Tomorrow is Father’s Day here in the states, so we’re going to buy Dad a beer today as we consider Linda G. Hill’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt:
“Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is ‘social.’ Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!”
If we were having a beer, you would still be angry about a driver behind you.
“I caught your entrance. Were you signaling your turn or waving goodbye to your ex-wife?”
“That idiot behind me, Dan, was mad because I stopped for a red light.”
“Isn’t that what normal people do?”
“Apparently not. Apparently, the new normal is for one, two or three cars to race through the light that has only recently turned red.”
“Ah, but you were taught differently.”
“Weren’t you?”
“I was, David. My dad taught me mostly to stop for yellow lights, unless I had to slam on the brakes.”
“Well, stopping for a yellow light in this state might just get you rear-ended.”
“Cheryl, we need to reclaim the social nature of this get-together. David needs a healthy splash of John Howell’s Bourbon.”
“And a Corona for you my friend?”
“Yes, and all the appropriate fruit and accessories.”
“Coming right up.”
“You know, Dan, it’s funny. I think dads were responsible for most of the practical learning when we grew up.”
“Oh, for sure.”
“Mom did all the school stuff, Sunday School stuff and homework nudging. Dad taught us how to drive, how to work and how to deal with people.”
“Ha! Same here. Then again, you wouldn’t want me on the road if my mom had taught me to drive.”
“Still, she delivered you to every social event on the calendar.”
“Moms are still doing that guys. Here’s your Corona, its lime, your bourbon and its cherries.”
“Thanks Cheryl.”
“Yes, thanks Cheryl, especially for the cherries.”
“You’re welcome David. I’ll be back with the ice and seltzer.”
“She really is a patient bartender. I’m not sure most bartenders would put up with us, Dan.”
“I know my dad wouldn’t have. He’d give you the ice and the seltzer in one glass, and it wouldn’t be a snifter.”
“I’ve heard those stories. It sounded like he tended bar in a rough spot.”
“Typical Pittsburgh blue collar bar. It wasn’t rough unless you were stupid.”
“People knew how to handle stupid back then. I feel like we’re surrounded by stupid people these days, and there’s no good way to deal with them.”
“Here, take your mind off that driver – cheers!”
“Cheers, Dan.”
“It’s good to see you settling down a bit. Here’s your ice and your seltzer. You boys want any food?”
“Maybe with round two, Cheryl. I’m going to enjoy this bourbon for a bit.”
“I don’t want to set you off again, but why do you get the bourbon neat but then add ice from the other glass?”
“It cools it a little but waters it down less than when it’s on the rocks.”
“Are you sure? It seems to me…”
“Do NOT launch into a lesson in thermodynamics, Dan. I’ve already made the gesture; the words are a short step away.”
“Ha ha – OK. I’ve heard those words ‘Dad’ .”
“Did your dad ever handle a civil confrontation regarding you?”
“Once or twice, at school. Normally my mom did the all that stuff.”
“How did your dad get roped into it?”
“Oh, he jumped in.”
“Really? He liked that stuff?”
“Not exactly. When I was in first grade, we had a weekend project where we had to make a model of our house.”
“First grade? A bunch of boxes with crayon doors and windows, right?”
“No. Parents weren’t supposed to help, but most did.”
“I hate that. Thirty homes, built to miniature perfection, right?”
“Twenty-nine – and then mine.”
“Crayons?”
“No. We lived in an apartment building. Basically, a rectangle. My dad gave me a large shoebox, some hunk of metal from his tool box to use as a template and showed me how to cut door and window openings.”
“Sounds a little dangerous for a six-year-old.”
“He taught us to be careful. I can still count to ten.”
“Did your house turn out nice?”
“Accurate would be a better word. It looked like crap next to the other ones, even with the cigarette pack cellophane I taped in for windows.”
“Lucky Strike?”
“Pall Mall.”
“What happened when you got it to school?”
“The teacher took it and said, ‘since you live at the bottom of the hill, I’m going to put this under the table.’ “
“Ouch! I’m guessing that isn’t the end of the story.”
“No, the houses were for a display during Open House. I told my dad what happened, and he told my mother that he was going to Open House.”
“The only guy in the room, I’m guessing.”
