When I hear the word "plaid" I think of my dad because he ALWAYS wore plaid flannel shirts (except on Sundays to church).
My dad loved flannel shirts with two front pockets and I don't think he threw any out. When I went through his closets after he died, he had three closets full of flannel shirts and some flannel lined shirts from L.L. Bean. He would wear these all yaar round, even on hot summer days! If he got paint on some, he'd still save those to wear the next time he painted.
My dad had so many shirts because he'd usually get flannel shirts for his birthday and Christmas. I found one still in the original plastic so used it to lay him out in for his funeral. He was never big on suits and I just thought he'd look more like himself in a flannel shirt. Here we found a picture of when he got that shirt which was about 20 years earlier! Who knows, maybe he meant to save that one for his funeral one day--sounds like something he'd do!
I gave most of them away but kept a few for my husband and me. It's really nice to have these because it makes me feel close to dad still when I wear one of his shirts. My husband discovered how nice they are too. He never used to wear flannel shirts but likes them a lot now, especially in the winter to wear to work. They are so comfortable!
One of the biggest fights my parents, thus most memorable, was over him stubbornly insisting that he wear a flannel shirt for the church directory picture. I thought it was hilarious! Here is the picture that we purchased which appeared in the church directory:
Read more about my dad and me at "My Funny Dad Harry" blog:
http://karenzemek.blogspot.com. Better yet, purchase the book I wrote in him memory about my dad and me and how as he grew old, the frustrations about being his primary care giver and how our roles reversed. (Available on Amazon and Barnes Noble)
Be sure to see what our cats wrote about this over at our other blog,
Right Where We Belong.
This post was inspired by
Mama Kat's Writers Workshop prompt: What comes to mind when you hear the word plaid?. Stop by to find more or link up one of your own.
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