"Your just like your father!"

The north forty at dusk
Turtle playing in the catmint

Have no clue????? Another thing that just showed up in my yard.

Now most of you could give two hoots about my dad. I am gonna write about him and that is all there is to that. I need to buy a scanner so I can get pictures of him up. I will one of these days. I feel closest to my Dad when I am in the yard. He loved the outdoors and all the wildlife. Yes we are a lot alike in many ways. When someone tells me that they are usually referring to my temper. PPFFFTT!

My dad was the toughest man I know. He wasnt scared of the devil and NEVER said anything he didnt mean or couldnt back up. He wasnt mean just strong. He had to be. His father put him to work in the cotton fields when he was only 6. He joined the air force when he was 16. (yep, my Grandma ok'd it) He was determined to have a better life and he did. He was the only kid out of 6 to get a college degree. (while working 2 jobs and taking care of his family and at the age of 45) So many people pass away in a whisper and never get the fireworks display they deserve. My dad died when I was 20. I thought he was the greatest until I hit my teenage years and then I was a complete asshole. I had it mixed up back then....I thought he was the asshole. I am a bit smarter now. I wish we had been friends and I hope he is proud of me.

Little tidbits about my dad:

He worshipped my mother and would have walked through fire for his family

He served 25 honorable years in the United States Air Force

He rode a horse to school

His full name was Dudley Moore Womack. (yes, his first and middle name are real)

Dad worked for the Secret Service for a time

He coached baseball

He once went ballistic on my brothers when he found out they were replacing the milk in my bottle with pickle juice

Dad didnt drink

He worked as a Game Warden for a time

He sang in church

Dad thought all men with beards probably smoked dope

He sang to me every night when I was little. "Tiny Bubbles" and "In The Good Ole Summertime"

Daddy never forgot a birthday or anniversary. We all got Valentines until the day he died (yep even my grown up brothers)

My dad hated to receive funny cards. He wanted them to be mushy

His favorite foods were beans, cornbread and coconut cake. He loved Blue Bell vanilla ice cream and always shared some with our cat Smokey who would only eat Blue Bell vanilla. "grin"

My dad liked cats

He was born and raised in Louisiana

He wrote us a letter every day while he was in Vietnam. Yes, every single day for 12 months.

The best story I remember: We were traveling cross country and dad liked eating at truck stops but he did NOT like bad language or men who bragged about sexual conquests. I was about 8 years old, sitting there with mom and dad. A table full of truckers (I am not kidding, there were at least 5 men) were sitting next to us discussing the prostitutes they had patronized. Dropping f-bombs and other words I had never heard before. My dad calmly got up and walked over. In his most polite voice said "Excuse me gentlemen. I am sitting with my wife and young daughter and we can hear every word you are saying. Would you mind cleaning up your language please" One trucker said "what are you going to do if we dont?". My dad leaned over the table and whispered something to those men that I still dont know to this day. That table turned dead quiet and daddy came back to his seat. We never heard a peep out of them while we finished our meal. God, he was a giant to me.

One day I might tell you about another dad. Jakob's dad and my brother. That wound hasnt closed and it will be 10 years this december. We will save that for another time.

If you have a good dad, appreciate him and if he has passed.....you can still appreciate him.

Happy Father's Day to all the good guys.