The Quirky Doodle Diaries: My Daddy's Rainy Day Antics

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Ever had one of those random family memories that make you laugh every time you think about it? Today is my daddy's birthday, he would have been 82 years old. He passed away in 2010 and my sister and I think of him often. He left so many stories behind, but we never truly knew our parents very well, or at least their lives before we were born.

One of my fondest memories of my daddy involves his unique way of spending rainy days. He was quite the character, though he would never admit it. His creativity often bordered on the crazy, much like me. This particular memory still brings a smile to my face every time I recall it.

Daddy had a habit of doodling on anything he could find—bits of paper, notebooks, envelopes, and even paper towels. Despite having plenty of drink coasters, he'd always tear a paper towel in half, fold one half, and use it as a coaster. These little paper towel halves were scattered all over our house, driving us nuts, a habit he had until he passed away.

One rainy day when I was about six years old, living in our cozy little yellow house at the end of Easter Lane, someone—perhaps one of the lovely ladies in the neighborhood like Mary Williamson, Karen Richardson, Mrs. Moon, our next-door neighbor Edna, or maybe even my Aunt Joan—dropped off a huge stack of magazines for my mom: Family Circle, Ladies Home Journal, Better Homes and Gardens, Southern Living, Good Housekeeping, Redbook, and a few old issues of my favorite at the time, Smithsonian Magazine. Before my mom had a chance to flip through them, Daddy—armed with a blue ink pen from AmSouth Bank—had already commandeered the stack. He sat at the kitchen table, flipping through the pages and clicking away with that pen.

As he read, he added his own artistic touch to the magazines. By the time my mom got to them, she discovered that most of the models and smiling faces had a few or all of their teeth blued or blacked out. It was hilarious! My mom was both pissed and humored. How could you be completely mad at someone after seeing Cheryl Tiegs looking like she had a gummy bear stuck to her teeth or another model looking like she ate a toilet deodorizer?

The magazines were destined for the trash after my mom read them, so it wasn’t a big deal. But after that, she made sure to read every donated magazine before Daddy or the copycats inspired by Daddy's creativity got a hold of them.

Daddy's doodling didn't stop with magazines; the Sears Wishbook and JC Penny catalogs were also filled with his random blue ink dental work. And remember those bits of paper towels I mentioned? Well, not only would Daddy use them as coasters, but sometimes he would doodle on them before folding them up to set his drink on. Occasionally, the ink would bleed, but nothing severe enough to ruin the table or the cup. Now that I'm older, I realize that my quirkiness isn't entirely my fault—it's in my genes.

Thanks for taking a trip down memory lane with me. Do you have any quirky family traditions or funny memories? I'd love to hear about them in the comments! And if you enjoyed this story and want to support my creative endeavors, any contributions would be greatly appreciated. Just know that your support means the world to me. 😊


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