“Yep. He took my teacher aside. They spoke. She came back and rearranged the display with my house on the table.”
“Did she say anything to you?”
“Yes, she commended me for doing the work by myself, loud enough that the other parents could hear.”
“And then I bet you guys left.”
“We did.”
“That’s what’s great about dads. See the problem. Fix the problem and move onto ice cream.”
The gallery includes a few images from a busy week. Beyond that, Cheryl has been getting up close and personal with the tiny visitors in her garden. Teagan has been busy with Chapter-8 of Brother Love down in Mississippi. I hope you can visit both of them. I also wish all the fathers a Happy Father’s Day tomorrow.
No Facilities 
What a great last line, I so agree. Oh, the memories! As you said, dad would see a problem, and then fix it. Ice cream was always a favorite. Thank you, Dan!
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Thanks Gwen. It sounds like we had similar dads.
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Love that erosion pic… poor tree is hanging on for dear life.
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It is. I’m not sure it can take much more.
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Happy Father’s Day, Dan. My gift to you is to stop right here and not go on about stupid people. :-)
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Ha ha – thanks Judy. Let’s hope we all get s break from them.
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That erosion under the tree looks like the pictures we see about CA landslides.
Always enjoy the visit to the bar on Saturday’s, Dan.
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Thanks GP. It’s always great to have you join us. I think Cheryl’s mixing up a batch of Mimosas 🙂
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I’ll be right there!! >-I >-I
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Your dad was awesome, Dan. He was trying to teach you how to do things yourself and you were almost undermined by that teacher. I’m glad he set her straight. Since I am not a parent, I cannot tell you if I would have helped/made projects for my kids, but I don’t remember my mom or dad lending a hand. They both did a good job creating two independent children who could handle life on their own.
Happy Father’s Day to you and all of the dads out there. I hope you have an awesome weekend and a special Sunday.
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Thanks Mary. You’re a testament to the good job your parents did. We followed the lessons we had and tried to raise an independent daughter. I think we did pretty well.
I visited Faith’s school on a few occasions. Not pretty, but my dad taught me well.
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And now her poor bottom is touching bare wood. She might get a splinter, Dan. 😉 She looks preety comfy though.
I wish my Dad had been like yours. He was great and worked hard but it was my Mom who really stood up against injustice. They were both loving people but my inner ferocity came from her. My Dad never liked to make waves, which left me paddling alone in school matters once I reached high school and Mama fell ill. You can imagine how grateful my sons’ teachers and school principal were when they had all graduated. It didn’t happen often, but I never had a problem standing up for my children. I hear they threw a party the year my last one got his diploma……
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Ha ha – glad to get to of you 😏
My mom was in the PTA, and knew all these people. She wasn’t as well equipped as Dad to step in, say what had to be said, and move on. I had to step in a few times at Faith’s school. I think I learned well.
Enjoy your #free48
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In some places even in the 60’s it wasn’t yet widely common for women to take on that role either. It’s good for children to know someone has their backs and teach them it’s ok to stand up for what is right..with respect, of course. If I had to sick my hubby on anyone there would only have been blood and ashes left so he left me to do it without violence. Lol.
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Our dad taught us that there was a line that, when crossed, required you to take action. I’ve had to step up a number of times, but I was always secure in the fact that it was the right thing to do. It was harder for women then, and to a large degree, especially in business, it’s still hard for women.
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You’re right. I tell people all the time that despite appearances, women are still discriminated against in many ways. There is responsibility on both sides but this new wave of thinking society should somehow turn back the clock to what they think was a more desirable situation is very frightening. 😔
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Some Dad’s are like this, Dan, and some, sadly, are not. Mine was. Have a great day tomorrow and thanks for sharing the great photographs.
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I realize I was very lucky, Roberta. He set a very good example of how to deal with people.
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One bourbon, one seltzer one ice.
I think I’ll have two for the price.
If Cheryl is pouring
And Dan is not snoring
Then these words I think will suffice.
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Ha ha – it’s good to see you back at the bar, Pam. Two on the house for you. I can stay awake, as long as Cheryl doesn’t run out of limes.
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My mother wore the pants in our family, yet, with his quiet talks, I learned far more about taking responsibility and being kind and considerate and what was going “to build my character” from my dad.
