Anniversaries and so on...

In one week my father will have been dead for 1 year...

In 6 days will be the 1 year anniversary of the last time I spoke to my father...

It wasn't really a conversation, because he could not speak, he lost the ability to speak months before. He could hear and he would respond to those around him with facial expressions, hand movements and head movements.

My daddy did not die from a stroke or a heart attack or anything sudden..it was a long, drawn out illness that took 2 years to sap the life out of him. I visited with him in November 2008...he died January 12, 2009.

My last conversation with my daddy was over the phone, with someone holding the phone for him, with his eyes open and moving...I told him "I love you daddy" and I repeated what he always said to my sister and I whenever we told him we loved him..."I know daddy..you love us more"...

Buick Electra

Monday I wrote about my beautiful car, 1962 Buick Electra 225 Convertible. Love that baby.

I grew up in a town in Central Washington State. It is well known for being the Apple Capitol of the World. In fact, we buy their apples here in our grocery stores in Florida and I bet most of you do in your local stores. It was a small town. Population 5,000 when I was a child/teenager.
(it has grown considerably since, due to housing prices in California for one thing).

My father was born and raised in that town. As were his 5 brothers and sisters. His father was born and raised in that town. As were his 7 brothers and sisters. Most of everyone still lived there. I had lots of cousins around all the time. They were hell raisers as kids/teenagers/young adults. Hated by local law enforcement. So all the offspring were also hated by default (or so we were told by our parents), even though we never had any run ins with local law enforcement. *cough cough*

When my father turned over the car keys, he told me..."this is the only car like it in town".."people will come up to you and ask you to sell it..." He was right, people did come up to me and want to know if it was for sale.

Remember, I said in the earlier post that the car had been owned by my father's cousin, prior to him buying. So the car was well known as belonging to the family.

I should have been paying attention when dad said "it is the only car like it in town.." Remember me saying my father was born and raised in that town. Remember me saying that local law enforcement hated my father's generation.

My father was a mind reader. He could project himself and see what I was doing at all times. I would come home from wherever and he would report to me everything I had done, everywhere I had been, who I was with, who was in the car with me. If he wasn't waiting up for me when I got home, he would provide all the information in the morning.

It took me about a year to realize what was happening. "it is the only car like it in town" My father and his family have been in this town for 999,999,999,999 years....DUH!!!

Yup, everywhere I went someone, somewhere would either call my father, or tell him at work the next day. Law Enforcement would even stop by the plant where he worked and tell him if I was "cruising the ave" too much. Or being out of control while cruising. They never pulled me over, they just told my dad. (I wish they had pulled me over).

And those trying to buy the car...yeah spies for my father...

I love my dad!!!