Oh, how I love George Gershwin’s, Summertime. And I love Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, too. What this classic song has to do with writing, I don’t know.
Wait a sec! See how I got swept away with that cool jazz? Of course I know. And if you want to know, you can sip on a nice, cool drink, kick back with Ella and Louis, and read my post over at The Muffin.
Ahhhh. Summertime, and the livin’ is easy.
This past weekend, I went to Savannah to celebrate my dad’s 90th birthday.
90TH BIRTHDAY! That’s CRAZY. (A couple weekends before, I went to Savannah to surprise my mom for her 88th birthday. 88! Holy cow!)
I’m sure you can tell by the pic that my mom is a bit of a hoot and a ham, and you’ve heard me tell Mom stories. But this weekend is Father’s Day, so this Fun Friday’s all about Dad.
A Few Fun Facts About Father’s Day (and One Specific Father):
*July 19, 1910, the first Father’s Day was proclaimed by the governor of the state of Washington.
*In 1972, Richard Nixon signed a proclamation making Father’s Day a national holiday.
*Apparently, men were not so enthralled with the idea of Father’s Day and the gift-giving and such. Mostly because the dads themselves had to (ultimately) pay for the gifts and such. (A tradition that continues in the Hall house today. So, really, the guys back in the 1920’s were pretty much right to balk.)
*My dad’s name is Fretwell (It’s a family name.) and my mom (and other friends) call him “Fret.” If you don’t ever want to talk to him again, call him Fred.
*When my dad was a little kid, he named his dog, Fanny. One day, Fanny went missing and he was distraught, looking for his dog everywhere. He ran up and down the streets yelling, “My Fanny! My poor, poor Fanny!” (His mother loved to tell that story.)
*My dad has been watching the Atlanta Braves since I was a little girl. But in the last–oh, 15 years or so, he watches with the sound off. So if you are with him, and watching, he (and my mom) will have conversations like this:
Dad: Oh, for crying out loud, what is this? Are they saying he was out?
Mom: I think they’re calling him out, Fret.
Dad: He was safe. How in the world could they call him out?
Mom: Well, it looks like they’re saying he’s out.
Dad: Ridiculous! What possible reason could they have for calling him out?
Me: WHY DON’T YOU TURN THE SOUND ON AND THEN WE’LL KNOW????
Dad: (Leaving the room) You watch it. I can’t stand another minute of this.
And with that, I’ll leave, too.
(Except to extend a warm and happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there. And here’s my gift–a favorite poem by Edgar Albert Guest called “Only A Dad.” Technically, I suppose the gift’s from Edgar Albert Guest. But the sentiment’s straight from my heart. And P.S. Dad, it won’t cost you a cent!)
Cathy C. Hall Writes 