Jim isn't the easiest person to buy presents for at any time, and June is a particularly bad time because his birthday and Father's Day are usually only days apart. Years ago, one of his children had the grand idea of getting him soap on a rope for the shower. Jim oohed and aahed over the gift, used it daily, and hung it up in the shower where it became a very visible symbol of a successful gift. Forever after, soap on a rope became the present of choice for Jim--and the present that always created dissension among the four kids as they competed for who would find the first (and best) soap on a rope.
Many months ago Johanna and I found an amazing collection of soaps on a rope at our favorite TJ Maxx. They had soaps on a rope in the shape of a dog bone, a ghost, a frog, and a rubber duckie. Ever aware of the difficulty of finding soap on a rope at auspicious times, we bought out the lot and Johanna came home with a big grin and years worth of presents for Jim. And unique soaps on a rope that would probably outshine any that her siblings might buy.
We stashed the soaps in a drawer for safekeeping, completely forgot that we had a ghost soap on a rope for Halloween, but did remember the dog bone for Christmas. Then we promptly forgot them once again until, searching for items for Steve's garage sale, I opened the drawer and found a ghost, a duck, and two frogs!
We were heading down to Lake Mattoon for Father's Day and had invited our friends the Garlands and the Meents to join us. Jo and her friend Sarah love to sing and they had decided to compose a song in honor of Father's Day. It only seemed appropriate to incorporate soap on a rope into the song and share Johanna's soap on a rope bounty. Jim and Greg Garland ended up with frog soaps on a rope and Dick Meets got the rubber duckie. I'm guessing that they had no idea just how much panache attaches to soap on a rope, but they were still impressed. Jim, as usual, was pleased.
As I am sure that he will be next Halloween when he gets a ghost soap on a rope!
Jo, Sarah, and Matt's Father's Day Song
We like our DAds, /Yes we do
Jim, Dick, and Greg,/ What a crew!
Jim takes our pictures. / He makes us smile.
When it comes to fashion,/ he is out of style
Our coach, Greg, /always makes us hustle.
His son, Matt, /shows off his muscle.
Dick likes to talk a lot./ He's full of hot air.
That's why Sarah/ can lift him in the air.
Jim says that we/ are a bit squirrly,
He always yells/ “not another girly.”
Dick's favorite spot is/ his chair that reclines.
He likes to relax/ with a clicker and felines.
Greg is our favorite coach./ HE loves running drills.
When he's not coaching us,/ he loves running GRILLS.
Jim likes poker/ and he likes sudoko
We all think that/ he’s a bit loco!
Dick likes to drink/ a beer after mowing
We wonder where/ his hair is going.
Greg likes to make us/ run laps and jog.
He would really like/ to get a family dog.
We like our Dads,/ yes we do
JIm, Dick, and Greg,/ What a crew.
You’re the best dads,/ so lets give a cheer.
We’d like to give you/ a year’s worth of beer
But beer is too expensive/ and we’re too cheap
Jim, Dick, and Greg, /please don’t weep!
You're the bestest fathers/ and that's not a joke.
So here's your present, / its soap on a rope.
My favorite part was Matt showing off his muscles while the girls sang. That and his giggling.
ReplyDeleteOn a side note, my friend Karen didn't know that soap-on-a-rope actually existed. She thought it was a joke!