Monday, January 30, 2012

Ice Blue!

One of the writing prompts I received when browsing Mama Kat's Pretty Much Famous Writer's Workshop this weekend said to list 5 products your father uses (or used) and write a longer piece about at least one of them.  I have been trying to figure out how to incorporate this in the regular writing prompts she sends out on Tuesday, but since she hasn't published the prompts yet, I can't do it.  I felt strongly that I needed to write this one!  So, again, breaking my self-imposed one-blog-a-day rule, I am posting a second one today!

Last week, I wrote about my dad as my hero, so those who saw that post know that he is no longer with us.  However, I clearly remember the things he used!

He used Vitalis hair oil when I was a child.  He used Selsun Blue shampoo,  always used Crest toothpaste (at least as far back as I can remember), and Lavoris mouthwash.  He also used Ice Blue Aqua Velva after shave.  I remember it well.

The first time I ever bought a Christmas gift for my father, by myself (I am sure my mother gave me the money), I bought my dad 2 things.  One of them was a box of chocolate covered cherries which he dearly loved, and the other was a bottle of Ice Blue Aqua Velva.

You know how parents are - especially Dads with their little girls.  You would have thought I had given him a box of gold!  He made such a  big fuss over how much he loved it and how smart I was to know what he liked, that I vowed to do it again the next year.

And, I did.  The next year, and the next year, and the next year, ad infinitum.  Each year, he ate the cherries, and thanked me for the Aqua Velva.  By the time I was about 10 years old, they had started to make Aqua Velva in decorative bottles, so I always looked hard to find something different.  Still, every year, I bought the same 2 items.

When I grew up, married and moved away, Dad always said it wouldn't seem like Christmas without his cherries and his Aqua Velva.  So, he continued to get them.

Fast forward several years...probably about 18 years after I left home.  I was visiting my dad and he asked me to get something for him out of his bathroom, under the sink.  Imagine my surprise, and my chagrin, when I realised he had about 12 boxes of Aqua Velva, unopened, in the cabinet.  When I asked him about it, he just smiled his sweet smile, and said that some traditions were just important.  I never forgot the loving gesture of a man who would rather store unopened bottles of after shave than tell his daughter he didn't need any more!



10 comments:

Pix at Under the Oaks said...

Awww Linda some very sweet memories! Very cute with your Dad and the Aqua Velva :) Chocolate covered cherries were big at our house for Christmas too and still are!

Hootin Anni said...

Ohhhhhhhhhhh, our dads. We loved 'em didn't we? And the memories of their lives and how we mixed together so well to make a family a family. Your post made me think of my dad and how I still miss him but remember things that we'd do together...fishing [which I hated when I was a youngster but would give my two ovaries to be by his side at a lake right now] and so many many other things....sigh....oh, and my dad's choice of 'after shave' was OLD SPICE --- do they even make that any more?!!


My Monday Post if you'd like to stop by to visit...is:
THEY CALL ME MELLOW YELLOW

PerthDailyPhoto said...

Love your posts about your Dad Linda, they are so very special (Mum's too absolutely) you're so lucky to still have your Mum, cherish her well!!

Jenn Jilks said...

Lovely homage to your dad. I've lost some of my memories. Cheers from Cottage Country!

Anonymous said...

What a lovely post Linda, thanks for sharing these precious memories! I was able to buy a bottle of OLD SPICE only a few years ago in Tas in Australia!! I think every male member of my family wore it back in the 60's and 70's!!

Jan n Jer said...

What a sweet story! You were lucky to have your Dad while growing up! Sadly my Dad passed away when I was 7 and the hole in heart never really closed!

Anonymous said...

Sweet post - sweet memory - sweet Dad. I had one of those myself although my Dad wasn't an Aqua Velva guy - he always smelled like the cherry-scented pipe tobacco he loved. How sweet that your Dad saved all the "extras" !

Pam (& Sam)

Cedar said...

Oh, that is so very nice...sweet! Such a great memory to cling to and to remember how much he loved you. Very special.

Thank you for your comments on my blog. They are always so encouraging and I really appreciate them. Especially yesterdays as I was feeling a bit discouraged. I did send the fence (though I left in the rope :)) and the basketball net to class...so we'll see what he says as I am leaving for class now. Thanks!

Dianna said...

Aw, this is so sweet... I can just see your dad doing that.

(And my hubby wears Ice Blue Aqua Velva everyday, but doesn't have a reserve under the sink!)

Susan Smelser said...

Did you buy the first chocolate covered cherries/Aqua Velva gift at Burt's Store?! Love love love this story! I have wonderful memories of your Dad (the other Howard!).
I think our Dad always got a lot of pj's at Christmas!