Happy Father's Day!

There are a few good dads in my family, my brothers and brother in law who I am going to give a "Happy Father's Day" shout out to, but I am going to focus on just one -- mine.

I take after my dad in a few ways.  First the incredible unruly eyebrows that have tormented more than one beauty tech in more than one country.  A love of the mountains and the prairies as well.  And even more notably, my wit and sense of humour.  They say the Canadian sense of humour is based in the ironic, and I agree.  I would say a good chunk of what enters my dad's mind (and mine) is probably best left unsaid, but when it is, it comes out in such a smooth and refined deadpan commentary laced with satire and irony that only the truly attentive even get the joke.  Those who do usually show their appreciation with shared laughter.  If someone accidentally says anything that can be comically misconstrued, my Dad's face twitches into a smile as soon as the unfortunate words roll off of the other person's tongue...I usually know exactly what he is thinking, whether he says it or not.  The twitchy smile says it all.

I think I also get from my Dad a sense of knowing what I want.  Logic and convention need not have anything to do with it.  I don't settle.  When I have my mind set on something, nothing else will do.  For example, I lived without a proper kitchen table for 6 or 10 years, as it took me that long to find one that I wanted, and could afford.  Actually, mom gave it to me as a housewarming present or I would have never acquired it, but that's beside the point.  Kinda.  Anyway, to be more to the point, Dad recently told me about a hobby purchase he made...something he was been wanting since about 1967 when he first saw it in the US, but it has only recently become available in Canada.  He liked it 47 years ago, he likes it still.  I totally get that.  A classic example of my Dad is the story my sister came back with after going to McDonald's with him once.  He ordered an egg mcmuffin.  He was told, "sorry sir, we are no longer serving breakfast, you have to get something off the lunch menu."  "OK, I will have the BLT meal.  And an egg mcmuffin."  "We don't serve those after 11.  Do you want fries with that."  "Sure.  But can I substitute those?"  "Yes, what would you like instead."  "An egg mcmuffin," he said with a smile.  We laughed about that for ages.  Just Dad poking at someone.  But I think he really did want that egg mcmuffin as well.  In retrospect, I was probably one of the people he got to tease most.  At 12 or 13 I was painfully awkward, small for my age, enormous glasses, and a bad 1980's perm that I hadn't really wanted in the first place.  I did my best to achieve invisibility.  Dad did his best to draw attention to me in at any chance mortifying moment possible.  Because there were 4 kids, they had a van.  At one point, when it was overdue for a muffler, he learned that by revving the engine he could make it backfire and shoot sparks.  He would lie in wait when picking me and my friends up somewhere, and if there was a teenage boy in site he would wait til we opened the door so it was obvious that this was our ride, then rev the engine to make it backfire and spark.  My friends and I would dive into the van, unsure if we would die of mortification immediately or when we had to go to school next.  And he would be in the driver's seat giggling.  There is more, but that is all I can bear to share in one day.

Home, family, and friends matter most to my parents.  There is pride and contentment in the lifestyle of a prairie farmer.  They continue it after 5 decades because they can, because it's all theirs, because they love it.  So in addition to being funny, having wild eyebrows and an aversion to vans now, I think I have my priorities in check, and the courage to find a path in life that I love, despite convention sometimes.  For that I say thank you Dad.  Love you!  And see you soon!