Dad, Tell Me About the Time…(30)

Thursday, May 30, 2024

Who are your closest friends today?

I don’t really have any friends that I hang out with other than mom. I don’t feel like I’m missing anything, but who knows. I have several friends that I love to chat with when we see each other at church or at other gatherings but maybe I should try and get together with them to do something once in a while. I’m not even sure what we would do.

Probably my closest friend today would be Jeff Andrew. That is kind of a recent thing and we do get together occasionally to work on our yards and houses, and I guess that counts because it is something we both enjoy.

Next would probably be Dave Evans because we have a lot in common. I did go and join him and Richard Henry to do some woodworking one evening. I know they like to whittle little birds out of wood. I think I would enjoy that.

Then there is Craig McPhie. I have no idea what we would do together but we both love to talk about new technology. I should probably involve him more on my smoker work. I know we would both love that but right now it needs to be moving at a faster pace and if we got together, it would really slow down. We would visit too much.

There is also Gus Zanini. Gus and I don’t talk much but one time we went on a bike ride together and it was a lot of fun. He was actually testing me, to make sure I was good enough to go on a youth bike ride. I passed. I believe there are a group of guys who go out on Saturdays. I like to work in my yard on Saturdays but maybe it would be good to go for a bike ride once in a while.

How do you maintain this relationship?

Other than visiting when we see each other, I don’t maintain these relationships. Maybe that needs to change.

Who is your oldest friend? Share a memory you had with them.

I assume that this is asking who has been my friend the longest and not who is the oldest person who is my friend. If it is the former and if I don’t include my brother Lester, then my oldest friend would be Tom Crooks. I have already shared many memories of things that Tom and I have done but let me retell one of those stories.

To start my pigeon collection, we would go out to an old, abandoned farmhouse in the middle of the night with flashlights and gunny sacks. We would climb into the attic and shine our lights on birds that would roost there. The birds would be transfixed on the lights, and we could simply reach out and grab them, shove them in the gunny sack and haul them off home.

In addition to pigeons, there would also be several sparrows roosting in the attic. One time we grabbed a few sparrows and snuck into the High School Gym and released them in the gym. Those sparrows hung out in the steel beams in the ceiling of that gym for quite some time before they got them out of there. Or maybe they finally died of thirst, I never thought of that. That would be sad. Hopefully they left the doors open and the birds flew out.

What kinds of things do you like to do when you are together?

As I said, we usually just talk when we get together, but I think I will try and change that and start whittling birds, building decks and patio’s, starting some science projects, like making a hydrogen generator and going for bike rides. That sounds like a lot of fun.

I think all of them would like to help me put some solar panels on my patio cover. That is a project that involves science, home improvement and carpentry.

What traits do you value most in a friend?

Well, obviously they need to have some common interests but beyond that they need to be kind and have your best interest at heart. That, of course, goes both ways. I need to have their best interest at heart as well.