Like this:

One chilly evening during our Christmas holidays, whilst in Winter Haven, Josh and I sat talking in my room.  Then Mama came flying through the door with a lot of “oomph.”  The house phone was to her ear, and her eyes were as big as saucers.

“You have GOT to come see your Daddy!  You’ll never believe what he did……”

And this was her tale:

Dad was chopping lighter knot in the yard – a norm for him during the winter.  The neighbors no longer fear the large man with a large axe.  (Lighter knot is a piece of pine, loaded with turpentine, that you can use to start a good fire with oak or other firewood…just one little piece and BAM! you’re set!)

Well, as Padre was hacking, a huge piece flew up and hit him in the mouth.  And left a HOLE in his lip.  Went clear through his lower lip and hit a tooth.

About this time in my mother’s story,  I heard my 6 foot 7,  grizzly bear of a father belly laughing down the hall.   We took this as a good sign.  He came in the house, hands cupped to his bloody gushing mouth, and swished some water in the bathroom to assess the damage.   The water came spurting out of the hole in his lip and drained down his chin and shirt.

I then turned to my mom, who was still on the phone, and asked “Are you on the phone with a doctor?”

“No.” She looked at me a little puzzled. “Verizon- The internet went out.”

That’s when I started laughing.

“Yeah, never mind Dad.”

“Are you kidding?” she said with a laugh.  “Only your Daddy…after 30 years…used to this sort of thing by now…he’s fine…so normal for him…”

The really great part is when my brother came in and put blood clot-er on Dad’s mouth that he uses to suture up the dogs on a hunt.  At least it wasn’t staples or super glue.

…And Josh says there’s more entertainment in Lakeland.

 

Advertisement