My father was a bear at times. He laid a hand to my hind quarters when I did something wrong. When my younger brother was suspended from high school for mooning out of a bus, he yelled, “When I see you, you’d better have a book in your hand. If you want to do something useful, chop wood.” He often got into shouting matches with my mother, especially when he was drunk.
Life with Dad wasn’t all bad, though. I spent many happy hours with him listening to jazz. At the age of six, my favorite song was Fats Waller’s “Your Feet’s Too Big.” When my younger brother and I formed a band with me on piano and him on drums, Dad often played along on string bass. When my younger brother developed an interest in photography, Dad helped him turn our third-floor bathroom into a dark room.
My father wasn’t like the papa in this Eddie Fisher song, who could be funny and adorable and would take you on his knee and change your tears to laughter. Nevertheless, he was a good man, and I loved him and learned a lot from him. May he rest in peace. Click the link below to hear me sing the song.
How about you? What was your father like? What did you enjoy doing with him? How did he punish you when you were bad? Happy Father’s Day in advance.
My Books
My Ideal Partner: How I Met, Married, and Cared for the Man I Loved Despite Debilitating Odds
That’s Life: New and Selected Poems
How to Build a better Mousetrap: Recollections and Reflections of a Family Caregiver
My Other Links
My Corner 
My father was very quiet; in the days before everyone was glued to their smart phones fathers retreated behind newspapers! But I was the firstborn and his little girl, he made me sailing boats for the pond and a rocking horse. He could make anything and should have been a carpenter; from pet cages to fitting out my sister’s surgery when she became a doctor.
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My father also liked to hide behind the newspaper. He often took it into the bathroom and sat on the toilet while reading it. Thank you for sharing your memory. Have a great day!
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Abbie, Good job and so nice with Father’s Day coming up. My father is also no longer with us. Later this week, I’m posting a song from my second album “Harvest” that he and my sister accompanied me on.
We used to go fishing, me, my Dad and my younger brother. My Dad’s Mom said of her second son, “He’s a good boy, my Donald; he just has a lousy disposition.”
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Thank you for sharing your memories. I look forward to hearing your song.
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A nice tribute to your dad. It is good to think about all the good things. I had a wonderful dad and think about him every day. A true gentleman cowboy with a great sense of humour.
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Thank you, Darlene, for sharing your memories. It’s nice to think about the good stuff.
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And the song is great. Well done. xo
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