For my dad {two days late}

When I was growing up, my dad sang me "All the Pretty Little Horses." Do you know that one?

Hushabye, don't you cry
Go to sleep my little baby
When you wake, you shall have
All the pretty little horses.

I can't hear that song without thinking of him + feeling taken care of and loved.
So, in your honor, Dad...
Here's a collection of All the Pretty Little Horses covers:

There's the folksy guy singing it in his living room of his condo in Kansas or someplace.

There's the one that is strangely accompanied by a photo montage from Xena Warrior Princess. Wow. Some people really have a lot of time on their hands!

There's the Calexico one {I like this one the best, although there's no video to watch. It has a nice western/south of the border flavor. Especially appropriate because my dad spent a lot of his growing up years in Mexico.}

And for a little touch of weird and mystery, here's one by Coil. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain (but what is he doing, I wonder?)

I can't help but notice that there's a spooky second verse that is often overlooked. Thank you for not singing that one to me, the one about the child crying in the meadow with the bees and flies pecking out his eyes. That would have been kind of unlullabyish.

Other things that remind my of my Dad:
stacks of books next to the bed
(relatedly) bookstores
whistling
anyone speaking Spanish
diet Coke/Tab (in the old days)
sports radio, especially in the car at night
one-two-three-whoop-de-doo
(being swung by my hands between my dad and mom)
chocolate cake with white frosting
watching sports on t.v.
well-crafted, inspiring talks
doing errands
funny observations and witty remarks
bare feet (my toes resemble his)
Saturday mornings
lemon meringue pie

Love you, Dad!

Also, you know how the song goes "when you wake, you shall have all the pretty little horses"? I think you owe me a lot of horses!