Today is a day of days for me and my family. Exactly 3 years ago today, at 9:00 AM on the button, my daughter Claire was born. The last child I will ever create and today my little booger bear turns 3.

Today is also the anniversary of my father’s death. It was exactly 3 years ago today, about 6:00 PM EST that I got the call he was gone. He knew of Claire’s birth and joked about her name with me when I spoke to him earlier that day to tell him she was here.

Here then is a couple of re-posted items of something very special he gave to me after he was gone. He wrote me a letter that was intended to be found after he had left this world.

To Patrick  (not a poem)

When you read these words, I will be gone
This is my only way to say them
What I feel for you is love and admiration.
You were the kind of son any man would want
I was so lucky to get you.
You have a good heart and will make a great Dad.
You know the mistakes to look out for
Because I made them with you

I know you will do well in this life
You are still young and well on the way
I am proud and hold you still in my heart
No matter where I am
I will be watching you every day
And helping when I can.

Don’t you ever grieve for me
I am happier where I am
All the pains of my life are past me now
I’m happier here in Paradise
There are no clocks in heaven
The only time is now.
We’ll meet again one day
And I will love you till then.
Dad

On his birthday, I honoured him by writing him a poem. He gave me the ability to wrote poetry and so this is for him.

Yes we still love you and yes we still need you
But unfortunately you will never be 64
Fate and destiny decided you would only live to 62
Cake, candles, song and booze shall you enjoy no more

It is no longer your birthday but we still remember
Your life bringing us joy, laughter, and tears
Until that fateful day in December
We will no longer be able to toast your presence over some beers

My father and friend both meant so much
Even though I didn’t say it enough
This year for some reason has been more tough
I need your advice, wisdom, and your fatherly touch

You will always live on in spirit and heart
Passing down stories that make me laugh and cry
I shall carry on your legacy of humor that’s smart
And when I look to the heavens I will never ask why

My children will know how much their grandfather loved them
And how he will forever watch over from his place in heaven
I love you dad and I always will
Until I join you in heaven when my fate has had it’s fill

PL – 9.28.08

In the spirit of his sense of humor, I offer you this crazy t-shirt that I know would have made him laugh and he would have worn it with pride.

I got tagged for a meme and totally added the post to the wrong blog. I added it to my pretty well defunct WPAT blog by accident. Oh well, here’s a link anyway.

That’s right, if you live here where I do, the calendar is all wrong. I actually cannot remember the last time Christmas time actually felt like it. I think maybe five years ago when we went to South Carolina. That was perhaps as close as it got, but not really.

Today, and everyday this past week, it got up to 80(27) degrees outside. That’s right, today was December 21, it snowed in Vegas, and blizzards closed airports and roads all over the US. What did I do today? I took my kids to the park, on my bike, in shorts, and broke a sweat. Yesterday I wore flip flops with my shorts. Now tonight we get a cold front for 1 whole night and it will drop to a high of 60. 20 degrees will feel cold, but Christmas day it is forecast to get up to 81(27).If you look real close below, perhaps you will see the splash park in use today. Yep, kids were in it too, just not mine.

“It’s beginning to look a lot like last month, and the month before…”

So instead of crowding around the fireplace, getting all cozy, we’ll crank up the A/C and not crowd around cause it’s too fucking hot.

Ho, Ho, Ho snow plow watchers, on Christmas Eve I’ll be busting out the lawn mower to give my green grass a trim.

In a personal type PS, this picture is very important to me for my own reasons and for now I’ll keep it at that. Also, it’s some super cool retro. Thanks to the retro section from failblog.