A Happy Father’s Day to Everyone’s Favorite Gardener and My Amazing Dad
Every year it seems that Father’s Day comes out of nowhere! It catches me off guard every time, and I always feel like I am caught scrambling. For my dad in particular, whose birthday typically falls on Mother’s Day, I feel like he can sometimes get the short end of the stick in regards to being the center of the celebration. What’s unfortunate is my dad is just so gosh-darn nice! When I say nice, I literally mean he could be in the running for the world’s nicest human. The definition of a Yes Man! So, it’s only self-imposed guilt that makes me or my sisters feel bad for missing these moments, as my dad certainly isn’t capable of guilting us himself. This allows for the cycle of being under-celebrated to continue.
In addition to Father’s Day always sneaking past me, I find the men in my life extremely difficult to shop for, my father included. This year with the opening of the Yellow Jacket, I feel better prepared to get him something that he will love. But before I show you what my dad can expect this Father’s Day, I would like to introduce you to the man, the myth, the legend - Dean Norton.
Some of you reading may think my dad looks familiar. If you are at all involved in the local gardening community, you will recognize him as Mount Vernon Estate’s Director of Horticulture and Boxwood Expert. If you have ever enjoyed a walk through our first President’s, George Washington, gardens and grounds, you may thank my dad for their beauty and splendor as they are under his charge. With that being said, as I have aged, I’ve come to realize just how impressive my dad really is! When you’re young, you are fully aware your parents have jobs, but the impact they have, the knowledge they possess, and the responsibility they carry can be lost on a child. I should have gotten the hint my freshman year of high school when my friend came running into first period, out of breath, and exclaiming, “I’m late because I was watching the history channel this morning and Penelope’s dad was on TV! I couldn’t stop watching!”. I could have caught on when my mom made sure to record a national news segment on gardening he did with Martha Stewart. I finally started to wise up when he toured Prince Charles and Camilla through the vegetable garden on their royal visit to Mount Vernon Estate. It certainly took me long enough.
Up until what feels like too recently, I saw my dad as simply an amazing dad. He was the man that helped me prepare for class presentations, threw the football with me in the yard, dressed as the themed villain for our birthday parties so the kids could throw water balloons at him, and always helped me put on my shoes.
So, when I say my dad is incredibly nice, it fails to capture what’s at its root - dedication and joy. He has led his life with steadfast dedication and the utmost joy. He exemplifies this in how he parents my sisters and me, is a partner to my mother and loves his work. It is dedication and joy that enabled him to be the best PTA President at every level of our education (for what must have been decades), spend 53 years at a job he absolutely adores (who can say that?), reaching 37 years of marriage to my amazing mother (DAMN), and just recently receive an honorary Doctorate Degree from Washington College for his contributions to the field (we sometimes now call him Doctor Dad). It’s because of these qualities and the effortlessness in which he displays them that it took me so long to realize who he is outside of being my dad. I could not be luckier to have him as a father nor prouder of just how much he has accomplished.
From touring historical gardens as a family to celebrating my dad’s 50th Anniversary working at Mount Vernon.”
While it’s safe to say my dad deserves the world, these are the special things I want to get for him from the Yellow Jacket to properly celebrate Father’s Day and honor what an incredible man he is. I hope you all will take the time to do the same for your amazing fathers.
Here are my top picks for Father’s Day:
Every dad has that swimsuit that needs replacing! Costa Swim Shorts in Laguna Blue by Johnnie O., $93
For staying warm during early mornings fishing. Carrollton Hoodie in Storm by Tasc Performance, $68
This man’s walking speed is my jogging, and if he won’t slow down, I want him to look good anyways. Techknit Sneaker in Twighlight by Onward Reserve, $128
To keep him looking spiffy during all his lectures on Mount Vernon. Dress Shirt in White Roxford by Sid Mashburn, $165
Because he would absolutely rock this belt! Sport Stretch Belt in Green by W. Kleinberg, $195
