Do you remember the Eddie Fisher song from the fifties? Likely not ...
But I was a kid being raised (or not) by mein papa ... and the song has remained with me all these years.
My dad was very imperfect ... he had been raised without a father himself and he really didn't know how to be a good father. But he loved me and I loved him. And the older I get the more I realize that that is really all that is important now.
Anyway ... I have been looking up recipes to use as I feed Peter every week ... and so I am seeking out old sources.
I keep coming across recipes that my dad left me. Some of them are in his handwriting ... and all those feelings of love and regret that he is no longer part of my life well up every time I see that handwriting.
It has nothing to do with whether or not he was a good cook or a good father ... it is all about love ... all about family.
And that is what the Eddie Fisher song was all about too.
..the daily life of a hermit and her dog ...
River Echo
September, 2010
Welcome to Oma's World.
Welcome to Oma's world: a hermitage set on a pristine lake, nestled in mountains, surrounded by trees and inhabited by Oma, Kenya (her own dog) and the dogs she looks after.
In Oma's world there is time to see, really see, the natural landscape as it changes. When she is not outside with the dogs, Oma reads, writes and watches films. She has also returned to a lost hobby, knitting, tried pottery and felting with very limited success, and produced a great deal of funky furniture over the past year or so. She also teaches occasionally at a local language school.
Since moving to the hermitage she has discovered the secret to raising healthy house plants. They have to love their environment. We all do if we are to lead happy productive lives.
This summer she tried her hand at creating a garden, and has been consumed by it to the exclusion of most other occupations.
In Oma's world there is time to see, really see, the natural landscape as it changes. When she is not outside with the dogs, Oma reads, writes and watches films. She has also returned to a lost hobby, knitting, tried pottery and felting with very limited success, and produced a great deal of funky furniture over the past year or so. She also teaches occasionally at a local language school.
Since moving to the hermitage she has discovered the secret to raising healthy house plants. They have to love their environment. We all do if we are to lead happy productive lives.
This summer she tried her hand at creating a garden, and has been consumed by it to the exclusion of most other occupations.
My Other Blogs
Kenya
My Lady of the Lake
Some of My Regular (and Occasional) Haunts
About Me
- Oma
- ... a woman who has been many women and will likely continue to metamorphose right til the end ... I have been a mother, a grandmother, a writer, a teacher, a traveler, a nomad,a hermit, a dog sitter, and a sporadic folk artist wannabe. Right now I am also a tiny-time-chef and caterer. Who knows where my travels will lead me as I travel down the final stretch of life's road?
Blogs for Writers
Followers
Something I Noticed Recently
- "A first draft is a work of construction. A seventh is the work of an artist." Barbara Kingsolver
Kenya's Sleepover Buddies
- Peach, a gentle 5 year old Lassie-type Collie
- Oberon, King of the Cat Fairies
- Corey, a 7 year old Golden Retriever
- Kitty, AKA Button, 8 weeks
- Tom Cat, 1 year old... run over November, 2010
- Olive, the 2 year old black lab
- Chelsea, the old and lumpy black lab on steroids
- Mica, the Siberian Husky
- Maggie, the two year old Berner
- Stella, the 7 month old Bernese Mountain Dog puppy
- Tango, the Ancient Sheep Dog, now deceased
- Zeke, the Nova Scotia Duck Toller, now deceased
- Henry, Marta's Golden Retriever
- Lulu, the tiny Cockapoo puppy
- Havoc, the Doberman
- Remi, Sarah's Golden Doodle
- Tango, the Golden Lab mix
- Teddy and Shea, Tammy and Carlos' dogs
- Nina, the Chocolate Lab, now re-homed because of viciousness
Films I am Watching (reviewed are starred)
- Blood Diamond
- Amazing Grace
- Rosenstrasse
- The Blade Runner
- My Cousin Vinnie
What I am Reading These Days
- Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden
- Good to a Fault by Marina Endicott
- What They Wanted by Donna Morrissey
- Lullabies for Little Criminals by Heather o'Neill
- Merle's Door: Lessons from a Free Thinking Dog by Ted Kerasote
5 comments:
He had the most amazing handwriting...I can see it in my mind today
I remember the song so well that it popped into my head immediately, lyrics and tune. I remember your Papa quite well. He was always so warm and welcoming when I went to your house.
I also remember my Papa and your post brought tears up from my heart. I only wish I had valued him more when I could. He died so young (52) and so suddenly that the memory of it is still excruciating. Our fathers were both European men, principled and stalwart who took parenting seriously. They were very much present in our lives then, for better and worse. We were lucky, because even when they stumbled, we knew they loved us.
Thanks for that little memory prod.
Thank you both for remembering with me.
One of those vain wishes I have had since Dad died is that we could have been retired together ... so that I could had more time for him.
Of course the reality of family relationships is that we are all at different life stages with one another ... and today ... also far flung geographically ... so staying close takes a greater effort than it once did.
Oh My Pa-Pa (O Mein Papa)
Listen to the song here and there is also a version done by the Everly Brothers
Now you've got me all choked up. Before my Dad passed away (he had been very ill and we knew the end was coming) a very wise woman said to me "if there is anything you would like to tell your father, tell him now". I did and it was an incredible conversation. Not long after than, I held him as he slipped quietly into that good night knowing how much we all loved and appreciated all he had done for and been to his family.
I was fortunate.
Thank you, Sassy.
I wish I had high speed so that I could listen to both versions. But on dial-up, YouTube lurches unevenly (and slowly) from one sound to the next.
I will try to get Tammy to help me upload a real version once she has recovered.
In the meantime, thank you for the thought ... and I am glad my post helped you remember your own dad and his passing.
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