Wednesday, October 20, 2010

You can't take the boy out of the man even at 91 and a half

My Dad never ceases to amaze me.  He gave up his HO model railroad because he couldn't see well enough to run it anymore or to do repairs and now at 91 and a half (which he insists on emphasising) he's been  bugging me to find a www store so he can buy track to set up a model railroad in time for Christmas.  He still has an engine and some carriages.  He wants a train to go around the Christmas tree this year.  So last Wednesday Mum and Dad went out shopping and found 4 three foot lengths of track.  Guess who gets the job of putting it all together, yep me and you know I'm looking forward to it.  We had a garage sale last week and in cleaning out the garage I found Dad's model train control for running the trains, somehow it got overlooked when we sold his last set up. I'm looking forward to building something for his set up in polymer clay.  Not sure what yet but I'll be sure to post some pictures when it's done.  As I said he amazes me.  I guess age changes us all and illness certainly does and he is fighting back with his usual good humour and determination to enjoy what time he has left.  Some days he doesn't remember where he is or how he got here but his sense of humour pulls him through the void most times.  Just when I think that old age is nothing but a cruel joke I realise that I'm learning valuable life lessons from watching my parents and I'm so grateful to still have them in my life. It's no joke, cruel or otherwise just a palate of colours to be savoured no matter what the hue.