Great photo gallery Dan. Sweet Maddie couldn’t wait to get on her cushion in her “new favorite spot”! Too funny. All looks well in your part of the world, except for the erosion. That’s a shame.
Have a wonderful Father’s Day Dan with all your girls, two-legged and four-legged.
🐾Ginger 🐾
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Thanks Ginger. “It builds character” is a phrase I heard often, and one I repeated to our daughter. Some times, you suck it up because it builds character, but some times, you push back because it’s not fair – and it should be fair. There’s a fine line, and it’s often abused today. I think my dad stepped in 3, maybe four times in 13 years. That’s about as often as I stepped in with our daughter’s teachers and administrators.
I think we’re going to have a good weekend. Wishing you the same.
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How about making this the Terms of Service for being a male?
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I would have no problem agreeing to those terms. Thanks!
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Great post, Dan. Made me think of my Dad which is nice on Father’s Day weekend.
Great photos as always.
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Thanks Maggie. I still miss my dad.
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Me, too, Dan.
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Awesome! Now that’s a life lesson if I ever heard one. As neurotic as I am about some things, my kids did their school projects solo. I may have driven them to the store for supplies but it stopped there. I wonder why Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin popped into my brain????
This line right here really cracked me up “I’ve already made the gesture; the words are a short step away.” And the gallery is lovely today. Thanks for the links to Cheryl and Teagan too. Off to see what’s up.
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Thanks Jill. Our daughter was in charge of her own projects. We helped secure the raw materials, but she had to do the work, including soldering in 5th grade. I held the wires (I think I still have scars) but she wielded the soldering iron.
I see some, and read about the absurd lengths parents go these days to prevent their kids from having to work, or God forbid – FAIL at something. When do they get to say “it’s OK, it builds character” ?
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You hit a nerve with the teacher in me. I cannot believe she put your house under a desk. Way to go Dad for taking care of that! Dads are wonderful. Great post and tribute, Dan. Happy Father’s Day to you.
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I figured you would be angry, Jennie. That woman was the worst teacher I ever had. I have lots of good memories. from teachers you would have approved of, but this day has stuck with me for almost 60 years. I was proud of that house, because my dad taught me what to do, and I did it. Then she made me feel so bad. But in the end, I was left with a wonderful memory.
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You figured right, Dan. I can see why she ranks as your worst teacher. That’s as bad as it gets. You were right to be proud of your house, thanks to your dad teaching what to do. I’m glad a terrible childhood memory is also one of your best.
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This is why I feel so good when I read the stories you tell from your classroom.
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I’m so glad! And thank you.
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That was a great story! Our son was one of very few who made (carved, drilled, wheeled) his own soapbox derby car in scouts. I also remember strangely competitive dads there. Extremely unpleasant – like they had money riding out it. My father was the only one who made my reindeer costume for the play. I felt so odd, but the parents were literally told to fashion something and I felt like my father was the only one who didn’t cheat!
I do all the science and words, drivers ed, and social ed. The Mister, he gets sports, self defense, math, history, and ethics.
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Thanks. You guys make a great team. Something tells me you don’t back down when called to defend. I had s friend who used to come use my shop tools when making his son’s soapbox car.
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Good story on the school project. It is not always easy to step in when you need to as a parent. And apparently it is not so easy to not step in when children have projects – as the other parents demonstrated. Makes me think of the Cub Scout pine wood derby projects. I see your inspector gave the new porch a thorough inspection and it passed !
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Thanks John. We worked the same way with our daughter. We supported whatever she wanted to make, but she did the work.
As for the inspector, she realizes that this is temporary. She has made change requests for the final version.
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A wonderful Story, Dan. Great photos too. Have a Happy Father’s day
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Thanks John. You too.
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Thank you, Dan
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“Fix the problem and move on to ice cream” sounds like a life philosophy that works on so many levels. And people here get crazy about stopping for the red light, too. I spend a lot of time fussing at strangers who are gesturing wildly at me in the rearview. Sheesh. (Happy Father’s Day!)
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I do think the world would be a better place if approached all problems like that. Thanks. Happy Father’s Day to Brightside 🙂
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You got social and fathers in this one!
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Fathers can be social. Thanks John.
