06/18/07 Time for Dad

Time for Dad. I'm Greg Martin with today's Line On Agriculture. Yesterday was Father's Day and I hope you dad's out there had a nice day. I sure did and yes, my regular listeners know that my wife and I have one son currently serving in the United States Navy. What you don't know is that he and his wife are expecting their first son in October. So the line continues. I've had a wonderful relationship with my son. One I didn't get to have with father. He died in a construction accident when I was 6 years old. My grandfather became my father figure as did a number of other men in the little Kansas town that I grew up in. Most of them were farmers. One of my first jobs was as a farm hand and it taught me the meaning of getting tired and dirty and enjoying it. I have tried to pass that small pearl of wisdom on to my son. My grandfather was retired and we used to work around the town mowing yards and doing small handiwork jobs for the elderly ladies. He taught me to do the job right the first time and always to have a positive outlook on life while not taking it too seriously. He always seemed to have a good time no matter what it was he was doing. So now it will soon be my turn to be the grandfather. I'm looking forward to the role&one I won't take lightly. It's a big responsibility. Growing up without a dad in the house I often watched TV shows like Father Knows Best and My Three Sons where the fathers were what I've always tried to be like. My good friend Paul Petersen played Jeff on the old Donna Reed TV series and he had a hit song called "My Dad." I asked Paul about it. PETERSEN: Oh "My Dad" always gets into peoples heads this time of year. Well it was a fabulous song and it was a great experience. So even though it's a day late I'd like to wish all you dads out there a Happy Father's Day. (My Dad) That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.