Birthday Wishes

Today happens to be a very important birthday. My father Merl, who lives in Athens, Ohio, is turning __ today. I don't want to tell you how old he is, because I think he looks pretty darn good for his age, and I wouldn't want to give his secret away. If anyone not related to me can guess his age, I just might recognize them in my blog tomorrow. Now if that's not motivation, what is? :)

My dad is a very busy, active guy, and I can only hope that when I get to be his age I will be just as busy and active. He spent much of September/October traveling through the West and Midwest with his wife Mim, and last weekend he called me with stories of kayaking near his home. When he comes to visit, he always has the energy to come help me walk dogs and take pictures at the shelter, and on just about every visit he falls in love with a particular dog that he dreams of taking home. He is great about keeping in touch with his family and is also a lover of attending concerts and musical performances in his little college town. Dad has MacGuyver-like talents and can construct and repair things in ingenious ways. A couple of years ago at Thanksgiving, I watched him rig up a rope and pulley system to chop down some trees in his yard without actually making them fall over--it was quite impressive. He is a recovering workaholic who still tends to work too hard even though he's now retired, as evidenced by the fact that he started volunteering for Habitat for Humanity and ended up putting in like 60 hours a week. He was always super into the details of his work and sometimes reminded us of Phil Hartman's "Anal-Retentive Carpenter" on SNL, though not quite as over the top. The good thing is, I inherited Dad's detail-oriented nature, which is what makes me a good computer programmer. :) Thanks, Dad. I love you. Have a very happy birthday.