Most years, Father’s Day is low-key, and this year was the same. My wife and I agree that we do not do well in terms of family celebrations, so we’ll work to improve on that over time. But it was a good day overall.
Our car has been sitting unused in the driveway since the start of the pandemic, with not one but two flat tires. I couldn’t seem to muster up the energy to try to get it fixed until yesterday, when I finally was able to get it to a nearby tire store and mechanic. It is great to have it working again, and I felt a real sense of accomplishment.
Then I tackled another longstanding need to fix one of our bikes whose handlebar was loose and back wheel was flat. With help from our youngest, I was able to replace the inner tube and fix the handlebar so that it can be used again. The whole task was relatively easy, much easier than I’d imagined. With the bike working again, we now have two working bicycles, which means that in future, I will be able to take bike rides with one of our kids, which I look forward to.
One of the effects of the pandemic up ‘til now, at least for me, has been a lack of energy and motivation to accomplish much of anything. Getting these two tasks done therefore felt pretty good.
After that, we went for a picnic supper together for the first time in a several years. We drove to a nearby state park and found a good spot to enjoy the many delicious food items my wife bought at our local Aldi, including salmon, one of my favorites. Although it was a hot day, by late afternoon it had cooled down a bit, and there was a small breeze to keep us cool in the shade. Two of the dogs came with us and caused a bit of chaos, which was to be expected.
Our goal was to do a bit of fishing afterward, because our state designated the weekend as a free fishing period, meaning no fishing license was required. There wasn’t any luck with that, though. One of our kids and I did some casting in a nearby river and got a few hits, but we gave up after a short while. There were too many other people around, and I don’t like crowds, especially when fishing.
When we got home, we each enjoyed a piece of banana cream pie. After I went to bed, I stayed up late to finish my third book in a week before falling asleep. All in all, a good day, and a nice end to a week of vacation.
