Daddy taught me to shoot a shot gun, a rifle, and a 22 pistol. He took me hunting for quail and taught me how to look out for snakes and bulls in a pasture. We once went to a turkey shoot in Lake Wales around Thanksgiving. We shot at targets. I won a turkey shooting a rifle. Daddy didn't win anything. I was about 13. Daddy taught us how to launch a boat, and run it safely. Every Sunday, before Daddy started going to church, he and I would go fishing (casting) in Long Lake. I would drive the small boat and he would cast for bass. I always asked him why Mother went to church and we didn't. Finally, we started going to church. Funny thing, mother stopped going for awhile when Daddy started going. Maybe she didn't like his singing. I never figured that one out. Finally, she started coming to church again and we were there as a family.
Daddy liked to scare our dates by showing up with his shot gun across his arms, if we were late or sitting in the drive too long, or just for fun so they would know who was boss. One time, Eddie and I were late coming home, and Daddy came out with his gun. Scared Eddie half to death. He backed his cool car out onto Daddy's yard running over one of Daddy's favorite plants and then gunned the engine, leaving ruts all the way up through the grass until he hit the dirt road. Eddie only stopped for a moment to look at me, and then tore out up the dirt road like the devil himself was after him. I cried, Daddy laughed and Eddie left. Daddy called Eddie the next day and told him it was okay and he could come back to see me. Eddie must have really loved me at that point, because he did come back. One time, Eddie was kissing me good night at the door and he didn't know he was leaning against the doorbell. So he rang the doorbell several times and mother came to the door and said, "If you are going to have a long kiss, at least get off the doorbell. Come to bed, Eddie go home."
When I was sent off to college at FSU, I really wasn't prepared for college. Mother mostly sent me there to get a break from Eddie and to meet other boys. I was so miserable. I didn't do very well and it got worse everyday. I cried a lot and finally, near the end of the first semester, I called home and talked to Daddy. I was so unhappy and couldn't take it anymore. Daddy came and got me the next day. He just said, you have to work or go to college somewhere else. You can't just sit home. He saved me again. He would always listen to your side of the story and always showed how much he cared. One time after Eddie and I were married living in New Mexico, I had to call Daddy because we couldn't make our car payment. Eddie's only thought was he would have to send me home for awhile until he could make ends meet again. Daddy, said "Oh no, don't send her home, I will send you the money each month. She is just fine where she is." I don't think he wanted to deal with me and mother together again under the same roof. She and I made life very interesting for Daddy. So, right now, I am going to get ready to go to work for awhile. I have a Sunday School Class later.
Showing posts with label daddy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label daddy. Show all posts
Monday, January 5, 2009
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Daddy
Well Eddie said to post something to the blog tonight for the first time. I couldn't think about what to say. This is a place to put thoughts about the past and the present. Things I remember to the best of my knowledge and would like my family to know about. The first person to come to mind to remember is our Daddy. You see, Lawrence Estes, wasn't just my daddy, he was our daddy, my sisters and I. We all have memories and they are different. I don't remember what Diane experienced with Daddy, I only remember things Daddy and I did together and what he was like as I saw him. Daddy loved us all so much and we knew it. He was a big man with a little boy inside fighting to get out and play. He worked hard, not minding the dirt, giving each day his best effort and came home to his family. We always ate at the table together at the same time each day.
He was a citrus grower, grew flowers, vegetables, trees produced nuts, fruits of all kinds, blackberries, watermelons. For a while he had cows that he milked. He loved to fish, fresh and salt water. He loved to hunt birds with bird dogs. He didn't hunt deer. He loved to cut up and make lots of noise, even at the kitchen table. He would take his silverware and beat out tunes on the water glasses and plates until mother made him stop. He told dirty jokes at the table until mother told him to stop. He grew vegetables and brought them to the house for mother to cook. He brought the quail he shot home for mother to cook in a stew. He caught fish brought them home and cleaned them and then mother cooked them. Everything always tasted so good.We always thought our Daddy was our hero. He had a truck that was dirty because he always took his dogs in the front seat or the back and there was lots of dirt in the grove. He sometimes took us with him,which was our delight. He always had something special to show us that he had found earlier. Usually a nest of new baby birds or a nest of rabbits. or some huge turtle down by the water hole. He has brought us home a baby rabbit on many occasions. Once a owl that lived in our bathroom for a while, eating raw hamburger meat. He loved all of nature. Once he built cages and bought a lot of parakeets from a woman in Lake Wales. He had nesting boxes and raised the babies they had. He sold the birds. The babies had no features and big eyes. He raised chickens for us to eat, turkeys, pheasants. He always had dogs-big dogs and kept them outside in big pens. We loved them all. He loved boats. He taught himself to water ski and us.
