So you're looking for something for dear old Dad but you don't know where to start.  If you're like me, as a woman trying to figure out something for the Dad in my life (my own or my father-in-law),  it takes me a little time each year. 

I usually sit down and decide on categories of potential gifts and thought I'd share these with you. I've grouped them into categories that typically have plenty of ideas under $25 and certainly under $100. I hope it helps you get started!

Meanwhile, if you have >$100 to spend and your man is a nature-lover, I'm all about giving experiences as gifts. You can read more in Top 10 Father's Day experiences blog specifically about such experiences.

So herein, my top categories of gifts <$100 to help you get started:

Gift cards
Often, I find myself buying a gift card. I have found that gift cards work well for older dads who may have amassed many things over the years. The gift card categories alone are endless so you can have fun with this!

1. Gift cards to choose it themselves
This category is really focused on gift cards that allow these men to shop for themselves.  I don't pretend to know what my dad needs or wants at any given time. So I've focused on the joys in his life. Within this category, I've bought gift cards for:

• Tools - pick your favorite retailer
• Books - includes options such as physical retailers Barnes & Noble, audio books on Audible, and books for his tablet (Kindle or the Kindle app on his tablet)
• Coffee & Teas - From special blend coffees to specialty loose teas, I have picked these up at both the big name coffee franchises as well as the local coffee shops near them.
• Wine or beer memberships - For the aficionado of alcohol, individual bottles are always an option, as are memberships. Not always under $100, memberships can be more affordable for a single shipment to a few month options instead of a full year's membership. Many regions of the U.S. have wineries that have more affordable memberships than the most popular appellations. 
• Wellness services - Giving the gift of wellness is a true gift of love. This category can include services such as massage, reiki, biofield tuning, floating (REST), and more. You can also see wellness-related physical gift ideas below. 

2. Other activities include dinners out, movies at a favorite theater, combining the two into dinner theater, special event tickets, and more when we're all able to fully "socialize" again.  The nature experiences in part 1 of my Father's Day blog are other options. ​

1. Beverage accessories - I know where you're going with this BUT... this doesn't have to be just about alcohol. ;-) There are quite a few men out there who enjoy their coffees and teas, or who play sports or otherwise rehydrate with lots of water. From reusable beverage mugs to coffee and latte mugs to corkscrews, travel bottle openers, neoprene wine bottle carriers and even flasks. And of course, there's the entire bar selection from which to choose!

8. Art
This category might be a little riskier if the father in your life is particular with his tastes in art. Luckily, art comes in so many different textures and materials these days - metal, wood, canvas and acrylic, to traditional photographic prints, paintings and drawings.  If you can find the object of his passion, you can then select the medium. OR you can give a gift even closer to the heart: create something homemade that he will treasure simply because YOU made it.

As I’ve mentioned in previous blogs, I’m a big fan of the gift of time together. So whether you take one of these ideas or use them to inspire your own, the important thing is to just go have fun together!  And don’t forget, it’s always lovely to give the gift of a donation to one of the causes that the Dad in your life supports. The non-profit can always use your support, and it’s a wonderful feeling to do it.

Here are my TOP 10 ideas of the perfect day spent with the nature-, bird-, and animal-loving Dad in your life. There’s so much to explore together in your local area. ​

• Idea #1: Plan a picnic in a local park or at the beach. You can even create a picnic theme – perhaps it’s a typical lunch, or perhaps it’s just dessert. Either way, YUM!! 
• Idea #2: Are you near a rocky shoreline? Tidepooling is a fun activity that gives you the benefit of that salt air, and satisfies the need for new experiences – no two tidepools are alike. Explore the creatures you find within …   
• Idea #3: Fancy a hike? There are typically ample parks around your area. If you’re not into too much strain for the day, find one that requires little to no exertion. Is your dad up for a good workout? Find trails that are more challenging.  
• Idea #4: Enjoy being out on the water? How about a guided kayak tour, a sailboat excursion, a whale watch, or even Stand-up Paddleboarding (SUP) lessons. 
• Idea #5: Plan a trip to the local Botanical Gardens – explore what’s in bloom, what birds are visiting, and just generally enjoy being together exploring the beauty. 

If you need to stay indoors this Father’s Day, here are a few indoor ideas:

• Idea #6: Climb a rock wall together at a local rock gym or try an indoor skydiving experience.
• Idea #7: Go find your way out of an Escape room together.
• Idea #8: Visit a museum celebrating some aspect of nature, or rent a movie (Netflix, Red Box, or elsewhere) to explore a topic of Dad’s interest.
• Idea #9: Visit a local winery or microbrewery – the more onsite activity or beauty, the better! 
• Idea #10: If all else fails, plan for a drive in nature, complete with snacks for the ride(!), exploring a new location and enjoying the scenery.  The important thing is that you’re together doing it. So make the most of this Father’s Day together -

Other data points to consider when planning your activity:

• Are there migrating birds, whales, seals, or other animals in your area this time of year? You will see different birds in your area, depending upon the season. Some are there only a short time, others year-round. Are any of the animals changing in some way this time of year?
  • Birds become incredibly colorful during the breeding season, sing different songs, and demonstrate entirely different behavior than the rest of the year.
  • Deer and elk shed and regrow their antlers each year, with different periods of change in the antlers themselves.
  • Seals migrate, molt, mate, and pup at different times of the year.
  • Different whales migrate and have different behaviors depending upon the time of year and location.

