my grandpa
my grandpa died on friday. he just turned 92, literally: he died on his birthday. that's a little weird, but the fact that he lived so long is remarkable. i'm upset at the loss, of course, but also relieved that he's no longer suffering or living with a quality of life i know he would hate. he was always the picture of health, and then fell victim to alzheimer's. for me, the last few years were the hardest; going to visit him but finding him a completely different person was heartbreaking. now, all i have are my memories, and i want to focus on the happy ones from when i was a kid.
my grandparents owned a small farm in Hawkesbury, and i absolutely loved going to visit them when i was younger. there was so much to do, and they both spoiled us as grandparents are meant to do. my grandpa was always a huge practical joker--i learned some of my best tricks from him. usually, he would pit us grandkids against each other, or worse, against my grandmother, but i remember him being truly impressed whenever we managed to put one over on him.
he also always took us along on special trips that were tailor made for kids--fishing trips on lake macdonald, hikes on his property to see the hives of bees he kept and made honey from, and all kinds of local farmers to visit their animals. for all of these trips, our mode of transport was either sitting on the tailgate of his old red toyota truck, swinging our legs and waving happily at concerned drivers, or else it was the bucket of his giant tractor. both of these means of transport were forbidden by my mother and grandmother, but we did it anyway. how else but the raised tractor bucket could we reach the apples on the tops of the trees, or see into the 'haunted' house on the next property?
one of the strongest associations i have with my grandpa is his garden. well, gardens. more than an acre of his property was a small nursery, where he grew all different kinds of trees. he also had a couple outstanding vegetable gardens, and it was he who taught me how amazing it is to be able to pull something from the earth, hose it off and eat it. nothing ever tasted sweeter than the veggies i helped plant and water (and weed, and weed and weed! that part was less fun...)
when i think of my grandfather, i think of his old red truck, his tilley hat, his woodworking shop on the top floor of the house, those little round white peppermints, his blue lazy boy chair, baseball, corn...a million things. i'm so proud to be his granddaughter.
rest in peace, grandpa. i really miss you.
my grandparents owned a small farm in Hawkesbury, and i absolutely loved going to visit them when i was younger. there was so much to do, and they both spoiled us as grandparents are meant to do. my grandpa was always a huge practical joker--i learned some of my best tricks from him. usually, he would pit us grandkids against each other, or worse, against my grandmother, but i remember him being truly impressed whenever we managed to put one over on him.
he also always took us along on special trips that were tailor made for kids--fishing trips on lake macdonald, hikes on his property to see the hives of bees he kept and made honey from, and all kinds of local farmers to visit their animals. for all of these trips, our mode of transport was either sitting on the tailgate of his old red toyota truck, swinging our legs and waving happily at concerned drivers, or else it was the bucket of his giant tractor. both of these means of transport were forbidden by my mother and grandmother, but we did it anyway. how else but the raised tractor bucket could we reach the apples on the tops of the trees, or see into the 'haunted' house on the next property?
one of the strongest associations i have with my grandpa is his garden. well, gardens. more than an acre of his property was a small nursery, where he grew all different kinds of trees. he also had a couple outstanding vegetable gardens, and it was he who taught me how amazing it is to be able to pull something from the earth, hose it off and eat it. nothing ever tasted sweeter than the veggies i helped plant and water (and weed, and weed and weed! that part was less fun...)
when i think of my grandfather, i think of his old red truck, his tilley hat, his woodworking shop on the top floor of the house, those little round white peppermints, his blue lazy boy chair, baseball, corn...a million things. i'm so proud to be his granddaughter.
rest in peace, grandpa. i really miss you.