87
Things We Love About Grandpa, Dad, Ed
Kind,
Generous, Adventurous, Smart, Funny, Brave, Helpful, Outdoorsy,
Resilient, Wise, Noble, Strong
His
recent return to the world of competitive bridge has had just as big
an impact as his earlier decades of play ⚫ He's an accomplished
teacher of bridge, even to the seemingly unteachable ⚫ His courage
to (try) teaching me to drive in the old VW bug - complete with stick
shift and unannounced ditch diving ⚫ He went on to teach Ukrainian
immigrants with English as a very recent second language how to drive
⚫ Snow berms did not slow him from detouring through the meadow to
pass a smug neighbor stuck in snow ⚫ He is the fastest
stair-climber on Whidbey island in his age group ⚫ He can lift his
end of a couch, chair, dresser, Christmas tree, or goat ⚫ Imagine
my shock when he beat me in a running race when I was the fastest
runner in my 5th grade class! ⚫ Ed programmed computers in Machine
Language before high level languages or even assembly was invented!
Right on the Iron as they say ⚫ He was one of the world’s first
computer programmers, back when they were as big as commercial
refrigerators ⚫ His new iPad was mastered in moments - or at least
months ⚫ Such an early adopter of the new and interesting - the
first time I ever heard of a Kindle was when i opened my birthday
gift from him ⚫ Brave to be one of the first people in the country
to get radial keratotomy eye surgery ⚫ You never know when another
secret talent will emerge from him - like making stereo cabinets ⚫
Excellent Dresser Builder ⚫ Birdhouse Builder Extraordinaire! ⚫
Famed inventor of the one and only magnificent Pink Furry Chair ⚫
Developer and distributor of custom add-on cord winders for vacuums ⚫
Made Clever Hacksaw Blade Under Counter Jar Openers for all the
neighbors and churchgoers in TN ⚫ He could make an Iceberg lettuce
salad with two quick slices of the carving knife, a perfect wedge of
white "greens", ready for the Catalina dressing ⚫
Macaroni with tomato sauce for supper ⚫ His cranberry sauce is
amazing! Really rounds out a chicken or turkey dinner ⚫ His tuna
salad hits the spot after a long drive or flight ⚫ His German
potato salad draws raves from real live Germans ⚫ Ed's Chili Recipe
is the greatest ⚫ World's best watermelon pickles. I have never
tasted any better than his ⚫ Ed makes a great Cucumber/Vinegar
salad ⚫ Ed showed me how to make Cucumbers and mayonnaise with a
little pepper ⚫ Always keeps lots of cold Michelob Ultras in the
fridge, just in case someday Joel stops being such a PNW beer snob
and returns to his Midwestern roots ⚫ Ed's cinnamon toast in the
morning before school ⚫ Ed showed me how to just sprinkle sugar on
buttered toast - mmm great! (and cheap) ⚫ Ed is the originator of
the Suet Pudding Christmas tradition ⚫ Though not Swedish, ate
lutefisk on more than one occasion ⚫ Once he was spotted with his
little grandson Timmy, under the kitchen table, shelling peanuts by
flashlight ⚫ He bought a boat for us to take family vacations on
the Mississippi. How cool is that? ⚫ He only took one week of
vacation a year for I don't even like to think of how many years ⚫
Spent his precious vacations driving a car thousands of miles with
three squabbling kids in the back seat ⚫ Toured the great capitals
of Europe ⚫ Rode elephants in Southeast Asian jungles ⚫
Wrestled alligators in the mangrove swamps of Florida (well, that
last one is unconfirmed) ⚫ He
is an accomplished canoeist - from the boundary waters of Canada, to
the crocodile filled rivers of Costa Rica
⚫ Was
the first real person I knew who rocked a fedora, and wore it when
most men had given up the style (for reasons that I'm sure had
nothing to do with his alopecia areata) ⚫ He wore his golden crown
on their golden anniversary with such good humor and style ⚫ His
(largely unrequited) love for Dolly Parton set a standard for
romance that I strive to uphold to this day ⚫ He bought his
daughter a horse, which makes him every teenage girl's ideal daddy ⚫
Woke up early on winter mornings to break the ice on the horse's
water trough and drag a bale of hay out from under a tarp loaded down
with snow ⚫ What other father would set pride aside and be seen
bumping down the road with ten bales of hay bulging out of a VW bug?!
⚫ Who knew that ten bales of hay could be transported by a VW bug?!
⚫ Nemo says: He's generous with the treats, has a great lap for
sitting in, and is great company on walks to the orchard, mailbox,
and beach ⚫ His willingness to adapt to living with noisy,
feathered neighbors ⚫ Chickens and goats just seem to love him for
some reason, and come running whenever he appears on the deck ⚫ He
gently live-trapped dozens of squirrels, ferried them carefully
across the lake, then made them walk the plank to shore
⚫ He
gave his kids a lifetime of Lake Vermilion memories ⚫ Brought home
an endless supply of gas tanks every summer so his kids could water
ski any time they wanted to ⚫ He was the uncontested guru of the
local Investment Club for most of two decades, and in all that time
no members were sent to the Poor Farm ⚫ He served as
second-in-command to Gen. MacArthur during WWII, at least to hear him
tell it ⚫ Modestly turned down hundreds of requests by Louis
Rukeyser to appear on Wall Street Week ⚫ His economic sense rivals
Jim Cramer ⚫ For household expenses he can pinch a penny until it
screams, but he's always generous about giving to others ⚫ Has a
generous, but no nonsense approach to gift giving ⚫ Paid my way
through college, even though I mostly used those years as an occasion
to play countless games of Oh Hell ⚫ Corrupted the good Lutheran
Carlstedt girls with card games of Oh Hell ⚫ He excels at making
friends with a wide range of folks - even liberals! (All the little
old ladies adore him) ⚫ Stands by his convictions in the face of
adversity - even if he's the only one in the room (or state) rooting
for the other team ⚫ He's the adventurous sort, leading the blind
on bus rides and getting new friends out of the house (or senior
living facility) ⚫ He volunteered at the hospital, warming up
everyone's day ⚫ A very kind host ⚫ His memory is better than all
the rest of ours (yet he still blames forgetting things on age) ⚫
Dispensed a great deal of fatherly wisdom, sometime using actual
words ⚫ He's the strong, silent type ⚫ He's willing to jump
in and help out ⚫ Far, far too humble to check to see whether there
are actually 87 things in this list ⚫ He seems so gentle and
unassuming, but watch out for that sense of humor! ⚫ He's got a
twinkle in his eye that shows his sense of humor ⚫ The Mona Lisa
has her smile; Ed has his mischievous grin ⚫ His wit got him
nominated as the official company retirement roast speech maker -
people reported they laughed until their cheeks hurt ⚫ Married
Faith Eunice Carlstedt, and stuck with her all the way ⚫ Giving his
children the gift of growing up in a stable home with a loyal
committed marriage ⚫ Picked up and moved clear across the country
to be closer to family, and gave up a lot to do it ⚫ His life and
the way he lives, inspires and connects eleven members of his pretty
wonderful family.
Dan
⚫ Joy + Rich ⚫ Joel ⚫ Tim + Krista ⚫ Daniel + Amanda ⚫
Ariel + Tim ⚫ Min Min
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