Bionic
My Dad is 76 years old.
I'm still learning things about him. For instance: during WWII, he had a job in a dry cleaning store forming wire clothing hangers. They couldn't get the hangers from the factories, but they could get rolls of wire, so my dad made hangers, using a wood form.
As a teen, my dad worked in a textile mill, and when he was old enough, he enlisted and served in the Air Force (first as a cook and later as a flight line mechanic and supervisor) and later he returned to school and then worked at a top secret (he still doesn't tell us much of what he did except that it was in a VERY BIG room) uranium enrichment plant, and later on he wrote safety procedures at another plant....but now he's finally retired for real and he rides his tractor mower and sometimes has to cut down trees, and he scouts out interesting restaurants to try with my mom in the different states they visit.
He tracks hurricanes on paper graph maps each year.
He can sit all day long watching football or baseball games on TV but he really loves the Lady Vols.
He works crossword and mental puzzles, and computer mahjong, and he takes thousands of photographs every year. (He still prefers "real" film though my mom has converted to digital.)
He searches for old service buddies in computer telephone directories, and sometimes gets to visit them. He has traveled 800 miles to attend a funeral of one of his old friends.
He writes messages to family members online.
He finds really wonderful birthday cards that make you feel special.
He is generally quiet, but has a quick and kind wit, and he is reliable.
He's really pretty cool, and he's one of the people I respect most in this world.
He quit smoking many times, and I think the last time he smoked was about 10 years ago, which makes me very proud too.
He has a pacemaker and an artificial hip and dentures, but he is the most "together" and "real" person you could ever meet. He got the pacemaker a few years ago because his heart just got slower and slower, and almost forgot how to beat. He got the artificial hip when the pain got too great to let him do the activities he enjoys doing, like climbing ladders and fixing his roof and crawling under sinks and fixing dishwashers.
He can repair almost anything but he bruises easily.
Mom wants him to dig out an area of the front yard to build a koi pond and fountain, with a nice shaded bench area, but he is a little resistant. I think maybe its because there are three young children next door who could sneak over, and be at risk. I think Dad is waiting until they are a little older and can be careful around the water. The children come to visit him often and when they are away, he feeds their horse. Dad may also worry about cranes and other birds eating pet fish in the pond Mom wants.
Dad gets a little frailer, smaller, every year, and I keep forgetting that he takes a "small" instead of a "medium" size shirt.
He gives some of the best hugs in the world.
I'm still learning things about him. For instance: during WWII, he had a job in a dry cleaning store forming wire clothing hangers. They couldn't get the hangers from the factories, but they could get rolls of wire, so my dad made hangers, using a wood form.
As a teen, my dad worked in a textile mill, and when he was old enough, he enlisted and served in the Air Force (first as a cook and later as a flight line mechanic and supervisor) and later he returned to school and then worked at a top secret (he still doesn't tell us much of what he did except that it was in a VERY BIG room) uranium enrichment plant, and later on he wrote safety procedures at another plant....but now he's finally retired for real and he rides his tractor mower and sometimes has to cut down trees, and he scouts out interesting restaurants to try with my mom in the different states they visit.
He tracks hurricanes on paper graph maps each year.
He can sit all day long watching football or baseball games on TV but he really loves the Lady Vols.
He works crossword and mental puzzles, and computer mahjong, and he takes thousands of photographs every year. (He still prefers "real" film though my mom has converted to digital.)
He searches for old service buddies in computer telephone directories, and sometimes gets to visit them. He has traveled 800 miles to attend a funeral of one of his old friends.
He writes messages to family members online.
He finds really wonderful birthday cards that make you feel special.
He is generally quiet, but has a quick and kind wit, and he is reliable.
He's really pretty cool, and he's one of the people I respect most in this world.
He quit smoking many times, and I think the last time he smoked was about 10 years ago, which makes me very proud too.
He has a pacemaker and an artificial hip and dentures, but he is the most "together" and "real" person you could ever meet. He got the pacemaker a few years ago because his heart just got slower and slower, and almost forgot how to beat. He got the artificial hip when the pain got too great to let him do the activities he enjoys doing, like climbing ladders and fixing his roof and crawling under sinks and fixing dishwashers.
He can repair almost anything but he bruises easily.
Mom wants him to dig out an area of the front yard to build a koi pond and fountain, with a nice shaded bench area, but he is a little resistant. I think maybe its because there are three young children next door who could sneak over, and be at risk. I think Dad is waiting until they are a little older and can be careful around the water. The children come to visit him often and when they are away, he feeds their horse. Dad may also worry about cranes and other birds eating pet fish in the pond Mom wants.
Dad gets a little frailer, smaller, every year, and I keep forgetting that he takes a "small" instead of a "medium" size shirt.
He gives some of the best hugs in the world.
posted by Tnoptimom at 9:47 PM
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