Remembering

I just made peanut butter cookies from the recipe on the Kraft Penaut Butter jar. They're super easy and taste great. They turned out pretty good, but I have to say that as long as I'm paying attention to what I'm doing my cookies generally turn out good. I attribute that to my Dad's advice of always using parchment paper and baking them at a lower temperature then what the recipe says. I used to ask my Dad for baking advice all the time.

My Dad has been on my mind a lot lately because yesterday was the 1 year anniversary of his passing and I've been remembering the things that made growing up with him so special. He stayed home with me when my Mom went to work and my siblings were in school. It was great. We'd go for bike rides, go the store (and sometimes I'd get a treat), and I'd eat the apple peels when he peeled apples for pies.

Although during my teenage years, and a few years beyond, we had our big disagreements, we came through the other side closer. I loved to go down to the Kingston market every Saturday to visit with him. I'd stay for hours and talk and get to know more about him.

Children and adults alike loved my Dad (particularly the kids who got free cookies from him). He was a fun-loving friendly guy who would stand up for the underdog and give the coat off his back for people. He was a gentleman who had so much love and respect for my Mom and he taught me that the man should always walk on the side of the woman where the traffic was.

He loved western movies (especially the ones with John Wayne), Johnny Cash, and Louis L'Amour books. Although he didn't get to travel a lot because of his job, he took advantage of the opportunity to go East to see my brother, Travis, and he loved every second of the gorgeous scenery. He always wanted to come out west as well, but never had the chance to. Sometimes it hurts when I think of that, but I know he knows what it looks like now. Every once in a while I'll be in the forest or on a mountain and I wish Dad could be there to share it with me. He loved the outdoors and respected the way nature took care of itself.

I wish you all could have known him, but I also hope that I carry on his virtues and pass them on as well.