It’s my dad’s birthday tomorrow. When I’m his age I hope I have a fraction of the skills he has–the list is long, but includes:

  • Building furniture
  • Building pergolas
  • Remodeling bathrooms
  • Remodeling kitchens
  • Finishing basements
  • Laying tile
  • Wayfinding in the wilderness (I first learned about cairns and blazes and that moss grows on the north side of trees from him)
  • Tying knots
  • Making balloon animals
  • Decorating cakes
  • Rigging model ships
  • Building and maintaining bikes
  • Engineering Halloween costumes
  • Staying fit and healthy
  • Serving his country
  • Giving advice
  • Getting up early
  • Working hard
  • Saving money
  • Doing things “the cowboy way

I’m pretty lucky to have a dad with such great Dad Skills!