Dad's birdhouse

Snow is starting to cover the garden, with the cold weather, we may not see the ground again for awhile. My dad made this birdhouse many, many years ago. It's sat in the same spot for years, it's even housed a bluebird's family one summer. I had to paint the "Bait Shop" sign for the front of all his houses. Mom gave everyone a handmade house for Christmas, she was known for giving everyone the same gift. Once someone opened theirs we all knew what we got, the son-in-laws would tease so bad about who should open their gift first. Everyone got gloves, socks or ice scrapers. Mom bought in bulk, she really liked it when dad made items to give us!!

I have to tell you a story about a family Christmas, we have many and I'll try to get some of them into the blog.

I have to go back and give you some history first - So my dad had heart trouble long before my mom got sick. He had a heart attack, I don't really remember how bad it was, when it was or how it happened but it scared all of us. I still remember where I was at work and the phone conversation I had with mom, she never called me at work and to hear her voice I knew it wasn't good. He was fine but mom worried about him and dad let her. He was kinda hard to shake of sickness so he pouted until mom had enough and stopped babying him.

Back to the story.... on Christmas Day we always went to Mom and Dad's for dinner and the guys always snuck off with dad to open the bar after dinner was done and gifts were opened... this year dad wasn't going to open the bar since he was still recovering, the guys were so upset, that was tradition ever since they came into this family, and the wives didn't get mad at them since they were with dad. As creative as our guys are and as determined as they were to sneak out without us knowing they all slowly ventured outside sneaking a coat from mom and dad's closet right next to the door. So here they are sitting at Sport's Page enjoying their drink and John puts his hand into the pocket of the jacket he was wearing.... pulls out a prescription bottle with Dad's nitro pills in. He panicked and tried to get the rest of the guys to go back, they didn't fall for it. One beer lead to another and another as they usually do but John was ready to go, he could only think of dad back at home with the girls and kids, getting a chest pain and needing his nitro, going to his coat as he's grasping his chest and there's no coat, no pills.... he was never so happy to leave a bar than that day. Don't worry dad was fine and still is and John learned to check the pockets before taking someones coat as he sneaks out the door.