A brief look into my childhood

I remember most sitting on Grandpa’s lap. He would smile at me and tell me how I looked like my dad. Then he would give me my choice of a Heath or Cherry Hump candy bar. He always had a stash of candy. I would make my choice and then he would tell a story. I loved listening to his stories and to Grandma's. They kinda weaved in and out of their stories but I liked them. Grandma always called it train of thought.

Us boys would play along the way to Grandma's house a lot. Sometimes we would even stop and take the time to fly kites in one of Jimmie Ingelstet's field's. We would leave our kites hidden under a pile of rocks, there was an opening on the one side, and we would shove them in there. That way we could fly our kites any old time, unless of course it really rained and then the kite was kinda ruined. Sometimes they would be tore up or missing when we would show up to fly them. But we would just make a new one, unless we had gotten some money for our birthday or done some odd job somewhere then we would buy one. Making kites was pretty easy to do though. You just needed some paper, string, a couple sticks and some tape. It was always a treat though when we could actually go buy a new kite.

We were not real rich back then, I guess you could say we were dirt poor. But, I would have never believed it if you would have told me back then, cause I was happy. Life was good. I always seemed to have enough. I spent a lot of time like I said at Grandma's house. She let me do just about anything I wanted to do. Dad was on vacation a lot and Grandpa was gone and well Grandma needed me and Mom was working a lot now, something about paying bills.

It was great at Grandma's though she let me bake cookies and pies, cakes and candy always making sure to guide and direct me step by step. I loved to bake and cook things. Guess that's why I still enjoy it today. Because of the love and patience that Grandma & Mom spent teaching me. Mom was always happy that Grandma let me bake out there cause then she didn't have to clean up the mess and with four boys, believe me she had a mess.

Well as I was saying Grandpa would tell me a story and oh could he tell stories. I remember one story he told about how his daddy loaded up a Conestoga wagon out in New York and along with his family they headed for Iowa. He talked about going up over the mountains and seeing Indians. He said it took a long time to get here. Long cold nights and days sleeping under the stars and eating around a campfire. I told him it sure sounded like a lot of fun to me. He just laughed. I sure missed his stories after he was gone. Grandma still told stories though. She didn’t tell as many as she used to but she still told them. My favorite was about Andrina. Andrina was nice but that’s another story. Grandma told me to read my Bible when I felt alone. She said reading God’s word would help remove the loneliness and overcome the wicked in the world.

They closed the old Pumphouse the year grandpa died. So now we could use the hill for sledding all the time. I liked the hill mostly for solitude. I would sit there for hours and make up stories and think. Grandpa was gone and dad was gone most of the time. Things were so different. I didn’t know if I much liked getting older. I liked the old Pumphouse though. Some times I liked it for crying but that's another story.

Matthew 4:4, "But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."

1 John 2:14, "I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one."