|
By MaryHelen Swanson
My dad whistled. I believe I have, in the past, told you about his whistling. It was a rather haunting tune, jovial while a bit off key, it was Dad’s alone. We’ve tried, but no one has ever gotten the notes exactly right. It truly was Dad’s alone.
He whistled when he worked, when he drove the car, and when he puttered in the basement. He whistled while we fished in the row boat, and he whistled while he cleaned those panfish late into the night. My dad would not let his girls clean fish. He whistled when he cut the lawn or polished his car. My dad would not let his girls cut the grass and that car was his pride and joy. So, he whistled when he shined it up real nice, because he loved doing it.
So whistling, I guess, was done when he did what he loved to do.
In his obituary this week, it is said of Clifford Waldhoff that “he loved whistling and was very good at it. Some knew him as ‘whistler’ because they heard him whistling above the sound of the tractor as he made his rounds in the field.”
Now, that sounds like a man who loved his life as a farmer. Like my father, he expressed his joy in the world around him by whistling. What a gift.
Here’s what I have discovered about whistling.
You can’t eat while whistling, try that old soda cracker game, just try. You can whistle while you work, but you can’t whistle while you eat. That should give many a dieter an idea.
You can’t say bad words while whistling. You can’t criticize people, you can’t bully anyone, you can’t humiliate your child while whistling.
You can’t spit, you can’t bite. You can’t argue while whistling. Simply put, you can’t be an unpleasant person while whistling. (Except possibly, giving out an unwanted wolf whistle. Don’t bother me none, if you’re aiming at me, ha ha.)
If you think about it, whistlers are pleasant people, generally. I’ve never heard anyone whistle angrily, have you? Remember, Mary Poppins whistled her way through “A Spoonful of Sugar.”
Here are some other famous whistlers:
Roger Whittaker was first known as a musical whistler. Bing Crosby whistled and trilled in some of his songs, including White Christmas. They say he could imitate a birdcall and then riff on it with a swing styling.
And how about this all you Boomers, Neil Sedaka whistled the instrumental break on Pat Boone’s “Love Letters in the Sand.” Brother Bones 1903-1974, had a big hit with “Sweet Georgia Brown” which is still used as the warm up music of the Harlem Globetrotters, and Otis Redding used whistling to conclude his 1968 hit single, (Sittin’ on) the Dock of the Bay.
There’s one other thing I thought about the other day as I was contemplating whistling. When you are all puckered up to whistle, that comes awfully close to getting ready to give someone a big, old kiss.
So there you are, whistle a little this weekend, especially around your dad and then ... just lean over and give him a smooch on the cheek. Oh, yes, and tell him you love him. According to our online poll this week, it’s the best gift you can give him.
 |
