Fadder's Day

The joke was , we always called it Fadder's Day. I don't know why, except we liked to twist words around, and then we would all laugh. Mother's day was Mudder's day, and, oh boy, was that funny!

I was sitting in the garden this evening, and just reminiscing about all the good times we had when Mom and Dad used to plant their vegetable garden here. It has all changed now, it is a prison courtyard, but before that it was a family garden. I can remember so many evenings they would come over and work in it. I had one of those old rickety wooden picnic tables sitting on the lawn beside it, and we would sit there for hours discussing the next crop, the weather, mosquitoes, etc. Those were good good times. Dad was always in charge of the potatoes and corn, Mom did the rest. Sometimes they went home with splinter up there bums, because that seats of the picnic table, were in some disrepair. But that too, was always the joke of the week.

I will never forget the time, when I had some of those web type folding chairs on the lawn beside the garden, and dad decided to sit down on one of them, ... the ground being somewhat uneven, made the chair go backwards and collapsed!! HAAA. all I can remember he started falling backwards in slow motion, and rolled off of it. Of course we were all worried if he was hurt, but he wasn't.. Just to be sure I made him a stiff Rye and Coke!! His favorite drink.

I remember when we were young, every evening in summer we would sit out on the front steps and wait to see "sputnik." He would trace it out in the sky for us before it even came. He was always right, it came the same way every time. God, we thought he was smart. He could fix anything, and catch the biggest fish. My of my, he was me hero.

There was never a Christmas present given to him he couldn't guess, he would shake the box, and tell you what was in it. I used to get soooo mad, blaming my Mom for telling him, but she always said she hadn't. It was weird, I'm sure he subliminally transmitted messages to our very small brains telling up what he wanted.

I remember when he was older, probably around 75, when we got him a wireless phone. He didn't quite get the technology, and thought he could use it anywhere, not only in his house. So, he brought it to the garden one day, and decided to try it from here, and I tried explaining to him that he could only use it in his house, because the signal was connected to his phone. He didn't quite get it. But this was before cell phones, so he the right idea!! Phones should work anywhere!!

My dad loved fishing. It was his outlet from a very stressful job. We went fishing every Sunday for as long as I can remember, along with different neighbor's and relatives. He taught me, and I taught my two nephews the same way. I passed the legacy down. I may be repeating myself here, because what I am writing seems so familiar, but then I have been doing a lot of thinking today.

Happy Fadder's day (Fuddica) I miss you so much.

Johnson