Please don't think I'm looking for sympathy but the fact is I didn’t have a dad. Of course, there was a sperm donor and a stepfather and male friends of my mother but my “father” became the myth that I chased from the age of about five. He didn’t die; my parents divorced when he returned after three years in the Army and a year in the south pacific when WWII ended and he just went on with his life, which didn’t include me. It took many years of self-examination before I realized most of my issues regarding my relationships and marriages stemmed from the lack of his presence in my life.
If you are a dad, I hope you are generous with yourself for your children’s sake. If your father is still alive, (mine died in 1968) and in your life, let him know you appreciate him. If your father has checked out of your world, remember it is truly his loss and go on to do great things, whatever they might be!
It seems like every week I complain about the weather but honestly, so far, it has been really terrible—most of the time. On the rare clear day, we have reveled in the blue skies and fluffy white clouds and taken the Lone Ranger out and gone exploring. The countryside in WI is spectacular and their license plates claim to be America’s Dairyland. That is certainly possible since we have not seen so many dairy farms and giant milk trucks on the back roads of any other state. One day we had a near miss on a back road when a fawn jumped across the road in front of us and have stopped to take pictures of pastures full of adorable baby horses, new to the world. On one afternoon a couple days ago we stumbled across a wagon train stopped in a small town park for lunch. The lady we talked to said the group gets together every year and travels the back roads together. Only in the Midwest and the east can you travel a dozen different roads to arrive at the same location thus avoiding the freeways. I do love that! One interesting feature of the countryside I have noticed is the lack of orchards. Pastures, hay, corn, soybeans and alfalfa but no fruit trees. Interesting. Oh yeah, strawberries are coming into the roadside stands. Yummy!
I had a very scary night this past Thursday. Thankfully, Phil is calm and collected during these storms and I am so grateful for his concern regarding my safety and peace of mind. It was the second stormy night in a row but this time, tornado warnings and the park owner encouraged all of the campers to take shelter in an old rock house on the property. By midnight the storm cells had passed for the most part and we all returned to our rigs. Phil was mostly awake the rest of the night listening to the weather radio (thanks again Walt) so that I could go to bed. Our power was knocked out by trees that fell over the wires down the road and our neighbor in a travel trailer told us the next day that the wind had moved the tongue of his trailer three inches. That must have been a serious wind gust. Inside the thick walls of the rock house, we couldn’t hear a thing and thankfully, when we got home, Penny the Pace was none the worse for wear.
.If you are a dad, I hope you are generous with yourself for your children’s sake. If your father is still alive, (mine died in 1968) and in your life, let him know you appreciate him. If your father has checked out of your world, remember it is truly his loss and go on to do great things, whatever they might be!
It seems like every week I complain about the weather but honestly, so far, it has been really terrible—most of the time. On the rare clear day, we have reveled in the blue skies and fluffy white clouds and taken the Lone Ranger out and gone exploring. The countryside in WI is spectacular and their license plates claim to be America’s Dairyland. That is certainly possible since we have not seen so many dairy farms and giant milk trucks on the back roads of any other state. One day we had a near miss on a back road when a fawn jumped across the road in front of us and have stopped to take pictures of pastures full of adorable baby horses, new to the world. On one afternoon a couple days ago we stumbled across a wagon train stopped in a small town park for lunch. The lady we talked to said the group gets together every year and travels the back roads together. Only in the Midwest and the east can you travel a dozen different roads to arrive at the same location thus avoiding the freeways. I do love that! One interesting feature of the countryside I have noticed is the lack of orchards. Pastures, hay, corn, soybeans and alfalfa but no fruit trees. Interesting. Oh yeah, strawberries are coming into the roadside stands. Yummy!
I had a very scary night this past Thursday. Thankfully, Phil is calm and collected during these storms and I am so grateful for his concern regarding my safety and peace of mind. It was the second stormy night in a row but this time, tornado warnings and the park owner encouraged all of the campers to take shelter in an old rock house on the property. By midnight the storm cells had passed for the most part and we all returned to our rigs. Phil was mostly awake the rest of the night listening to the weather radio (thanks again Walt) so that I could go to bed. Our power was knocked out by trees that fell over the wires down the road and our neighbor in a travel trailer told us the next day that the wind had moved the tongue of his trailer three inches. That must have been a serious wind gust. Inside the thick walls of the rock house, we couldn’t hear a thing and thankfully, when we got home, Penny the Pace was none the worse for wear.
Again, I thank you for reading my blog and leaving your comments or sending me e-mails. As I have said so many times before (but it is still true) we really enjoy hearing from you!
Until next time,
Hi Joy. I have been in Florida and hadn't taken the time to check out your blog. So glad that you are safe from the storms. It is cool here in the mountains still and the Denver TV channel said that the bears are having a hard time finding food because the cool temps and rain have prevented their food from coming out (berries, etc.). Bruce had a few bear sightings while I was gone---hope I see some so I can post some pics. Have a great rest of the day and stay safe! :)+
ReplyDeleteHope your week is good. I have a busy one and then I can relax for a bit. The thought of a tornado is so frightening for me. Sharon has a video of me during an electric storm and they laugh but I didn[t. I was on her front porch and lightening struck and thunder at the same time as the huge drops of rain and I screamed I want to go home. It was so scarey. I would have probably stayed in the rock house all night.
ReplyDeleteMy father stayed in my life, but he was a mean, violent, self absorbed man who made our whole family miserable, and molested me and my sister. I don't have fond memories of him, and really try to ignore Father's Day altogether. It took lots of therapy to get to where I am today.
ReplyDelete