I remember Mom saying that she'd always have to take account of what kind of law business would probably be coming in during the month when she was doing the household budget.

When people came to Dad asking him to help them file for a divorce he'd say, "Why don't you go home and think about it?" Dad knew that people often divorced too hastily and was doing his bit to try and keep their families together, but Mom said they'd just go to another lawyer anyway, so why did he bother?

Dad's people were farmers, and there were nine kids in the family. His own father died rather young. He was bitten on the leg by a snake. The bite itself didn't kill him, but it became infected and then gangrenous, and eventually needed to be amputated. But he refused the operation, saying "I came into this world with two legs, and I'm gonna leave with two." And so he did.

Since Dad was one of the older siblings he had to take a major part of the responsibility for the family after his father died, and I believe that's what made him so serious about life.

Dad died with Parkinson's and heart trouble when I was only 16 so I don't remember as much about him as I do about my mother. He had been diagnosed with the Parkinson's when I was only one and so his health declined slowly but steadily throughout my childhood years.

One thing that stands out in my memories of Dad is that he never raised his voice and never spanked me or my brothers and sisters that I can remember --except once. Here's what happened: When I was growing up we lived in the upstairs at Grandmother's big house in Creston and ate communally. After dinner we'd go upstairs and leave the bottom part of the house for Grandmother so she could read, or do whatever. Well, one time I left a comic book behind after dinner and wanted to go back down to retrieve it. Dad said "No", but I snuck down anyway.

When I got back Dad spanked me for the first time in my life. I was already 10 or 11 years old at the time so you can imagine my astonishment at being spanked for the first time at that advanced age. After the spanking I remember thinking, "Wow! Whoever says Dad's not well is sure wrong!"

Dad was a confirmed bachelor until he and Mom got engaged -but once that happened then the rush was on to get married. They decided to have a private wedding at Grandmother's house and Grandmother was going nuts trying to get it arranged in a hurry and keep everything on the QT at the same time. She was under strict orders from Dad not to let the big news leak out in town. He'd told her he didn't mind getting ribbed about losing his bachelorhood after the wedding, when it was too late to do anything about it, but he wasn't going to put up with any teasing beforehand.

Even though it was a small, private wedding it was still plenty fancy as I recall Mom telling me. I'm sure it was all in keeping with Grandmother's characteristic sense of style and good taste.