Ah, Dad's and Mom's back porch. We spent so much time together here, talking and laughing and eating and making plans. Dad used to line the top rail all 'round with tomatoes from his garden, then invite anyone and everyone to take what they needed whenever they wanted. I go here in my mind every now and then because it truly is a "happy place" for me.
I had to laugh out loud the other day when I read the cartoon strip Get Fuzzy. The cat’s name is Bucky, the dog’s name is Satchel and their owner is Rob.
Bucky has no respect for Rob, often calling him Pinkie. He doesn’t think much of Satchel either; in fact, he considers himself the smartest of the three. But I’ve been following the storyline where Bucky decides to change his name to Steve because he believed most geniuses nowadays are named Steve. Bucky’s a genius, most men he knows of named Steve are geniuses, ergo, Bucky should change his name to Steve.
Rob dismissed Bucky’s fantasy for a little while, then felt bad about it so he bought Bucky a couple of outfits with the names of two famous Steves on them. If you’ve ever tried to dress up a cat, you can probably see where this is going. It wasn’t pretty, but Rob finally stuffed his cat into one of the outfits, and the line that sent me into a giggle fit was, “Why must you weirdify my happy place?”
Isn’t that the funniest thing? I mean, have you ever been in your happy place when someone’s come along and just messed up your whole space? Maybe they dampened your mood or dismissed your one-of-a-kind idea. In effect, they weirdified your happy place.
I’ve decided to add this little phrase to my vocabulary. It’s my favorite one at the moment, though there are other ditties I like to toss out now and then.
If someone shares a good experience, I often say, “Cool.” That never gets old to me. “Cool beans” is another popular phrase around here. Many times folks will hear us use Seinfeld-isms, those are our own private jokes; we haven’t run into too many people who get what we’re saying and that’s OK.
Stephen King has inspired a few favorite phrases, though I’m not willing to put my job on the line and use any of them in this newspaper. They’re a hoot though, and I like using one every now and then just to see the look on a certain someone’s face. It’s, well, cool.
Now my father-in-law said some funny stuff. One favorite was, “gosh-darn-it-to-heck anyway!” I tend to use that one often, but one we all remember is, “Let’s get goin’ so we can get back.” Thing is, I say that and mean it, just like Dad did.
That reminds me that this Sunday is Father’s Day. My dad passed on over 15 years ago, and my father-in-law has been gone for six years. We miss him something fierce and not just on Father’s Day. He was such a big part of our lives in so many ways and what we wouldn’t give to turn back time and spend more of it with Dad.
Well, wouldn’t you know it? Gosh darn it to heck, I’ve gone and weirdified my happy place. And that’s not cool.
If your dad is still a part of your family, do something extra special for him this weekend. You’ll be glad you did, and so will he.
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