Dad's Birthday and the Mud Pig

My dad is seventy-four today. Holy Moly, that's hard to imagine! (For me --- think how HE feels!)

I'm not sure what plans he has to celebrate. He isn't one to throw himself an extravaganza. For my part, he will be receiving a heartfelt card in the mail complete with the signatures of all his grandchildren. And he can rest in the knowledge that I'm thinking of him. Especially since this morning his old mud pig lost an ear.

I have a vivid childhood memory of playing in the backyard of our pink-aluminum-siding-house. My dad was there, and while I sat watching, he crafted a little pig out of the mud. As a young child, I thought it was so cool that he could make such a thing so seemingly easy. All these years later, I remain impressed.

I've taken good care of the pig over the years. Until one of my own children accidentally whacked its head off a while back. Kevin took care of it with Gorilla Glue. And then today... TODAY... Dad's birthday, the scissors fell from above the pig and the poor darling lost its ear. Before Mister Pig sustains any further injuries, I'm taking a picture!

Maybe when I'm older and more mature, I will write a birthday post honoring my dad wherein I laud all his accomplishments outside of parenting his lovely daughter... but because of the mud pig, I'm kind of in the mood to recall all the things Dad has made for me over the years:

A two-story playhouse (I should mention this construction project was for my brother as well)

A "TERI" puzzle

My name in cursive with bits of wire found around various airplane hangars

Shutters for my bright-blue childhood bedroom

A matching lamp made from the same shutters

Lots of dollhouse furniture

A bookshelf which traveled with me into and out of half a dozen apartments in my college years

Bookshelves in the "study" of my first house with Kevin

A toybox for my firstborn son

A pedal plane for that same son

Lots of dollhouse furniture for my daughters

I could compose a separate list for all the trips I've taken with my dad, and another for the interests he passed on to me. But we'll save those for future birthdays. And for now, I must go find a safer place for the pig.