Skip to main content

Happy Father's Day!

It's a beautiful father's day here on the Knolltop. I'm having a cup of coffee before the boys and I head back out to the barn to finish chores. Then we'll take Big Daddy out for breakfast!

I wrote a Father's Day column last week and have had several comments about it so I thought I'd better include it here for those of you who don't read it in any paper. I even had a Pastor ask for a copy of it to put in his church bulletin and to share on his radio program.

So here it is....
Truth From the Trenches
By Melissa Hart

He is tall and skinny, short and round. He wears shorts and tank tops and slacks with starched shirts. He has dirt under his fingernails with sweat dripping down his forehead and he is as clean and neat as a white sheet of paper.
He’s a mechanic, a banker, a dairy farmer and a factory worker. He knows how to change a flat tire and some spark plugs and he knows the ins and outs of Wall Street investments.
He’s good with his hands, has the biceps of Hercules and he has trouble bending over to tie his shoes. He can run a marathon and likes to drive to the mailbox. He drives pick-up, a Lincoln Town Car and a Cobalt.
He likes pizza and beer and pasta salad and red wine. He knows his way around the kitchen making a killer omlet and he is challenged to find the difference between the coffee maker and the blender.
He’s never cleaned a bathroom in his life and he’s gets upset when the shower isn’t wiped down after use.
He’s geeky with a silly sense of humor and he’s trendy knowing all the slang. He knows how to program a computer without the slightest idea of what “protect the plate” means. He can still place a double while never knowing that stripes and plaids don’t go together.
He wears wrinkled t-shirts to his kid’s awards ceremony and wouldn’t be caught dead in anything less than a pressed dress shirt and khaki slacks at the Christmas concert.
He’s got a pony tail left over from the 60s and his barber knows he likes it “high and tight.” His face is clean shaven everyday without fail and he’s got a full beard.
He wears cowboy boots, tennis shoes, loafers and wing tips. He never leaves without his favorite hat and his hair is perfectly styled with the help of sculpting gel.
Plaid shirts are great, tank tops are better, polos are his pick and his dresser is full of t-shirts. He loves baseball, football, hockey and NASCAR. He can’t live without his Blackberry, laptop and Starbucks coffee.
His wife is his jewel and his kids are his heritage. He hugs his little girl one day and then steps back the next as he watches her emotions run wild on a tirade confirming that he’ll never understand the female gender.
He knows his daughter needs him desperately but struggles to know when to wrap his arms around her or give her some space.
He wants his sons to make all the right choices but has a hard time getting beyond their hormone ravaged body and mind. He can see their path and wants to make it straight and painless, but knows they will suffer just like he did and will be better for it.
He wants his six year old to knock the ball off the tee, his ten year old to hit a single, his 16 year old to hit a grand slam and his 25 year old to move out and get a job.
He wants his daughter to marry the perfect man, knowing he doesn’t exist and his son to marry a woman who will whip him into shape.
He wants his parents to be taken care of, his wife not to worry and his kids to be happy.
He wants his wife’s respect, his daughters’ love, and his son’s admiration.
He has so much to share but can’t find the words. He has so much to give, but fears rejection. He has so much potential but not enough self confidence.
He’s given it his best, most of the time, but knows he falls short of his own expectations. He wishes for second chances, longs to take back misspoken words and despises the hurt he has caused.
He’s tenderhearted yet well guarded. His heart has been broken a million times but you’d never know it. He’s a provider, a protector, knight in shining armor. He’s a businessman, a caregiver, a decision maker and a rock.
Who am I writing about? You guessed it….your dad.
Happy Father’s Day!

Comments

Anonymous said…
Another great read!!
Anonymous said…
Another great read!!
threecollie said…
Great column! Hope Father's day is wonderful for your family
Anonymous said…
I read your column in the Farmers ADvance, it brought tears to my eyes. I am fortunate to still have my dad, he will be 79 next week. Pam

Popular posts from this blog

Big bucks spent at Butlerview Sale

Good morning from the Knolltop . It's balmy here! When we went across the road at 4:30 this morning it was 45 out and the temp is climbing...yes it smells and feels like spring and I love it....but I know it won't last. Because no one else on the web has decided to report on it, I will give a tidbit of the Butlerview Parade of Perfection Sale that happened last weekend in Elkhorn Wisconsin. The sale averaged $19,845 on 124 lots and the sale gross was....are you ready.....sit down for this one.....$2,460,800.00! Amazing isn't it? There were buyers from 23 states and Canada and the high seller was Lot 8 at $190,000 purchased by Triple Crown Genetics, Kingsmill Farm & Gene Iager . The next highest consignment was Lot 1 at $155,000 purchased by David Ludwig of Illinois and the third highest was Lot 46 at $96,000 and Mike Garrow & Gerald Todd went home with that bargain. Apparently it was a high intensity sale with well over 800 people in attendance. I just w...
JW is at it again with marketing goodies for his Senior Trip. And this is what he left on my stove after his entrepreneurial chocolate fest! Monday he bought the molds and chocolate and made some samples to take to school. Tuesday he took his pretty packages of goodies and handed them out, took the orders and sold $96 worth of chocolates! With the pretty boxes and bags his Nana sent up from Georgia, he melted his chocolate, put them in molds, stuck them in the freezer, tapped them out of the molds and put them in some fancy boxes and bags. This morning he took a laundry basket full of bags and boxes to deliver at school. I'm amazed at how a little packaging can take ordinary chocolate...and I mean ORDINARY...we're not talking Dove or Cadbury ....ORDINARY chocolate and make it into something people will buy. Just amazing!

Table Linens

Good Morning from a cool and kind of cloudy Knolltop! Wasn't that elf thing funny? I had a friend from PA send that to me and I laughed for at least 10 minutes. Then when I collected myself, I made one with my kids and me. You can only have five elves, so I didn't stick Bobby in...I should have! What a hoot! When the kids got home they watched it and we all laughed together! Then while we were milking we were trying to do the dance moves...of course we weren't nearly as good in our barn clothes as we are in our elf outfits! I said I would share a little more of thanksgiving, so I will now. Today's topic is simple. Linen. More specifically, linen tableclothes. My mom and I love linens and she has a boatload of old linens her mom gave to her. She loves to starch and iron them and hang them up to admire. I have to admit, there is nothing better than a freshly starched tablecloth. Then it was time to set the table for Thanksgiving we practially had a tablecloth unveiling. S...