Pat, my person I think of often

Dear Pat,

I can hardly believe I haven't seen you for 9 months. The days are rolling by quickly. There are times that you flash into my mind and I see you rubbing your eyes, rubbing them so hard they may come right out, I'd have to look away. I can hear you chopping up fruit for your breakfast just before you pop your head around the corner to ask if I'd like to have a little bowl too. Or it might be the faster chopping of the pampered chef chopper in the afternoon that you're making a green salad for your dinner. You might be tying up one of your tarps explaining the reason why it's going to work so perfectly.

It could be that laugh that starts with an "Ahhh" and continues with a "Hahaha" - probably some bad joke or someone did something dumb or silly. I just heard a bad joke the other night and immediately thought I wanted to tell you. The guy said "Hey, did you hear that Willie Nelson died?" and of course we all were totally surprised...but then he said "Yeah, he was On the road again". I know, so bad, yet I wanted to tell you to hear you laugh.

I needed a new lightbulb in the garage the other day and reached up to the big bag you gave me so long ago when you cleared out your shed - it's still labeled with tape for me. Looking around the garage, I see your hammer with the "728" tape on it. Diagrams you made for projects - you did use the "picture is worth a thousand words" wisely and creatively.

I had forgotten a sign you sent me, it's up high on my ceiling in the garage, it bent over now so I can see both sides - it says FROST HEAVES on the front and on the back you wrote - From the highways of Eaton, NH - winter of 2004-2005 - we would always laugh when we passed those signs, first shivering and then gagging to act out the sign. Silly but we always did it.

So that's what I'm thinking of today and everyday Pat, my dad, my friend. See you around, like a donut.

Love you lots.

Xochi