Fathers

There were 2 songs my dad used to sing on a regular basis. Let me point
out now that my dad was never considered for a professional singing
career, which of course never stopped him from belting out a tune.

(To the tune of Dean Martin's "That's Amore:")
When the sun hits your eye,
like a big pizza pie, Mil-timor-ay!

Our last name, Miltimore, is very rare. I've never even heard of anyone
with this name that isn't in my family somehow. It doesn't even
register on those websites that tell you how many people in the US or UK have
your name. It's that rare. So it is a source of pride for my family,
and we would sing this song whenever my dad, me, my aunt, uncle and
grandpa were all together. My aunt would always act embarrassed, but she
would still partake. Now I can't hear Dean without thinking about this.

The other was more of a fight song.

I feel healthy, happy, and
terrific! Happy and terrific is the way
I feel! Hey! Hey! Hey!
I feel healthy, happy, and
terrific! Happy as a million dollar
bill!

The last line would be dragged out, operetta style, and sung in a much
lower range. This is what I woke up to every day before school. For
almost 10 years. My dad was my alarm clock. He had no "snooze" or "off" or
even "change song" settings. My peaceful sleep would immediately cease
as soon as I heard the beginning notes... "I... feel...."

I really hated this song. My dad would even sing it around my friends,
making them laugh but mortifying me. And of course, I still know the
words and tune even though I have long since gotten a new alarm clock.
However, I don't hate the song any more. It's one of those things that
makes me only think of my dad, and now they are pleasant memories.

Even more pleasant is seeing my niece and nephews squirm and shriek
"grandpa!" when those first terrible notes begin. I don't have kids of my
own yet, but I know that when I do, I will let them be subjected to
this wonderful song so that they may share the memories of my dear old
dad.

And that's how my dad ruined enhanced my love of
singing. Happy Father's Day!

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super des does write about things other than her dad over at the wonderful world of des, and
that's where Rose is today. Go say hi! To read other Father's Day tributes, check out the other blog exchange participants.