When is a Holiday not a Holiday....

.....When I don't have the day off!  Today was not a holiday for me, but I will say it was great driving in today.  Very little traffic, no school buses, and then no mail to clutter my in-box!

I hope you have enjoyed your day, if you were lucky enough to have the day off from work.  I dread turning the TV on tonight, because I really don't care about all the hoopla in Washington.  I don't hide the fact that I am a conservative, and believe that the smaller the government, the better.  Enough about that.

Thinking about the government, and reminiscing about my family over this past weekend (see my Saturday blog), I decided I wanted to write about my dad today.  He died of cancer at age 63, in 1989.  Lung cancer (he was a smoker) that went to his brain.  Much too soon, and only two years older than I am right now.  Gosh - that slams it home.

My dad, Orlyn Albert Kelly, was a great dad.  He grew up on a farm.  He learned to fly an airplane in his late teens (single engine), and met my mom only because she worked with his brother and wanted to ride in an airplane.  Uncle Bill fixed them up!

My dad worked hard, at a job he really didn't like, to keep four kids clothed, fed and sheltered.  He didn't have a high school diploma, having dropped out to join the Army, right at the end of WWII. But he worked his way up to a GS-11, as a civilian employee of the Air Force.  He took his lunch to work, every day.  A peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and if there was meat leftover from the night before, a second sandwich with meat on it.  If no leftovers, he had two peanut butter sandwiches.  I know, now, what a sacrifice that was for him.  I would hate having the same thing everyday, dry white bread with peanut butter.  God bless him.  He always said that his favorite pieces of chicken were the back and neck.  That was so we kids could have the drumsticks, thighs and breasts.  I could cry now, thinking about it.  He told jokes, and loved to talk to my friends on the phone when they called.  My friends loved my folks, and our house was a great place for friends to hang out.  Everyone was welcome.

He was a good handyman.  He could work electricity, plumbing, and could build most anything.  We always had to "do it yourself, or it doesn't get done" at our house.  I learned a lot from him, and am handier around the house than Joe is - different upbringings, completely.  He can butcher a steer or a hog, and I couldn't begin to do that, but I can usually fix things.  Thanks, Dad!

 Dad, holding me at 1 month old.

My dad made me learn how to change a tire on the car before I could take it out by myself.  I had to actually change a tire, with him watching.  Thanks again, Dad!  Before I could take the boat out on the lake by myself, he made me learn about the motor, and how to safely get weeds out of it, or how to fix the propeller, etc., etc.  He was a wise man.

My dad did not go to church with us, but he was a believer.   Getting us to Sunday School and church fell to Mom, but with Dad's support - as long as he didn't have to go.

My dad was a hunter.  We had rifles hanging on the wall in our house, and none of us thought about bothering them, or using them in any way other than to hunt.  My dad loved to fish.  My dad loved to be out on the water in his fishing boat, and would take anyone for a ride on the lake who wanted to go.  (Above is my dad, my mom and Joe...)

I miss him.  He retired from the government at age 55.  Thank God he had a few years to enjoy his retirement.  I had a great dad.  Every day is father's day in my heart!

Thanks for reading my blog today.  I just felt the need to talk about my dad today.  Wishing you a good Monday evening and a bright Tuesday!  Peace, love & hugs.