He Woulda Been an Old Fella

I just wrote today's date on an Interlibrary Loan request form, and realized that it would be my dad's birthday today, were he still alive. And he would have been 76 years old. Wow. I never think of him as an old guy, since he died 20-some years ago.

In honour of my dad, these fleeting memories: descendant of Black Sea German peasant stock, the only of his siblings to finish high school, professional lawyer, reader of Louis L'Amour western novels, eater of very rare T-bone steaks, town councillor, goose hunter, philosophy major, collector of woodworking tools that he never got to use in his retirement, a man who only got his dental work done without freezing, and a man who was very intelligent but never tired of a few select crude jokes.

For example, if I may...

"They're off!", said the monkey, as he backed into the lawnmower.

Come on, he was from Lead.r, after all. What can you expect. Happy Birthday, Dad.