Such a lovely, bittersweet memory of your father. Later this year will mark the 10th anniversary of the unexpected passing of my mom. I've been having similar feelings and memories.
It is always a privilege to be able to visit and share in your and Rodger's lives. I feel enriched for the experience and always look forward to your writing.
Robin, you do your father great honor in your writing, not just today but everyday. You both are fortunate to have had the knowing and loveing of one another. Peace Rose.
In a way, I envy you. For me, it was kind of a relief when my father died a little over five years ago.
His 84th birthday would have been yesterday.
I love the story about being awakened by the light in the wee hours and then not after moving to suburbia.
And the prospective buyers? Morons. Seriously.
(((( robin ))))
Thanks for sharing more about you and your father with us. I was particularly close to my father even after I moved away in the military. I was there when he died and felt no pulse. There's not a day that goes by that I don't think about him. It's always related to something going on around me that day.
Don't worry, the right buyer will come along.
love and blessings always.
what a wonderful, soulful child he was!
it is such a tender love story, robin, that you share. 
lucky you were to have had a father with whom you could share love in this mutual admiration society you two created. i longed for that kind of connection with my father all my life. mine did/does not know how to love and though he is a bit better at it, he still has a huge deficit in that area. it is sad for us all and as time slowly runs out i grieve for what will never be.
I read because your posts always make me think and thinking is a good thing. I am sorry for the loss of your father and think it is wonderful that you remember in whatever ways you do. Letting him know he is not forgotten.
Wonderful story! A demonstration of the habit of loving getting passed on through the generations; so encouraging!
Those six words are so appropriate, so true.
Beautiful tribute; wonderful accompanying photo.
I'm glad the Rufus Hummingbirds aren't as short-sighted as your first prospective buyers were.
I've been hearing but not seeing the pileated woodpecker, and the robins are definitely back, despite the malingering crust of snow -- they're unseen as well, but cheer-cheerily singing.
Our Wild Birds Ltd newsletter suggests putting the platform feeders out, so there's a little weekend project for the girls and me
Speaking as a father and a child, I think you did a sweetly wonderful job expressing yourself.
you share so much in this post, Robin - a sweet and thoughtful memorial that resonates and a wonderful memoir in six words. Thank you.
PS my husband would consider proximity to a small airport like that a wonderful feature. You just need to find the right buyer.
Any time someone talks about their father with fondness, I feel envy. You were so fortunate to have a father who expressed his love for you. That is the greatest gift a parent can give his or her child.
Another wonderful tribute to your father, Robin. We seem to share many similarities in how we saw things as we were growing up. I worried about my dad a lot too (he traveled a lot when I was young, so my worries tended to be related to that). My dad died many years before I ever would have guessed he would.
Beautiful, vibrant remembrance. I had to look up yahrzeit - I wasn't familiar with it. What a lovely tradiion. It's been 19 years since my father died, and I miss him every day too.
A beautiful post; bittersweet memories. How lucky you were to have such a connection with your father, and he to have one with you. I know from your conversations that he was a powerful influence in your life, beyond the common parental pull.
Re: house. You have a little airstrip by you? I hadn't noticed and it certainly hasn't deterred the other flying objects in your yard!
Re: 6 word autobiography: Sad to think it's possible, no?
A one-runway airport next to my place? I would BEG for that kind of protection from big development. That should ADD money to the sale value of your property. How many planes fly out of there? Two a day? Sheesh.
I see many others are like myself, never having had a connection like that with my Father, a man we usually lived in fear of. I believe fathers and daughters tend to have better relationships than fathers and sons in general, but YOURS, is so beautifully poetically warmly expressed, you clearly have shown WHY so many of us look up to you.
It is I who would thank you for sharing the richness of your lives, both of you.
We now have rufous in and out all day, so yours are nearly there........ Thanks for a warm morning experience, this reading of your memories.
My dad passed on about 10 years ago, his absence still felt.
Thank you, everyone for your thoughtful comments. They are, as always, much appreciated. For those of you who were not close to your fathers, I am reminded that my father was not close to his father either. We called our paternal grandfather Poppy. I remember when Poppy died and being told about it in the morning, it went something like this:
"Poppy died last night," said an adult parent.
"Oh really, gee that's too bad, what's for breakfast," said the children.
When an ogre passes away there's not much to miss.
Thank you for your poignant reflection on your father.
And sweet to have some zippy little points of color in those hummingbirds to contrast with the horror of the weather lately.
Have a good weekend.
---Lovely, powerful post. Your writing is evocative and beautiful. Telling the stories is life forward. We look forward to more! Peace
(o)
"Without talking about it, we simply tried to save each other with love."
Thank you for writing this eloquent tribute to your father, robin. The photo of your father as a child with his mother is quite moving.
And your six words.
"Ten thousand sorrows, ten thousand joys."
After seeing Dawn's photo of the Rufous Hummingbird, I put my feeder out on my porch for the first time in several years. One showed up that same day -- Tuesday, March 11.
May you and Roger have a good weekend, too.
may your father rest in peace and the comfort of your sustaining love.
A beautiful sharing about your father. The first husband...wow, what a creep!
I've had two fathers, the first, biological, one pure evil and dead for over ten years now. I'm so glad my mother got it right the second time, instead of repeating her mistake. My stepfather couldn't have been more different from my biological father. As you know, he died recently and the pain is still sharp. He lived with his own private sorrow--the death of his first wife and infant son within two days of each other.
As for me, don't feel obliged to post more often! I would hate for this to become a burden to you. Your posts are like the sightings of a lovely wild animal--a blessing when it happens, a savored memory thereafter.
Wow. Powerful and beautiful entry, Robin. It was a heck of a post to read after not being able to spend much time roaming around on my favorite weblogs.
I am reminded of specifically why this is one of my favorites to visit.
God bless you both.
tf23
That's a cool photo. I guess that's your father on the pony. It's nice that you write about your memories of your dad. Parents are usually the most wonderful people.
Doggone it, can't you call the airport and ask them to keep the planes from flying when the house is showing? I know you can't, but that's pretty frustrating, sometimes.
Dear Robin,
All of this was wonderful, but I was particularly caught by your autobiography. I hope you don't mind my throwing it up at my blog, with proper attribution, of course...
James
What a lovely passage.
so tender and gentle -- both you and your father. your writing is lovely, so much vulnerability.
I'm glad I stopped in; I was visiting Coffee Messiah.
we've been doing the house-selling thing, too and I know how frustrating it can be. Take heart and remember, it only takes one (person who loves it).
I should have known there was someone good in your family who dealt in tomatoes.
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