"When we were young, dad was a big influence for getting us outdoors. We played kickball with the neighborhood kids in the evening until we would hear the call from him to come in for the evening. Sunday evenings were always our "Take a ride: evenings. We would take a drive, stop to buy an ice cream cone, and then have popcorn and TV during the evening. I can still remember the smell and the sound of the "Jiffy Pop" popcorn that dad would shake until popped. We'd watch Lassie every Sunday evening, followed by the Ed Sullivan Show and other Sunday evening favorites.
Dad would always make sure we had a summer vacation, often in Northern Wisconsin. We would hike, swim, roast marshmallows, and go to the "Paul Bunyan" restaurant. Dad would point out wildlife whenever possible, and tell us stories about Chippy Chipmunk and Woody Woodchuck right before bedtime.
We weren't really pushed as kids, although there was always an emphasis on good grades and doing homework.
Dad taught us how to garden. We each had our own section of garden as part of a long strip in the backyard. We got to decide what we wanted to plant and pick out our seeds. We were then responsible for watering and nurturing our section. It taught me the value of starting and finishing a project. The reward was the peas and carrots! |