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It sounds like you had a good dad, Dan. Happy Father’s Day.
Thanks for the shout-out. Hugs on the wing.
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Thanks Teagan.
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Way to go, Dan’s Dad! What a great role model. I’m glad the teacher spoke up, finally. Cigarette pack cellophane taped in for windows is pretty impressive! Both my parent’s taught me how to deal with people, Except Mom was usually too nice. Dad was no nonsense when I was young to balance out her too niceness.
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That’s s good combination, JoAnna. You do need to know how to be nice…sometimes.
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I didn’t have a dad but had brothers. They did those tings, and taught me not to slap a guy — sissy stuff, and to think about it before I hit one, but if they needed hitting how to double up and cream ’em.
I dealt with stupid to day too… it must be in the air. I have no idea how to deal with stupid, but I will say there is a part of me that would love to return to some civility in our world — I actually don’t like going out much because so many people are asses. Driving is the height of that because it can kill you!
Happy Father’s day to the dad’s out there.
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Sounds like your brothers did a good job, Kate.
There are s lot of stupid/rude/arrogant/special people out there. I don’t like being with too many at any one time.
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Your dad was some kind of guy, Dan. Can you imagine a teacher saying something like that nowadays? It would be in the news and the kid would have an attorney. Nice of your dad to take the teacher aside and speak with her. That’s the problem–people don’t know how to talk anymore. Shame. Poor Maddie’s little tush is gonna splinter, Dan. Have a great Father’s Day!
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For the record – Maddie and I sat on “her deck” today and the cushion was properly situated.
I wish I could have listened in on that conversation. I had those kinds of conversations with our daughter’s administrators/teachers and mine always included a line like “this is what we’re going to do…” I can imagine my dad saying that.
Today, you’re right, lawyers would be involved. Thanks.
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“It wasn’t rough unless you were stupid.” Yep, pretty much sums up a lot of things. I’m glad that your father went to bat for you with the teacher. Hiding your model because you actually did your own work was so wrong. I hope she learned an important lesson too.
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The bar my Dad tended bar at was a very interesting little place. The students in that class after I moved on seemed to indicate that she never changed. I was happy that he stepped in. She remained cautious with me.
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I like the caption of the dog. It’s cute. I like your sense of humour.
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Thanks !
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I’m going to choose to diplomatically stay away from the discussion of what mums and dads teach their children and congratulate you on doing your own work and thank you for the lovely green and colourful pictures. Looks like spring has sprung.
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OK, you had your chance ;-)
Thanks!
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Happy Fathers’ Day, Dan! 😁
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Thanks Heather.
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I would like to say I cannot believe your teacher said that …. and yet I know it happened with some frequency and probably still does 😡
Your dad was awesome!
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Thanks Joanne. That teacher was the worst. She was really mean in a passive aggressive way. She left me alone after that, but I’m sure it didn’t change her. I felt good, though that was one of the best nights at school.
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That’s a great story Dan. My father actually built all the houses we lived in growing up but he never quite finished a one. My shoe box would have been filled with sawdust. Happy Father’s day!
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Ha ha – thanks Jan. But you could have explained the sawdust. I would have understood :-)
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What is going on with some of these drivers. Someone honked at me at a stoplight while I was waiting to make a right turn (if there were no cars coming). There were cars coming and this guy thought I should just jump out there in front of them. My daughter said the same thing happened to her when she was exiting a shopping center parking lot. She said there were too many cars coming for her to exit and this guy behind her starts honking. I told her if she got into an accident the guy would say ‘ I don’t know why she pulled out in front of those cars.’ Getting worse all the time.
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I don’t know what is wrong with these drivers, Deborah. I get honked at at least once a week at an intersection where I rarely make a right turn on red. The streets intersect at an odd angle, and there’s no way you can see if it’s safe, unless you pull halfway into the street. I’ve seen people almost get clipped doing just that. It’s not worth the few seconds it saves.
