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Melon-Head

Last month, I did a post about my marvelous mom in honor of Mother's Day... therefore, it is now time to post about my dynamic dad! Instead of another Top 10 Countdown, this time I've got a questionnaire of sorts for you.  All you ever wanted to know, and more, about my father... ENJOY!

Family photo from a couple of years ago... Robbin Knight Photography

Name: Mark Allen McFarland 

Aliases: Melon, Melon-Head, Big Daddy

Born: August 8th, 1956 (For those of you who struggle with math, he's almost 56!)

Origin: Dover, Ohio

Parents: Shirley and Bill

Siblings: Willie, Barb, Debbie, and Jebo

Physical description: Blue eyes; 5'10"-ish; fully-bearded; used to be blonde, but now it's pretty much gray... what's left of it anyway.

Favorite movie: I don't actually know his favorite, but he really likes old Westerns.  And he used to watch The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood on TV all the time.

Favorite music: Bob Seger, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Lynard Skynyrd, The Doobie Brothers, Elvis Presley, and all that awesome classic rock/oldies good stuff! 

1. What makes your dad happy?

A win by the Browns, Indians, or Buckeyes; riding his motorcycle; visiting the cow farm in Ohio; hunting; rearranging things in his garage; Antiques Roadshow; waking up before the sun

At a golf tournament with my uncle and two cousins

2. How does your dad make you laugh?

By laughing at his own jokes, wearing his “jams,” and botching modern slang/tech lingo (“You should tweeter that on SpaceBook.”)

3. What is your dad really good at?

Driving, reading a map, building things, and singing karaoke (and by “really good” at karaoke, I mean he is painfully entertaining to watch. Emphasis on the pain.)

4. What is your dad not very good at?

Hanging pictures on the wall; going on vacations (unless it's to hunt, fish, or golf); being quiet; picking out his clothes

William cheesin' for a photo on Dad's birthday

5. What is your dad's favorite outfit?

Denim button up shirt and jeans. Denim on denim, baby!

6. How are you and your dad the same?

We’re both stubborn, argumentative, loud, have to get the last word, and we like to take naps.

Ben & Jerry's Factory in Vermont

7. How are you and your dad different?

He has a much stronger work ethic than I do, he cries when he's happy/proud/sentimental (I'll bet you 75¢ he cries when he reads this), and I’m a girl.

8. How do you know your dad loves you?

He has always wanted us kids to have more than he could when he was growing up, he coached as many of my sports teams as I would let him, and he (and my mom) stuck it out during some pretty rough times to keep our family together.

9. What does your dad like most about your mom?

I've heard my dad say my mom is the best thing that ever happened to him, and if we're not counting amazing daughters, then I'd have to agree.  I'm pretty sure she saved him from being an eternal bachelor and potentially making some really bad decisions.  And then obviously, she birthed his three children and provided him with a bonus child. Plus, she's puts up with his nonsense for almost 25 years.  Lucky guy, I'd say.

This is my all-time favorite photo of my parents.

10. What is something your dad always says?

"Do as I say, not as I do." "It is what it is." "Damn, hoopies!" "Keep your mouth out of it!" "Because they're boys." "Village Road, let's go!" "Send me a text." "Rub some dirt on it."

With Michael at his high school graduation

11. What was your relationship like with your dad when you were a child?

When I was little, I definitely had my "Daddy's Girl" moments.  I liked going to work with him, I would offer to give him neck massages, I joyfully fixed food for him, and I hated for him to go out of town. Every year since I can remember, Big Daddy has gone deer hunting in Ohio for about a week after Thanksgiving.  What I remember more than his actual leaving, are the ridiculous crying fits I would have because I didn't want him to go.  And then when he would call to check on us, I would beg and plead for him to come home.  I also remember a couple elementary school trips that included late night calls to my dad to come get me.  (For those of you who don't remember the Mom Blog, I have serious separation anxiety issues... I love my parents. Sue me.)  

One of my favorite things my dad and I did when I was little was go on a week-long trip to Ohio, just the two of us.  It was the first time I flew on an airplane (that I was old enough to recall) and I loved it.  We stayed with his life-long BFF, Uncle Skilet, and his family.  We went go-kart racing, ate at a place called The Village, played these really cool pull-tab lottery tickets, rode dirt-bikes (which I crashed a couple times, and now realize was a serious foreshadowing of what a horrible driver I would come to be), and celebrated Uncle Skilet's 40th birthday with a huge party.  It was an incredible trip, and it was all about my dad and me.

Grammy & Granddad... the people responsible for little Marky's existence.

12. What is your relationship like with your dad now?

Well, well... I definitely would not call myself a Daddy's Girl anymore.  It's not that we don't get along, we just have different opinions about most things.  As I mentioned before, we are both very stubborn and argumentative.  Around the time I reached middle school, I started to become extremely opinionated about pretty much everything.  I never really went through the whole "I hate my idiot parents"-phase, but my dad and I have definitely had some battles.  It usually starts with him saying something that I find to be incorrect, close-minded, or just plain irritating.  And then I decide to jump in and express my thoughts.  Well, Melon-Head typically doesn't want to hear my thoughts, especially if they contrast his or aim to prove him wrong.  I don't usually set out to be difficult and start a fight, but I HATE when somebody tries to shut me down or refuses to listen to my opinions.  So, with neither of us willing to back down, we sometimes end up in a "screaming match," if you will. Then my estrogen-driven emotions take over, I start to cry, and my dad yells more because he doesn't understand why I'm crying.  Most of the time, these fights start over nothing of consequence.  We just like to argue and hate to lose.

All that being said, I DO love my father.  A lot.  And now that I don't live at home, we argue a lot less.  Or at least it doesn't escalate to me being in a full-blown state of hysteria.  Even though I frequently try to prove my independence, I still feel like a kid around my dad.  I still ask him for help with any automobile, construction, or sports-related issue.  And I know that no matter what, he loves me and will be there for me.

 13. What makes you proud of your dad?

How hard he works to support his family. Six (sometimes seven) days a week, no matter what is going on, no matter how he is feeling, rain or shine.  That man gets up and works. Hard. I'm also really proud of how much he's mellowed over the years.

Riding the ferry from Put-in-Bay in Ohio 

14. What have you learned from your dad over the years?

Keep your eye on the ball.  

Always use the emergency break.

Say "thank you" when somebody hands you a knife or sharp object, so they know you have a hold of it.  

How to catch the ball without actually opening the glove, making for a faster play. 

Laser pointers do, in fact, cause mental illness in dogs. 

Don't wait until the last minute. (This didn't exactly stick.)

Never let the gas tank get below a quarter-tank. (Neither did this one...) 

Measure twice, cut once. 

Cold pizza is a perfectly acceptable (and delicious) breakfast choice. 

You can cure an illness by wearing long-sleeves and pants to bed, trapping yourself under thick blankets, and "sweating it out." 

Tighten lug-nuts in an alternating pattern, so the tire goes on straight.

Listening to golf on the radio is just as boring as watching it on TV... now if I could only make him realize this.

How to use a climbing deer stand... on the telephone pole... in our backyard.

Anyone not from the good old US of A = Oriental. 

When dealing with Melon, it is important that you are a mind-reader.

If it's not a Harley, it's just a crotch-rocket.

 HAPPY FATHER'S DAY, BIG DADDY...  
I love you all the way to Michigan and Ohio!!