Daddy was a tender-hearted man. Didn't mind getting dirty, but on Sunday he cleaned up real good. He went to church, then we went out to eat and saw a movie almost every Sunday. He dressed up in a suit. He sang off key in church but he didn't care, bless his heart, he just sang real loud anyway. He was a deacon and worked hard for the church too. He joined the rotary club and worked hard for them. One time. he even cooked breakfast for my senior all night party. The Rotary club cooked for us the next morning. That was a little weird. But one thing we all knew, no matter what we did, he first checked the car out to be sure it was in one piece and then he told us he loved us. We knew he loved us. We sisters were a little wild sometimes. Not drinking and stuff, just fooling around. We drove way too fast. We lived 12 miles from Bartow and had to fly like the wind to get home in time. We always had to get home early-11:00 pm. I don't know how we lived through it. We drove 90 or so. Never saw any cops - probably going too fast for them to catch us. We just didn't want Daddy to catch us out late. Daddy took the family on vacation every summer, usually to the beach, sometimes the mountains. We liked the beach better - it had cute boys. Daddy took his boat and fished early then joined us at the beach. He always did stuff with the family. Once in a great while he would go off and fish down south with some men friends for a few days. He really liked doing that. Well, it is my bed time. Early to bed has sort stayed with me all these years. We always got up at 5:30 am. Type some more later.
He was a citrus grower, grew flowers, vegetables, trees produced nuts, fruits of all kinds, blackberries, watermelons. For a while he had cows that he milked. He loved to fish, fresh and salt water. He loved to hunt birds with bird dogs. He didn't hunt deer. He loved to cut up and make lots of noise, even at the kitchen table. He would take his silverware and beat out tunes on the water glasses and plates until mother made him stop. He told dirty jokes at the table until mother told him to stop. He grew vegetables and brought them to the house for mother to cook. He brought the quail he shot home for mother to cook in a stew. He caught fish brought them home and cleaned them and then mother cooked them. Everything always tasted so good.We always thought our Daddy was our hero. He had a truck that was dirty because he always took his dogs in the front seat or the back and there was lots of dirt in the grove. He sometimes took us with him,which was our delight. He always had something special to show us that he had found earlier. Usually a nest of new baby birds or a nest of rabbits. or some huge turtle down by the water hole. He has brought us home a baby rabbit on many occasions. Once a owl that lived in our bathroom for a while, eating raw hamburger meat. He loved all of nature. Once he built cages and bought a lot of parakeets from a woman in Lake Wales. He had nesting boxes and raised the babies they had. He sold the birds. The babies had no features and big eyes. He raised chickens for us to eat, turkeys, pheasants. He always had dogs-big dogs and kept them outside in big pens. We loved them all. He loved boats. He taught himself to water ski and us.
Daddy was a tender-hearted man. Didn't mind getting dirty, but on Sunday he cleaned up real good. He went to church, then we went out to eat and saw a movie almost every Sunday. He dressed up in a suit. He sang off key in church but he didn't care, bless his heart, he just sang real loud anyway. He was a deacon and worked hard for the church too. He joined the rotary club and worked hard for them. One time. he even cooked breakfast for my senior all night party. The Rotary club cooked for us the next morning. That was a little weird. But one thing we all knew, no matter what we did, he first checked the car out to be sure it was in one piece and then he told us he loved us. We knew he loved us. We sisters were a little wild sometimes. Not drinking and stuff, just fooling around. We drove way too fast. We lived 12 miles from Bartow and had to fly like the wind to get home in time. We always had to get home early-11:00 pm. I don't know how we lived through it. We drove 90 or so. Never saw any cops - probably going too fast for them to catch us. We just didn't want Daddy to catch us out late. Daddy took the family on vacation every summer, usually to the beach, sometimes the mountains. We liked the beach better - it had cute boys. Daddy took his boat and fished early then joined us at the beach. He always did stuff with the family. Once in a great while he would go off and fish down south with some men friends for a few days. He really liked doing that. Well, it is my bed time. Early to bed has sort stayed with me all these years. We always got up at 5:30 am. Type some more later.
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