Came across a buddy of mine who was walking pretty slow, tired.. mebbe sore muscles involved. Turns out, he'd been working, weeding, cleaning up his backyard, porch, "so I can finally sit out back and simply enjoy."
Out back is nice, granted. No Gladys Kravitz eyeballing thru the blinds.. Big ole firs on the East side... hella tall fence around the rest, keeping Wilsons from peeking over.. Wanna get away? The backyard rocks.
I, on the other hand, being lefthanded, ha, love the front porch and porch swing. Ya see the snotnoses up and down the street on their bikes, trikes, $300 battery operated plastic cars that last three months.. Neighbors walking, small talk if you like 'em, and vice versa.. Up and down, F-150's, SUV's, beaters, classic cars, razors, golf carts, the whole ball of wax.
Side note..... I didn't know until I was 71 (today).. where that (the whole ball of wax) came from. Seems it's a 17th century legal practice whereby land was divided among heirs by covering scraps of paper representing portion of land with wax, rolling each into a ball, and drawing the balls from a hat.
It's taken me four paragraphs to get to my point... people watching... front porch vs back porch.. ya see more.. the cars, the kids, the neighbors, nosy or not. People watching, the front porch swing is, the bomb, as in I've got rhythm, I've got music, I've got ma' eyeballs who could ask for anything more....
Today. Yesterday, a friend posted about today.. "Buddy (THE most popular canine in Clay County, mebbe 'Merica) says don't forget to fly your flag tomorrow." So, in my simpleton, C+ brain, I sank down in the porch swing as if to hide from really smart people... and asked.. "the hell is tomorrow?" (ie, today.) National Martini Day? Nah, surely that's not it... National Photography Day? Ok, but what's that got to do with the flag?.. Ah, OK.. it's Flag Day... right you are Buddy, bark on.....
Tomorrow... tomorrow is Father's Day. Among those views from the porch swing... I see, sense, happy... sad... indifferent... 'my everything'.. "my stepdad raised me".. fond, fond memories, gone too soon. My mom was my mom, and dad too! Differn't. All.
There's Andy..... Homer..... Al Bundy... Archie.... Red Forman (I ain't never watched that show).. Frank Gallagher... The Father Knows Best father.. Ward Cleaver... Uncle Phil... Dan Conner... Jack Torrance.... Mike Brady..
Ya see a pattern here? Me neither. Pickemup trucks, SUV's, beaters, Harleys, Big ole Lincolns, tractors... ya write those dads, your dad, my dad, our dads, his/her dads, on a scrap of paper.. cover 'em with wax.. put em in a hat.. . ya got the whole ball of wax.
"I'll never forget watching parades.. ballgames.. going to and fro' the car, atop my dad's shoulders... He traveled a lot, was home every other weekend... Most nights he's at the bar.. Dad treats mom like the queen she is... It was our mom who ran off, our dad has raised the three of us... Dad coached any, every sport I played as a kid.... Dad and I rassled, caught bluegill, fixed Chevy's, learnt TONS from him... While he never said so, I could kinda tell he liked my sisters the best... If dad honked the car Sunday morning, we had one minute to be in it or, he'd leave for church AND, it wasn't a fun thing when he got home.
Life, the truth, hurts... feels so, so good... is, meh... Parenting is, can be, trying (so can 'childing')...
I was lucky. I adored my father.
Around the World...........
Korea........ there is no Father's Day... They have Parent's Day on the 8th of May.
Germany... Father's Day, or, Männertag or Men’s Day, is spent with wagons of beer and tons of regional food.
China.. . Before the Chinese people began celebrating Father's day on the third Sunday of June, they initially held it every 8th of August. The reason behind this has something to do with their language. Their colloquial term for father is ba-ba, which is equivalent to papa in English. As it happens, the number eight is also pronounced ba, which means celebrating on the 8th of August, or 8-8, would make it ba-ba as well.
Even though most businesses have transitioned to business casual, the necktie is still among the most popular Father's Day gifts... My cousin's family, in his honor (and absence) stitched his ties together and made a wonderful Christmas Tree skirt they use annually.
If you are a dad, Happy Father's Day. If you have your dad (and you feel it) hug him, love him, call him, dote on him..
Me? I plan on going to Germany, you know, last name Schultze and all... has nothing to do with wagons of beer and tons of regional food.
Love, .Victurd <-- donned on me somewhere around 1965 by my Father.
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