try to squeeze their families between the 8:00 board meeting and the 2:00 tee off time. Now I’m not saying every dad is this way, but I am saying that 40 million of us must have some of these characteristics!! I am proud to be part of an equal parenting partnership. One that is fair and involves both mom and dad pulling their own weight…and I will even admit that it’s not always 100% divided down the middle, but to hear the praises that are undeservedly given to me once people find out that I have actually been doing most of the house work while Lucy is recovering from a broken foot and a virus that left her with a temperature of 104 … you would think I was the lost Unicorn leaping from the pages of a storybook. The way I see it I’m only doing my fair share, just as I hope I was doing before the baby got here. And finally speaking of the baby going places…
Fred Gets to Meet His Match.
I only get to see my dad once a year cause he lives like a million miles away. We always get together on July 4th at my grandparent’s, whom I also only see once a year. Well this year is extra special obviously due to baby Fred. Not only will this be his first car trip (a 5 hour drive) but he will also get to spend 3 days with his grandpa and his great grandparents. Both of which are just dying to see him. The coolest part is that we all look exactly alike. I am named after my dad who was named after his dad, but we decided to go a different direction with Fred cause Lucy didn’t want to play the “which one us is she talking to?” game the rest of her life. When I get back I will be sure to post a picture of the four of us together so you can see we are all a chip off the old blockhead…I just had to say that. I do love the corny jokes.
I’ll try and post another this week, so don’t go far.
Until next time!!
Charlie Blockhead.
No comments:
Post a Comment