Front Porch Conversations: Back Deck Memories

Recently my wife has taken up the art of knitting. One of the items she has knitted for each of us in the Chagnon household was a toque (if you're french-canadian), or a toboggan (if you're southern). Still have no clue as to what I'm talking about? Take a gander at the photo to the left and the item on my head.

March can be a surprising month in Georgia -- much the same as it was in Vermont. Just two days ago it was 76 degrees, but today it was pretty nippy. So naturally I wanted to wear my toque before heading outdoors this afternoon. As I was trying to get the toque to fit properly on my head, I looked in the mirror and was reminded of a funny childhood memory.

My dad used to smoke Marlboros when I was a kid. However, my mom didn't let him smoke inside -- so it was a common site to see him on the back deck of our house taking a cigarette break. Again I refer you to the photo above because in the winter that is how my dad used to wear his toque. I always thought my dad used to wear his hats funny. Anyway fiddling with my toque this afternoon reminded me of my dad's funny toque wearing style.

But even funnier than the way he wore hats, was the one time he came out on the back deck to smoke and as he was lighting his smoke, he slipped and slid head first down the steps cursing all the way. It was hilarious -- the toque thing just made it even funnier. I always knew smoking was bad for your health.