Unforgettable

"A sound head, an honest heart and a humble spirit are the three best guides through time and to eternity."...Sir Walter Scott

Although I recall my Dad once telling me the Peony was his favourite flower, I mostly associate him with Morning Glories, the magical vines of colourful blooms that happen to appear only when facing the rays of morning sunlight.  My dad used to carefully string them along our front veranda and as a kindergartner, I remember waving goodbye to them in the morning and then later told to "shhh be quiet because they were sleeping", by the time I came home for lunch.

My dad passed away on this day nine years ago.  He was eighty-eight.  Though I recently posted that my goal is to live to a ripe old age of ninety-nine, I'm fairly certain that his longevity surprised even him.  He outlived his entire family by far even though he often did not treat his body well, for instance, he smoked cigarettes from the age of twelve (with the exception of soccer season when he temporarily would quit to remain on the team and avoid summer school!), and then as a teen took up the pipe which remained with him right until the end.  Dad was always either puffing on his pipe, or cleaning it out.  I still remember his wooden humidor and his pipe collection, which by the way really simplified the Christmas and birthday shopping - either a new pipe or some sweet smelling tobacco would consistently please him.

I think my dad's secret to a long life can be attributed to a variety of reasons; he had a spring to his step, maintained his own hobbies and interests and kept his mind sharp.  How did he stay active?  Well, for starters he was still having children at age fifty-two!  That's when I arrived!  I guess raising kids helped him feel young at heart.  Though he had one "bad leg", I still remember him impressing us with his soccer kicking skills whenever we'd visit our grandmother, who had a yard the size of a soccer field.  Other than that, soccer was a sport he loved passionately as a spectator, he followed the old English soccer league and looked forward to European and World Cup season.  He never let me forget that the last time England won the world cup was just after I was born in 1966 (against Germany) and how I slept through the whole game!  Those two teams remained his favourites, though mostly he just appreciated a well played game.

As for hobbies, he did enjoy his wee garden.  He grew tomatoes, carrots and rhubarb and planted loads of perennials and wild flowers.  He made the most of the tiny space we had, and though as a kid I'm sure I didn't appreciate it nearly enough, gardening was something he took pleasure in and was a source of pride.  He also loved listening to music, Hank Williams, Tex Ritter, Nat King Cole, The Kingston Trio, The Irish Rovers, Eddie Arnold, Glen Miller, and the old Scottish singer Harry Lauder are the ones I most remember him enjoying.  He also regularly tuned into his radio programs on CFRB, the ones in particular he really loved were English broadcaster, Ray Sonin's "down memory lane" and "calling all Britons".  Now that was a man who had the most beautiful speaking voice, very well suited for a radio show.  When I was about to turn nine, my Dad encouraged me to write to Mr. Sonin and request a special song for my birthday.  I couldn't believe my ears when I heard my name on the radio!  I wish I could remember the name of the song he selected, but I'm pretty sure it was about a girl "named Linda". 

Dad also collected stamps from a young age and continued throughout his entire life.  He even helped me start a collection of my own in the seventies, and I have a clear memory of the first stamp he helped me hinge into my book (and I found it on the Internet - 6 cents!)

To keep his mind sharp, he was a fairly avid reader, whether it be the novels of Sir Walter Scott or faithfully reading the newspaper each day, and could give his opinions on a variety of subjects.  He knew his history as well as current events.  I was also impressed with how well he kept up with the latest technology.  I think that's where it was handy having young kids around as he aged!  It's hard to believe, but he was seventy when I graduated high school!  The computer was not yet in every home, but he sure loved the VCR.  When you think about it, what a cool new invention that was to be able to record a show and then watch it at a time more convenient!  And you could fast-forward the commercials!  I think his only regret there was that his favourite show, Pig & Whistle (a popular Canadian country music program) was already off the air.  Now, I definitely believe he would have become hooked on "you tube" because I was able to find an old clip from the Pig N Whistle show there:

Even as he was getting up in age, he remained curious about the latest inventions asking us "what's all this www.stuff?" He never did try out the computer, but at least expressed interest.  That's important as you grow old..keeping an interest in the world around you.  I bet he'd get a kick out of knowing that I'm using a computer to write about him today and publish it out for the whole www world to read!  I've immensely enjoyed writing this post and sharing my memories of him this way.

This post is my fiftieth, a milestone, and I'm delighted that it just happened to occur on this special day of remembrance.  I'll sign off with one of his favourite songs, Nat King Cole's "Unforgettable", because Dad, that's what you are.

Cheers!
Linda