Dad had a honker right up there with Jimmy Durante. Like Da Prez posted, when you see his nose you know he's just a few minutes behind.
We lived in Iowa, Ft. Dodge to be exact, a state well known for tall corn and deep snow. Dad always had snow removal taken care of prior to my leaving home...guess who! Finally, after many years of doing it himself using a shovel, he decided to buy his first snow blower and he was so proud since he bought it at quite a reduced price prior to winter ravages. I was home on leave from the USAF and was standing at the big picture window with mom, watching dad as he cranked it up and prepared to hit the first pile of snow of the year. Keep in mind, the discharge chute had a spring loaded pin that you pulled out to turn the chute to aim the snow discharge. That pin also could be turned 90 degrees either way which locked it out, leaving the chute to turn freely...something not advised while blowing snow. Mom suddenly realized dad's mistake and started to tap on the window and yelling "the chute, the chute." With the motor running he obviously couldn't hear her so proceeded to plunge into the first line of snow at the end of the driveway. With first contact, the blower worked as designed...including the still loose discharge chute. The chute spun a full 360 about three times in a matter of seconds, covering the front of dad with snow from head to toe. His face was fully plastered with snow to the point it covered his glasses and all features of his face with one exception...his nose! Mom pointed to her nose...then to dad...then started to laugh hysterically, followed by a quick retreat to the bathroom. It was hilarious, about 1/2" of the tip of dad's nose protruded from his white snow packed face, nothing else was visible. From that day forward, mom played the "nose" issue from time to time...much to dad's irritation. If he couldn't find something, she'd tell him to follow his nose. She swore he could walk past the fridge or pantry and tell if something had started to spoil without looking. It became a family joke until the end when dad passed Dec. 27, 1999. If you all remember, I posted a story about how he had a double tombstone erected when his first wife died on which he had carved his birth year and the first two digits of his death year; 1906-19__, believing he'd die while still in the 20th century. If he had lived another five days, the tombstone would have needed to be corrected reflecting his years as 1906-2000. He was a devout man who didn't preach his beliefs, he just lived his life according to the Bible and people noticed. He often told me "be careful how you live your life, you may be the only Bible some folks ever read." I surely could have used his wisdom and input in recent years...maybe he's still there, deep in my mind's memories...nose and all!
