Lessons from Daddy

For Father’s Day…lessons from Daddy.

But first. How cute is this picture of Momma and Daddy? They are newly married—look at the sparkle on his wedding band. He’s making homemade ice cream, probably vanilla, and she’s wearing an adorable dress, with perfect lipstick and eyebrows! Love it.

Now, lessons from Daddy… (not in order of importance or anything brilliant like that)

 

1. If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right. Daddy taught me the importance of a strong work ethic. He taught me to work for what I get. To work when I don’t feel like it. To get ‘er done.
2. To appreciate nature and growing things. To listen to the earth, watch the clouds, wait for rain, rotate crops, pull weeds, smell cotton.
3. To rock cowboy boots and ripped jeans and to lovelovelove country music. Daddy rigged an 8-track stereo in the boat so we could sing along on the lake. We went to sleep and woke up with Waylon, Willie, and the boys. I circled Luckenbach, Texas on the map. I should write song lyrics.
4. To add snark to my life. Momma put the funny in humor. Daddy added the dry part.
5. About money and savings and living within my means even if it means w-a-i-t-i-n-g to buy something. Period.
6. To take the back roads, the gravel roads, the dirt roads, the turnrows. To make my own roads.
7. To be practical and realistic and if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
8. To shoot a decent game of pool. To put a spin on a ping pong ball if I hold the paddle just right. To pick horses at Oaklawn, or at least have a big time while doing it.
9. That nothing runs like a Deere, and that green goes with everything.
10. To treat people fairly and to lend a hand.
11. It’s okay to grumble about paying taxes, but don’t be too upset. It means you made some money that year.
12. To eat Goo Goo Clusters, and barbecue ribs smoked all night long, and jalapeño peppers with everything. To drink cold beer on a hot day. Burnt popcorn never hurt anyone.
13. To pull to the side of the road when a crazy person wants to speed by. And there are lots of crazy people out there.
14. To not waste words.
15. When warranted, to fight and speak up.

If I could see him today, I’d tell him all these things that I’ve only just begun to understand.

Happy Father’s Day to all you dads out there.

[tweetthis]Lessons from my Daddy may not be typical but they brought me here #HappyFathersDay! @JohnDeere @GooGooClusters [/tweetthis]

Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

P.S. Happy Juneteenth, too!

Musical Pairing:
Waylon Jennings – Luckenbach, Texas