Story by Christine King
I have many fond memories of my grampa. He used to hum or whistle songs quite often. I wish I could remember the little ditty's he used to say to me when I was younger. They were funny and clever and he would follow it up with his favorite party trick of popping out his bottom dentures at me. His grandchildren and great grandchildren have seen that trick many times.
When I was still in elementary school I would often walk down to the farm with my dad Leon in the summertime wearing my red mud boots and spend time in the barn brushing the cows, scraping down the stalls, and feeding the calves. Grandpa would mix up the powdered milk for me in silver milking pails and I would carry it down to the end of the barn to each calf one at a time. There were quite a few times when Grampa would come up to me with a surprise cupped in his hands. I'd curiously look at his hands with a smile on my face. He would open up his hands just enough so that I could peak inside. Inside was a brown and white sparrow that he had caught out of one of the windows in the barn. He would then let it go and it would fly up in between us. Such a sweet little moment he shared with me many times.
I also liked to be around when it was haying time. My cousins and I would help put the bails of hay up into the hayloft when they were bigger than me it seemed. We built a fort up there a few times. The boys would drive the tractors in the field too. I liked the work and it was helping us learn about how things were done on the farm, making us stronger, and allowing us to see my Grampa's, my father's and family's passion for farming.
I put up a Christmas tree the last few years at my Grampa's house in front of the picture window in the living room. In 2016 when I was decorating I was playing classic Christmas music with Grampa sitting in his recliner. He would hum or sing along with the songs and I will cherish that day for the rest of my life.
Love,
Christine xoxo
