March 29, 2011 @ 08:08
I woke up to birds chirping outside my window in Peterborough this morning and I thought of a conversation I had with my wife and son on the weekend. They love to wake up to this sound, especially in the spring and so do I.
And there's another reason I love the sound of birds in the morning. It reminds me of my dad who passed away three years ago today.
My dad was the bird king. When I was a kid he raised canaries in the basement, and then about 20 years later, he raised them again in his garage in Milton.
Dickie had all kinds of bird stuff. Bird books, bird pictures, a bird clock that chirped a different bird every hour, he made bird houses and bird feeders, and back in the 70's during the CB radio craze his handle was Scarborough Blue Jay.
The bird feeders were fascinating when Dick and June lived in Stayner. Dickie knew what to put in what feeder to attract certain kinds of birds and it was fun to sit there and enjoy the wild variety of birds that inhabit Ontario, sometimes it felt like a freakin' sanctuary.
They say that time heals, and for me it has. When my dad first died it was hard to imagine living the rest of your life without someone who meant so much to you, but as time goes on and we go about our busy lives the hurt turns into a different feeling, feelings of warmth and contentment that come through great memories, like the bird memories.
Dickie lived a great life and was a great father and we had him for close to 83 years.
Everyone should be so lucky.
By the way, for those of you who ask about Junie, and there are many of you, she's doing fine. Still lovin' and laughin and cursin' in Mississauga. She still lives on her own, she still drives and she still walks the dog a couple of times a day.
She's a multi-tasker. She does all of this while desperately missing Dickie.
Category: Family
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