'Dad, Whacha Doin'?'

Even at 85, my Dad is hard to keep up with. On a recent visit, he helped replace a car window motor, clean out the car, install a towel rack, and generally keep things tidy. This is in addition to two walks a day which doesn't include the two-hour visit to the Higgins Armory Museum.

When he's at home I know Dad's always down on his hands and knee replacements whenever the dishwasher or fridge or whatever goes on the fritz. Trust him also to be lending a helping hand to the groups and organizations he belongs to.

I'm not surprised, considering one weekend ritual of my childhood:

-- 'Dad, whacha doin'?'

-- 'I'm painting the trim.'

-- 'Dad, whacha doin'?'

-- 'I'm cleaning the lawn mower blade.'

-- 'Dad, whacha doin'?'

-- 'I'm replacing this window.'

-- 'Dad, whacha doin'?'

-- 'I'm cutting back this tree.'

-- 'Dad, whacha doin'?'

-- 'I'm sanding this chair.'

-- 'Dad, whacha doin'?'

-- 'I'm changing the oil.'



Sometimes, like when the chore involved paint, I volunteered to help, and he'd say, Ok. Given my short attention span I probably wandered off after about 10 minutes. I remember thinking how being a Dad didn't seem like much fun.

I can appreciate now how lucky I was to have my Dad. Of course I took it for granted! I'm not sure how much fun it was for him to have a young daughter pestering him with stupid questions while he was trying to measure a two-by-four or clamp a chair leg on a vise grip.

But looking at his answers to my questions above, I realize I've painted, sanded, and changed the oil over the years -- everything except replacing windows. And it's not so bad! I guess those 10 minutes underfoot added up over the years into something useful -- and memorable.

Thanks, Dad!

Happy Father's Day, Dad! Whacha Doin'?




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