Happy Father's Day...

Fathers

I had such a wonderful Dad.   I much preferred working out in the orchards with him, than doing anything in the house.  He would sing me songs and yodel.  His nickname was Budge, because his brother couldn’t say brother and Budge stuck.  He used to take me deer hunting.  Now I don’t understand how I could kill those deer, but I did.   Actually I was a good shot.  My Dad taught me well.  We didn’t hunt just for the sport, we actually needed the meat during the depression years. …..but that’s another story.

Dad could play the harmonica, accordion, and some guitar    When I was little he used to play for me. Those were good times.   He was 29 when he married my Mom and she was 19.  That made him a little older when they had us kids but he never seemed old his whole life.   He told the most wonderful stories…you never knew if they were true or not, but he kept you in suspense a lot.  He taught me to swim the old fashioned way.  Threw me in the pond….I swam to the shore and he was there to greet me with a big hug. 

Every spring he would make a large supply of horse radish.  I never could make it as good as he did.  Dad cured olives….and again no one could match his cure.  They were so good.  Another thing he and I did together was to make venison jerky.   We would cut it up….season it well and I would hang it in the attic of the house.  What fun…and what good jerky we used to have.  Nothing compares to that taste.  It would dry in about 4 days…and I could never wait.