Family Memories for this Father's Day

 

Family pictures for me include blurry photos, usually a cat or two (I think Nathan is holding Bootsie with his Easter basket?), being reprimanded to stand still and stop being goofy, at least one person smiling at the camera (in this case, my dad and my brothers, Daniel and Nathan). I had to look closely at the photo to see what we were all holding. This was one an Easter Sunday sometime in the 80s I would guess. 

With Father's Day being today, I wanted to think back on some sweet dad memories and if you are reading this, you get to come along for the ride. 

This photo is taken in front of the woodshed that dad built. We had a woodstove and a woodbox next to the stove and we, as kids, helped haul wood in the house during the winter. Dad would come and let us know if was time to bring in more wood. I think we collectively groaned everytime he let us know it was time to bring in wood. We would get all our gear on and head out the back door. Dad usually had the wheelbarrow right at the back door, filled with wood. He would get after us if we only carried one or two logs as he knew we could carry more! We would fill our arms with wood, head down the back stairs into the family room, dump it in the woodbox (mostly the way dad wanted it) then head back up for another load. It would usually take 2 or more wheelbarrow loads to fill up our woodbox. We were happy when we were done and could go back to whatever we were doing beforehand. :)

On the left side of the photo is a large metal sled looking thing that is leaning up against the wood. I think we may have tried to sled or push this around in the snow once or twice but it didn't work well? If I remember correctly, dad would make cement in this. The red hobby barn is to the right of the photo and the cement slab that you can't see in front of the barn was made by dad. This barn has a very steep roof! I remember once sharing (in front or near Daniel) that we, as kids, have been on every roof in the backyard, the house, both woodsheds, bunny house, playhouse above the sandbox, quanset, and the playhouse turned storage shed. But not on the barn roof to which Daniel shared that he, of course, had been on the barn roof as well. Not surprised! 

On the right side of the photo between the wood shed and the red barn, in the middle is the old wood shed that dad built when he and mom first bought the house. This was a small shed that housed enough wood for a small family but as we grew, dad wanted a larger wood shed to keep a larger portion of wood dry for the winter. He also had piles of wood in the tree rows behind this woodshed. He built a small cat house for outside as well and that is still sitting by the woodshed to this day. The cats would curl up in their cat house when it was cold but they also loved sleeping and hanging out in the woodshed. Dad would be out chopping wood early in the winter and would take little kitty petting breaks. :)

Of course, I did not always enjoy hauling wood, and all of the other outdoor chores of picking weeds and raking leaves when I was growing up. Yet, now, when I look back, I am so thankful for these times. We were together as a family, working together, building memories. Precious memories that I would one day be so very thankful for! 

Thank you for coming along for this journey into a blurry photo from years ago! May God bless you with sweet memories of your dad today and in the days to come.