Fathers Day 2012

Johnson "men"
Howard, Horace, Clare, Todd, Kirk

This is our first Fathers Day without Howard.  I checked back to last year's blog to see how we spent his last Fathers Day.  Well, I didn't get to Estevan that day as the bridge south of Torquay was closed due to a flooding Long Creek.  There was water over the road east of Estevan and the bridge on the road south to Noonan was closed as well.  I went to Estevan on the Saturday via North Dakota, took Howard out in our "new" Escape for a blueberry sundae at Dairy Queen.  I think that was the last day that the bridge to Noonan was open for a few weeks, so I made that trip just in time!

It's hard to believe those were the conditions a year ago this weekend!  Today the roads are all passable, but barely.  No, not from flooding but they are full of potholes from the heavy truck traffic on them.  The asphalt just doesn't stand up to big trucks hauling oil and drilling rigs over them on a regular basis.  The oil boom in this area may be good for the economy but it is definitely NOT good for our roads.

I spent Saturday morning working in the yard, planted flowers beside the old John Deere D and put a few in planters by the house.  I'm going to be gone for three weeks this summer so can't get carried away with plants that may need watering if the weather turns hot and dry.  I do like a few to brighten up the place!

And now it's Sunday evening and we've had a special Fathers Day. It was my turn to play the organ with Vickie at the piano for morning worship.  I was also down for reading the lessons and today that was enough for me so there was no organ with the piano this morning.  It was a month today since Howard's passing and our first Fathers Day without him so I just didn't feel up to playing this morning.

 Clare's and Kirk's were here for a barbecue supper with apple pie and ice cream for dessert.  I made potato salad, not because the kids are fond of it, but it was Howard's favourite.  I also opened a can of Bush's beans as he loved those too. Kirk's stopped at Salem cemetery on the way and planted some red geraniums at Howard's grave. Clare and Kirk also fixed a church window that had blown out in the wind.  I'll stop by tomorrow with my watering can to be sure the plants are off to a good start.  We had a couple rain showers today but nothing to measure.

It's a year today since I bought the Escape.  I had made cupcakes,  Abbey iced them and the kids put a candle on one for "Kiwi's birthday".  My vehicle finally has a name!  Kiwi is the official name for its colour so that will be its name from now on.

And a month from tomorrow Sandra and I leave on our Norway trip!  I have a few things to take care of before then so the next weeks will fly by.  Tomorrow afternoon our Faith circle meets at Heather's.  I have an appointment in Estevan on Tuesday morning to get Kiwi's oil changed.  I'll spend a good part of the day doing some shopping and running some errands.

I took some time today to reread some of the many sympathy cards that have come.  It is wonderful to  be remembered by so many of you.  Each card means so much and the personal messages are so special.  Howard was so interested in people and enjoyed visiting.  He often wished that he had taken a Dale Carnegie course but I don't think he needed one.  He could have taught a Howard Johnson course, always took time to visit with people.  If we were at the mall and met someone we knew, I was likely to smile, say "Hello" and keep walking.  But not Howard.  He would stop and visit for ten minutes or so.  He was never at a loss for words, unless he wasn't feeling well.  His key was to ask about a person's family as he knew they would always be ready to talk about that subject.  He would remember the conversation too and the next time they met, would ask how a trip or other event turned out.  He was forever quoting people and I would sometimes give him a hard time about all these quotes.  Maybe that was because I couldn't quote someone whom I had talked to the day before and he'd quote people from years back!  He was very observant and could tell you what colour eyes most people had and if they had new glasses.  I wouldn't be sure if they even wore glasses!

Today we celebrated his life and that helps us get through the pain of missing his presence with us.  We know that God's timing was right in giving him peace after struggling with declining health, especially this past year.  I realized that although it's hard to go on without him, it was even harder to see him getting so feeble and helpless.  He has only gone ahead of us.
"Beyond the sunset, O glad reunion, With our dear loved ones who've gone before;
In that fair homeland we'll know no parting, Beyond the sunset for evermore!"    (Brock)