Birthday Presents

Today would have been Dad's 74th birthday.  If he were still alive, he would have been opening the usual presents:  sheet music for the piano, gear for his sailboat, plants for the yard.  He loved the mixed nuts my brother always sent, along with the steady stream of Florida T-shirts from me and my sister.  But what I remember best are all the joke gifts we gave him:  the wigs, weird hats and other tasteless items he had so much fun with.  My mother told me this morning she still keeps his fake "dog poop" in a drawer.

Dad models a surfer dude hat and wig on his 69th birthday

Dad also loved animals.  Several times a year, someone dumps an unwanted dog in my parents' neighborhood on the Pamlico River.  My father doted on these dogs, taking them for medical care and visiting them in the animal shelter, even housing them temporarily.  Two years ago, he fell in love with a young, energetic black lab-ish "stray" who followed my mother home.  By the end of the day, "River" was ensconced in the garage.  After weeks of working to find a new home for the dog, Dad took him to an animal adoption fair.  When I called to see how it went, he was thrilled that a woman with a large, fenced-in yard had taken River home.  "I saw her the other day," Mom said this morning.  "She just loves that dog."

So this year, instead of sheet music, mixed nuts or a wig, we'll buy Dad a brick for the new animal shelter at the Humane Society of Beaufort County, North Carolina.  Happy Birthday, Dad.

Comments

[michaelm]

Mona:
I thought it was Neil Young for a minute!
Thanks so much for the interest in the Memory Lane Webring.
I'll be by to visit.
Jpeg looks nice...

be well,

~Michael

[Deb Peterson]

Mona--What a great way to celebrate your Dad's birthday! I can tell from the picture that he had a wonderful sense of humor--anyone who loves animals like that is a hit in my book!

[Paula]

Mona - The brick is such a terrific idea! What a really wonderful present - and fitting memorial - for your dad.

[Gail Rae Hudson]

Although I read this post some days ago, I find myself continuing to recall the arresting picture of your father; and the fact that he's a Leo. Your Dad's spirit, as portrayed in this picture, reminds me so much of my mother's spirit when she's sporting her Elizabeth I tiara!
The defining mark of a life lived but ended is the spirit left behind; in minds, in hearts, in photographs. I feel like I knew your Dad, especially since I can't forget this picture, and feel assured that his was a life well lived. Thanks for posting it, Mona.

[Bailey Stewart]

What a great way to honor your father. It looks like he had a wonderful sense of humor - my favorite quality.