Happy April 1st - Fools Day! Go away Crono

April 1, 2020

In reading today, I learned that even google is doing away with jokes and pranks for April 1st - often referred to as April Fool's Day.  Life is to serious now with the Cronovirus traveling all over  the world and now our nation, and so close to home.  No jokes please they say.  Time to shelter in for thirty days.  

Why the picture above?  That's me at 5 years old, with my younger brother at 3.  My father gave us this for our backyard to play in. He was a big guy and could not fit through the door, and that's about the only memory that I found as I ran across this picture today, sorting and still preparing to move. The other memory was of the day that same brother sitting next to me decided to build a camp fire inside.  No, did not burn down the dollhouse, but did leave a dark brown burn on the floor.  

Daddy's birthday was on April 1, and he would have been 95 this year.  He would not have enjoyed this year as no jokes, or pranks.  He would often complain, but I know he loved the attention.  Pranks played on him on this day were relentless.  From the 5 am phone call from "Dump", his aunt that lived down the street, that asked him to come quick, to that same little brother above, hiding his car keys.  To me, moving his shoes and hiding them. Lots of laughter and grinning watching him look for them.

So we grew up in a neighborhood where  Daddy's family were next door, down the street and on the corner.  We had a few cousins, and his Aunt "Dump" was at the end of the street on a few acres of land with a stream running through it.  To this day, I still do not know how "Dump" got her nickname but she was quite the jokester and made the best sour kraut in her outdoor kitchen.

Often Daddy's birthday seemed to happen all day long, and with all of his relatives nearby, the pranks and jokes often took him, off guard.  He would always shake his head, maybe laugh.  But all of his children that lived in that house, and the cousins too, loved it all.  

Tonight I called my step-mother, Daddy's second wife, who was with him when he suddenly passed away.  We always talk about him, and she shares stories that I was not present for.  She gave  him a  second life, four more children and one that he seemed to enjoy and fit into nicely.   

So tonight, I learned that each year, usually around April 1, a little green frog appears and comes up on her country porch.  Yes, frogs are plentiful in the country, but this little fella hangs around.  Going back a few years, one of Daddy's favorite events annually was the Governor's Frog Jump in the town that they lived in.  A festival filled with lots of people, frog jumping contests and food!  Even the governor came, and politicians if a race was soon to be had.  Daddy just loved it all, and he was in his element. 

I find myself remembering so many of the jokes and pranks played on my Daddy and loving every minute, in spite of the current world crisis.  The little brother sitting next to me, well, he is gone now too, was a ring leader, from hiding his  keys to hiding the shoes, with me helping.    And I love learning about the little green frog.

So I sit here alone going through lots of old pictures, sheltering and celebrating April fools Day!  inspite of google telling us - no celebration this April 1. 

Happy Birthday Daddy, it will always be a fun day for me to remember, no matter what!

So what's in your Backpack?