May 4th, 1927...

...my Grandpa was born! He is celebrating his 82nd birthday today! I got this picture of a black forest cake off of google images just for Grandpa. He loves his chocolate! Several years ago he was in our area for his birthday and I bought him a piece of black forest cake from an excellent cheesecake bakery in our town. Grandpa, who will usually give anybody anything, would not even share a bite of that cake with anyone! What an inspiration he is to many in our family. Regardless of the weather, he goes out every morning and works on the wood pile for a couple of hours. He says he does not get as much wood split and stacked in a couple of hours as he used to, but I think that is understandable.

One of my favorite memories of Grandpa is from Christmas morning when I was still in high school. Grandma bakes Christmas cookies and all sorts of other goodies for Christmas, but you were not allowed to eat any until Christmas Eve. I have been known to snitch a few earlier, though, over the years! Any way, Christmas morning Grandpa was picking up all of the young grandchildren one by one and carrying them to the table so they could grab as many cookies as they could fit in their greedy little paws. Those grandchildren ranged in age from two to ten years old, and I was sixteen or eighteen. When he was all done with the younger grandchildren, he started to walk back towards his chair in the kitchen. I asked him, "Hey, what about me?" I was just messing around with him. I don't know if he didn't want to make me feel left out or if he wanted to prove to himself and the rest of us that he could still tote me around. Which ever, he walked to the couch I was on, picked me up, carried me to the table to get my handful of cookies then carried me back to the couch!

We have a huge cast iron dutch oven that Grandpa gave us. When he gave it to us, it was with the understanding that when I die he wants it back! What a joker he can be at times!

Two summers ago we were all sitting outside talking one day and Trucker was sitting in a lawn chair looking at a tool catalog, wearing his usual apparel: a Peterbilt cap, Peterbilt tee-shirt and his Peterbilt jacket. Grandpa looked over at him and whispered to me that he will live to see Trucker drive a Peterbilt someday. We all have dreams for our children, and I would imagine for our grandchildren, too. Grandpa is in his eighties and still has dreams for his following generations, down to his great-grandchildren. I had to work to hold back a tear or two as I told him I hoped Trucker will get to drive a Peterbilt someday and I hope that Grandpa will be there to see it. Grandpa does not drive any more and Grandma does not drive any more than she has to. When the big Peterbilt day comes, I promised myself that I will go pick Grandpa up and take him to wherever Trucker is driving his big rig. Grandma and Grandpa live right along a state highway, maybe someday Trucker will drive right into their drive way. Wouldn't that light up Grandpa's eyes?