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Crazy. :(
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Beautiful pictures, Dan. That first one had me drooling …. if only! To have a boat like that? *sigh* I really enjoyed your trip down memory lane about your Dad. He sounds like he was a really cool guy. My mom, fyi, taught me to drive and today hubby says I’m the best driver he has ever seen. I stop at red lights as well. And I’m very careful pulling out when the light is red to make a right turn. I’ve gotten beeped at because of my defensive driving. Hmmmmm …… Anyways, totally enjoyed reading this. Happy Father’s Day, Dan! Hope you had a great one today!! 🤗
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Thanks Amy. My Dad was a very good man and quite a character. I wish I had been able to listen in on that conversation. Don’t let your guard down. Defensive driving is more important these days than ever,
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Don’t I know. What I’ve seen on the road is scary. I’ve got one eye in my rear view mirror a lot and due to that blind spot I quickly turn my head to the left whenever I turn right making absolute sure I don’t have a nut job to the left of me. Crazy people out there these days who never took driver ed!
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I’m surprised Maddie let you get away with misarranging her cushion. LOVE your flower shots, though they’re all super. I didn’t know about the East Coast Greenway. I looked it up, and I’m going to explore it further–virtually, of course. Did we all have that teacher? Mine was Miss Wagner, in Kindergarten. Then they eliminated Kindergarten, and guess who I had for first grade?
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You had the wicked teacher twice? Now I know when you conjured up Steffie ;-)
I remember first seeing the Greenway signs last year. I didn’t know anything about it. I would have fixed Maddie’s cushion if she had given me five seconds before plopping down on it. I got it right the next day..
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What a fun and playful take on the prompt as well as kudos for dads. I chuckled out loud at this line “He taught us to be careful. I can still count to ten.; Very impressive that Dad helped your house get top shelf recognition. Cheers to you! Happy Belated Father’s day too – hope you were able to relax and enjoy the day.
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Thanks Shelley. We had a great day yesterday. I’ve had numerous close calls that almost left me counting to nine, but so far, so good,
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You’re welcome. Glad you had a great day. 10 fingers are a good thing to rejoice in having. Take care of them, you’ve got to finish that porch before the snow flies ;-)!
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I love the house story and how Dad fixed it!!! Great pics! Hope you had a great Father’s Day!!
The start of the blog made me think of traffic “rules” that are unusual to me. On the side streets in LA there is a gross shortage of left turn signals at most major intersections and with the sheer volume of cars it is next to impossible to turn left against oncoming traffic during the green light cycle. So, the accepted practice is get out in the intersection along with two other friends behind you and when the light turns red and oncoming traffic stops…it’s ok for up to three cars to then turn left. It is such an unwritten rule that the green light doesn’t generate the flow of traffic instantly because it is expected that there will be three cars turning left from the flow that just got the red light. I guess in the major cities where we have previously lived (Denver, San Diego, Seattle & Phoenix)….there are plenty of left turn signals to allow a large flow of turning traffic. If you don’t abide by this unwritten rule…the horn honking gets intense!!
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Thanks Kirt. We have one intersection in our town where the left turn traffic gets so heated (even though they have an arrow) that I avoid the whole thing by going out of the way and approaching the intersection from the cross street. These guys basically won’t stop turning left until someone pulls in front of them, long after the arrow is out.
It’s funny to consider how self-driving cars will fare with all of these “cultural” laws. If self-driving cars obey laws and speed limits, they’re going to cause more problems than they solve.
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Your Dad gets the “Best Dad Ever” award for making sure your house got displayed too.
I love, love love the river images and how green it all is! I really love the golden light on the rowing team.
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Thanks Deborah. My dad would have been the first to tell me if I had done a crummy job. He never liked things that weren’t fair.
The park has been pretty in the mornings when the sun is shining (which it hasn’t been very often).
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Since you are talking about the traffic lights I would like to share that Vasai (the town I live in) was almost a sleepy town when I moved here in 2006. Now, it is busy as a beehive. Subsequently, the new municipal body was formed to administer the city. So last year, traffic lights were introduced. My neighborhood got one as well. However, Vasai never had traffic lights in its entire history so people have difficulties adjusting to it. So even when it’s red for the cars and green for the pedestrians the cars just zip by. The traffic police (the less I say about them the better) are like good angels very hard to find in this dark corrupt world.
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That’s kind of scary. I hope the people learn how to respond to the signals before someone gets hurt. It’s not too hard to imagine the change in your area. Once rural land here is opened up to development, it happens very quickly.
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