My Daddy

I have often written about my father in glowing terms. I adored him. So did all of my siblings.

We all loved Mom too. It was different somehow. Mom knew it and was happy about it.

We were born before commercial mixes of foods were available. No cake mixes, no boxes of macaroni and cheese, no jars of pre-made gravy. You get the idea. All our meals were made from scratch.

There were also no disposable diapers. Since there was always a baby in the family there were always diapers to wash. Add all that to normal housework and taking care of the rest of us and Mom stayed busy.

Enter Daddy.

Daddy made sure to do all the extras with us. On the first day of school he took us to see we were enrolled and he met our teachers. It sounds easy but I can tell you from experience it can be quite a task.

School often has extra activities for the children. There should be an adult to help oversee a certain number of children. Teachers appreciate the help.

I can remember him chaperoning dances, skating, and swimming. He was the umpire for all the baseball games in the summer.

During the school year we went to all the sporting events and plays. Daddy had a good time at all of them. Mom enjoyed them too. 

Daddy could do anything. Carpentry, plumbing, electrical work. He could make anything.

He taught all my brothers to work with their hands. Even the girls could make small repairs. He kept a small workshop on the back porch. On one side of the porch were simple tools, nails, screws, and pieces of wood. His grandchildren could go out there and tinker to their hearts content any time they felt like it.

We actually built a house. A truck came and poured cement for the floor of the basement. That was the only thing we did not do ourselves. We built the foundation, floors, walls, ceilings, and roof. Daddy did the electrical wiring and plumbing. A licensed plumber and electrician had to examine the work and approve it. We lived happily there until we moved. The house is still there and being lived in.

Daddy loved us. We loved him. What more is there to say?