Memories With Grandpa S.

As you all know, my Grandpa is VERY sick right now. I really don't think he's going to make it. There are just so many things wrong. I'm okay with him passing, but I want my aunts to get the have their goodbyes first. My mom called me in tears yesterday. I've been crying on and off since then. I do not plan to go back to Iowa until he passes away (I'm kind of just preparing for the worst by saying that). We just visited less than 2 weeks ago, he was happy and alert. I choose to remember him that way. I had the opportunity to say goodbye to my Great Grandma and my other Grandpa before they passed away, but I already feel like I have closure. I told him that I loved him before we walked out the door.

I don't want to dwell on the sadness right now though. I am posting this to remember the happy times. (Although, I know I'll be in tears as I type it.)

Memories With Grandpa S. (in no particular order)

1. The Penny Man would always come an visit me when I was at Grandma's and Grandpa's house. Who is the Penny Man you ask? Why, he leaves pennies in the backseat of cars! They were always shiny and new and I'd run out to the car to see  if he came! I learned from Grandpa 2 weeks ago that I also used to look up the exhaust pipe because I thought he lived in there. (Something tells me Grandpa told me he did).

2. Hikes at Morgan Creek Park. We always found walking sticks (and would hide them in the pavilion rafters before we left) for our hikes. He'd always stop to let me throw rocks in the water. The best times were when he let me wade in the creek! Then he'd give me his hankie to dry my feet.

3. There was a bridge over the creek at Morgan Creek and whenever there was no water I would make him play "3 Billy Goats Gruff" with me. He had to be the troll under the bridge!

4. On VERY rare occasions Grandpa would take me to the DQ. I only can remember twice and both times I got an ice cream cone.

5. When I was still pretty little Grandpa was still working at Quaker Oats. Before he'd leave for work in the afternoon he would pick me up and "bonk" my head on the light fixture in the kitchen. I thought it was hilarious.

6. I liked to go out in the backyard at their house and watch him work in his gardens. One day I was helping him pull carrots and a worm wiggled out of the ground. I shot off like a rocket...I hated worms.

7. Although funny enough...he had a wooden box filled with dirt and night crawlers that he kept in the fridge downstairs...and I always wanted to look at them, so he'd take me down to see them.

8. I remember being at their house the day he was putting up a new ceiling fan in the kitchen. He told Grandma to hold on to it (as it was dangling from the ceiling) while he went downstairs to get something. Well...it crashed to the floor and I heard the longest string of swear words I've ever heard. I believe I was ushered into the bedroom to watch TV after that happened.

9, He liked to watch wrestling so I'd watch it with him. I called it, "Bing Bang Boom".

10. I also watched the Bulls with him. It was back in the days of Michael Jordan. Dennis Rodman was always coloring his hair, so he called him Popsicle Head.

11. He was the first person to take me fishing. I caught a blue gill and I made him take it home because I wanted him to eat it.

12. One time when we went fishing I really had to pee. He pointed to a weeping willow tree and told me I could go under it because no one would see me. Let's just say I didn't quite get the whole squatting thing figured out, so we had to go home because I was all wet. Grandma was not happy with him!

13. We could eat until we were ready to burst at their house. Grandma would give me a HEAPING bowl of ice cream and when it was gone Grandpa would ask me if I wanted another bowl.

14. When Grandpa laughs the skin under his chin wobbles. My sisters and I always called it his turkey gobbler laugh. That's when he was super amused by something.

15. I forgot my bug catcher at home one time and I wanted to catch lightning bugs. Grandpa drilled holes in the lid of a peanut butter jar for me so I could still catch them.

16. Once when I spent the night their sewer backed up. I thought it was ridiculous that I had to use a bucket in the backyard to go to the bathroom! ha ha!

17. Grandpa put up a tire swing for us in the backyard. There was also a swing in the apple tree until it go stuck by lightning.

18. We always climbed the tower together at Pinicon Ridge...as Grandma stood on the ground freaking out that I would fall. He would always write my name up at the top with a pen but it would always wash off, so one day he carved it with his pocket knife.

19. He and Grandma always took me to feed the ducks at Robin's Lake and Ellis Park.

20. They also would take me to Bever Park Zoo. It was back when you could feed animals so he would give me a bucket of corn and a bucket of apples to feed them!

21. He totally convinced me once that peanut butter makes paper taste good. I decided to try it...but Grandma intercepted it just as I was going to take a "bite".

22. He also convinced me that if I swallowed watermelon seeds I would grow one in my stomach.

23. He would drive Grandma and I around to look at Christmas lights.

24. Once in the car a grasshopper jumped through the window and onto my lap. I started freaking out so Grandpa stopped the car to rescue me.

25. Grandpa told me a few years ago about a time we were walking at the park when I was pretty young. He claims I fell in a puddle and then yelled out, "Oh, damn-it!" I have NO memory of this, but I'll bet his "gobble chin" was shaking.

26. I always found it hysterical when we would get in the car because Grandma always took forever coming out of the house. He'd wait til she walked in the front of the car and honk at her. She'd jump a mile and we'd laugh hysterically. Poor Grandma.

27. The year of the exploding macaroni! Glass shattered everywhere.

28. When I think of Grandpa I always think of him in his denim jacket.

29. He and I would sit at the table and eat oyster crackers in milk with a spoon out of a coffee mug. I'm kinda craving that now.

30. I'll always be thankful that he came to my wedding and posed for a picture and that he got to meet Daniel. I'm sad Daniel will never really know him, but I'm glad they met.

I love you, Grandpa "S"! Thanks for all of the memories...even all of the ones that I didn't list.