No Shenanigans On St. Patrick’s Day

I’ve always been a rule follower. Maybe it stems from my Montessori education, where there were particular ways of doing things and everything had to be put back in its place before moving on to something else. Maybe it stems from being high strung and worried that Bad Things would happen if rules were broken. I distinctly remember crying in the back seat after seeing on the speedometer that my Dad was speeding because I thought we’d all be thrown in jail. 

Dad

So, I don’t have any fun stories to tell you about my shenanigans.  But shenanigans is a great Wednesday Word, and reminds me of other great words my Dad used.

machatchka Dad used this word to refer to a piece of clothing that wasn’t in its right place, like a shirt collar that was rolled under, or sleeves that got pushed up under a sweater. Since I can’t find it on any on-line dictionaries, he may have made this one up, but I still think of it when my skirt gets twisted or I can’t get the straps of Tiger Lilly’s halter leash sorted out.

discombobulated Dad usually used this word to refer to me, when asking what had me feeling so discombobulated as I ran around the house trying to find something.

flabbergasted Dad used this word a lot when I was in high school, and probably would have used it even more if he knew all the shenanigans I was up to during those few rebellious years. 😉

Writing this, I realized that all of these words have to do with something being amiss. But that’s not because my dad was a pessimist. Just the opposite. I think he used fun words to help me see the lighter side of frustrating situations.

Graddaddy&Kids2

My son, my dad, and my daughter, celebrating my son’s birthday

I lost my Dad five years ago on St. Patrick’s Day. I won’t be marking the day with any shenanigans, but I will be remembering him with a smile.

[Tweet “Remembering Dad with a smile – but no shenanigans #WednesdayWord”]

Are there certain words your Dad says?

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10 Responses to No Shenanigans On St. Patrick’s Day

  1. Carla says:

    I love this. And am sending YOU love as well.

  2. Anne says:

    That is a beautiful tribute to your dad. I love that you are taking the day to remember him.

  3. Awesome tribute 😉 I’m kind of a mix…I am a big-time rule-follower -you should see the steam shooting out of my ears on race day when an arrogant idiot pushes their way through a crowd of runners to get to the front of the pack (instead of just walking outside the corral and jumping in nicely). I color outside the lines, though, on many an occasion….like with my clothing LOL (I often wear contrasting colors just because someone tells me not to #truth)

  4. Awww, big hugs. What a touching tribute to your Dad, who sounds like a great guy.

  5. Nice tribute to your dad!

    My dad is still a shenanigans kind of guy, a damn the rules kind of guy. Guess I know where I get it from…

  6. Aw what a sweet tribute to your dad! Love it

  7. What a lovely way to tribute your dad. Sending hugs your way, especially tomorrow.

    I was definitely a rule follower all through school (even college). It wasn’t until in my 40’s before I started relaxing a little and participating in shenanigans!

    Thanks for linking up!

  8. awe…what a wonderful way to remember your dad! ((hugs))

  9. HoHo Runs says:

    What a lovely post, Coco. That’s a beautiful picture of him with your kids. I lost my Dad on July 4th. He would have said he “went out with a bang”.

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