Now, some of you are bound to be thinking, “I want to go bigger”. Good for you!  You’re hopefully into planning and can use Father’s Day to give a “promise note” of surprise for a future trip. This can be just as exciting – and allows the two of you or the whole family to plan it together.  See part 3 of my Valentine’s blog for nature/animal/bird lovers for some ideas based on my own personal experiences.

In Part 1 of this blog, I discussed the gift of animals all around us and the messages they can bring if we're open and listening.  This is true wherever we are - in our home and in our nature  travels elsewhere.  In Part 2, I focus on our own pets. 

Our pets who have passed
My dogs who have passed over also send me very clear and distinct messages.  When I have compared my experiences with others, they, too, have echoed similar experiences.  This is why I always remind my friends who have lost beloved pets to know that their pets remain with them – perhaps as a “guardian” or friend from the other side – and to always pay attention for their messages. I share my own personal first experience with this later. I have now started asking my dogs, shortly before they pass, what sign they will use to get my attention after they have left the physical world.  My last dog, Mika, clearly sent me an image of a dove’s feather when I posed the question to her. How would you know and trust the answer you get? It is literally the very first image that comes into your mind - without a single thought. For more on how you can connect with your pets – or any animal - many resources abound, and I provide some, below.  You can take classes online or in person to learn how to tap in. And all should provide you with direct practice to become comfortable with it. Don't let the thought of 'animal communications' as something odd or something that someone else does, detract you from it. I'll share my own personal story of why I feel this way....

I had enrolled in an animal communications class - now over 15 years ago - thinking that I was just going to hear how animal communicators do what they do.  I had no idea I would soon - ever so gently - be put on the spot myself. And I'm glad I didn't know. Back then, I lacked the kind of self-confidence that such an act would take, and would have never enrolled in the session.  But the very foundation of how I view life - and the possibilities that surround us - changed because of that class... We were each asked to bring a photo of a pet which, naively, ​I thought was to share with the Instructor. And so, sitting in the class with this premise, we were asked to exchange those pet photos with one another.  "Oh no!" I now realized, "this is our own test!" I hesitantly accepted the picture of a Golden Retriever from the nice lady sitting across from me.  Palms sweating, I reluctantly and nervously went through the exercise. We were then asked to share what came to us during the exercise.  I felt panicked.  I convinced myself that these odd images I kept getting during the exercise were some images my brain was concocting.  And so the moment of truth came when I was asked to share.  I swallowed, blushed, and apologized for the 'silly' image that I had gotten.  As I shared that I had seen her Retriever run circles around a kitchen island and then plop himself right in front of the refrigerator, I saw her friend (seated beside her) hit her arm - and both of them stared back at me in astonishment.  This, it turned out, was the precise layout of her kitchen and indeed the ritual her dog would eagerly do whenever his owner returned home.... WOW. Just wow....  I sat - speechless, astonished..... That moment, that day, was my wakeup call to all that is invisible to our 5 senses - but every bit as real as what we can see and touch. The experience has never left me.  I  understood why we were asked to participate in the exercise ourselves: it makes it real, tangible. It's a gift we ALL have, should we be willing to tap into it and use it. And like any muscle, exercise helps improve your ability to tap in and to grow confidence in yourself and this natural ability that we each have. 

​It starts with being open
It might take a little time for you to become comfortable with these concepts and that’s ok. It has been a journey over my adult life to learn to tap in and tune in to the animals all around me. 

​One day while gardening, I came across a dove’s feather and thought to myself, “That’s probably not from Mika. It may have been here some time.”  At which point, distracted, I got up to do something else.  Right then, right there, a dove on the wire above me took off and a single feather, ever so slowly, descended from the dove, gliding left, then right, slowly, slowly, as if dancing in the air. Right before my eyes, the feather amazingly glided and shifted to a 30 degree angle - straight over to me - landing at my feet.  I started laughing – that was undeniable. It’s best not to resist these moments, simply thank them and ask them if they have a message for you. The first thing that comes into your mind – without judgment, is the message. Just be open and see what they want to share with you. These gifts from our animal friends are beyond compare. They strengthen us in times of weakness, they reassure us in times of questioning, they console us in times of sadness. Somehow, they just know that we need them.

There are many wonderful resources below and beyond. I hope this list helps get you started. Be well, be open, and may your journey be richer thanks to the help of nature and the animals with whom we share the planet …..

Communicating with Animals

• Marta Williams, Animal communicator and my first teacher from that first class
• Anna Breytenbach, Animal communicator
• Powerful story of Spirit, the Black Leopard 
• What if we could talk to Animals – Pea Horsley on TedX 

Meanwhile, always feel free to reach out if your current pets are having any emotional or behavioral issues.  We love our pets and want them to live their lives as content as possible. This is true especially of rescued pets whose lives before they met us may not have been the most pleasant. They may bring with them the trapped emotions from neglect, abandonment and other issues.  I've worked with many rescues with emotional and/or behavioral issues that we were able to address and it fills my heart to help them!  You can learn more here.