Dear Dan,
Today would have been your 55th birthday. In a more perfect world I would be sending you a funny card to wish you a great day. This isn't a more perfect world so there's no card. There is, however, this blog.
So happy birthday, old man and never forget: You will always be older, no matter what.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Monday, September 7, 2009
Tennis
Dear Dan,
You were (as a German friend of mine would say) a "sporty" guy. I was thinking about you as a chubby child. I never thought you were all that heavy but as you grew into teenage you were unhappy with your weight. You decided to take up tennis and to go on a diet. The weight fell off at the same time you fell in love with tennis. You had tennis lessons up on Prospect and played for years after that.
Once when I was in college I saw you on a summer day. You had stitches above your eyebrow. I asked about it of course. You said you did it playing tennis. I think you were playing with Fred. I said that I didn't know that tennis was a contact sport. You made some comment about never having played tennis with you. Of course you told me that you couldn't because I wasn't a good player and it would make your game crap. ::punches you in the arm:: Brat.
You had been winning. At one point you decided to put a backspin on the ball and whacked yourself in the face with the racket. Fred told you that you were fine. As you kept playing you started to lose. You raised your hand to wipe the sweat from your eye and your hand was red.
You: Fred, I'm bleeding!
Fred: just a little.
You: Why didn't you tell me?
Fred: You'll be fine.
You: Fred, I'm bleeding a lot!
Fred: You're fine. Just keep playing.
You finally talked Fred into taking you to get stitches. As I recall it took 4 or 5 stitches.
I giggle every time I think of you telling me that story.
I love you and miss you Danny.
You were (as a German friend of mine would say) a "sporty" guy. I was thinking about you as a chubby child. I never thought you were all that heavy but as you grew into teenage you were unhappy with your weight. You decided to take up tennis and to go on a diet. The weight fell off at the same time you fell in love with tennis. You had tennis lessons up on Prospect and played for years after that.
Once when I was in college I saw you on a summer day. You had stitches above your eyebrow. I asked about it of course. You said you did it playing tennis. I think you were playing with Fred. I said that I didn't know that tennis was a contact sport. You made some comment about never having played tennis with you. Of course you told me that you couldn't because I wasn't a good player and it would make your game crap. ::punches you in the arm:: Brat.
You had been winning. At one point you decided to put a backspin on the ball and whacked yourself in the face with the racket. Fred told you that you were fine. As you kept playing you started to lose. You raised your hand to wipe the sweat from your eye and your hand was red.
You: Fred, I'm bleeding!
Fred: just a little.
You: Why didn't you tell me?
Fred: You'll be fine.
You: Fred, I'm bleeding a lot!
Fred: You're fine. Just keep playing.
You finally talked Fred into taking you to get stitches. As I recall it took 4 or 5 stitches.
I giggle every time I think of you telling me that story.
I love you and miss you Danny.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Fall is here
Dear Dan,
Fall is here and of course that makes me think of you. Why? Because everything does? Nope! Because you always loved that first snap of crisp fall weather.
As you know I'm a summer kind of girl but I must admit there is something very nice about September and, as a general rule, early October weather. The cooler days but not yet cold nights, days when a light sweater is enough to keep you warm, there's really something very nice about it. Maybe it's the not swimming in humidity every time I move.
It's also the harbinger of the start of school. It wasn't the classes that were so great, but I loved the shopping for school clothes and school supplies. There's still something about school supplies that I love. That section of a store will drag me over every time.
The color of the turning leaves is always pretty but more than that I love the smell of burning leaves. Too bad you're not really allowed to burn leaves anymore around here. Every once in a while I still get lucky enough to pass a pile of burning leaves somewhere in the outlying area.
Your birthday at the end of the month was always fun when we were kids. Since yours often fell during the week, mom would bake a cake and take it to your grade school class. When I was young enough not be in my own class, I used to tag along. The one cake that stands out is the turtle. I remember the black licorice she used to decorate the flippers.
Playing over in the barn in the fall was fun as well. There was something nicer about the barn in fall; I'm not sure what it was. Remember the red fox that lived in the area near that fallen tree next door? Walking through Elsie's "wilderness" on the other side and "fishing" from that rock, hanging over the old stump looking at the trout -- those were some of our favorite fall afternoon pastimes.
It was also around this time when we were in college that I baked the bread you loved. I baked before that but this is when you told me you loved the rye.
This is the time of year I think about our after school times together. These were the last lazy days of hanging out before cold weather set in. These are the days that remind me of you more than any other time of the year.
I love you and miss you more every passing day.
Fall is here and of course that makes me think of you. Why? Because everything does? Nope! Because you always loved that first snap of crisp fall weather.
As you know I'm a summer kind of girl but I must admit there is something very nice about September and, as a general rule, early October weather. The cooler days but not yet cold nights, days when a light sweater is enough to keep you warm, there's really something very nice about it. Maybe it's the not swimming in humidity every time I move.
It's also the harbinger of the start of school. It wasn't the classes that were so great, but I loved the shopping for school clothes and school supplies. There's still something about school supplies that I love. That section of a store will drag me over every time.
The color of the turning leaves is always pretty but more than that I love the smell of burning leaves. Too bad you're not really allowed to burn leaves anymore around here. Every once in a while I still get lucky enough to pass a pile of burning leaves somewhere in the outlying area.
Your birthday at the end of the month was always fun when we were kids. Since yours often fell during the week, mom would bake a cake and take it to your grade school class. When I was young enough not be in my own class, I used to tag along. The one cake that stands out is the turtle. I remember the black licorice she used to decorate the flippers.
Playing over in the barn in the fall was fun as well. There was something nicer about the barn in fall; I'm not sure what it was. Remember the red fox that lived in the area near that fallen tree next door? Walking through Elsie's "wilderness" on the other side and "fishing" from that rock, hanging over the old stump looking at the trout -- those were some of our favorite fall afternoon pastimes.
It was also around this time when we were in college that I baked the bread you loved. I baked before that but this is when you told me you loved the rye.
This is the time of year I think about our after school times together. These were the last lazy days of hanging out before cold weather set in. These are the days that remind me of you more than any other time of the year.
I love you and miss you more every passing day.
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