The Man who Built Grasshopper Nests

1950's was a time for families.  This picture was taken at our uncle's home, at a family get together.  His old homemade campershell for his pickup served as a picnic table.  The man in the forefront of this picture is my dad.  Dad had worked in the coal mines for many years and had survived a few cave ins, with many broken bones and injuries.  He had a wife and nine children to raise and kept going back into the mines in order to feed his family.  We lost dad when I was six and my sister was three.  Dad was one of our best friends, because he always took time for us.  He would sit down in the tall grass in the edge of the yard and break off the long stems of Planten; the one with the fuzzy tops and show us how to make grasshopper nests.  Of course he was only playing, who ever heard of a grasshopper nest?  We made our grasshopper nests and sat them throughout the yard, and waited, but, never caught a grasshopper in any of them.  Dad was a kind and fun loving person and a good Christian man.  He was a strong democrat and my mom was a strong republican.  When election day came around they always went to vote, knowing that they each were canceling the other's vote.  Dad went on before us, fifty years ago.  Sometimes it seems like another lifetime.  We thank God for letting us keep him as long as he did, but, most of all we thank God that we can see him again.    If there are any dads out there that read this, please take time for the little things with your children, because the little things are what they will remember the most.  The grasshopper nests never caught a grasshopper, but, they were built with love.  And they are some of my fondest memories.