ode to pater

Dear Daddy, Baba, Hey You, Mister FixIt. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! This is you: 1) fixing anything broken. all the time. 2) out shoveling in the coldest of days. 3) carrying the toddler around to “look for bunnies” in the yard = the ultimate distraction. 4) always ready to buy an airplane ticket for any of his kids or grandkids to come home or visit each other. 5) always ready to get me ice cream late at night when I’m pregnant. 6) the first one to volunteer to pick you up late at night from any thing–a flight, a party, a roadside disaster. 7) the first one to volunteer to drop you off anywhere in the early morning–a flight, a surgery appointment, work. 8) reading religious newspapers while watching World Series of Poker. 9) finding the latin mass in Vegas whilst playing poker all night long. 10) ending phone calls with “you too, pal” after you say I love you. 11) playing hockey twice a week at age . . . wait for it . . . 68! 12) always up for a construction project, especially the demolition part. 13) naming the composer and name of any piece of classical music. 14) singing along to all Led Zeppelin and ACDC. 15) the only person in our family guaranteed to answer his old fashioned flip telephone, day or night. 16) calling religiously from Costco to see if we “need anything for the kids.” {organic chicken broth & mozzarella, please} 17) when you ask the tot who is…