Dad that’s gross!

With the flu season getting underway, I’ve heard a lot of people sneezing, wheezing and coughing around me lately. Dad was pretty dramatic when he came down with a cold. He would complain and Mom would nurse him (baby him) back to health. While he was vocal with his complaints, he never missed work because of the sniffles, he always toughed it out.

But what I remember most about those times when Dad had a cold were the hankies. Dad was old school and always carried a hanky with him, which mom dutifully washed (and I think she even ironed them!) I never understood the concept of carrying around a snot rag in your pocket when tissues were readily available. Sure, it’s more eco-friendly I guess, but gross!

One of the sounds I will never forget, just like’s Dad’s cough, is Dad honking like a duck into one of those hankies. As a child, I was so disgusted by the act but poor Dad was just trying to find relief!

I did find this article about the history of handkerchiefs on Wikipedia that was pretty interesting. I had no idea a king is thought to have created what became known as a hanky!