More Phat Pat

It seems like ages since I've posted something from my dad. There have been plenty of Phat Pat quotes, but I'll stick to a theme this time: Benny. Since my parents watched Benny while I was partying my ass off in Chicago, my dad had plenty of time to develop some exaggerations about the Bear. These are actually pretty cute since my dad is completely smitten with Benny. Benny knows that Grandpa will let him do whatever he wants, so whenever Mommy says "no," Benny wants Grandpa to pick him up. There are two classic Phat Pat moments about Benny...

Brule is home to two restaurants. The first, Virg's Bar and Grill, has been a staple on the Brule out-and-about scene for years. Virgil Hughes opened the bar years ago. His son, Mel, took over the restaurant and was its main proprietor for as long as I can remember. (Unfortunately Mel passed away recently. My dad served as a palbearer, naturally.) Since my parents have moved into town, I've noticed that they eat lunch out quite often, mostly at Virg's since the Village Cafe is a step up from garbage food - but that's for another post. Anyway, Virg's is your standard small town greasy spoon. I can't imagine that anything Benny ate there had any nutritional value. But my dad swears that Benny LOVED the mashed potatoes and gravy. As my dad was telling this story, my mom was shaking her head that, no, Benny did not love the mashed potatoes and gravy. Here's what I assume happened at Virg's. My dad tried to feed Benny all sorts of stuff. Benny spat it out. And my mom fed him a proper lunch when they returned home.

The second Phat Pat quote really illustrates how proud my dad is of Benny, even though he may exaggerate Benny's abilities. When we picked Benny up after I returned from Chicago, my uncle hosted a bbq for my cousin who is getting married at the end of the month. So, we headed out to the country. Benny loved being on the farm because he could wander just about anywhere and we didn't have to chase after him for fear of cars. My dad followed Benny everywhere. When he brought him back to the group, he had an enormous rock in his hand - a rock most five year olds wouldn't be able to pick up. My dad carried the rock and Benny back and exclaimed, "Look at what Benny picked up WITH ONE HAND!" He had a beaming smile on his face and was convinced that Benny would be able to palm a basketball and dunk it within the next few years.